Tag: Miracles

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Blog 206

July 18, 2021

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st century people believe the hand of God still touches people today? Read and you’ll find new insights.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Recently a friend said,  “You know. you’ve had a tough life. You’ve been in the same ditch where most people live. Robert, you were adopted as a child. Then, you went through an unwanted divorce that recked the church you served. Your oldest son was killed in a car wreck. How did you make it through such an ordeal?”

“Divine interventions,” I answered. “That’s how I got interested in exploring how miracles happen.” My friend wanted to know more so I shared my first miraculous experience.

Years ago, I developed a fever that gradually worsened and finally ended in a diagnosis of acute nephritis, a most serious kidney disease. Nothing slowed the progress of the illness. I ended up sleeping around 20 hours a day, struggling to read, and my kidneys were shrinking. I was looking a dialysis at best; death at worst. Nothing helped.

Finally, I was sent to a Roman Catholic hospital for extensive tests and x-rays. The dye shot through my veins, and felt like fire was engulfing my body. Attempting to find relief, I noticed a crucifix on the wall and wondered if I could mentally project or transfer my suffering to that object. To my surprise, the figure of a crucified Christ seemed to absorb some of my pain. I was surprised.

The hospital tests only confirmed the worst. A few days later, a medical book was placed  on the night stand. The article basically said I wasn’t going to get well. I was far too young to die, but there was nothing I could do to stop the inevitable. At that moment, I remembered the crucifix in the hospital. Stretching out in the bed in a cruciform position, I cried out for God’s help. I needed a divine intervention. I have no idea how to explain what followed.

With my eyes closed, I seemed to float upward through the darkness until I was on the Cross with Jesus. Then, I was  mystically “in Christ, “ experiencing his struggle on the Cross – and then he was in me. We seemed to be suspended together on the Cross.

A passage of scripture described the experience best. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who love me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Light began to fill the room so brightly that I didn’t want to open my eyes. As the warmth swept over my body, the light began to penetrate my skin. The light kept g traveling through my entire body. I laid there lost in an ecstasy of warmth. Eventually, I drifted off into a night of wonderful sleep.

To my surprise, I awoke around 10:00 the next morning. Usually, I slept until the afternoon. I picked up a book and could read it. I even felt slightly hungry. Abruptly, the phone rang. The doctor’s office was calling for a urine sample. They apologized for waking me, but said a courier was on the way over to pick it. Forty-five minutes later, the nurse called back. Something hadn’t gone right and they wanted to repeat the process. Fine. I went back to reading. An hour had passed when the phone rang a third time. It was my doctor.

“Look, Robert,” he began, “we both know you’ve not been a good patient. I told you to go to bed long before you did and look where it took you. Are you joking around with us?”

“What are you talking about?” I said.

“What have you been sending over here? Tea?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Look, these tests are normal. It can’t be!”

But it was. I just got well. The fact that my spiritual experience had in 12 hours restored my body seemed unimaginable. Nevertheless, I not only got well, but I still have my kidneys. That’s also medically impossible because once kidneys start to shrink, the process is irreversible. I still have mine. I had cried out for help in the night and got a miracle in the morning.

That’s how my search to understand miracles began and these weekly blogs eventually followed. The search has proved to be one of the most important journeys of my life. By the way, he same discovery is possible for you.

Also, I’d love to hear your story if you’ve experienced a divine intervention.

Send it to me at Wise on Miracles@gmail.com.

Please watch and subscribe to my new YouTube channel MIRACLES NEVER CEASE, where I post interviews with people sharing their experiences with divine encounters!

Let the miracles begin!

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A PRAYER EXPERIENCE 

Blog 205

July 11, 2021

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st century people believe the hand of God still touches people today? Read and you’ll find new insights.

A PRAYER EXPERIENCE   

Recently I was going through my files and found a letter from Vicki Leonard in Sacramento, California. Some years ago, I had been invited by Christ Community Church to hold a seminar on prayer and healing. Vicki and Fred Leonard were members of the congregation and had come forward during a time of intercessory prayer. After the event was over, Vicki wrote me about her experience.

As a child, Vicki had polio that left her with a curvature in her spine and affected her leg muscles. When Vicki came to the service, she had reservations. She didn’t doubt the possibility of God touching people’s needs, but wasn’t sure where she fit in the picture. Somewhere during the seminar, she crossed the line and put her quandaries aside and came forward for intercessory prayer and what the Bible calls the “laying on of hands,” meaning that I placed the palms of my hands on her head as we prayed. I had asked her if she experienced anything during the prayers. Vicki later wrote me, “I felt a warmth spread throughout my body. The feeling of love was so strong, almost electrifying.” However, Vicki wasn’t quite sure what was happening and returned to her seat. The spiritual experience had been so strong she wasn’t certain what to think.

Because of the lingering effects of polio, Vicki had a hard time staying in one position for long as well as feeling pain when sitting down. However, as she returned to the pew, she realized an absence of pain. The problem was gone. In her letter, she reported that the pain never returned.

Her childhood polio had been so serious that at one point, the doctor told her parents to prepare for a funeral. They were instructed that she would not walk again and probably not use her arms. There was no expectation of a normal life or the ability to have children. And yet by the grace of God, Vicki had lived through those dire predictions not only to have a normal life, but to have two children.

That evening in the seminar, Vicki had been able to push her reservations aside and reach out for the hand of God to touch her. She left the altar with a new sense of the Holy Spirit working in her life. She made the decision to “let God be God,” and the results followed.

Vicki Leonard’s experience offers encouragement to anyone with reservations.  Our need is to realize the promises apply to us regardless of how we have been reluctant to accept that fact. How does prayer work? A Divine connection is made between personal need and God’s provision. As you are reading these lines, are you wondering could this happen to you. Absolutely!

Divine interventions come in many ways. The most important thing is to set our reservations aside and invite the Holy Spirit to come to our need. Vicki’s experience reminds us that our openness allows more to follow than we might imagine.

By the way, I’d love to hear your story if you’ve experienced a divine intervention.

Send it to me at Wise on Miracles@gmail.com.

Please watch and subscribe to my new YouTube channel MIRACLES NEVER CEASE, where I post interviews with people sharing their experiences with divine encounters!

Let the miracles begin!

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PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER

Blog 204

July 4, 2021

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st century people believe the hand of God still touches people today? Read and you’ll find new insights.

PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER

Some years ago, I started a Servants In Prayer group for people who wanted to explore how healing prayer could help them. David and Dana Taylor had been friends for years and she joined our group as we studied divine interventions and miracles. I did not know about her struggledwith a tumor behind her ear until later.

Much earlier in her childhood, Dana developed an illness with a high fever and swollen glands behind her ear.  As the symptoms faded, the knot on her scalp didn’t. Five years later the problem returned and the growth became two-inches long and one inch wide. Dana had a problem!  The situation looked like dangerous surgery would be necessary. A serious neck surgery had been required earlier. She didn’t want to go through the procedure again.

In our Servants in Prayer group, we stressed constant prayer about such problems. Dana realized she had not really followed this principle. Francis MacNutt had espoused the idea of “soaking prayer, ” meaning praying over and over until a condition improved. Francis had discovered that concentrated prayer over a period of time brought important results. Dana started following this procedure.

 She placed her hand over the lump and imagined blood rushing to the area and breaking up the growth. For twenty minutes, she prayed that the mass was being reduced. Her hand became warm and she felt something happening in her head. The sensation begun to decrease and Dana stopped praying. When she measured the lump, it had decreased in size by an eighth of an inch.

For the next three days, Dana prayed in the same manner. In the morning, she prayed for half an hour and did the same in the afternoon. After each session, the lump was measurably smaller. By the fourth day, the lump had reduced to the size of a pea. Dana returned to the Servants in Prayer group and asked them to pray for her. By the end of that week, the growth had completely disappeared.

Mark’s Gospel has the story of a blind man that Jesus healed. (Mark 8:22-24) The first time Jesus touched him, people looked like trees. Jesus needed to touch him a second time for the cure to be complete. The man’s persistence was significant as was the case with Dana Taylor. Some healing experiences simply take more concentrated intercession.

The point? Don’t give up. The power remains constant.

By the way, I’d love to hear your story if you’ve experienced a divine intervention.

Send it to me at Wise on Miracles@gmail.com.

Please watch and subscribe to my new YouTube channel MIRACLES NEVER CEASE, where I post interviews with people sharing their experiences with divine encounters!

Let the miracles begin!

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SPECIAL DELIVERY IN A TIME OF NEED

Blog 201

June 14, 2021

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st century people believe the hand of God still touches people today? Read and you’ll find new insights.

SPECIAL DELIVERY IN A TIME OF NEED

Scholars debate divine inspiration and how humanity communicates with divinity. Fascinating discussions but often with little return. However, in the midst of those debates, God Almighty continues to speak in His own ways. Sometimes contact is amazingly unique. One of the reasons for these weekly blogs is to help people learn to listen from speech of God, particularly when it is unexpected.

For example…

Hunter Riddell had probably been only around six-years old when I first met him. I was building steps in our Colorado home when he came down to help. I watched him grow up and even play football in Junior High. Along the way, Hunter had some hard knocks on his head that left permanent damage. He struggled.

I was out in my yard mowing the grass when I was surprised to discover his father standing beside me. I turned the mower off and noticed that his father had a painful look on his face. Before I could ask a question, he spoke.

“Hunter died last night,” Scott Riddell said. “He died in his sleep.”

I nearly doubled over. I couldn’t believe my ears. I had to ask Scott to repeat his words. It was all too unbelievable. The twenty-two-year young man was gone. We began talking about what had happened, both of us stumbling for words. Finally, we prayed together.

As he was leaving, Scott said, “I want you to know I got a special email about Hunter a short while ago.”

Nancy Frias, one of his friends in Denver, heard what happened and began praying. As clear and audible as if someone standing by her spoke, she heard a message.  “I have Hunter here. He is safe and well. There is no more pain for Hunter. Yes, sudden death is hard but I am the Comforter. Scott and La Nore will be loved through this. Pass it on “

The message impacted Scott and La Nore Riddell with the inspiration they needed in that moment to endure their loss. God had spoken and they were comforted beyond what words can express.

Does God still speak? Everyday.

Learning to listen may be the most profitable thing you can do .

By the way, I’d love to hear your story if you’ve experienced a divine intervention.

Send it to me at Wise on Miracles@gmail.com.

Please watch and subscribe to my new YouTube channel MIRACLES NEVER CEASE, where I post interviews with people sharing their experiences with divine encounters!

Let the miracles begin!

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THE EXTRA TOUCH

Blog 200

June 7, 2021

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st century people believe the hand of God still touches people today? Read and you’ll find new insights.

THE EXTRA TOUCH

While scanning through my files, I found a letter from a friend I’ll call George. He was wanting me to share with me his experience during a Fellowship of the Healing Christ service. George had been struggling with anger, bitterness, and frustration that had a devastating effect on his entire life.  During a time of intercession, he began to envision his negative emotions like a gigantic knapsack on his back. The figure of Jesus appeared before him and the Christ removed the burden from George. As he wrote to me, he could still see Him smiling at George as the weight disappeared.

            George wrote:

            I started to get to my feet. I felt we had finished. But the Lord had more to say.

            I felt (one of the ministry team’s) hands firmly press on my shoulder and then

            he began to pray for my diabetes I hadn’t written anything about that in my

            prayer request. What prompted him to pray for remission of my diabetes? I

            wondered.

In the weeks that followed, George discovered an amazing change. He cut his insulin dosage by almost 20%.  At first ten units dropped to 7 units.  Later over all, George dropped from 47 units per day to 8. He could only thank God for such a result.

In retrospect, George realized he had to deal with his harmful emotions before he could receive healing for his body. He began to think that the root cause of his diabetes began in unresolved anger and bitterness. His physical problem provided a convenient excuse to remain non-assertive. George had allowed himself to drift into acting like a turtle. He had a protective shell that he could retreat into when matters got personal.

During the worship service, George had released his bruised memories when the hand of God touched him. He let go and let God in. The results speak for themselves. George found that anger and frustration were replaced with patience, compassion, and love. He had come for one need and been healed of another. The extra touch made all the difference.

Doctors continue to tell us that hate and animosity can affect heart disease. In George’s case, it was the pancreas. One can never know how expansive the love of God can be … until they receive an unexpected extra touch.

By the way, I’d love to hear your story if you’ve experienced a divine intervention.

Send it to me at Wise on Miracles@gmail.com.

Please watch and subscribe to my new YouTube channel MIRACLES NEVER CEASE, where I post interviews with people sharing their experiences with divine encounters!

Let the miracles begin!

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NEVER QUIT   

Blog 197

May 16 2021

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st century people believe the hand of God still touches people today? Read and you’ll find new insights.

NEVER QUIT   

Last week, I shared two events from Leslie Draper’s  ministry that demonstrated the gift of divine intervention d. Leslie’s history also helps us develop insights into the possibilities that come with an increased awareness and dependance on the interventions of the Holy Spirit. Rita Jester is an example.

Rita shared her encounter with me the other morning. From her Choctaw Indian father, Rita inherited a problem with her heart and lungs. Her father died with the same condition. These issues increased until she was forced to seek medical help. The doctor quickly detected an internal issue that was diagnosed as Stage 4 lung cancer. A tumor had grown between her heart and lungs putting pressure on both systems. She was given 90 days to live.

Rita knew she was faced with a decision about living or dying. She had lived through a terrible trauma when her son was killed in a horrific traffic accident. Rita’s grief had been overwhelming. Constantly waking in the middle of the night crying, she wasn’t sure she could go on. But Rita did and now she was faced with another life-threatening decision. Would she acquiesce to the diagnosis or seek a divine intervention? She remembered the inspiration Leslie Draper had given her earlier. Rita turned to see Leslie.

Leslie had Rita lay flat on a massage table and close her eyes. Rita could barely hear Leslie praying when a burning sensation shot through her body. The pain became so forceful that Rita felt like her chest was being ripped apart. She opened her eyes to see what was happening.

Leslie continued praying and moving her hands back and forth above Rita’s chest. Although Leslie never touched her body, Rita felt like something was being pulled or burned out of her.  With her eyes closed and her hands moving back and forth, Leslie seemed to be in her own private space. Rita closed her eyes and hoped the burning sensation was positive.

Returning for her medical appointment, Rita was x-rayed again. The doctor was floored and insisted it couldn’t be! The tumor was gone and equally baffling there was no scar tissue.  The doctor was adamant and almost angry. Such didn’t happen!  They turned to the radiologist in case there was an error in the x-rays. After a second reading, his answer was clear. There was none.

Rita Jester had a miracle.

What can we learn? Rita refused to accept a medical diagnosis of death as final. She pressed on seeking life. Moreover, she stepped over the boundaries and reached out to someone who had a special healing gift. A divine intervention followed healing prayer. Of course, everyone’s problems are unique and individual. However, Rita Jester’s story demonstrates that seeking the hand of God is never a wrong turn in the road.

By the way, I’d love to hear your story if you’ve experienced a divine intervention.

Send it to me at Wise on Miracles@gmail.com.

Please watch and subscribe to my new YouTube channel MIRACLES NEVER CEASE, where I post interviews with people sharing their experiences with divine encounters!

Let the miracles begin!

More Miracles Here!

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THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

Blog 196

May 9, 2021

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st century people believe the hand of God still touches people today? Read and you’ll find new insights.

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

I have noticed that with many people who experience a miracle or divine intervention, a door is opened that leads to a growing relationship with God and more encounters with His  grace follow. Once people step over the line and know what is possible, they don’t go back to the empty place where they once lived.

Leslie Draper is an example.

In earlier blogs I shared some aspects of her story. Through difficult childhood abusive situations and health problems, Leslie developed an extraordinary ability to communicate with angels. Finally, she began a ministry where people come to her seeking to discover the will of God. Leslie listens to them and then seeks to hear if the angels have an answer. Sounds unusual until people have tried her capacities. They come away amazed.

Recently I was talking with Leslie and she shared a couple of recent experiences that make the point. Leslie and a couple of girl friends had taken a little retreat and rented a cabin out in the trees. The place turned out to be more rustic than they were led to believe. As the experience was unfolding, Leslie stayed in contact with the angelic realm, asking leading and protection.  

The steps up the porch were fastened to cinder blocks. As Leslie walked up the steps, the cinder blocks slipped and she completely lost her balance. Her friends watched, terrified of what would happen.  After she got up, they explained what they saw. Yes, she went flying but seemed to be caught by unseen hands and floated easily to the ground. She could have broken a leg or arm, but experienced only a gentle bump.

Coming to the cabin, Leslie heard the voice of her protective angel say, “Slow.” She leaned over the seat and said to Regina, the driver, “Slow down. Danger is ahead.”

Knowing Leslie’s gift, Regina immediately hit the brakes as they topped a hill. Suddenly in front of the car were five or six deer stood in the road. At the speed they had been traveling, a serious collision would have wrecked the car. They were saved from a car wreck.

The Holy Spirit provides the gift that keeps on giving. It’s more than worthwhile to avail ourselves of the generosity of God.

By the way, I’d love to hear your story if you’ve experienced a divine intervention. Send it to me at Wise on Miracles@gmail.com.

Please watch and subscribe to my new YouTube channel MIRACLES NEVER CEASE, where I post interviews with people sharing their experiences with divine encounters!

Let the miracles begin!

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WAITING WAS THE KEY

Blog 194

April 26, 2021

MIRACLES NEVER CEASE!

Robert Wise explores the world of divine interventions from an objective point of view. Can 21st century people believe the hand of God still touches people today? Read and you’ll find new insights.

WAITING WAS THE KEY

I met Sam Matthews on a wet, cold Oklahoma afternoon. His Family of Faith church was out in the country near Shawnee. At first glance you wouldn’t know he was responsible for and an overseer for over 10,000 churches across the world. In addition, Sam operated a school and a seminary. A busy man, none of those concerns defined him. His main concern was prayer. Sam Matthews is an intercessor.

His personal account of divine interventions makes a better book than a blog. Nevertheless, here’s what happened to Sam and his wife Kathy.

During a Billy Graham School of Evangelism, Sam was startled to hear the voice of God say “I am not the Lord of your Life.” Highly committed and devoted to the scripture, Sam heard a voice. He and Kathy heard the challenge that they did things out of their own power instead of out of the power of the Holy Spirit. Even though seminary trained, Sam had never studied I Corinthians 12-14 and was challenged to recognize the gifts of the Holy Spirit. From that moment forward, his wife and his ministry changed.

However….

Shortly after that profound commitment, Kathy became ill and was diagnosed with an ulcerated colin and a deadly condition. Sam went to his knees and was spiritual lydirected to read Matthew 8 and read the story of the woman healed after touching the hem of Jesus’ garment. The words “only believe” leaped out. Not only did Sam have reassurance, he knew he wanted a ministry where people knew how to listen to the voice of God.

But Kathy didn’t get well. Every morning Sam and Kathy sought a Word from the Holy Spirit, a unique and special Word of guidance, but Kathy’s condition didn’t change. For 18 months, Kathy’s condition worsened.

Once more Sam was directed to read Matthew 8: 16-17 …”he healed all that were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Sam was impressed he had to make a decision between that doctor who wanted surgery and the Gospel of Matthew. Sam chose Matthew.

On that Sunday morning, Kathy started improving. Her fingernails began to grow again as well as her hair.  When they returned to the Medical Clinic for tests, the technicians came running out shouting, “It’s a miracle!”

The trial? Certainly, Kathy’s illness was a struggle. But what about waiting and trusting God to do what He said? It’s easy to read about someone else’s difficulty until it’s our problem. Waiting on God to fulfill His Word can be excruciating. Waiting is hard. Waiting is exasperating. Finally, waiting became rewarding.

The Bible says, “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.”

In your struggles, could you wait out 18 months?  It might just be a life and death decision.

By the way, I’d love to hear your story if you’ve experienced a divine intervention. Send it to me at Wise on Miracles@gmail.com.

Please watch and subscribe to my new YouTube channel MIRACLES NEVER CEASE, where I post interviews with people sharing their experiences with divine encounters!

Let the miracles begin!

An Angel?
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