My personal testimony for this last year (Robert Chaffart)

The Defective Heart.

Late Summer 2014, I was diagnosed by a specialist as having an abnormality in my heart.  No wonder I could hardly do any exercise. I couldn't play sports any longer, as it made my brain spin, and at times, even walking would make me so dizzy that I had to stop in my tracks.  Going up stairs was slow, just one step at a time!  I had become an old man.

The reality of it hit me head on while I was in Edinburgh, Scotland, on August 2nd, 2014.  We were heading for Tattoo, a famous music festival for all those who used to be or are still part of Great Britain.  We had to take the bus, and one was coming a bit too fast.  As we weren't yet at the bus stop, I started to run.  Within seconds, I almost blacked out.  I was confused and completely dizzy.

Once back home, my first stop was to see a cardiologist, the best in the region, and the news was grim: My heart was enlarged, and worse, I had two parts to the aortic valve leading into my heart chamber instead of the normal three parts.  I remembered back to when I was sixteen.  I was diagnosed at the time with a heart murmur, probably as a result of these two flaps to my heart valve.  Now, with time working against me, I would have to slow down, and it was recommended that I start taking beta-blockers.  After praying about it and researching the beta-blocks, I became convinced that these beta-blockers would not be for my benefit, so I didn't take them.  I decided to trust my Heavenly Dad instead.  At the same time, however, I began to prepare myself for my possible demise.  I began putting together instructions on how to continue our online ministry if something were to happen to me.

My wife and my children prayed for me, and I prayed that I would continue to live so that I could be an encouragement to others at all times.  As the former cardiologist had no bedside manner, I requested a referral to another cardiologist, one who was the exact opposite of the former one in mannerisms.  He was friendly and encouraging, and he wanted me to do more tests.

Amidst a tumultuous time at work, one day I woke up completely refreshed, assured that I was healed.  I experienced no more dizziness after this.  I was able to run up the stairs and play sports with my students without problems.  I knew in my heart that I was healed.

Just yesterday, 5 months later, I had an appointment with my cardiologist, and he told me that at times it is hard to discern all the flaps of the heart valve with an ultrasound.  However in the latest ultrasound, it was clear that I had 3 flaps.  My heart valve was completely normal.

Doctors always have to look for reasonable explanations.  Instead of concurring I asked my Father what His take was on this, and His answer was clear: "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  'I am willing,' he said.  'Be clean!' Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured."  (Mark 1:41-42, NIV) God had healed me completely.  What else could explain that the dizziness had evaporated in the blink of an eye?  Despite the fact that I had had this condition all my life, I was now as good as new.  God gave me another flap to my heart valve so that I could continue with ministry.

Right now I long in my heart to bring the Church back to the first century standards where the word was not only spoken, but was also backed up with healings and miracles.  In other words, taking back what the evil one had stolen from us.  I have discovered that even now-a-days, some Christians live as in the first century, relying solely on our Father to share the Good News and backing it up with incredible miracles.  What happened to me will happen to others as well.

Do we believe truly?

Robert Chaffart is the Diretor and Founder of Answer2 prayer Ministries)www.answers2prayer.org)

If The Theory of Evolution Were True?

PRAYING FOR OTHERS

     The following parable about prayer comes from an unknown author:

     A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert-like island.  The two survivors,  not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.  However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.  The first thing they prayed for was food.

     The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit.  The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

     After some days, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife.  The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island.  On the other side of the island, the second man had nothing.  Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, and more food.  The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him.  However, the second man still had nothing.

     Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island.  In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side on the island.  The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island.  He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

     As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming:  "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

     "My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man replied.  "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

     "You are mistaken," the voice rebuked him.  "He had only one prayer, which I answered."

     "Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

     "He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

     We have many of the apostle Paul's prayers recorded in his epistles.  It is significant to me how large a percentage of those prayers involved petitions for other people (mostly for spiritual needs rather than physical, incidentally) and how few involved petitions for personal needs.

     It is easy to get so caught up in asking God to provide us what we need (or merely want) that we forget to pray for others.  May God help us to be sensitive to the needs of others around us, and may we take advantage of every opportunity to approach the throne of grace and lay their concerns at the feet of our Father.

     "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone..." (I Timothy 2:1, NIV)

Have You?

I am teaching you, but not always Spiritual Truths that gladden you.

Often, too often, there has to be the word of reproof as I tell you of commands of Mine not obeyed, of resolutions made when in contact with Me that you have failed to keep, of work done for Me in no spirit of Love and Joy, of failure to obtain supply because your attitude (often not your heart)  questioned My unlimited supply.

I teach no easy lesson.

I choose no flower-bordered path in which to walk with you, but take heart that I do walk with you as with Peter of old even when he denied Me.

He had seen his sin.  He went out and wept bitterly.

10 THINGS MONEY CAN'T BUY

1. Manners

2. Morals

3. Respect

4. Character

5. Common Sense

6. Trust

7. Patience

8. Class

9. Integrity

10. Love

Lessons that Geese Provide For Life: (Author Unknown)

- As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an 'uplift' for the birds following it. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.
 The Lesson: People who share both common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier when they travel on the thrust of one another. 
 - Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the 'lifting power' of the bird immediately in front. 
 The Lesson: Stay with those who are heading in the right direction. 
 - When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position. 
 The Lesson: Take turns with the hard tasks and share leadership with each other! 
 - The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. 
 The Lesson: Be an encourager to those in front! 
 - When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow him down to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly or dies. Then they launch out on their own, with another formation or to catch up with the flock. 
 The Lesson: Support and stand by one another!

Jude 1:24-25

Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.   

Sinner’s Prayer

Lord, don’t let my knowledge of You be something that only stays in my head. Help me to live it out. Don’t let my faith be just words. Help me to walk. Help me to walk towards You. Help me to walk away from sin. Help me to walk out, and not just say, my sinner’s prayer.

The Family of Christ

As believers in Jesus Christ: 

We are "members of one another" (Rom. 12:5) 
We are to be "devoted to one another in brotherly love" (Rom. 12:10). 
We are to "honor one another" (Rom 12:10). 
We are to "be of the same mind with one another" (Rom. 15:5). 
We are to "accept one another" (Rom. 15:7). 
We are to "admonish one another' (Rom. 15:14). 
We are to "greet one another" (Rom. 16:16). 
We are to "serve one another" in love (Gal. 5:13) 
We are to "bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2) 
We are to "bear with one another" in love (Eph 4:2) 
We are to "submit to one another out of reverence to Christ" (Eph 5:21) 
We are to "encourage one another" (I Thess. 5:11) 
We are to "pray for one another" (James 5:16) 
We are to "love one another" (John 13:34-35) 

As believers in Jesus Christ: 

We are "members of one another" (Rom. 12:5) 
We are to be "devoted to one another in brotherly love" (Rom. 12:10). 
We are to "honor one another" (Rom 12:10). 
We are to "be of the same mind with one another" (Rom. 15:5). 
We are to "accept one another" (Rom. 15:7). 
We are to "admonish one another' (Rom. 15:14). 
We are to "greet one another" (Rom. 16:16). 
We are to "serve one another" in love (Gal. 5:13) 
We are to "bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2) 
We are to "bear with one another" in love (Eph 4:2) 
We are to "submit to one another out of reverence to Christ" (Eph 5:21) 
We are to "encourage one another" (I Thess. 5:11) 
We are to "pray for one another" (James 5:16) 
We are to "love one another" (John 13:34-35)