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Faith and Prayer: How They Relate to Who God Is - My Testimony

By Lula Reed
When I look back at last year's 21 Day Fast, I see just how far God has brought me because of my faith. When I started with the Anointed for Victory Ministries journey my faith was as big as a mustard seed. I was all alone, miserable and depressed, and had been in the bed for three months, sad and sick of everything. But I had Jesus, and when I started looking back on my life, I realized that I had a little faith.
Faith and Prayer: How They Relate to Who God Is - My Testimony

"But without faith, it is impossible to please Him for he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6. "But when you ask Him be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown by the wind." James 1:6.

When I look back at last year's 21 Day Fast, I see just how far God has brought me because of my faith. When I started with the Anointed for Victory Ministries journey my faith was as big as a mustard seed. I was all alone, miserable and depressed, and had been in the bed for three months, sad and sick of everything.  But I had Jesus, and when I started looking back on my life, I realized that I had a little faith. I had faith that God would bring me out of addiction which I had been in for over 25 years, and He did. I had faith that God would help me and He did. But you see, it wasn't enough. I was still sick in my mind, my heart, and my soul; and it lasted for a total of three years, all those years my cousin, April Taylor, kept bothering me to get on the Anointed for Victory Ministries Prayer Line. Oh yes, I said, "bothering me". As a matter of fact, I only did it to get her off my back. The first year I mostly listened without participating, that was the mustard seed. I didn't participate in the yearly Fast, but that mustard seed and what I was learning, got me up somewhat so I continued to listen daily, giving half-hearted praise, but I still had a little faith. As I learned, that faith became stronger, that faith believing that God was going to pull me through. The second year I was able to get completely out of bed and my praises became stronger. I started to realize that faith was believing that I could do anything as long as I put my mind to it, and of course being physically able to do it by God's grace and mercy. You see, that's where God came in. I started asking God for things that I felt I didn't qualify for. Here I am asking God for something that I wanted and needed, when I hadn't done what He wanted or needed me to do. I had to trust and believe in God completely in order for Him to do what He said He would do in His Word. Through Anointed for Victory Ministries I learned the Name of Jesus spoken with little spirituality or conviction could not pull Satan's hands off me. I knew I needed prayer, and without prayer I put myself deeper in Satan's hands.

During our daily morning prayer times Sister Laverne Taylor was always singing and beating on that tambourine. Sister Bell was always thanking God for being able to move her limbs; and Sister Audrey was always asking for prayer for her family. Sister Doreen, in spite of her health always had a praise for God and praying for others; and Evangelist Vera and Sister Barbara who unselfishly prayed hard for us, being there for us any time of the day or night. I never thought about it really before, so that started the mustard seed faith to grow in me. So, in the next year I started to open my mouth and ask for prayer. I started to sing songs because this was the year I decided to participate in the 21 Day Fast; and Satan reared up his ugly head all at once, on the first week of January 2016. I was on the Prayer Line that morning, and later that day I received four different bad news letters. First, my house was going into foreclosure because of $1400.00 back taxes. Second, the city wanted to condemn my home for repairs. Third, I couldn't open my windows because of the rotten wood around them. And fourth, they were going to cut off my Social Security check.  By this time, I had grown strong in my faith and prayer. I went on the Prayer Line asking for prayer and I put in my petitions. Oh, did I tell you that I started to fall back in my depression and Satan tried to put me back in that bed. But my friend and mentor, Evangelist Vera Robinson told me, "You can either get up and give God some praise and show yourself worthy and strengthen your faith, or you can lay down and die." I chose to get up and live. I went on the Fast, I ate the required foods, I gave God praises, I gave my sacrificial offering, I read my Bible, I worship God's Holy Name: I did whatever my mentor said. I did walk the walk and I strived to be the best I could be in the Lord. I didn't know what day it was or what time of day it was, all I know was a change came upon my life even before the end of the Fast. I received checks in the mail that were due me which I never received. Family members came out of nowhere to help me with monies and they never had time for me before, because I was a drug addict and I had let my home go down due to my addiction.  I was approved for credit cards with an income of a little over $600.00; and blessed be the Name of Jehovah, new windows were put in my house in the dead of winter, all in one day, from the top of my house to the first level of my house. They took my house off the condemned list. God sent me workers to work in my house. Our mighty God, after the Fast, continued to bless me. My Social Security check was reinstated, plus I received a raise. And yes, I did share with the Anointed for Victory Ministries. But it didn't stop there. In 2018 God blessed me to get new windows in my basement all around the house and even new a sidewalk in front of my house. God blessed me to get new pipes throughout my house so I could have hot water and more than a trickle or a drizzle. I had been boiling water for three years because the hot water wouldn't come on because of a lead back up in the pipes, and I couldn't afford to get it taken care of. I'm not telling you these things for your pity, I'm telling you these things because of my faith. God said if you have the faith of a grain of mustard seed, which is being humble, He will give you growth through His Word, all the while you giving Him your trust and believing in Him: which opened me up to receive His gifts because of His love for me. I've learned that Satan uses our lack of faith to discourage us when things don't go fast enough or because it seems God isn't listening to us. God is always listening but He doesn't work according to man's time, but He works on His own time.

Still today, God is blessing me. I went to the doctor for my thyroid and they told me that it has a mass on it and it is starting to cover my windpipe. The doctor looked at me glumly and he said, "Lula, you should be aware it could be something seriously wrong." I quickly said, "Oh no, nothing is wrong except I have a growth on it and it's going to be removed." He looked at me and shook his head. I told him that God got this, and I smiled and walked away, me and my "pink caddy", that's my walker. Well I had to wait two weeks for the results and I prayed, putting it on the Prayer Wall on our website. In those two weeks Satan tried to wear me down, but prayer, binding him, and singing praises and being on the Prayer Line made me stronger knowing that it was in God's hand. Well the test came back and the doctor was amazed when he called me and told me I didn't have cancer. I reminded him that I told him God had my back; and he told me he remembered I said God's got it, and he had never heard that before. Now that's unwavering faith. He sent me to the surgeon and the surgeon took an x-ray of my thyroid and asked me, "Are you sure you don't have cancer?" as she read over the biopsy report. She couldn't believe it either. But my God said it wasn't and it's not; and I trusted Him to take care of it, and He did. During this Fast we must trust God and believe what we're asking for, will be done in the Name of Jesus. We must be quick to pray earnestly, in praying to God for the manifestation of faith. Fasting plays an important part in changing us and getting rid of any doubt or any unbelief that keeps us from walking in faith and truly believing His Word. Never waver in your faith; we sometimes get close but be quick to repent and ask God for forgiveness. Anybody who knows me know I don't need prompting to repent for my sins.

In concussion, I encourage you to sow into the Anointed for Victory Ministries, which is a blessing to us each day through the teaching of God's Word and answered prayers. We all can help out the Ministry in finances. That's why I pledge monthly to the Anointed for Victory Ministries, and any time I get an overflow I pledge more. I pray that this testimony has been an encouragement to you, to walk by faith. (2 Corinthians 5:7).

 

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