Do you belive in Miracles?

Not sure what you think of when you hear the word "Miracle"? Not sure really if I could put it into words exactly until a month ago. I just thought it was something that happened to others. For some of you, you don't even believe in God so believing in a miracle would be hard to grasp. So I am going to share something very personal for two reasons, neither of which is to bring attention to me. I want to share my story for believers and non believers so you can consider what your relationship with God looks like, and secondly I want to glorify my savior who deserves all the honor and glory.

Before I get to the miracle, I want to share where I was medically.........

My health started to take a different path last April 2015 and I have continued the struggle since then.  Going back a little further to 2009, I had surgery to repair the valve between my stomach and esophagus, which had stopped working. The problems I had in 2009 didn't prepare me for this past year, nor were they similar at all. So back to April 2015, little did I know that my repair from 2009 has reversed back. When you don't have that valve working properly, then all your stomach acid doesn't stay where it's suppose to.  With every step I take, my stomach acid splashes up into my esophagus and tears at the lining.  This damage has caused me to bleed internally, not knowing it.  I am not aware, because I don't feel anything. Some people have talked to me about acid reflux, gerd and heartburn.  I am blessed that I don't feel that pain, but I also don't know when something is wrong until its too late. So in April last year I thought I was having heart issues, even taken by ambulance on one of the trips. I did find out that my heart is in good shape, but that the amount of blood that I was loosing internally had been causing a lot of issues. So you would think head back into surgery and fix things like we did in 2009, the problem is I only have one more opportunity for that surgery throughout my life time. So the first one lasted 6 years, what happens if this new surgery only last 6 years? So we have been treating the internal issues with medicine, trying to slow down the bleeding allowing my body to keep up by making new blood. So it has been a long year, but April of this year things really took a change one Sunday after church. I wasn't feeling well and quickly things fell apart.  I passed out hitting my head on the wall and then landing on the floor.  Scared my wife and family, for me I woke up to the back of the couch and wondering what was going on. Another wonderful trip to the hospital, and finding out that my blood levels are extremely low. This time my hemoglobin levels wont go back up and we find out that my iron levels are at a severe level. So I get blessed to have iron infusions every Monday morning for an hour for the next 6 months. The goal is to get my iron levels up which in turn will allow my hemoglobin levels to go up. For 4 months my levels had stayed at a 4 for my iron (normal is 50-300) and a 10 for my hemoglobin (normal for me is 15.9). I start the iron transfusions, and I have my blood levels tested every other Monday. After three infusions my levels start to increase, but not a lot. Iron went to 6 and hemoglobin went to 10.5 which meant a long 6 months.

Dave Rod then approaches me and asks if I would like to receive healing prayers. I was ready right then and there for it. He said he would organize it and let me know when.  I was tired of all this medical stuff.  I had seen more doctors in the past year and a half then I had seen my entire life. On top of that to think about iron infusions every Monday for at least 5 more months, I was just done with all this.  So fast forward to Sunday morning three weeks ago, I find myself in a room with two people from the prayer team.  I just met this young man two weeks early, and that morning I met his wife. They spent an hour with me and what I was expecting was laying hands on me and praying for healing.  What I experienced was so much more than that.  The spiritual process they took me through was amazing. It is hard to put into words what happened that morning, but two that come to mind were peace and comfort. Peace from my past generational chains of bondage and comfort as I was filled with His presence. I walked out of that office knowing that I just experienced something amazing.

The next morning they draw my blood to be tested and I shared with the nurse "this will be the last time that I will see you". She asked why and I shared in detail what had just happened to me the previous morning. She simply replied, "I believe you and it will be His doing not mine that healed you". Two days later I received the results of my blood test. My iron levels were almost 60, a week earlier they were a 6. My hemoglobin levels were a 12.5, up from 10.5 in a week. Those numbers might not mean much, but to me they meant everything. My doctor called cancelling all the future 22 iron infusions. All three of my doctors have cleared me for another year! Praise the Lord!

Do I still have a problem with my valve, yes unless God healed that and we just don't know. That I will find out in a year when the next endoscopy happens, who knows! What I do know is that I have been a follower of Christ for 16 years now and been on staff at Grace Church for 11 years.  I have seen God work through amazing situations and lives over the years.  Personally receiving what God did 3 weeks ago truly was a miracle, and I will be grateful for that blessing. 

I hope this was encouraging to you as you read through it. I pray that you draw closer to Him each and every day. And if you haven't surrendered your life to Jesus, may you consider doing so? Don't hold back, jump in with both feet and allow the miracles of your life and transformation be told.