The following testimonies are by real people at Grace Fellowship who have been dramatically impacted by the incredible love and transforming power of Jesus. They have been posted anonymously to respect their privacy. If you are a member of Grace and have a testimony you’d like to share, please fill out this simple form. And if you are struggling with deep-seated issues in your life and need to find rest and divine restoration, our prayer ministry would love to help you in your healing process.
Posted on June 12, 2007:
One of the gifts the Lord has given me is a love and compassion for people and the desire to help them. That is why I joined the prayer ministry team some time ago.
However, I soon realized that some serious “buttons” were being pushed, and I finally went from being a prayer minister to a prayed-for person.
I grew up in a family and church atmosphere which were based on “performance orientation” — meaning, if you did what you were supposed to do, you were good, acceptable, and loved. My personal interpretation was “the ONLY way to receive love, be noticed, and have a positive relationship was to DO what was expected of me.”
Also, my father ALWAYS said “no” to anything my sister and I asked; so my mother told us to come to her first and she would work on Dad for us.
Translated into my personal life and the prayer ministry, that meant that to receive God’s blessing, I had to be a Minister, and I better do it RIGHT all the time or I wasn’t going to have God’s blessing. But, at the same time, I didn’t REALLY expect God to speak to me, to give me guidance (which I needed to “do it right”), or to say anything but NO to me! So I withdrew from the ministry team and humbled myself to ask for prayer for ME!
The ministry team was patient, showed me kindness, and expressed love; they listed without judgment or criticism. They helped me to see the performance-orientated lifestyle I was living; to recognize the lies I was believing about myself and my God; and guided me through the healing process…of forgiving my family and the church, and recognizing the TRUTH about my wonderful Lord…that He has always loved me just as I am, that He does speak to me, and that I don’t have to “do” anything to deserve that love…just to receive it!
I recognize how my past influences me today, and that getting my injured parts healed has affected how I relate to my present family, my church, my ministry, and my Lord. I am very thankful to God for His love, and for giving us at Grace Fellowship this prayer ministry and such wonderful, loving, and dedicated ministry members.
Posted on June 4, 2007:
I’ve been a Christian for 22 years, but I always felt like I was walking around with a bag of rocks on my back. I struggled with fear, anxiety, anger, and control issues. As a Christian, I knew this wasn’t what God intended for me, but I didn’t know how to get rid of the “rocks”. Finally, I went and got prayer through the healing ministry at Grace Fellowship. They helped me to hear The Holy Spirit and to understand the truth. I went back for prayer several times until I felt those “rocks” were removed. I can now feel the JOY of the Lord! I finally feel the FREEDOM to be who God created me to be! I don’t live under the mantle of anxiety anymore. I don’t have to control everything and everyone around me. I just have to listen to the Holy Spirit and obey Him. I am truly living the “abundant live” in the Spirit. And you can, too!
—A Joyful Mother & Wife
Posted on June 4, 2007:
When I was 2 years old, my mother and father divorced and I did not see my father again until I was 16. When I was 5 my mother married another man who was very hard and punishing to me. I did not feel loved or accepted and always felt my father abandoned me.
I came to the prayer ministry with an aching heart and a feeling of deep sorrow. I have had very difficult relationships with men all of my life — not being able to accept the love they have for me and always expecting something bad is about to happen.
In prayer ministry, I was able to allow my mind to remember emotions that I felt as a small child. In those memories I could feel the hurt and loneliness which was surprising as I have become very good in hiding from those feelings. In the midst of the pain of the memory, I asked Jesus to come into the memory, as as I did, I could feel His calming love wash over me bringing peace and reassuring me of His love for me. I thought that was a good start to my healing, but there was more healing to come.
The next Sunday morning in church, we had just spent time in worship, and I was quite calm and not feeling any sorrow, when our pastor said that he felt many people were feeling disappointed and that we should stop and pray for any who needed prayer.
As I sat there considering whether I was disappointed or not, someone from our prayer team came over to me and said “Lord, remove all the pain from her, just let it come out.” At that moment, I felt a huge lump in the pit of my stomach begin to rise up and into my chest. I began to weep with a depth I had only felt when I was told my sister had died. At that point a woman from our congregation came over and held me in her arms like a child. She said everything would be OK, and I could let my pain go. The depth of my pain and sorrow surprised me as I realized that I had been holding on to so much pain. I was also filled with gratitude to my Father God who does not miss any detail. He knew I needed the touch of a loving person to hold me through that moment, and He sent someone to be His arms of love!
That was a release and washing that was so needed in my life. I have not been the same since that day! I have experienced the reality of God’s love!
Posted on June 4, 2007:
I have received prayer therapy for a few months now to let God shine His light into some very deep and dark places of my soul. I have experienced God’s power to expose lies that have been operating in my life for years. Lies that were causing me deep anguish and anxiety of spirit have been uncovered. My life has been bound up in life-long fear that has been driven by my belief system. Fear that has caused me to believe I was still a victim of childhood abuse. With each session of prayer, God has taken me back to a time in my life when I first believed the lie. He has shown me the truth in each situation as the memory of my abusive past has been exposed. With God’s tender loving care, He is replacing the lies with truth and the fear with peace. He is taking my pain and replacing it with joy. My heart is feeling a sense of freedom that I have never felt before!
