Testimonies from Budapest

Budapest Epicenter for Revival

2011-12-28T04:06:00.000-08:00

Budapest at center; Eastern Europe is highlighted in yellow

During the fifty years that communism kept this region in captivity, their was no freedom of worship. And although the political changes in 1990 brought a greater freedom, which allowed the disciples of Christ to do great exploits for the Lord over the past twenty-two years, there is still a great need. Eastern Europe is still a very dark place. Less than ten percent of the people in these countries are evangelical. And many of the evangelical churches are steeped in formalism. All the same social problems that plague the US and western Europe have now been imported -- immorality, pornography, hedonism, materialism, alcoholism, drug addiction, divorce, abortion, and suicide.

However, before we came to Hungary, the Lord gave us a vision for Eastern Europe. We felt that through the power of the Holy Spirit, there was going to be such an impact of the gospel on Budapest that it would ripple all across Europe and Russia. We saw it like the epicenter of an earthquake, where there are concentric waves pulsing outward from here.

Amazingly, we have received confirmation of this from the disciples here! Although we never mentioned it to our brother in the Lord, David, he told Len that historically, Hungary has been the origin for revolutionary movements. And he said that there have been prophetic words within the churches that Hungary is going to be an epicenter for a great spiritual revival, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit across Europe. He said the Lord has given this vision to multiple disciples here, and we see it as an amazing confirmation of our own vision.

Please pray along these lines that the vision would come to pass. The Holy Spirit has essential and central role in the advance of God's kingdom. This is the only way this continent will be reached with the gospel, not by man's efforts. We need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit here!

Author's note: You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

___________________________________________________

Healed from a Breathing Obstruction

2011-11-14T03:20:00.001-08:00

Photo from Health Updates

A few months ago at a church I was visiting in Hungary, I was asked to pray for a young lady, who was around thirteen years old. She had an obstruction in her chest that was interfering with her breathing. I agreed to do so. After asking her some questions to understand her condition, I and her pastor laid hands on her, as I prayed for her.

As I prayed, I felt the power of God released. It's much more powerful than electricity, but it doesn't hurt you. She didn't fall down or jerk her body, but simply stood still.

Afterward, I asked how she felt and she was able to breath normally. She said she felt something like heat passing through her body when the healing occurred. The next day, it was definitely confirmed by her mother that she was completely healed. And weeks later we heard that she was still completely well.

Praise the Lord. This is just one of many experiences that I could give. I do not claim to heal. Only Jesus Christ can heal. The truth remains that God still demonstrates His mighty power to heal through the laying on of hands by those who believe in Jesus Christ His Son.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. Your first step is to repent and pray like this from a sincere heart:

HEAVENLY FATHER,
I have sinned against you.
I want forgiveness for all my sins.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.
Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you repented and prayed this sincerely from your heart, then you are a child of God. You have a relationship with the Lord. Now cultivate that relationship and produce the fruit of repentance. Like any other personal relationship, this one requires you to spend time with Him for it to grow more intimate. So spend time daily, seeking the Lord, calling upon Jesus name, repenting of any sin in your life, talking to Him and listening to His voice. Read His Word, the Bible, in order to see what God wants for your life and all the wonderful promises He has given you. As soon as possible, you need to tell someone that you have given your life to Jesus. Join with other loving believers who believe the Bible and preach the good news of salvation in Jesus alone, be water baptized, and find a place of service in that loving community. Be sure and share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him, and live faithfully for the Lord all your life.

___________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He is based in Eastern Europe, where he is helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, and planting churches that multiply. www.dmiworld.org

Credits: The image in this blog is not the person described in this testimony. It is a photo taken from a blog called The Health Update by Robyn Nazar.

Delivered from Voices and Dizziness

2011-03-06T08:25:00.001-08:00

My twelve-year-old daughter has a wonderful testimony of how the Lord Jesus Christ delivered her from voices in her head and dizziness a few years ago. Here it is:

"I would like to tell you about my story of how God can heal and answer prayers. Back in the year of 2007- 2008, I had been taking history classes every Tuesday. I had a very nice Christian teacher who taught us many things and once took us to see many old things, things from Indians and things from colonial people.

Then, one day, as I was sitting in the room right in the middle of my history class, I started to get this really bad headache. Soon, I actually felt very faint and told my teacher. I also remember that at one point, I felt like I would vomit. Immediately, I told my teacher and she phoned my mom. When my mom came to pick me up, this was still going on. When we arrived home, I slowly walked into the house and sat down.

For about three days, this kept repeating. Then one day, as I was sitting in the living room of my house, I started to hear all theses voices in my mind. I couldn’t really make out what they were saying, but I sensed they were evil. I decided to put on a little music to stop myself from hearing the voices, but that didn’t do anything, it actually made it worse. So I just decided to go and lie down.

Before I went to my bedroom, I told my mom about the voices. She thought I was fighting off the flu, but I knew it wasn’t that. As I lay in my bed listening to the voices in my head, I started to faintly hear some of the voices laughing at me.

After awhile, I just decided that I couldn’t live with such torture and went to see my dad for prayer. And as soon as he laid hands on me and asked God to touch me and heal me, I immediately recovered and felt completely better. All the voices in my head stopped. I give all the praise to God for what he did for me!"

What a powerful testimony! If you suffer from voices in your head or dizziness, the Lord Jesus can deliver you, just like He did for my daughter. Dizziness is not always caused by demonic activity. There can be other causes, but no matter what they are, Jesus is able to heal you. As a disciple of Jesus, the only thing you need to do is pray and believe. You may also ask someone to pray for you. You may pray like this:

Father in Heaven, I believe Your Son Jesus Christ died for me on the cross and paid for my sins. You canceled the certificate of debt that was against me. You have taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. And when you did so, you disarmed the rulers and authorities of darkness. You made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Jesus.

By His wounds I am healed. Through Him I have authority over demons. Every curse of the enemy over me is broken through the blood of Jesus. I repent for any connection I have had with darkness, and I ask You to forgive me. I receive your forgiveness. I ask you, Father to deliver me from these voices in my head and this dizziness. I now receive your deliverance.

And by the authority given to me by Jesus Christ, in His name, I command every demon afflicting me in my mind to go right now. Leave me and never return again. I am free through the power of the cross of Christ. Amen.

If you don't know Jesus, you need to know that He loves you very much and wants you to know Him personally as your Lord and Savior. He also wants you to know Him as your Deliverer, the One who sets you free from these voices and this dizziness.

Author's Note: You are invited to my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do you want to know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. Your first step is to repent and pray like this from a sincere heart:

HEAVENLY FATHER,
I have sinned against you.
I want forgiveness for all my sins.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.
Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you repented and prayed this sincerely from your heart, then you are a child of God. You have a relationship with the Lord. Now cultivate that relationship and produce the fruit of repentance. Like any other personal relationship, this one requires you to spend time with Him for it to grow more intimate. So spend time daily, seeking the Lord, calling upon Jesus name, repenting of any sin in your life, talking to Him and listening to His voice. Read His Word, the Bible, in order to see what God wants for your life and all the wonderful promises He has given you. As soon as possible, you need to tell someone that you have given your life to Jesus. Join with other loving believers who believe the Bible and preach the good news of salvation in Jesus alone, be water baptized, and find a place of service in that loving community. Be sure and share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him, and live faithfully for the Lord all your life.

___________________________________________________

The Truth Set Me Free!

2011-02-17T06:58:00.000-08:00

My friend Alan chuckled and said to me, “You’re searching for Jesus.”

“I’m not searching for Jesus,” I replied. I had gone to church all my life and been raised to believe in Jesus. I had my own Bible and at times had read portions of it. I could recite church creeds that I had learned as a child. I even prayed sometimes. How could I be searching for Jesus? I didn’t yet realize that there is a vital difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus.

Yet Alan saw the emptiness and confusion within me. He said, “Don’t take my word for it, Len. Do you have a Bible?”

“Sure I do,” I replied.

“Well, then blow the dust off of it and start reading it. But before you do, pray and ask God to show you the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth.”

So I did. If what I had believed was not true, then I wanted to know it. I began reading the New Testament of my Bible, praying that God would show me the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I was sure that God would not allow me to be deceived, if I asked Him for the truth. During that time, I came to understand what Jesus meant when He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father, except by me.” (John 14:6) I knew that I could come to God the Father only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It would not be through any other person, dead or alive, that I would come to God. It would not be through any angel. Nor would it be through my church membership or sacrifices.

At that time, I also became convicted of my sin. Though I was only 19 years old, a young soldier in the US Army, I was in bondage to addictive behaviors and substances that were destroying my life. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Yet God didn’t condemn me. Instead He shined His light on the darkness in my heart, showing me my need to be reconciled with Him.

God’s Word told me that He loved me and had sent His Son to die for me on the cross, in order to pay the price for my sin. His Word told me that Jesus rose from the dead and is now seated at God’s right hand in heaven. The Bible also told me that by believing in Jesus, I would find a personal relationship with God. I believed God’s Word to be true.

Len shining his combat boots

So I called upon Jesus, asking Him to forgive me of my sin, and to set me free from the bondage in which I was living. I turned from the way I had been living and surrendered my life to Jesus. I asked Him to cleanse my heart of the filth that was there, and He did. That was February 13, 1986, and I still remember the day. It was like God ran to me, lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes, put my head to His chest, and said, "Son, don't you know I still love you?" He removed the shame and guilt that had been there. I invited Him to come and live inside my heart, and He did. He forgave me, and took up residence within me. I experienced true peace in my heart for the first time, and exchanged my bondage for His freedom to live righteously.

For the first time in my life, I was glad to be alive. No longer did I wish that I had never been born. When I heard the birds singing, I knew they were praising my Lord. When I looked at the grass, it seemed greener. The sky seemed more blue. Everything was in technicolor. I now had hope. I had a personal sense of His love for me, and His presence with me. I also knew that I would now spend all eternity with the Living God, because I had been put in right standing with Him through the sacrifice of His Son.

He began to set me free of my addictive behaviors, and I was so glad. No longer was I weighed down by the heavy burden of my sin. Instead I had a new joy in my heart that my friends could see. This was not the momentary kind of happiness that I had experienced in the past. It was a lasting joy that I continued to experience, even through trials and difficulties. In fact, I still continue to experience that joy today.

In case you don’t already know it, this is God’s plan for you too. He loves you and sent His only Son to die on the cross for you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Jesus paid the price for your sin, so you don’t have to pay the price. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8) It is a gift that you must accept simply by faith.

Will you turn from your sin and surrender to Him? Ask Him to forgive you for every sin you ever committed. Sin is simply anything you’ve done in disobedience to Him. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Ask Him to come live inside your heart. Do you believe that He rose from the dead? If you do, then let Him into your heart. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

If what you believe is not true, wouldn’t you want to know? Perhaps you’re questioning these things, and thinking this is just another man’s interpretation of the Bible. Let me challenge you to do as I did. Open the Bible and read it for yourself. Ask God to show you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You can be sure that God will not lead you into deception, if you are sincerely asking Him for the truth. “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23).

It doesn’t matter what kind of life you’ve been living. No matter what you’ve done, there is forgiveness for you and salvation for you today. “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2) I want to encourage you to open the door of your heart and let Jesus in. I did, and He changed my life. Jesus set me free!

Do You Want to Know Jesus?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. Your first step is to repent and pray like this from a sincere heart:

HEAVENLY FATHER,
I have sinned against you.
I want forgiveness for all my sins.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.
Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you repented and prayed this sincerely from your heart, then you are a child of God. You have a relationship with the Lord. Now cultivate that relationship and produce the fruit of repentance. Like any other personal relationship, this one requires you to spend time with Him for it to grow more intimate. So spend time daily, seeking the Lord, calling upon Jesus name, repenting of any sin in your life, talking to Him and listening to His voice. Read His Word, the Bible, in order to see what God wants for your life and all the wonderful promises He has given you. As soon as possible, you need to tell someone that you have given your life to Jesus. Join with other loving believers who believe the Bible and preach the good news of salvation in Jesus alone, be water baptized, and find a place of service in that loving community. Be sure and share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him, and live faithfully for the Lord all your life.

Author's Note: You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

___________________________________________________

Escaped Having a Possibly Fatal Accident

2011-01-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

Just got home from church. On our way here on the M7 motorway (where it leaves Budapest and heads toward Budaörs), we were doing about 50 mph in the left lane and accelerating when a guy in a Lexus passed me on the right at high speed and cut in front of me sharply. Then with little more than one car length between our vehicles, he jammed on his brakes and nearly made a complete stop. I had to react in a split second and bear down hard on the brakes to avoid rear-ending him. We barely missed hitting him. He signaled with his arm that he wanted me out of his lane. All that just to punish us due to his road rage! He nearly caused a fatal accident with five children on board. As soon as he finished his swift move and hand signal, he sped off and disappeared from sight.

Actions like those of the Lexus driver are really evil and criminal in my opinion. He threatened the lives of a whole family because of his road rage and his desire for unhindered fast driving.

My initial reaction after avoiding the accident was to change lanes to the far right and slow down. I felt angry inside and was incredulous that the guy had actually just done what he did.

If he had just sworn at me or honked his horn, that would be tolerable. But a car can be a deadly weapon, and this man (through his recklessness) almost committed negligent homicide with it today. I forgive him and have prayed for his salvation. At least we're all alive with not a scratch on us or our van. Although I'd hate to see what my brakes look like now. Hopefully not purple-blue color and warped, but if they are, they can be replaced. Human lives can't.

Thank the Lord we are all safe. The Lord had his angels around us protecting us.

Healed of Chronic Leg Pain

2010-10-03T14:38:00.001-07:00

I met a wonderful man today named Ekale from Cameroon. He has a joyful spirit and loves to laugh. He is a professional football player, known in the US as soccer. He used to play for the junior national team in Cameroon, Africa. Then he came to Hungary and played for the Ujpest team. Today he shared with me his testimony, and I want to share it with you. He said:

“I came to Hungary and I didn’t know the Lord. I was living in darkness. I mean I went as low as you can go into sin. And I began to have chronic pain in my legs. I went to many different doctors and they tried different medications, but nothing would help me. Most of the medications just caused more health problems for me. So the doctors didn’t know what to do. None of them knew what was wrong with me. This went on for eight years! In the end, the doctors said they would need to amputate one of my legs! They said that the following year they would probably need to cut the other leg off, too!”

The photo below shows the sad condition Ekale was in for so many years. The other photos he sent me show the grotesque disfigurement that this terrible illness did to his body. He told me that it wasn't just his legs. Each day it seemed that he would notice the disease spreading to some other area of his body. It was mainly attacking his spine, but other areas of his body were decaying as well.

He went on to say, “Then a friend of mine from Ghana, who was not even a Christian believer, told me that if I want to be healed, I should go to the International Church of Budapest. I didn’t know Jesus, but I went there. I had a little seed of faith in my heart that God would heal me. At the church, they prayed for me, and God completely healed me. Later after they shared the gospel with me, I gave my life to Jesus. And now for eight years I have had no pain in my legs at all, and I am free of medication. Praise God!”

Today Ekale is a walking testimony to the miracle power of Jesus Christ. To see him, you would never know that he was once so ill. He told me that when he visited the International Church of Budapest he did not believe in Jesus. But he did believe that if they prayed for him that he would be healed. Later, a man named Ebenezer from the church continued to stay in touch with Ekale. He shared the gospel with him and Ekale eventually repented of the way he was living in darkness. He departed from his hedonistic lifestyle and gave his life to the Lord. What an amazing miracle God did in his life.

Perhaps you are in pain and need the Lord to heal you. Jesus Christ loves you and knows about your problem. If you will cry out to him right now in faith believing, He can heal you. But even more importantly than that, He will save your soul, if you will repent of your sin and ask Him to forgive you.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. Your first step is to repent and pray like this from a sincere heart:

HEAVENLY FATHER,
I have sinned against you.
I want forgiveness for all my sins.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.
Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you repented and prayed this sincerely from your heart, then you are a child of God. You have a relationship with the Lord. Now cultivate that relationship and produce the fruit of repentance. Like any other personal relationship, this one requires you to spend time with Him for it to grow more intimate. So spend time daily, seeking the Lord, calling upon Jesus name, repenting of any sin in your life, talking to Him and listening to His voice. Read His Word, the Bible, in order to see what God wants for your life and all the wonderful promises He has given you. As soon as possible, you need to tell someone that you have given your life to Jesus. Join with other loving believers who believe the Bible and preach the good news of salvation in Jesus alone, be water baptized, and find a place of service in that loving community. Be sure and share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him, and live faithfully for the Lord all your life.

___________________________________________________

My Life Was Built on the Wrong Foundation

2010-09-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

I have had the privilege of knowing David for over a year now. As our relationship has grown and I have spent time equipping him, I have watched him grow in his relationship with the Lord. I've watched him make Jesus the priority in his life, and although the narrow road he has chosen is not easy, he's got the joy of the Lord. Here's his testimony of how the Lord Jesus changed his life during the past year, as he has submitted to the process of becoming a disciple:

"I was born into a Christian family. My father taught me a lot from the Bible and I had faith in it. I recall one day as I was walking down the street, worshiping in my heart, I heard a voice say, 'I’ll never leave you alone.' I knew it was God who told me that. Following that experience, I got baptized.

However, after that, there were not many changes in my life. My first priorities were still my future career, my love life, etc. Then on July 15, 2009, my father died of cancer. At that point, I knew that I had to change my way of living.

I was in love with a girl. But then I lost my feelings for her and began to fall in love with her best friend. The two girls were my best friends, too. They realized what had happened and they both hated me for it. Consequently, losing their friendship caused me to fall into a deep depression.

Then I met Len at my father’s funeral. He mentioned the Life Transformation Group (LTG), which seemed very interesting and attractive to me. But I was so deep in depression. Then he asked me to pray about it and see if the Lord wanted me to be equipped in such a group. So I prayed and felt ok with it.

Once we started meeting together for discipleship, my life began to change. I started to realize that my life was built on the wrong foundation. The foundation of my life was myself. And once I realized it, I gave my life to Jesus 100%. I started to read the Bible regularly and God spoke to me through it. I was set free from depression. And my life is still in a process of change. I’m very thankful to Jesus, who saved my life and called me to Himself again. And I’m thankful to Len whom God sent, and who was used by God to change my life.

God bless all of you. "

Obviously there has been a major change in his life that began on the inside and is working its way out. Those who know him well can see that there has been a definite and positive change in his life.

It's interesting that the Lord showed David his life was built on the wrong foundation. I'm reminded of the words Jesus spoke when He said:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." (Mat 7:24-27)

The two houses Jesus told about may have looked similar on the outside, but only one was built on a proper foundation made of stone. The one built on the sand represented the person who hears the Jesus' words but does not put them into practice. That house was destroyed. But the man who puts Jesus' words into practice will never be destroyed. Though the storms of life may come, he will stand, because he's built his life on the solid Rock. That's what David has done. He's begun to build on the Rock that is Jesus Christ and no longer upon his own self. As a result, the Lord is blessing him as well as others whose lives he is touching.

Author's Note: You are invited to view my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. Your first step is to repent and pray like this from a sincere heart:

HEAVENLY FATHER,
I have sinned against you.
I want forgiveness for all my sins.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.
Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you repented and prayed this sincerely from your heart, then you are a child of God. You have a relationship with the Lord. Now cultivate that relationship and produce the fruit of repentance. Like any other personal relationship, this one requires you to spend time with Him for it to grow more intimate. So spend time daily, seeking the Lord, calling upon Jesus name, repenting of any sin in your life, talking to Him and listening to His voice. Read His Word, the Bible, in order to see what God wants for your life and all the wonderful promises He has given you. As soon as possible, you need to tell someone that you have given your life to Jesus. Join with other loving believers who believe the Bible and preach the good news of salvation in Jesus alone, be water baptized, and find a place of service in that loving community. Be sure and share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him, and live faithfully for the Lord all your life.

___________________________________________________

Like a Man Finding a Pearl of Great Price

2010-09-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

A lady we know in our church, named Gyöngyi (pronounced JEN-jee), testified to a real miracle of God’s provision yesterday. She owns a flat that she rents out, in order to bring in much needed income. She explained that she is a pensioner due to a disability, and the pension alone is not enough for her and her husband.

She said, “Recently our tenants moved out suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving the place in bad condition. We prayed about this and asked the Lord to provide. Then one day as we were driving down the road in our car, my husband said, ‘The twenty thousand forints!’ He stopped the car, got out, and bent down behind the car to pick up what he thought was a single, twenty-thousand-forint bill. But as it turned out there were two of them. They were fresh, crisp bills that were folded together perfectly. It was obvious they had never been in anyone’s pocket or wallet, because they were completely new and unwrinkled. They had been lying right in the street in front of our car as we drove along!”

For those who don’t live in Hungary, you need to understand that twenty thousand forints are equal to a little more than one hundred US dollars. So this is no small amount of money.

She went on to say, “Then not long after that, as I was walking along a sidewalk, I looked down and found what I thought was another twenty-thousand-forint bill. But when I picked it up, I realized there was also ten-thousand-forint bill with it, so it was actually thirty-thousand forints! Nearby there lived a lady we know, who was outside in front of her home. I went over and spoke with her, in case this belonged to her. But she didn’t say anything about having lost any money. So I knew that this was the Lord’s provision once again. These were just like the bills we found in the street recently. They were fresh, crisp, new bills that had never been in anyone’s pocket or wallet.”

“My husband can’t understand why God answers my prayers this way and not his. I think the reason is that he always says that we must work for every forint and you can’t just expect money to fall from heaven. But I believe that God can do miracles when we pray. In fact, I once had a dog that would find money like this and bring it home to us. So I do believe that God’s angels placed those bills on the ground for us.” This was not the first time the Lord Jesus answered Gyöngyi’s prayers this way. And she definitely gave Him praise yesterday for this.

It’s interesting to note that Gyöngyi’s name is connected with the word, “Pearl”. And like when a person finds a pearl of great price, the Lord has blessed her more than once allowing her to find large amounts of money in answer to prayer when she is in great need. It’s just amazing how the Lord does the impossible to show us His love and supernatural care for His children. And I also agree with Gyöngyi that the Lord did this in response to her great faith.

I’m reminded of all the passages where we see that Jesus did miracles in response to a person’s faith in Him. If you search the gospels, you’ll see what I mean. Over and over, Jesus would say, “Your faith has made you whole,” or “Because of your great faith, you may go. Your daughter is healed.” The Lord still honors simple, childlike faith in Him. What are you trusting God for today? Do you believe He can do anything He wants in order to meet your need in answer to your prayers to Him in His son Jesus’ name? Let me encourage you to do so today.

I’m also reminded of the words of Jesus Christ, who said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Mat 13:45-46). Pearls found naturally, rather than today’s man-made pearls, are very valuable. A wise merchant finding such a precious pearl would sell all his earthly possessions in order to have enough money to take that one little pearl into his possession. He would do so knowing it is worth more than all he owns. And Jesus taught us that God’s Kingdom is like that, too. There is a kind of discovery that you need to have, where you find Jesus. At that moment you come to know for yourself his great value to you personally. When that happens, you will forsake all else to follow Him. Have you found Jesus personally? Have you forsaken yourself and all you hold dear to follow Him?

Author's Note: You are invited to my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do you want to know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. Your first step is to repent and pray like this from a sincere heart:

HEAVENLY FATHER,
I have sinned against you.
I want forgiveness for all my sins.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.
Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you repented and prayed this sincerely from your heart, then you are a child of God. You have a relationship with the Lord. Now cultivate that relationship and produce the fruit of repentance. Like any other personal relationship, this one requires you to spend time with Him for it to grow more intimate. So spend time daily, seeking the Lord, calling upon Jesus name, repenting of any sin in your life, talking to Him and listening to His voice. Read His Word, the Bible, in order to see what God wants for your life and all the wonderful promises He has given you. As soon as possible, you need to tell someone that you have given your life to Jesus. Join with other loving believers who believe the Bible and preach the good news of salvation in Jesus alone, be water baptized, and find a place of service in that loving community. Be sure and share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him, and live faithfully for the Lord all your life.

___________________________________________________

He Forgave Those Who Threw Gasoline in His Eyes

2010-08-29T04:01:00.000-07:00

I want to boast about a man I know named Milan, who is a dear, older man in my church. Some beggars here in Hungary threw gasoline in his eyes, and for months he was blind and in pain. His eyes were constantly leaking.

When I pray for people to be healed, I sometimes ask them if they have anyone they need to forgive, because sometimes healing is hindered by unforgiveness. When I asked him if he was able to forgive the people who did this to him, he affirmed that emphatically without hesitation. We prayed for him to be healed and the pain is now gone, but his vision is still cloudy. He is still trusting God for total healing, and so are we.

I admire him for his ability to trust the Lord and forgive his enemies in the face of such tragedy. Jesus taught us, "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." (Mat 6:14-15).

My Mother's Going Home to Be With Jesus

2009-08-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I got the phone call today that my mother passed on into eternity to be with Jesus. Naturally, it's difficult, especially living overseas and having just lost my father seven months ago. Of course, we love her and will miss her. But her suffering is all over now, and that relieves us. She had been suffering so much in recent days.

I had visited with her in June for almost two weeks, and the Lord had temporarily restored her health in answer to prayer, which enabled me to enjoy the time together with her. We talked and prayed together and I read Scriptures to her, including Revelation 21, where heaven is described. This really encouraged her. Some of the verses we read included the following:

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.' And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.' " (Rev 21:1-5)

We talked about the fact that she had committed her life to Jesus and was trusting in Him alone for her salvation, and she was ready to meet Him. She was not trusting in her own good works or in her religion to save her, but in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She believed the Word of God where it is written, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Eph 2:8). I asked her, "Mom, what do you want the Lord to do for you." She said, "Whatever He wants. If He wants to keep me here longer, I'm ok with that. And if He wants to take me, that's fine, too. I'm ready."

About ten days ago, I spoke with her on the phone and read Psalm 23 and Revelation 21 to her once again. She was especially encouraged at the thought of her eternal home in heaven. It was during one such call with her this month that I told her I released her to the Lord. I wanted her to know that I was not holding her back from going to be with Him.

Last night we had the chance to do a video phone call with her. Unfortunately she had become unresponsive for the past couple days, and was languishing between life and death in her bed at home. She was unable to eat food or drink water any more and could not open her eyes or speak. But we encouraged her, prayed for her, and the children sang some worship songs during the call to lift her spirit.

Later on after the video call, I called a dear elderly friend of mine named Mel, who has been used mightily by God over the course of his life. He has traveled around the world, preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and setting captives free. He's got a great sense of humor and always tells me how many years he has left until he turns 114. When I told him about my mother, he remembered visiting her and my father a few years ago and praying with them both. So he agreed to pay her a visit.

At my mother's home last evening, Mel anointed her with oil and prayed. His prayer was that as the anointing oil ran down Aaron’s beard and over his shoulders, that the healing power of the Holy Spirit would run from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. He then asked for the Lord to bless her with a foretaste of heaven by letting her experience the Shekinah glory of the Lord in her body at that very moment. He said he felt the presence of the Lord so powerfully as he prayed for her.

This morning, she was in her home laying in bed with her family around her. The last time she had opened her eyes a few days ago, they were all jaundiced and could not focus on anyone, but would just roll back and look at the wall while people spoke to her. Her eye lids would only open partially and her eyes looked like they were just swimming in pools of water. My family members were all praying for her this morning, reading Scriptures to her, and releasing her to the Lord. Each one told her they loved her, assured her that she was free to go be with Jesus now, and that they would be all right.

At one point while they were encircled around her bed on their knees praying, Mom opened her eyes for the first time in days and looked right at my sister who was praying. But now she had crystal clear, blue eyes with no signs of sickness in them, and her gaze was focused right on my sister’s face. She was looking right at my sister with healthy, sparkling eyes that were wide open, and a beautiful, peaceful look on her face. The look on her face was one of immense thankfulness that she was ready to meet the Lord and was now going to be with him. This moment lasted about a minute or two. Then she released her grip on my sister’s hand and her eyes closed as she left her body and went to be with Jesus.

We know that at that moment, her spirit came up out of her body and was escorted by God's holy angels into His presence in heaven. What a glorious homecoming she is having now! "To be absent from the body" is to be "present with the Lord." (2 Cor 5:8)

I'm reminded of a dream my daughter had three months ago. In her dream she saw my mother and father in heaven. Their hair was brown and they did not look old. They were wearing white robes and silver belts. And we know that the beautiful, healthy blue eyes my family saw this morning were a glimpse of the complete health she is now enjoying in heaven. For her, there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.

"For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2Co 5:1)

You're invited to read her online obituary, where you will have the opportunity to sign the guest book. Your comments here on this blog post are also welcome.

___________________________________________________

Letting Go of Someone You Love

2009-08-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

I went to the funeral for a dear man named Janos (pronounced YA-nosh) today. This was the usher at our church who was so full of joy and who died of a terrible cancer a couple weeks ago.

When we first came to this church, Janos was the usher who greeted us at the entrance with his great big smile and hugged us. He made us feel welcome there, even though we knew nobody. He escorted us to the seats in front that were reserved for English-speaking people who need translators. And he made sure we each got a headset to hear the translator during the service, so we could understand everything that was going on. Whenever there was a technical problem with the headsets, he would come right over without delay to help correct it, so we would not miss anything that was being said. Even though he didn’t speak English, Jennifer and I felt his love and joy, and it seemed like we got to know him in spite of our inability to communicate with him very well.

I had talked with one of the pastors about Janos right after he died a couple weeks ago. He told me that when Janos first discovered he was ill, he did not yet know how serious it was. He went to the weekly prayer meeting and he told the people there that he was ill. But he said that even if he were to die that very day, he felt like he had served the purposes of God for his life on earth and had fulfilled his mission. I recall that he also got up in church one Sunday, which was the last Sunday he was able to attend church. He went up front and with joy he testified for the Lord. He said that he had been given the opportunity to be a witness for Jesus during his lifetime. At work, he would smile and say hello to people, asking how they were doing. He said they would stop and tell him about the things that were bothering them. He would do this each time he saw them. After this happened two or three times, people would inevitably ask him why it was that they felt they could talk to him so freely when they were unable to do this with anyone else. He would explain to them that he is no different from them. They too could have this joy and peace in their hearts if they would give their life to Jesus as he had done. He said that through him the Lord had brought many members of his family to the saving knowledge of Jesus.

At the funeral, I talked with Ibolya (pronounced EE-bo-ya) about him at length. She told me the story from her perspective. In March when Janos became ill, he did not yet know how serious it was. He did not know what was wrong with him. He was only 45 years old and there was no reason to believe this illness was terminal. But Ibolya, who is a cardiologist, said she has been trained in the university to spot signs on a person’s face when they are close to dying. One day soon after he first became ill, she was standing by him while he was doing something and she noticed these signs on his face. She said she was thinking to herself that Janos was close to dying, but she didn’t say a word. Yet he turned to her and said, “Why do you think that I will die soon?” She was amazed that he knew exactly what she was pondering in her heart and they discussed it. She said, I am not saying that you will die right away, and she tried to encourage him.

He went to the doctor in March and a lump was discovered inside his abdomen. She said the doctor was negligent and scheduled the next appointment for Janos two months out in May! She had to get involved herself and helped to get him into chemotherapy, but it was too late. The disease was too far progressed and the medical professionals sent him home with no treatment plan or hope of living.

The church prayed earnestly for him over the past five months. There were many different prayer meetings at the church and in the homes, as well as people visiting Janos at his home to pray for him.

One Sunday evening very recently, Ibolya and her husband Laci (pronounced LOT-see) had been away on holiday about 200 km from Budapest, when Janos' mother called them on their mobile. The mother who is an old Christian said that she finally came to the point where she had released her son to the Lord and that he was very close to death. She was very concerned that Laci as his pastor and his wife, Ibolya should go to see him right away to pray and release him to the Lord.

So she and Laci made the trip into Budapest and visited Janos two days later on Tuesday evening in his home and talked with him. One of the questions they asked him was whether he was ready to go. He said he had been battling with terrible nightmares at night that he would go to hell. So they encouraged him that he knows Jesus and when he dies he will go to Jesus in heaven, not to the devil in hell.

After this they told him out loud from their hearts that they release him to the Lord. This is not something they did lightly, as they have known and loved Janos for many years and he was very dear to their hearts. After they released him, he said with complete peace and assurance, “I go. Hallelujiah!” And he smiled. Then they took communion together with Janos. The next morning he died and went to be with the Lord.

It is essential that we release our loved ones when it is their time to go and they are ready to meet the Lord, in order to help them die. Often times when one or more family members cannot seem to let go of their terminally ill or dying loved one, they prolong the person’s death needlessly. By not letting go of them, they can keep the person around languishing in a state of suffering, and it is so much harder on everyone. Ibolya has seen this time and again and she says it is necessary for the loved ones to say out loud from their heart to the dying person, “I release you (to the Lord Jesus).”

I told Ibolya about a lady named Merle at the nursing home across the hall from my mother, who was laying unconscious in her bed, languishing near death. I knew of her situation, but had not had the opportunity to visit her. My mother had also told me that the family of this woman had given orders to the nursing facility that nobody was allowed to visit with this lady except for family members. They did not want anyone seeing her in this terrible condition.

One day when I went to see my mother, she was not there, as they had taken her down for x-rays. So seeing that Merle across the hall was alone in her room, I asked the nurse at the nurse’s station if I could pay her a visit. They told me to go ahead right in. I went in and saw that she was laying there unresponsive, unable to communicate, her lungs making a terrible gurgling sound that showed they were filled with fluid. But knowing that she could still hear me, I spoke to her like I would speak to any person who is able to communicate.

I greeted her by name and introduced myself. Then I went on to share Jesus with her in a very loving way. Afterward, I led her in a prayer of repentance to ask forgiveness for her sins and invite Jesus into her heart. Although she couldn’t pray out loud, I encouraged her to simply repeat the prayer after me to God sincerely in her heart. As I shared and as we prayed together, I felt the sweet presence of the Lord in such a powerful and tangible way. It was awesome! Once we finished praying, I congratulated her and told her she was now ready to meet the Lord. I said, “You don’t need to be afraid anymore. You are ready to meet your Maker. When you die, you will go straight to heaven to be with Jesus forever.” I then told her she could release herself and let go, because it was going to be truly wonderful in heaven.

The next day, when I returned to the nursing home to visit my mother, the nurse on duty stopped me and thanked me sincerely for visiting Merle the previous day. She said, “Less than ten minutes after you left yesterday, she expired.” Once again, I felt the sweet presence of the Lord upon me at that moment. I knew in my heart that God had been keeping this woman alive on earth for that very short visit which I had with her. In His mercy, He wanted to give her the opportunity to get her heart right with him and establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ His Son. God allowed circumstances to be such that my mother was not there and this woman was available with no family members visiting. It was a divine appointment, and once she released herself to the Lord, she passed from this life into eternity.

After Janos' funeral today, I went to the luncheon reception at the church. I spent time talking with David, the son of the deceased man. David, who is about 18 years old, told me about the days just before Janos died. His father’s disease had progressed rapidly, and his belly swelled to a great size, making it very difficult for him to breath or to speak.

David said he has some bad memories from this period. I don’t know why. Perhaps because of the terrible pain and suffering Janos was in and because of the nightmares of hell his father had. But David said he had many good memories as well. He spent time digging out old pictures of his Dad when he was younger and still healthy.

On the night before Janos died, David heard him praying in different languages, which Janos had never learned, such as Japanese, Italian, etc. He was praying in other different languages, as well, which David couldn't understand. Sometimes Janos would stop praying. Then he would wait, and answer in his native Hungarian "Yes, Lord. You're right. I'm sorry. Hallelujiah." David said this was the first time he had ever heard anyone do this, and it was one of the greatest things he had ever witnessed in his life.

On that same night, as David lay on his own bed, he had a dream, which was not a dream at all. It was so real that it was actually a vision. In the vision, his father lay on David’s bed and said, “Tomorrow I go to be with Jesus.” In the vision, his father Janos was perfectly healthy. His body was whole, not all swollen with cancer in his belly like he really was in the next room. And the next day his father died.

He said he loves his father very much. And when his father died, the first thing David did was get his guitar and worship the Lord. He sobbed and wept of course, but he worshipped the Lord, and the presence of the Lord was very real. He said he loves to worship with his guitar and whenever he does, the Lord always meets with him. He leads worship for the church youth group.

What a wonderful disciple of Jesus Janos was during his earthly life, and now he is with Jesus in heaven! He has left so much good fruit behind him here on earth. His son David is evidence of that. I'm sure he will hear the Lord say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

_____________________________________________