Precious Memories - Page 4
God is so good and worthy of all our praises. Hallelujah!
We began to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. When you enter the battle against Satan and his kingdom, you can expect him to fight back. He struck me about this time with what seemed to be tuberculosis. I had caught a glimpse of heaven and the wonderful benefits of God’s promises, and for the first time in my life, I learned that not only could God save your soul, but was a healer, too.
Even though I lost weight and looked awful, I determined in my heart to trust the Lord and not lean on the arm of flesh. Finally, I got so bad, I could hardly get out of bed to take care of my family, and my cough got worse and worse.
I remember Mr. and Mrs. Bloodworth, our next door neighbors, and how they proved to be more that just a neighbor. We were young and they had more experience, being older. Many times they helped and advised us in our struggle to face life and its many problems. Mr. Bloodworth was real concerned, because he said that his first wife had died with tuberculosis, and he felt sure I had the same thing.
He knew that I was trusting Jesus to heal me, and had not gone to a doctor. He offered to loan us his car and pay the doctor bill if I would go see a doctor. I told him that I appreciated this with all my heart, but I had found something, for the first time in my life, that I could trust and feel was real.
I told the Lord that I was ready to die, and with Paul of old, I felt that to die would be gain, but to live was Christ, so I committed everything to His keeping. When I first repented, I went for several years without knowing or hearing anything about the Holy Ghost. When I was first filled with His Spirit, then He revealed healing to me. I thought, “Lord, if I can trust You with my soul, how much more can I trust You with the healing of my body?”
Mr. Bloodworth went himself and bought a bottle of medicine for me because I wouldn’t go see a doctor. Then, one night, at the little Midway Church of God, several preachers stood up front and were praying for the sick. All of a sudden, faith struck my heart in such a wonderful way, that when they finished praying for me and I opened my eyes, their faces were shining with the glory of God, and I knew that God was working a miracle in my life. From that night on, I began to gain weight and to regain my strength. My cough left and I am still rejoicing today, with health and strength in the Lord.
Mr. Bloodworth came out one day and said, “Betty, I want to ask you something, and I believe you will tell me the truth.” He said, “I know you are healed!” He could see that I was up and about my duties as a wife and a mother, and was no longer coughing, but was again healthy and whole. He said, “Where is that medicine I bought you? I have a feeling you didn’t take it!” I went inside the house and brought the bottle of medicine and handed it to him with the seal not broken on it, and not one drop gone. He then said, “Betty, if you tell me the Lord healed you, I will believe you, because I know you didn’t go to the doctor, and I know you are well.” I said, “Mr. Bloodworth, the Lord healed me!” So, for a long time afterward, even when we moved to a different town, he would come and asked George to pray for him when something would happen to him. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. He is all I need!