Category: Claiming God’s Promises

I have enjoyed the privilege of growing up in The Way Ministry. From a very early age, I was taught how God cared for me and desired prosperity for me in every category of life. I have enjoyed getting to freely give to God by way of abundantly sharing and claiming His abundance in life through all sorts of circumstances.

III John 2:
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

One example that was very important to my wife and me occurred after we had been married for a few years. One day my wife misplaced her wedding ring. We knew that it was God’s desire for us to find this ring and that He would help us. The night we realized the ring was missing, we prayed and then we looked all around our home, but we did not find the ring. Even though we did not find the ring that night, I remember going to sleep peacefully, trusting that God would take care of our concern.

The next morning I was getting ready to go to work and preparing to take our trash out to the street for pickup. As I started to pick up the bag of trash, God put it on my heart to not take out the trash that day. I immediately stopped and told my wife that we should leave the trash bag in the house because her ring might be in the trash. At first, this sounded quite odd to my wife, as she would never intentionally throw the ring in the trash can; but we agreed to wait on taking out the trash.

Throughout the day, I reminded myself of how God desires for us to have an abundant life, and for my wife and me, that included finding this ring. After we put our kids to bed that night, I started going through the trash piece by piece. It was clear to me to do this task slowly and to make sure I saw each item of trash. As I went through the bag, I found a small can that was stuffed with food peels. I was sure that I needed to go through this can too, and at the bottom of it, I found the ring! It was still in the great condition it always was.

We realized that while preparing for supper the night before, the ring had gotten knocked off into some food peels that we eventually threw into the trash; however, this mistake was one that was easy to overcome with God. He made sure that even this small item continued to be a part of our abundant life.

This is just one example of how I have enjoyed victory by claiming the Word I have been taught in The Way Ministry.

Over the PA system, I heard my name being called to please report to the guidance counselor. It was my senior year in high school. Although I was a good student, involved in many activities, and had many friends, I had one great area of lack in my life. I was a teenage alcoholic.

My guidance counselor, who was known as the “coolest” counselor, kindly told me that he had great concern about my life because of reports that he was hearing of my dangerous behavior when I was intoxicated. Every cell in my body seemed to tingle as he laid my addiction bare before me. I realized that I had a problem and that my life was out of control.

For the next three years I tried to stop drinking. The more I focused on my need to quit, the more I turned to alcohol to help me handle the stress that imagining coping with life without alcohol produced. I was caught up in a vicious cycle and didn’t have the strength to hop off. Although I was attending college and appeared to have a fulfilled life, on the inside I was miserable and defeated.

One day my college dorm mate witnessed to me and told me about our ministry’s Foundational Class. It took me a year to finally decide to take the class, but the believers never quit on me, and neither did God.

I became born again in the class, and the craving for alcohol was gone. I was made whole spiritually, mentally, and physically, and saw immediate deliverance, much like what is recorded in the Book of Acts. My new, wonderful believing friends taught me principles from God’s Word to help me continue to enjoy my life without alcohol. One of God’s promises that means so much to me is II Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” I have a sound mind! I have the ability to hold God’s Word in mind and act on it. I am in control of this awesomely and wonderfully made body and mind that God has given me.

It has been forty years since I took the class and I have enjoyed forty years of sobriety. When life is challenging, I run to God’s Word instead of running towards a bottle. When life is victorious, I enjoy a party in my heart between my God and I, and I celebrate with thanksgiving with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

What has God done for me because of the Word of God that I learned in The Way Ministry? He took me out of the pit, His love lifted me, He touched me, and, oh, the joy that fills my soul. I will be forever grateful to my God and to my wonderful ministry that taught me His delivering Word.