The week of my wedding day, I was checking on the weather. The weatherman on the news was saying it was going to be cold and wet all weekend. I was getting concerned that the boat we were to get married on would not be able to be on the river because of the weather and that they would not open the dam for the boat, but my future husband and I continued with our plan. We got to the hotel and it was cold, windy, with no sun in sight. This was on a Thursday. Friday came and it was still cold as ever, windy, and still raining. So my fiancé and I prayed for sunny skies with no wind or rain. We also prayed for the dam to be opened up so that we could get married on a running boat. We claimed God’s promise in Matthew 21:22—that with believing all things are possible. The next morning, I opened the curtains from our hotel room and I could not believe it. It was so awesome—God had answered our prayer! There was no rain, no wind, no cloudy skies. And it was not even cold. The next news was that the boat was going to be running on the river because they had opened up the dam. Now, on the day following our wedding, the cold weather came back, cold and raining just like before. Because we had been taught how to believe God and trust His Word, our day was awesome!
Faithful to Believe
I’d been standing faithfully on God’s Word for seventeen years when I found myself a single mom with two young boys, four years old and nine months old. This was certainly not a situation I desired or ever envisioned for my life. With the help of wise counsel from my ministry leadership, I moved to a different area of the country to heal and start fresh. I chose the specific area I moved to so I could be close to a Way Corps couple who’d known me when I was a young believer in college. The wife and I were dear friends, and I knew they would believe with me during the challenges ahead.
I thought back to how God had cared for me in the past as I stood on His Word. This wasn’t the first time that I’d had to trust God to be my sufficiency in a challenging situation. I recalled when I had just taken the Foundational Class and decided to stand on the accuracy of the Word I was taught. This decision came with the need to become self-reliant; so at eighteen years old I moved out of my parents’ home and began living on my own, financially independent of them. God supplied my need again and again during that time, with believers to live with, jobs to work heartily at, college scholarships so I could complete my chemistry degree debt-free, and a great job in my profession after I graduated. I had proven the promises of God before and stood faithfully. Surely God would be with me again as I faced this upset in my life!
A family of faithful believers welcomed us into their home to stay until I was back on my feet. The mom even provided in-home day care for my boys. I’d been a stay-at-home mom for the past four years, but now needed to find full-time employment to support my family. I had a goal to secure a job within two weeks. Although I was diligent to take believing action to apply for jobs in my field as a chemist, no doors were opening. Because I was determined to secure a job by my two-week deadline, I applied for and got a job with a fast-food restaurant. When I got home from securing that job, I received a call from a temporary staffing agency that I’d previously contacted after seeing a job opening for a customer service representative for a scientific product distributor. They were specifically looking for people with degrees in chemistry or biology.
The temp agency scheduled me for an interview with the company on the day I was to start at the fast-food restaurant. I contacted the restaurant and received permission to start a day later. I went on the interview and got the job! (Needless to say, I called the fast-food restaurant and let them know I would need to decline their position.) I worked as a temp for three months, was then hired on full time, and still, over twenty years later, am with this same company and have worked my way up into management. As I’ve heard it said before, “God’s never late! He cuts corners pretty close sometimes, but He is never late!”
God supplied my need abundantly with housing, day care, and a job. I improved my mental tenacity to believe the promises of God, moment by moment, living one day at a time. I was determined to raise my boys in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, doing the best I could as a single mom. Today I can see how I lived this quote from the Give and Share Series booklet Refusing to Quit: Faithful to Believe: “Life can be, and is at times, filled with challenges that many times are beyond our control, but we can always decide to believe the Word of God that applies to our specific situation.” No matter the circumstance, no matter the situation, God is there and His Word is faithful to come to pass as we believe it. Because of the Word of God I’ve learned in The Way Ministry, I was able to overcome and be victorious.
We Can Claim What Is Ours
My husband and I were visiting my son and his family for lunch one day. While we were there, the air conditioner at my son’s home stopped working, and he and my husband went up on the roof to check the air conditioner. After about ten minutes, I heard a very strong crash. I quickly ran outside with others from the family to see what had happened. To my surprise, I found my husband lying on the ground unconscious in a pool of blood. Everyone was yelling, “Don’t touch him—let him lie there.” He had fallen on his head from about ten feet. With all the commotion, I couldn’t concentrate on praying; so I told my son to get everyone out of the area. They brought me a towel. I rolled it and put it under his head, and I held him next to my body. In my mind came the thought, “fractured skull.” Then immediately I claimed his life in the name of Jesus Christ. I said, “This is a lie, and the Devil is the father of lies, and the Devil has no right to take him from me. He is my husband and a righteous man with the nature of God in Christ in him.” Then I leaned next to his ear and told him, “You do not belong to the Devil. Remember who you are. You are a righteous man, and you are sanctified!” I looked at his face again. He was still bleeding profusely from his mouth and nose. I claimed his life again in the name of Jesus Christ, and at that moment the bleeding stopped and he breathed in deeply and became alive. It was then that I realized the intensity of the situation and was completely confident that God had performed a miracle. I instructed my family not to magnify the intensity of the situation because God had already healed him.
We went to the hospital, and they did all the necessary checks and tests. The diagnosis came back that he was fine and that he had no skull fracture. My other son who is a paramedic insisted on taking him to a private doctor who verified that he was just fine—no fracture or internal problems. Two days later my husband and I were sitting in our household fellowship coordinators’ training.
Thanks to God and His rightly divided Word that our ministry has taught us, my husband and I have no doubt that as we believe in God by living righteously as His sons and daughters according to our legal, God given rights, we can claim what is ours—like the life of my husband.
Our Children Have a Solid Background in God’s Word
One of the things I’m the most thankful for in standing and serving in The Way Ministry over many decades now has been being able to raise my children in the Word.
While other moms were reading up on the current methods of child raising to steer away from what they were hearing that their own parents did wrong, I was blessed to be learning God’s Word on the subject by way of our ministry’s Christian family class and the Word in Business and Profession Conferences sessions on marriage and raising children. In addition, I had the great opportunity to teach Children’s Fellowship for many years, utilizing material like Teaching God’s Word to Children and Heirs magazines. These resources, along with faithfully attending fellowship and seeking counsel from wonderful believers who were already successful at applying godly principle in their families, helped us teach and train our children with confidence in our method and in what we were teaching.
Our confidence allowed peace to rule in our family as we trusted God throughout the years. We saw God work in countless ways: miraculous healings; protection in danger; so many incidents of perfect timing that we knew were not just coincidence; and not just answered prayer, but answered prayer with amazing “God stories.”
Our children learned of God’s great love and the blessing of living by God’s standard. We could and did say with utter conviction to our children that something was right or wrong because God’s Word said it, regardless of what any other source of information may have said. As they grew, they had confidence in themselves because of who God says they are, and they understood and practiced godly principles like prayer, positive confession, working heartily, giving, serving, and believing. When our kids reached ages of making their own choices, they had a solid background in the instruction and practical application of God’s Word.
Today parents have blogs, chat rooms, podcasts, etc., where they may go to give and seek advice from each other on dealing with the different stages and challenges of raising children. Trends in child psychology are ever changing. I am thrilled to see our granddaughter being raised in the unchanging stability of God’s Word as it is still held forth through the resources available in The Way Ministry.
I think I understand when God says in III John 4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” It is such a joy to me to see our next generation take on the responsibility of providing teaching and training in God’s Word with even greater confidence than we knew. It is the reward now for the effort put into raising our children in God’s Word, and I am so grateful that The Way Ministry taught me how.
God’s Word Is Greater Than Medical Statistics
One of the great things I have learned in The Way Ministry is how to believe—how to appropriate the promises of God and see them come to pass.
Mark 11:24:
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
One area where I saw this very vividly was when my husband and I decided to have a baby. What we thought would take a year or two took several years. We found ourselves facing several challenges and obstacles along the way. Physicians told us the statistics and probability of having a child at our age and with our medical history were very low.
We appreciated the help and the facts from the physicians, but we also knew that the truth of God’s Word is greater than medical statistics. We went to God’s Word.
We held this verse close to our hearts:
Psalms 37:4:
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
We had learned in this ministry that God’s Word has integrity and it says what it means and means what it says. So, we set out to delight ourselves in the Lord wholeheartedly and prove God’s Word.
We studied records in the Word where women conceived and had a child after having been barren. We took action on the Word we had been taught from The Way Ministry, specifically the principle of believing images of victory, and we served wholeheartedly in the ministry.
We studied the record of Sarah and Abraham and how they had a child when it seemed impossible. We studied the record of Hannah praying to God for a child and receiving her deliverance. We made notes from these records and kept them close at hand to review them. This simple yet very powerful method helped us to deal with the disappointment of what felt like failure after failure, year after year. We had been taught that God does not change, so the God we worship today could do the same for us!
We built believing images of victory by making a file which included pictures of me eight months pregnant with our other child. We also added a picture of a tender figurine of a mother holding a baby. We had a cartoon version of a pregnant woman with the caption “Mother of the Year” with these verses underneath:
Deuteronomy 28:4,11:
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Throughout those years, we made it a priority to give and serve in the household. We coordinated a household fellowship, we enthusiastically coordinated and participated in outreach events, we helped plan and execute Branch meetings in our area. We gave in any way we could to support our leadership. At one particular Branch meeting, we were serving wholeheartedly; we helped plan the meeting, helped set it up, and participated in a skit. At the closing of the meeting, our Branch coordinator ministered to us, and we received God’s healing. Nine months later, our beautiful, healthy baby was born.
I am so very thankful for the truth of God’s Word I have learned in The Way Ministry, including how to believe!
Mark 9:23:
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
A Victory Story of God’s Loving Care
In June of 2017, I had need of maintenance at my mobile home involving a contractor, a crew, and people being up on the roof. I was concerned that I did not have liability insurance on my home, and I wanted to get covered before the maintenance was started.
Because of my work situation, I did not get started on the search until the latter half of June, and my service was scheduled for the thirtieth of that month. I had heard that an annual premium for what I wanted was about $5,000 per year, which was beyond my budget.
I was standing at my office desk, phone book in hand, not knowing where to begin or how long it would take, telling God so in prayer, and thanking Him for His answer. I hadn’t even sat down to make my first phone call when the still, small voice in my head stated simply, “AAA.” Well, of course!
I already had a five-year history of car insurance with them, so my first and only call was to my local agency. They met my budget allowance for premiums, and I was able to get a policy bound on June 29, so I had coverage for the workers at my home. The project was completed without incident.
In September 2017 Hurricane Irma was at my door. I had damage to a roof extension that made it wise to replace the entire roof. Because I had insurance, I was able to see an adjuster three weeks after Irma. I had a new (and even improved) roofing product fully installed by the end of October and a victory story to tell of God’s loving care for His own.
God’s Still, Small Voice
Thanks to learning how revelation works when God talks to me, my son and I are alive today. My son was four years old at the time. I was approaching the intersection and the light was green. The cross street, a two-lane divided highway, looked clear to me. I had the green light, and as I was about thirty feet from coming into the intersection, I heard a whisper in my head, “Stop.” I applied the brake while the light was green. As soon as I slowed to a stop, the light above me turned yellow. Just then, a van came through the intersection traveling at a very high rate of speed on the two-lane highway. If we had continued, that van would have T-boned our car and caused my son and me serious injury or worse. God knew, and we were protected because I have learned how to listen to and obey God’s voice as I was taught in the Advanced Class. I’m thankful that staying peaceful to hear God’s voice brings the greatest cargoes of life over quiet seas.
I Wanted to Do Things Right
Since I came to this wonderful ministry and I experienced the great things God has done for our lives, my life has never been the same. I have Christ in me.
My shy self, proud and full of fears and uncertainties, was gradually disappearing; and today I am working on the same project as many of you: building my best version of myself.
It seems obvious now, but choosing that and changing the direction of my life wasn’t easy at all. I remember how Proverbs 3:5 and 6—“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”— clicked in the innermost part of my mind—my heart. I wanted to put God first. I wanted to be a better disciple.
I needed another environment to grow and develop in the Word. That’s how the idea of moving to another city (where the ministry office is located) with my daughter began to crystallize. Move out from where I was to a new city. We are talking about two thousand five hundred kilometers (or approximately one thousand five hundred miles)!
I wanted to do things right, and Proverbs 20:18 says that every purpose is established by counsel. I remember that the first thing I did was to go to my household fellowship coordinators in Africa who helped me clarify the situation and know if it was the right choice for me or not. With their love and dedication, both of them led me to make the best decision in order for God to work in my life; to ponder the paths and then follow them; to understand the purpose of my decisions, building up my mind to be bold in believing.
Operating these principles helped me to achieve success and to see the hand of God working in my favor. Today I realize that it was the right decision to make.
With God we can expect great things to happen: He always goes far beyond our expectations. A few days after I arrived, I found a school for my daughter; a week later I found a cozy house to live in; and the following week I found a job that blesses me a lot.
I regularly attend a household fellowship with our Country coordinators, and despite not having blood family here, the spiritual family abounds in love toward me. The household of God is a great support and a blessing for me.
How God Has Blessed Me
Our God is an awesome God! The Way Ministry, through its Sunday Teaching Services (live and on CD or DVD), fellowship meetings, classes, collateral studies, The Way Magazine, and other media, has kept me anchored in God’s Word so that I could see God work in me and my life’s endeavors.
When I awaken each day, it’s the Word that I do first—reading Scripture, praying, speaking in tongues, and listening to Christian music. It’s a great start to my day, and I’m ready to accomplish my tasks and conquer the challenges of the day!
So, let me relate one story about how God has blessed me (and my family).
In 2012 I decided to relocate to Florida. This decision involved leaving my job as well as relocating my elderly parents from Puerto Rico. In their eighties at this time, Mom and Dad required more care, and my siblings and I felt they could no longer stay by themselves on the island. In addition, every time we visited them we saw so many negative things going on in the small island. With God’s spirit at work in me, I knew we needed to do something soon. With everyone on board, my planning and preparation began. This all came to fruition in January of 2014. I moved first, and then by August 2014 my parents joined me. We sold their home and purchased a new home in Florida during this time frame. God is great!
After settling in and working various jobs, I now work full time teaching English to international students. This job came with a good salary and, most of all, health benefits—and more! God met this great need for me to continue working in a most rewarding job.
In September of 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico. None of us could have imagined the catastrophic effects of this hurricane until we saw the images and news reports on TV. We were heartbroken, to say the least. However, my parents, my siblings, and I remain grateful that we were able to move my parents out when we did. In the days that followed, we received news from the few family members and friends still living on the island that they were well. Months later, we also found out that my parents’ former home was untouched by the hurricane. God is magnificent!
Today my siblings visit frequently, with three out of four of us living in Florida. My parents and I enjoy listening to the Sunday Teaching Services and singing hymns with all. My prayer partner and I have seen great things come to pass for each of us. Our respective fellowships and Bible study groups stand stronger and more committed; we keep one another energized in our believing and continue to will and do of God’s good pleasure! God is amazing!
I Was No Longer Afraid
I grew up going to a denominational church that teaches that the dead are alive, and that they watch over us and take care of us. As a child, I was afraid of this teaching; I didn’t like to get up during the night because I was afraid that I would find a dead person somewhere in the house watching over me. As I got older, it made me mad to think that those dead people could come in and out of my life anytime they wanted without respect for my privacy.
When I got in the Word in The Way Ministry and was taught the accuracy of God’s Word, I learned that the dead are dead, that they are not watching over me, taking care of me. I learned scriptures like:
Psalms 6:5:
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
Ecclesiastes 9:10:
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
After I was taught this truth in God’s Word and continued to grow in my understanding of it, I was no longer afraid to get up in the middle of the night. I knew that the dead are dead and that I could speak in tongues anytime, including at night, and talk with my heavenly Father, God. That gave me great peace and comfort.
This is one of the many things God has done for me because of the Word of God I have learned in The Way Ministry.