Healing...
Let me tell you about my healing and then perhaps it will clear up some issues:
MY TESTIMONY
OF HEALING
Most people, who meet me, are unaware of the fact that at a time, in my life, I was wheelchair bound, or confined to a wheelchair. And, had it not been for the Word of God, and me, applying the Word of God to my body in the proper manner, I would still be confined to that wheelchair today. And although this is a miracle from God, I want you to know that it will work for you, like it worked for me. Because God is no respecter of persons, He is a respecter of Faith.
Id like to share my healing testimony with you for two reasons: one because God told me to tell everyone that wanted to hear, about my healing. And two, because it illustrates Gods willingness to heal everyone, while at the same time demonstrating the power of using our faith.
God did not heal me because I was someone special
or because He picked my name out of a hat and said, okay, Rob
this is your lucky week. No, God healed me because I went to His Word regarding my healing, and He kept His Word.
Let me begin by telling you what my condition was in January of 1983 and then well go into the events that got me there and then to Gods Word as the final out.
I had a fragmented spine, caused by a .38 caliber bullet, fired at point blank range, on the night of September 17th 1982. I was at work as the closing manager for a grocery store in Los Angeles California. The time was 8:20 pm.
The bullet entered my body in my mid-to upper left thigh and tore through my Femoral artery, and my femoral nerve. This damage alone would have left at least my left leg permanently damaged and unusable for the rest of my life, however the bullet continued to travel upward and backward. It hit my Femur bone and slightly changed its direction, until it made an explosive collision with my spine. Instantly my spine fragmented or exploded under the impact. This left me paralyzed. From what I understand, ricocheting bullets have a tendency to pick up speed. When the bullet hit my Femur bone, it, for some reason bounced. Maybe because of the angle that it entered or for some other reason, honestly I dont know, but I do know that it ricocheted and hit my spine.
When they took the x-rays of my leg, hip and spine, Doctor C, I dont want to say his name, was given the task of telling me that I wouldnt be able to walk anymore. And He was very professional and honest. He brought in the x-ray and showed it to me. And, although Im no medical technician, anyone on the planet could see that something was wrong with my spine. From what I remember, I could see pieces of bone floating around in my back. Obviously in some sort of fluid, but still in the general area where it was suppose to be. I hope thats clear. I mean that I didnt have my lower spine up around my shoulders. Everything was generally in the same place, just fragmented.
So Doctor C showed me the x-rays and explained everything medically. Then I was sent to a neurologist, an internist, and a physiatrist, whose job it was to help me mentally cope with my new life change.
I lost an enormous amount of weight, and my legs atrophied, or became skinny and lifeless. Since I didnt use them, they just began to fade away. And I was confined to a wheelchair. So, that was my condition...
I had an apartment at the time, however since I was unable to take care of myself, I lived with my parents. They were responsible for taking me to the rest room, getting me dressed and so forth. Its very humbling when you have your liberties taken away from you and you have to depend on others for your mobility.
The events that led up to my condition are interesting, if nothing else. I worked as a manager assistant in a supermarket, in Los Angeles, and one of my duties was to close the store at night. This particular night, September 17th, I was far ahead of my work requirements. The store was light in traffic, so I was able to close a few registers, and each department was general clean. When I say department, I mean meat department, produce department, bakery, and things like that. So things were going well.
About 8:00pm that evening, one of the cashiers came over to me to get a check O.K for an order that she had rung up at her register. I was at the managers desk up front there, and I didnt even bother looking over at her register, because she was standing in front of me, but I did look at the information she gave me. There was a check for $10 dollars or so, a drivers license and a store check cashing card. Well, I quickly scanned it
male Caucasian, about 50 years of age, up to date card, check information matched the license, looks good. I leaned over to approve the check when the cashier stopped me. She said, No, Robert
look over at my register. So I did. At her register was an African American male, about 35-40 years of age, skinny and from what I could determine form observation, intoxicated.
Well, I looked at the cashier and she said, see, thats why I came over here.
I asked her to cancel out the order and to send the guy over to me, at a neutral register, away from everyone, so I could talk to him. And she did
she was an excellent employee
just super
So he came over to where I was and I told him point blank, hey guy I cant accept this check, its not you. And he went to arguing. Raising his voice, carrying on and so forth. I got him calmed down and he insisted that I do something. I said sir, I can run the store card but I dont think that it will change anything.
So I placed the register we were standing at in computer mode and ran the card. The computer came back with a code of 55. This meant, detain and hold for police. Frankly I was not in the mood to detain anyone, I was having a good evening and I wanted to go home on time. Well he kept pushing, and I finally said, hey guy, no more games, leave the store, Im not cashing the check.
Well, he reluctantly complied and started making his way out of the store. I went back to my duties and the security guard, who was armed at that time, began to follow the guy out. Well they bean to exchange words and soon they were wrestling in front of the store! Now, I had to get involved
and all I wanted to do was to go home on time!
Well we all wrestled there for a few seconds. I held the guy down, the guard handcuffed him, and we took him to the office. Thats when all the trouble began!
We sat him down in a chair and I got on the phone to call the police. No sooner had I made contact with the police, than I looked up and noticed that the man was out of his handcuffs! He immediately lunged at the guard, I dropped the phone and we all were wrestling again.
During the struggle, the guy managed to remove the guards weapon form its holster and pointed it at me. I grabbed it and knocked his arm down. At that time, he pulled the trigger. I felt my body jolt and I knew immediately that I had been shot. Man did it burn. But that changed nothing, because we kept on fighting. The reason why, is because he still had the gun.
I couldnt feel my left leg at all, and my right leg was limited, but I could still feel it and move it.
Well, we struggled for another five minutes or so, during which time three more rounds were fired. One went into the wall, behind me, another went into the wall behind the guard, and another went into the desk just pass the guys head.
Finally, I fell to the floor. I had lost too much blood and I was hyperventilating. In my mind, I wondered if this would be my last day on earth because I first thought that the guy still had the gun. As it turns out, he didnt, I had it. This was good for me, because the guy was still combative. So I raised the weapon and shot him. It didnt stop him! Maybe it was the alcohol in his system or maybe he was on some drugs or whatever; it didnt stop him, so I fired again! This time he stopped. He wasnt dead or anything like that, he was just
immobile. But he kept talking, swearing, and basically pitching a fit.
Well, the cashier, bless her darling heart, had pushed the two eleven panic button, which alerted the police, and shortly after I had shot him, they arrived and I was taken to the hospital
He recovered and was sent to Federal Prison, not only for what happened to me, Attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, but for sealing things and a bunch of other things.
Now, fast forward to 1983. I was sitting in my mothers living room, watching church on television, confined to my wheelchair. Fred Price, of Crenshaw Christian Center came on and I watched. Now I had been going to Crenshaw since 1978, so I was familiar with faith and faith principles. I simply hadnt been in a position to use them on this level
until now.
Well, Fred was ministering and walking around, and he stopped and pointed to the camera, and said something to the effect that if I really believed Gods Word, that I would get up out of the wheelchair and walk. Now those were not the exact words, but it carried that kind of message.
Well, that made me angry. How dare him! What does he know? He can walk. He can say those things. And up until the end of the program I stayed mad at him, I didnt turn it off, but I stayed angry with him; waiting for the more understanding and loving Kenneth Copeland to come on.
Well Kenneth came on, sang a song and started teaching, and Ill be doggone if he didnt say the same thing! It was as if they were working together!
Well, that was it! I got the message big time. God wanted me to believe His Word, so that He could do something about my situation. So I prayed the prayer of faith. No begging or whimpering. I knew that God wanted to heal me, but that the power block was not God it was me.
I said something like, Father! Your Word says that Jesus not only died for my salvation, but for my healing. You Word declares that by His stripes (the wounds the Jesus suffered), by the wounds, I am healed! Not going to be, not maybe, not if its Your will, but I am! It is Your will to heal me; otherwise You would not have gone through all that stuff with Jesus. Father, I receive Your healing power, and from this second on, I believe that I receive my healing from paralysis.
At that time, I pushed myself up from my wheelchair, dangled my little legs out there, and let go of the chair. Wham! I hit the floor. My legs did not hold me. I waited a little bit and then got back into my chair, and once again tried to stand. Once again I failed. Now the devil began to talk to me. That stuff doesnt work
there is no God
Youre going to kill yourself
accept your fate
God doesnt heal today
youre not special
Man, that guy ran so much stuff through my head, that I wanted to scream. But I had to realize that my feelings had nothing to do with my healing. I had to understand that God is not moved by NEED, or FEELINGS. The Bible says that Hes touched by the feelings of our infirmities, but they dont move Him to respond. Thats why people die in hospitals praying to God, hoping that Hell do something. They dont realize that if you dont get His Word involved, youre in trouble. God said Himself in Isaiah that He watches over His WORD to perform it. He watches over his WORD, not you feelings. Yes Jesus was moved with compassion and healed people, but what is compassion? Its not a feeling its a person. Its God
the Bible says in 1 John 4:8 that God is love. We can say it this way God is compassion. Therefore, God moved Jesus to heal people. Jesus said, I do nothing of myself
Well, I was shaking and fighting fear all the way. I knew what God had said and I was going to do His Word in spite of my feelings. So I pushed myself into an upright position again, dangled out my tiny legs and as I let go of that chair, I kind of shoved it back so I couldnt use it as a safety valve incase my faith didnt work.
My Legs held!
As time passed I became stronger and stronger and today
you would have never known that I was confined to a chair, unless I told you.
Does God Love me more that He loves you? No. Then why did He move on my behalf while countless others lay broken up in wheelchairs? The only difference is, that I learned what His Word had to say about healing, and acted on it. God in turned watched over His Word and performed it.
