
Fear had a strong and paralyzing grip on my life ever since I was young. However, in my early teens, God broke down a lot of that fear by giving me a revelation of His deep love for me. I walked in great freedom after that. But in recent years, I realized there was still some lingering fear, and I didn't know what to do about it. It was at the recent Spiritual Warfare conference that it finally made sense. The Lord showed me that while the strongholds of fear had been broken in my life, the demon that built them was still there. I will never forget the anointing in the room on Saturday morning of the conference. I knew God was going to do something incredible. When ministry time came, I went up for prayer. As soon as someone laid hands on me and began praying, I fell to the floor as God's Presence washed over me. After a few minutes, I sat up, but I knew the Lord wasn't finished yet. My whole upper body was becoming rigid and going numb as I realized the spirit of fear would not leave easily. Then Ken came over and put his hand on my head. I fell over again, crying, as the spirit of fear left my body and the numbness gradually disappeared. God had finally set me free from the spirit of fear that had held me for as long as I can remember. The following morning, I woke up deeply moved and overcome by a second revelation of God's love for me. I knew that morning, without reservation, that the Lord would provide for me, that He had a good plan for my life, and that He would never leave me nor forsake me. I truly didn’t know how much fear had been stealing from me. Since then, I have had more boldness, confidence, and joy than ever before, and I can’t stop thinking about how good God is. He truly does set the captives free!
I came up for prayer Friday evening at the Spiritual Warfare Conference to break off the curse of silence from abuse I experienced as a child. After the prayer, I felt calm and clean. It wasn’t very dramatic for me, but something shifted. That night, I had a dream that normally would have left me confused and upset. The elements of the dream were the same as before—but I wasn’t upset when I woke up. At all. I just thought, “Huh, weird dream,” and shrugged it off. It wasn’t until about an hour after waking that I realized how significant that was. I’m thanking God for that breakthrough and asking Him for more!
Generational Curses Broken
I received incredible breakthrough at the Spiritual Warfare Conference this weekend. After breaking the bloodline curses over my family—specifically generational suicide attempts and untimely deaths—I found freedom from spirits of trauma that had been oppressing me for over 30 years due to multiple forms of sexual abuse and assault. Praise Jesus for this new freedom I’m privileged to walk in!
More Than I Asked For
Leading up to the Spiritual Warfare Conference, I had purposed in my heart to seek the Lord and ask Him for impartation in the area of deliverance. On the first evening of the conference, after the ministry of the Word, Ken and the ministry team began ministering around the altar, specifically in the area of deliverance from curses. As they were ministering, I found myself wrestling with the Lord about going up for prayer. I didn’t feel like this was an area where I needed deliverance—but as I watched the ministry take place, I knew I needed to be prayed for by Ken. When Ken got to me, he laid his hands on me, gave me an encouraging word, and then the Holy Spirit came upon me in power. I began to speak in tongues, and it felt like currents of electricity were surging through my body. I knew in that moment I had received the impartation I had been praying for. The following day, during ministry time, I asked Clayton if he would pray for me regarding some pain I had been experiencing in my body for over a year. When Clayton laid his hands on me and began to pray, he started addressing—by the Spirit—some of the hurtful things others had done to me in the past. As he prayed, I began to weep and sense the presence of the Lord resting on me as He healed an area of my heart I honestly thought was already healed. In addition to that, as Clayton continued praying, I was touched again powerfully by the Spirit. I don’t know all that God did in me during that time of ministry, but it was a wonderful encounter, and I could feel the weight of God’s presence resting on me. In just two days, I received so much more from the Lord than I could have imagined. God is good, and His faithfulness is astounding!
Freedom In Forgiveness
On Friday night at the Spiritual Warfare Conference, we were invited to come to the front if we were dealing with unforgiveness or family curses. I immediately thought of my great-great-great-grandmother, who was a practicing witch. As a young girl—and into my twenties—I dabbled in that world as well. But I was delivered from that lifestyle when I gave my life to the Lord about 27 years ago. Still, I thought, Well, maybe there are some possible generational curses in our bloodline because of her. As I stood at the altar and began reading the prayer on the screen, I got to the part about forgiveness. Tears just started rolling down my face. I thought, Wow— this is why I'm up here. I tried to keep reading through to the part about breaking curses, but I kept feeling pulled back to declare the forgiveness prayer again and again. Then we were told to say the names of those we needed to forgive. I thought I needed to forgive my childhood sexual abuser again, but I was set free from that last year. So instead, I began going through my past and declaring forgiveness. Then the Lord revealed something that shocked me—the forgiveness I needed to speak wasn’t for people from my childhood, but for people who had hurt me more recently, especially within the last few years, through work and ministry. My mind was blown. And I could feel the Father’s smile over me as I was set free from those wounds. Thank you, FLC team, for this opportunity to be set free.
Utterly Cut Off
The week leading up to the Spiritual Warfare Conference, Mikayla and I were talking about The Bait of Satan and the importance of releasing offenses. I spent some time in the car repenting of offenses I had taken up against friends, family, people I’ve worked with—even my children—and I experienced some deliverance. I knew God had more in store for me at the conference, and I had a sense it was related to deep fear. I can’t quite describe how this fear would affect me. It was subtle. Some days (not all), I would wake up with a dread of the day and a weight on my chest. Occasionally, I would spiral into worry about provision and the future of the business. As I walked in more freedom, these episodes became less frequent—but fear still influenced my thinking. My parents and grandparents lived in the Soviet Union during war and the collapse of the USSR, so I knew there was a generational effect. I also lost my biological dad at a young age to a heroin overdose. He struggled with alcoholism and was abusive, so I have vivid memories of assault and abuse from my childhood. On Friday night, I went up for prayer to break curses. Josh’s prayer focused on my father, and I sensed curses of unnatural death, fear, and cursed finances being broken. When Josh touched me, my side seized. Then, when he placed his hand on my stomach, I doubled over. My stomach tightened so much—it felt like something was being pushed out of me. I thought, That’s it, I’m done. Right? We couldn’t stay for prayer on Saturday, but I still felt like God wasn’t finished—especially in the area of fear. I even told someone, “If fear is in me, its days are numbered.” That night, God prepared my heart with this word: "Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! Keep thy feasts, O Judah, perform thy vows; for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off." —Nahum 1:15 I wasn’t sure if that meant I was already free from fear or that I was about to be free in a new way, but I received that word. I also believed it was for the Church—for anyone worried their deliverance wouldn’t “stick.” God was saying, It’s over. On Sunday, we loaded up the boys and made it to church. I wasn’t sure if I would go up for prayer, but I told God He could do whatever He wanted. As I waited, I remembered a traumatic time when I nearly drowned. Someone tried to save me but couldn’t. Miraculously, someone else jumped in, pulled me out, and swam me to safety. But afterward, my cousin assaulted me for being "stupid" enough to go to the middle of the pool instead of staying near the edge. I knew God wanted to free me from that trauma. As I waited, my side and stomach started to tighten again. When Aaron came over to pray, I told him about the memory, what I was feeling physically, and that it felt like something was attached to my lungs. Over the next several minutes, Aaron prayed, and I experienced incredible freedom—from traumatic spirits, spirits of infirmity, the spirit of fear, and the spirit of death. I knew God was pushing out things that had taken space in my heart and mind. As I lay on the ground, staring at the lights, I felt the peace of God begin to fill the spaces once occupied by the enemy. John knelt beside me and quietly prayed. I had no energy—or desire—to move, and as he prayed, I began to weep with joy, excitement for the future, and the overwhelming feeling that I could breathe deeper than I ever had before. I know that fear, trauma, and death are utterly cut off. I’m excited to see what life without their influence looks like—in my marriage, as a dad, and as a business leader. Even though God has already been so gracious and given us the gift of faith, I believe He’s inviting us into even greater trust and obedience—which would have been nearly impossible under the weight of fear and trauma. Thank you to the Leadership Team and the Ministry Team. I’m so grateful to be equipped in this way—and excited to bring deliverance to other men who have suffered trauma.
Removing Restrictions
How incredible it is that God knows the desires of our hearts and ministers to us with such tenderness. What a joy it was to welcome Ken and Michelle to our young church in Columbus, OH. God used them to minister deeply to many of us—especially us grandparents! Their encouragement and ministry were such a gift. It was truly a special and precious time. On Saturday evening, as Ken began praying for different groups, I sensed the Holy Spirit was touching me. When he prayed for me, it felt as if someone had knocked the backs of my knees—I couldn’t stand. The presence of the Holy Spirit was so lovely and tangible. During that time, I saw a picture: a group of healthy, vibrant trees of different shapes and sizes, each wrapped in netting—like the kind used to bundle Christmas trees for transport. I believe the Holy Spirit was showing me that He was removing the "netting"—the restrictions that had crept into certain areas of my life. I had been praying about these very things, and I’m so thankful that the Holy Spirit came in power to bring freedom and break those yokes. Wendy Willoughby Ohio, USA
Back Healed by God
I awoke one morning and couldn’t get out of bed. My lower back was in excruciating pain, and I could barely move. Slowly, I managed to roll myself onto the floor, but I couldn’t stand. I had to crawl to the wall and inch my way up until I was upright—all while in debilitating pain. The night before, I’d gone to bed feeling perfectly fine. I had no warning signs or back issues. That day, I was in constant, intense pain. I could walk very slowly, but I couldn’t bear to sit or bend over—it hurt too much. The next day was Sunday. I didn’t know how I’d get to church, let alone in and out of the car. But I knew deep in my spirit that church was exactly where I needed to be—in the corporate atmosphere of praise, worship, and God’s presence. I made it to service and remained seated the whole time, unable to stand without drawing attention. When it ended, my husband Glenn helped me to the front for healing prayer. Ken Grenfell prayed for me, along with Glenn. After just a few minutes of prayer, the pain was completely gone. I lifted one leg—no pain. I bent forward—still no pain. I couldn’t help but shout, “I am healed! God healed me!” It was a natural exclamation of pure joy and thanksgiving—just like the man in Acts 3, who jumped to his feet and praised God after being healed through Peter. That’s exactly how I felt! Later that evening, I sensed a faint soreness trying to return. But I stood in faith, rebuked it, and declared that I was fully healed. I commanded the pain to leave in Jesus’ name—and it did! When Jesus was crucified, He bore the stripes for our healing. The price has already been paid. Our part is to receive His provision and rejoice, give thanks, and testify—so others may freely receive too. Praise God for His all-sufficient love—full of salvation, healing, deliverance, compassion, and mercy. He is my good, loving Father! Talley Hess Virginia, USA
Set Free in Every Way
Shortly after I lost my job in January 2010, I knew I was entering a season of healing and breakthrough. My first task was to stand on God’s promises and practice diligently what He’d been teaching me over the past several years—to take every thought captive, replacing fear and negativity with praise, worship, and meditation on His Word. He graciously led me to a handful of promise scriptures and kept me there, day after day, for well over a year. Last summer, I had a dream. This wasn’t anything new; my dreams have long been insightful and prophetic, and I can track my mental, emotional, and spiritual growth through them, going back at least as far as high school. This one was especially troubling, however, and as I prayed for interpretation, God revealed that He (and therefore, I) was ready to tackle the two biggest, most impactful issues in my life—issues that have plagued me for the past 40 years. The first had to do with familial relationships. As I prayed about it, the Spirit put a phrase into my head, a phrase I had never heard before. I looked it up on the internet, and sure enough, there were books on it. These enabled me to understand and name the issue before me, which in turn enabled me to take a stand against it—binding spirits and praying for release. The results weren’t outwardly dramatic; I just woke up one day and knew that I was free from that particular curse. Soon after, I began to see the outward manifestation of that freedom. The second issue raised in my dream, related to walls of self-protection, was not so “easy” to address. I cried out to God, meditated on scripture, bound spirits, focused on God’s Word and promises, prayed continually—and made very little progress. I had minor breakthroughs: greater understanding here, a new level of forgiveness there, deeper revelation of God’s love and grace. But something was still holding me back. A few weeks ago, before Ken came to minister at the retreat, the Lord told me very clearly that while I was doing all I could do, scripturally, to face this issue, it wasn’t going to be enough. I needed deliverance. Just that knowledge brought me great relief. When Ken told us that he was going to teach on spiritual warfare, my ears perked up. Halfway through Friday’s session, I knew this was my time. By the end of the Saturday morning session, I told God I would not let go or leave that place until I had received my breakthrough! I also told Ken over lunch that day that I was going to be first in line for prayer, and I’d push people out of the way if I had to. He laughed and said he liked my spirit. I’m not sure he knew how serious I was! Ken started by asking those who felt God had called them to help set captives free to stand. I stood, and while Ken prayed, I felt a burning sensation in the palms of my hands. Remembering the prophecies about my touch, I went forward when called and was quickly slain in the Spirit. It was a marvelous experience, but as I returned to my chair, I said to God, “This is fantastic, but it’s not why I came here, and I will not leave until I’m set free.” As Ken began to call out specific people for prayer, I felt like a little kid. In my mind, I kept begging, “Pick me! Pick me!” So when Ken called me out, I was excited and relieved, and only a little bit scared. Someone asked me later if it was embarrassing to stand in front of 70 people in that way. I had to say no, because looking into Ken’s eyes, I have never been more aware of God’s love for me, and I’ve never felt safer. I knew that God was working through Ken, that I was safe with him, and that as a result, I was safe in front of my Church in the City (CITC) family. When my session ended, I knew I was free. I also knew that while some of the issues related to my problem would take time to work themselves out, there were some things that would manifest immediately. I even shared with a friend that if I went home and didn’t see a change—that day—in one particular behavior related to food, I would know there was more in me that had to be addressed, and I intended to go up for prayer at church over and over until it was done. It’s been five days now, and I can happily (and ecstatically) share that this first change has indeed manifested, and I know I am free. Of course, God being God, that’s not all. In the few weeks prior to the retreat, He was already working, starting to bring about the fulfillment of the other prophecies. After months and months of no interest at all from prospective employers, I am now actively interviewing for four great jobs. It’s clearly time for a new season in my life, and I am anticipating amazing things to open up for me over the next few months. Praise God for His goodness, faithfulness, and power, and thanks to CITC for being an integral part of this marvelous process. YES! By Val Chicago, USA
A Day of Freedom
The entire weekend of our fall retreat flowed perfectly. What we were learning, and the way the Holy Spirit was personalizing key components and fitting them into what I already understood, was amazing. On Saturday, during worship, I felt the Holy Spirit surround me in a way I hadn’t really experienced before. I felt free to drop to my knees in worship, and I began to sing my own song—perhaps the Father’s song over me: “You have nothing to fear, nothing to fear… I have nothing to fear, nothing to fear… My God is Greater.” I had been struggling internally with much fear after several bizarre incidents in my neighborhood. While on my knees in worship, I began to weep—a release that I had needed. It was during this time that a couple of prophetic songs and words came through about the very thing I had been singing: we have NOTHING to fear in light of WHO our GOD is!!! I felt an incredible freedom wash over me in that moment as the Lord confirmed the word He had been ministering personally over my heart. I think that set the tone for what that day would be for me—A day of freedom! That night, I paced the back of the room for a bit, working out what felt like random tweaks all over my body. I had shooting pain in my back, then in my ear, then in my head, then in my shoulder—just pinging pain. I thought it was bizarre and had a twinge of insight (given the weekend’s teaching) that something wasn’t quite right about that. When there was an opportunity for prayer, my husband and I went up. I don’t think I had any expectations—I just felt that the Lord was doing something, so I wanted to stand with others in that. As Ken began to ask me what I needed prayer for, I felt extremely awkward—and those who know me would know that I don’t feel awkward very often. In fact, some might say I make it my mission in life to diffuse awkward situations by calling them out or creating them by being overly silly. So, it was…awkward to feel awkward. I drew a blank—I didn’t know what to pray for. My husband reminded me that I had mentioned the pinging pain all over my body, and so Ken began to ask some questions. Nothing really resonated, and I was readily able to say, “Jesus is my Lord, I am loved and accepted,” so they just began to pray. Then my husband, Dave, said, “You know, I just keep hearing ‘alcoholism’... alcoholism runs in her family.” I reacted immediately. I don’t know how to explain it, but it was as if God made a supernatural freedom bubble around me that allowed me to crack. I began buckling over, crying, and saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry” repeatedly. Ken then called on my husband to take authority over this familiar spirit. (Ken later said that Dave got a crash course in deliverance.) I ended up on the floor. Dave said I kept squirming away from his hand as he tried to lay it on my head. My face was on the floor, and I don’t think I heard much of what he prayed. I know he prayed with authority, releasing me from the alcoholic history in my family and the resulting shame, feelings of abandonment, or loneliness that came from that. Another friend and elder’s wife, Kathy, came over at some point and joined in praying for me as well. I began coughing and gagging a lot, feeling overwhelmed by tears and relief. While at one point, I was unknowingly squirming away from my husband, who was ministering to me, I began to find peace, stillness, and rest. When I turned my head on the floor and opened my eyes, I saw his hand and grabbed it. I am still processing what happened during that time. While I didn’t actually struggle with alcohol myself, despite my family’s battle, I never felt compelled to abstain completely. Nevertheless, I felt it personally important to apply faith and action to my sure deliverance, so I am taking a fast from alcohol for an unknown length of time. I’m allowing God the space to continue working and to cement some things He has done—and to stand in absolute resistance to a family door the enemy would love to find a way into again. What I do know is that I have a quietness in me that hasn’t been there before. I’ve since been in circumstances where I’ve noticed a stillness where there used to be a compulsion to argue and a quietness where there used to be anger or anxiousness. I am so curious about all this, but it tastes like freedom and feels like love—and that is more than enough! “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom.” Praise our LIVING God! By Erin Chicago, USA
Miraculous Pregnancies
I wanted to share some testimonies about pregnancies from Ken’s visit to our church. First, there was a couple visiting our church, Kyle and Elizabeth, who are good friends with Andrew and Jaime, our elders. Elizabeth is very new to the things of the Spirit. I think she was the first lady Ken prayed for that day, and she fell under the Spirit, laying on the ground for quite some time. Elizabeth had miscarried twice, once in April and again in October, just before Ken arrived. Two weeks after receiving prayer that day, she found out she was pregnant. As of writing, she is approximately five months along, and the baby is doing great! She hasn’t had any complications, and the doctors say everything is going well for both of them. Second, we have a couple—Matt and Liz—who have been trying to get pregnant since before we arrived three years ago. Matt had been diagnosed with a very low sperm count. Liz didn’t have any physical complications or hindrances, yet they could not get pregnant. They had been undergoing artificial insemination for almost two years at that time. That month, after Ken prayed for them, Matt’s sperm count dramatically increased, and they are pregnant… with TWINS! We don’t know whether it was natural or through artificial insemination, but nothing had been working up to that point, so either way, it’s the Lord’s goodness! She is about halfway through her term with great reports from the doctors. We believe that what has happened in the natural is surely a sign of what’s here and what’s to come for our church family, and that it will be a double reward! We just want to honor you both and say thank you for loving the beautiful bride and giving your lives for her to become all she is meant to be by walking in full inheritance with Christ, the one who has given everything for her! Bless you both! He really is alive! By Karen Hale Alabama, USA
Deliverance at Spiritual Warfare Conference
I learned a lot about deliverance at the Spiritual Warfare Conference held at Free Life Church. I had previously experienced deliverance from narcolepsy during a healing event, so I already had a measure of faith that deliverance was real. But I didn’t realize I still needed freedom from things rooted in my childhood and family history. During the conference, I came to a decision: I no longer wanted to deal with bipolar disorder. I believed—fully—that God could remove it from my life. I’ve lived with this disorder my whole life, and it runs in my family. But that day, I felt an unusual boldness. I was ready. It was almost a sense of anger—like I refused to let it define me any longer. Two kind women met me at the front and prayed with me, some of their prayers focused on bringing unity within myself. While they prayed, someone came up to my left and gently placed a hand on my back. I heard them quietly say, “Mm-hmm.” When I turned to see who it was, no one was there—no one behind me at all. I believe an angel was there, ministering alongside those two women. I cried. Since then, I’ve continued walking in freedom from bipolar disorder. But that wasn’t the only thing God did that night. I spent the entire evening in prayer, asking God to deliver me from many other things—some of which were unusually hard for me to let go of. Still, I surrendered everything to Him. For the next 24 hours, I felt an overwhelming peace. Nothing could shake it. Even during my workday, nothing rattled me. I didn’t eat a single thing during that time—I didn’t need to. I was already full. – A
My story started over 12 years ago when my hip pain began. Before the pain, I had lived in poverty and experienced a long life of trauma and pain, and abuse. Once the pain started, it progressed throughout my entire body. I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis and began low-dose chemo treatments to slow the progression of it down, but no cure was available. My bones started to fuse and damage all my joints and my spine slowly and very painfully as I was constantly getting injections to try to keep the inflammation low. Each day became literally 24-7 pain, stiffness, swelling, and burning throughout my body. I could not go out in the cold as cold felt like a knife cutting my bones in the middle, and I would cry from the extreme pain. My stiffness was so bad that waking up each morning was the worst part of my day, every day. I had also been diagnosed with PTSD, Severe Anxiety, and Chronic Depression due to the pain I was living with. I had a fentanyl patch on daily and additional pain pills in my purse for breakthrough extra pain meds to control what doctors could not cure, fix or stop. On top of that, I suffered from almost daily migraines and was taking other medication to help with my anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia. One Sunday morning, Ken called for anyone with Cancer or a long-term sickness to come up and pray for healing. Now I have prayed and been prayed for hundreds of times throughout my years, and nothing has ever happened aside from getting more sick. But this Sunday, something strange happened. As Ken came closer person by person, I began to freeze, and my body began to shake. I stayed and kept praying. By the time Ken put his hands on my head/neck, I was done. The freezing and shaking were so bad I felt like I was having a seizure, and then I blacked out. I could hear myself screaming in tongues, and I could hear Ken praying in tongues as I kept shaking now, and my pain was almost all gone now. From being sick for so long, I do have lots of bone damage, but I know each day I am still being healed, and one day soon, it will be 100% gone. I have never felt so much relief from pain and stress in my entire life as I do today. I honestly never once believed God wanted me healed, so I accepted my lot in life as God will use it for His glory. I am so grateful to God for the obedience of Ken and Clayton right now. Being able just to wake up and get out of bed now, each morning feels like I am walking out of the invisible wheelchair I have been in for over a decade. I am healed.
At My Wit's End
The last few years have been, to put it mildly, arduous. Family challenges, work challenges, and financial struggles of every kind became my everyday reality. Every effort we made to achieve stability seemed to backfire. I found myself living in a perpetual state of stress and exhaustion. Strangely, even acts of obedience to God often appeared to backfire. To say that relationships at home and work were strained would be an understatement. I knew God was walking with me daily, but I was emotionally drained. Through these times, His personal promises to me of hope and renewal were the only things keeping me from a complete breakdown. By nature, I am a carefree and positive person, and I could remember that in years past, I had not felt this hopeless. Yet, somehow, I had begun to dread making new friendships or undertaking anything that required sustained effort or responsibility. For months at a time, at least four days a week, I would come home from work and crawl straight into bed. I love my wife and kids, but I simply had nothing left to give them. Ten weeks ago, I experienced a life-changing event—one I am still processing enough to put into words. Free Life was hosting a two-day event on the topic of spiritual warfare. At the conclusion of the event on Saturday morning, I asked Kevin for prayer. He knew nothing about the specifics of my situation, yet, unsolicited, he prayed for strength for me. Later, he told me he felt something was unfinished but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. I was grateful for his prayer and encouraged to know that God had put it on his heart to pray for strength for me. About 30 minutes later, my daughter, wife, and I were receiving a family prayer from Aaron. In the middle of the prayer, he paused, looked at me, and said he felt God leading him to pray for me specifically. He declared that God would change something soon—in an instant—like a fire coming over me (his words). I welcomed this with optimism and dared to hope that it would be so. I know God works in this way when He chooses, but I had never personally seen or experienced it, so it left me contemplative. The following day (December 12, 2021), during the regular Sunday service, Ken shared that God had delivered him personally from a heavy yoke of fear of responsibility. This fear had originated from difficult circumstances when he was an eight-year-old child. He explained that God had instructed him to bring this prayer of deliverance forward that day for anyone who needed it. I stood with about 20 others and received his prayer from the pulpit. As the service ended, I noticed Clayton flagging me down from across the sanctuary. He grabbed Ken and approached me, saying that while Ken was praying over the service, God had shown him my face—while his eyes were still closed in prayer. He told Ken, “Dad, I think this prayer is for Mark!” and asked him to pray over me specifically. Ken then laid hands on me and prayed that the yoke of fear of responsibility and failure would be lifted off me. He thanked God for my steadfastness and gave me a verse: "I…restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite." (Isaiah 57:15) Within five minutes of the prayer ending, I experienced something I can only describe as a caffeine high. Over the next week, as the buzz started to settle, I realized something had seriously shifted in me. Just three days after this experience, I received an unexpected $30,000 bill—and it didn’t even faze me! God spoke to my heart: "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:19) Yes, Lord—I do perceive it! He has restored my energy, my hope, and, in time, He will restore my finances as well. I believe God is doing more than just delivering me from a failure mentality—He is shifting my entire identity in preparation for a new season. I stand in renewed awe of Him, and I cannot wait to see what He has planned. The challenges of the last decade pale in comparison to the power and love of God. How good it is to know the Lord! He draws near to the brokenhearted and the crushed in spirit. One Holy Spirit spoke one narrative through four men who knew nothing of my situation, at four different times, over the course of two days. Simply amazing. Words cannot do it justice. "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." —Ephesians 3:20 Mark
Renewed through God's Love
Oh, what miracles our family experienced this past weekend through the incredibly kind visit of Ken, Michelle, and Josh! We learned so much during the classes they led—deep truths that touched our hearts and brought real transformation. During the prayer times, we were renewed. Thankfully, a friend captured on video the moment of prayer over our son, allowing us to relive and share the absolute beauty of the Father’s healing, refreshing, teaching, and blessing over a young man who is now moving forward in His joy! My sweet husband was also renewed in prayer. Such tenderness was poured out over him—Josh, you are overflowing with the tenderness of Jesus. Through that time of prayer, my husband was encouraged to try once more to mend a broken relationship with his earthly father. So the three of us—my husband, my son, and I—went straight to his father’s house. Amazingly, his father welcomed us in. Even more, he allowed my husband and son to pray for him. Praise the Lord! I, too, received prayer that weekend. The encouragement Michelle spoke into me still overflows in my heart. I also received prayer for freedom. And though I was physically looking into Ken’s eyes, in my spirit, I saw Jesus. We will be forever thankful for the love of Jesus and the way He met our family this weekend.
Healing of the Heart and Body
On January 18, 2016, I woke up with alternating numbness and pain in my limbs. Unfortunately, this wasn’t unusual. For the past 18 months, I’d lived with a condition that varied daily in intensity, duration, and location. It was difficult to diagnose, apparently impossible to treat, and deeply disruptive to my life. That day, as the hours passed, my legs eventually settled, and my left arm became mostly functional—but my right arm grew worse. I couldn’t grip or feel anything. It felt like a dead weight hanging at my side, occasionally jolting with pain or spasming unexpectedly. It hadn’t been this bad in weeks. My right arm was useless and dragging the rest of me down with it. That evening, three of our church Connect Groups gathered for a time of teaching and prayer. In the room were two people I had never met. During prayer, one of them—a woman I didn’t know—shared a prophetic word with me: “I see you with a pencil and paper.” Half the room chuckled. It’s well known that God has called me to write the stories He gives me, and many have supported that calling in prayer. The reminder was both encouraging and frustrating—I wanted to obey, but physically, I often couldn’t. The pain and numbness made writing nearly impossible. Yes, I’d gone through a season of disobedience, trying to reshape God’s calling into something it wasn’t. But once convicted, I repented. Even now, trying to follow that call, I kept hitting walls I couldn’t get past. Doctors seemed not to hear me. Treatments and medications barely helped. When I did feel well enough to write, I’d often have no place to do it—or pain would set in as soon as I began. After receiving prayer for this issue many times, I was beginning to lose hope. So when I heard that confirming word—“pencil and paper”—I knew I had to ask for healing prayer. As Michelle and I prayed, there was no immediate change in my arm. But God began to show me images: I was stuck behind a foggy wall, dark skies above. We kept praying. Eventually, the focus shifted to my heart—where the deeper healing needed to begin. As God breathed resurrection life into my hurting, broken heart, I began to feel His restorative power moving through me. My arm tingled—sore and prickly—but I could feel it again. Though still stiff and clumsy, something had begun. A process deep within: a change in my heart now beginning to affect my body, my life. Some changes I may not see right away. Some I may never fully understand. But one thing is certain—I am no longer the same. Thirty minutes later, I had full use of my right arm. No numbness. No pain. Michelle encouraged me to write down what God had shown me. As I did, my hand began to tingle again. I held the pen tightly and declared, “I do not receive that.” The sensation disappeared. Chicago, USA
Encouraged to Step Out
I left our time with Michelle and Ken Grenfell feeling deeply encouraged. My faith had grown. Just a week later, a coworker came to me complaining of knee pain—she couldn’t extend her leg. As she sat down, I clearly heard God speak: Pray for her knee to be healed. So I took hold of her leg and prayed. Within seconds, her knee popped. She looked at me and said, “Did you hear that? My knee popped!” She was amazed. And yes—I heard it too! Then she exclaimed loud enough for others to hear, “Mindy barely touched me and my knee is healed now!” It was the healing hand of God on her knee that day. She may not yet understand that it was God who healed her, but I’m praying her eyes will be opened to the truth of His love for her.
Testimonies
"I will praise you to all my brothers; I will stand up before the congregation and testify of the wonderful things you have done." Psalm 22:22