I was at the gym today and while swimming laps God opened my eyes to something really amazing. Something I knew in my head, instantly went to my heart as I stared down at the blue tiles that guided my way along that lane in the pool.
Let me rewind a bit to give you some context.
A couple years ago I started going to a new church and while sitting in the seats there was an invitation for healing. The man speaking called out a few specific ailments he felt God spoke to him and one of those was for someone with issues with their chest or breathing. I knew this was directed at me. Especially since no one went up and with each item they called out there was always someone who went up.
I chose not to go up for a couple reasons at the time. One being that I was just learning that God really heals through His people and the other, and the biggest reason, was fear. I still can't pinpoint what I was afraid of exactly but the more I sit with it, the more I realize the devil just didn't want me healed. Not even just because of the physical aspect of it but because he saw the trajectory my life would take once I experienced the reality of healing in my own life.
Well this "alter-call" for healing happened one other week, specifically directed at an issue with breathing, and again I chose not to go up. And each time I left feeling so sad and frustrated with myself. I left wondering if I would have just obeyed, maybe I could live a life without asthma.
Some backstory on my asthma.
I've had asthma for as long as I can remember. It was so severe as a kid. I saw the inside of more ambulances(parked at the fire hall because they were close by) and clinics with breathing machines than I can count.
I had to leave so many friend's houses on sleep overs and went through inhaler after inhaler.
It did get better with age but I really struggled with campfires, camping trips, and a lot of physical activities(like swimming).
It was actually just a few years ago that I had to take myself to emergency because I had one of the worst attacks of my adult life.
Well one day sitting in church, I made the decision to go up after the service and confess that the person they were asking for each time was me. A big reason I went forward was because God really began to convict my heart. He was showing me that by not going forward I was leaving that person, who stepped out in obedience and made himself very vulnerable, to believe that He was wrong. And that was something I didn't want. I didn't want to leave someone else with any feelings of unbelief or discouragement.
Those are very stunting feelings on this journey.
I also went forward because I wanted healing, of course, and God had given me just enough measure of faith to ask. I was prayed for and I walked away to live another normal day.
It's been about a year since I got prayer and for a couple weeks after I had to rebuke the lie of asthma less than a handful of times. I would begin to feel a slight symptom and then I would call it out as a lie and it would go away. After a couple times of this it never happened again. I knew that I was healed and any symptom I felt was just a lie to convince me otherwise.
I'm so grateful to say that I haven't had an issue since. Not at campfires, around animals, or any other time that would trigger it before.
Why swimming laps was so profound was because as I was going up and down that lane I realized I hadn't swam laps since before I got prayer. Before it used to be so hard to keep my head in the water and do a whole lap. As I was swimming this time, I looked down and realized it was easy. I swam for half an hour straight and wasn't out of breath at all.
(And let me just add, I am not in good shape. So I can't justify it with that. I've been eating terribly and haven't worked out in a very long time. )
It was amazing in that moment because I had the revelation that God had really healed me. I knew it in my head but in that moment it was imprinted on my heart. What an incredible experience.
But more importantly what an INCREDIBLE God!
I encourage you to seek Jesus Christ for healing. Because it's so real. Since my own experience with healing I've seen countless people healed. Find someone, message me even, and get prayer. Find someone who has the faith even if you don't. Because I assure you it's very very real.
