Stories of Faith - Episode 61

Narrated by Samuel Shittu

I would like to mention just a few of the supernatural things I have seen in my work and walk with GOD ALMIGHTY…

One that readily comes to mind is an encounter I had with an Ogboni man in Makurdi (Ogboni is the name of a satanic cult). I was out that day for street evangelism. I chose a spot and started preaching. I had a megaphone to help me amplify my words.

Unknown to me, the members of the notorious and locally dreaded indigenous occult group were holding a meeting nearby. In those days, majority of the top politicians, lawyers, top government officials or the ‘who is who’ in the Nigerian society were said to belong either to the Ogboni fraternity or Rosicrucian Order (AMORC). Belonging to these groups was said to enable them wield powers that would protect them and dispose their enemies.

Anyway, I was alerted of the ongoing meeting when someone walked up to me with message that the chairman of the meeting said I should be warned to move away from there, because I was disturbing them. I refused to move. After all, I did not know they were there before I started preaching. I went on with my preaching. This occult man who came to warn me was wearing a dangerous ring on his finger with which he pointed at me threatening death. He was expecting some harm to come on me. I challenged him back there and then saying:

“You can’t point an accusing finger at your Creator!” And I continued preaching.

The next day, I was passing by the same street and saw a crowd. I drew near, only to discover that the man that threatened me the previous day to whom I had spoken was dead. He had died in the night. Apparently what he had planned to happen to me had happened to him instead. God had spared my life contrary to his threats the previous day.

--

There are several healing testimonies I have witnessed. A memorable one that brought so much joy to me as a person took place in one of my own crusades. I was an older preacher by now. I finished preaching and decided to pray for the sick., I had just finished praying for people to be healed of their ailments, when I heard a voice in the crowd cry out:

“Aondo bughum ashe!!!” It was too instantaneous.

From my little understanding of Tiv language I knew this meant “God has opened my eyes.” By the time the person came to us on stage, those blind eyes were totally healed. And I had not touched him. But Jesus of Nazareth, that merciful Savious and LORD had. There had been several blind eyes opened in the course of our crusades, but the way this man screamed was very memorable. The joy and surprise he exhibited were unforgettable. When he testified amidst others who had received a miracle that day, his joy was infectious.

--

In my early years as a Christian, I remember going to the streets to preach and meeting a mad man. So that he will not be a distraction to the people I was preaching to, I decided to pray for him. Miraculously this man was healed. This was my own first time of praying and healing a mad man. The hair on his head was overgrown, dirty and entangled. I called for a pair of scissors and razor blade. With those I cut and scrapped off his hair, so he could look neat.

A friend of mine saw this and went to try it on another mad man. He got the beating of his life. Only God saved him from being killed by the mad man. Yet, the power of God is so real to heal the tormented and the sick. And what joy it brings when a man who had been sick gets healed.

Culled from "Shake Well Before Use" by Samuel Shittu

Stories of Faith - Episode 60

The object of a, very, public scandal, Hayden found solace in his Christian beliefs and is now a successful businessman and family man. Once voted by a popular social media site “the most hated man in the country”, Dr Hayden Kho Jnr has made a complete turnaround in his life and embraces the lessons from the very public and salacious scandals that plagued him over a decade ago concerning a leaked sex tape. The affairs and series of civil and criminal cases not only cost him his reputation in show business but also his medical career, as the Philippine Board of Medicine revoked his license in 2009, resulting in multiple attempts to take his own life.

After years of uncertainty, he reached a turning point in 2013, when he met the Christian philosopher and apologist, Ravi Zacharias, who then became his mentor in the Christian faith. Since then, Hayden has pursued studies in Christian apologetics at Oxford, has had his medical license reinstated and now helms the product and services development head as well as the marketing Director of Belo Medical Group as well as several other businesses and non-profit organisations. He is also happily married to his longtime partner, Dr Vicki Belo, with whom he has a daughter, Scarlet Snow.

What were your thoughts and emotions at that time?

In two words, hopelessness and meaninglessness. I realised that the gap between what I was and what I had imagined myself to be became so irreconcilable that there was no way I could recover. I was a godless hedonist at that time, so to no longer have anything to “eat, drink, and be merry” for was, to me, a paralysing predicament. I ran away from God a decade before the crisis, but with nothing and no one to run to. GK Chesterton once said, “Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain. Meaninglessness comes from being weary of pleasure.” I learnt that truth when I hit rock bottom. Running away from God to pursue pleasures brought to me to a dark place. I was alone, in fear and ashamed. 

Did this steal your resolve for redemption or were you resigned to your fate?

I didn’t really think of some future redemption at that time, nor did I think that all the things that were happening were somehow just a fulfilment of a preprogrammed “fate”. The things that were happening to me were the result of my own self-centredness, lust and pride. The only option I could think of at that time was to just escape the situation by ending my life. And that’s what I did. I tried to take my life in December 2008 and December 2009. Somehow, I felt that’s the only way to stop the pain, while somehow giving those I’ve hurt some justice.

How did public opinion affect the way you saw yourself and do you find that the public was forgiving?

It was difficult because, at that time, I defined myself according to how people perceived me. It’s a very dangerous error in thinking. I came to realise that 99.9 per cent of people generally don’t actually think of me, and they don’t actually bother to think if I’m worthy of forgiveness or not. It was just my egocentricity telling me that I occupy precious space in people’s minds. People have their own personal “monsters and giants” they have to deal with. It’s a very humbling realisation and also a freeing one.

Is there any advice you can give to someone who is experiencing such hardship but doing so in private and often alone?

Remember that God will give you the faith and strength you need in order to overcome the trials of life whether it’s something that was done to you, or something you did to yourself, or a calamity outside your control. When you cry out to Him, God will reveal who you are in His eyes and why you are here. That there is love, hope and redemption waiting for you. Cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you. Another suggestion is to look for godly people who have gone through similar crises and have successfully hurdled it. Ask for guidance and advice. Also, live in truth. The only reason you should be believing something and acting on it is because it’s true. There is no point believing something only because it makes you happy. Lastly and most importantly is to pray. 

What’s your proudest achievement and did your setbacks help you get there?

What I am most grateful for right now is that I have been given the privilege to love and take care of Vicki, as her husband, and Scarlet Snow,
as her father. I think the moment of “my proudest achievement” is yet to come, and I am certain there will be more setbacks in the future. I have learnt to embrace them and acknowledge that they’re meant to make me a better person. It may delay my goals, but that’s okay. I’ve already learnt that the shortest route is not always the best route, because it can bypass some of life’s most important lessons.

https://ph.asiatatler.com/society/dr-hayden-kho-speaks-his-truth-about-his-tumultuous-past

Hayden Kho’s simple social media post containing a Bible verse triggered quite an avalanche of criticism, and with it, a reminder of God’s gracious gift of forgiveness for those who call on him.

The verse was 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

The person who posted the verse was Dr. Hayden Kho—and that explains some of the critical responses.

Meggie Sy’s response on Instagram represented most of the criticism: “This coming from you is a joke.”

To understand the critique you have to know something about Dr. Hayden Kho, a celebrity in the Philippines but not very well known in the West.

Kho went to Christian schools but was a self-avowed atheist. He is a plastic surgeon to the stars who worked in the Philippines’ largest cosmetic surgery business. He became famous as a television actor, earning the moniker “Doctor Hunk” for his stunning good looks.

But in 2008, his idyllic life disintegrated. He was embroiled in a series of sex videos of himself with other local and foreign celebrities. The videos showed up on the Internet without his knowledge and consent.

He was tried publicly on national television as part of a senate hearing. He was also taken to court in both criminal and civil cases.

His case was dubbed the most controversial sex scandal in Asia.

The Professional Regulation Commission deemed Kho “immoral” and unfit to practice medicine and stripped him of his license to practice in 2012.

The fall was great and Kho turned to drugs and alcohol to ease the pain…and finally to attempt suicide, twice.

“When the (sex) scandal happened, it was like being caught in a flood,” said Kho. “Every problem that came my way before was like a downpour. Since I’ve been underwater for so long, what was another downpour? But when they took away my license…it was a totally different experience.”

In the scandal’s aftermath, Kho said, “I lost my name and my so-called friends.” No one came to his defense.

Hayden Kho Meets Ravi Zacharias

Instead, he went in search of answers. The journey took him to a private talk by Ravi Zacharias in Manila.

Kho’s friend Dioceldo Sy, owner of Ever Bilena cosmetics, had an extra ticket to Zacharias’ talk that night.

Having read Zacharias’ book Has Christianity Failed You? as part of his research before choosing to become an atheist years ago, Kho also knew the author’s background as an engaging writer and leading Christian apologist.

Soon after Zacharias’ talk about the truth behind the Gospels, Kho’s hand was the first to be raised with a question.

“I asked a question that soon turned into a confession,” Kho said.

As Zacharias recalled, Kho said that he was “living with pain, shame and guilt.”

“Tears were running down his face,” said Zacharias. “He began by asking me what meaning can he find in life. That was where the dialogue between us began.”

Zacharias had no idea who Kho was and didn’t know his story. He told his staff later that Kho looked like a man made for the movies and yet he was talking about life’s meaninglessness.

Zacharias is fond of quoting a line from theologian G.K. Chesterton; “Meaninglessness doesn’t come from being weary of pain. Rather, it comes from being weary of pleasure.” Kho personified that insight.

Hayden Kho Prepares for Ministry

Kho started meeting often with Zacharias. He took time off from his job and put aside his acting projects to travel the world attending many of Zacharias’ events. And after each, he had plenty of questions.

Zacharias said, “He longed for hope, and I told him God is the only one big enough to change a person’s heart and begin anew.”

Kho says he plans to be active in Zacharias’ ministry. In the meantime, he regularly attends Sunday service at the Christian Commission Fellowship and also gives testimonies about his life before groups both small and large.

And he talks about his newfound beliefs on social media, even in the face of ridicule and personal attacks.

In that Instagram post that gained so much reaction, Kho wrote in the caption:

“‘There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact.’ As written in Scripture, ‘The two become one.’ Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never ‘become one.’

“There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for ‘becoming one’ with another.”

The celebrity plastic surgeon has turned his life around and that’s no joke.

Kho says his former life of sex, drugs and suicide can now described by forgiveness, hope and joy.

https://churchleaders.com/news/329989-meet-the-doctor-from-asias-most-infamous-sex-scandal.html/2

Stories of Faith - Episode 59

Ravi Zacharias Narrated:

Some years ago, I was speaking at a television taping with the late James Kennedy. At the end of it, a gentleman came forward and thanked me for the thoughts shared and introduced himself with a rich Eastern European accent as Dwight Barrows. I asked him where he was from, and he said, “Originally from Romania, now studying theology in Florida.” “How does a Romanian get a name like Dwight Barrows?” I asked.

It was a long story. During the communist oppressive days of the dictator Ceausescu, he succeeded in a daring escape from his country in 1973 and arrived in Vienna, Austria, hoping to get a visa to the United States, but he kept getting turned down. Barrows says the officials were not yet prepared to approve his emigration. “I came out the embassy into the very busy, big city of Vienna and I say, ‘Lord, if what my parents told me for 18 years is true–they’d been Christian–and if You really exist someplace and help me go to the United States, I’ll turn my life to You.'”

A month later, on Oct. 18, 1973, Barrows returned to the American Embassy. He met with a different official this time, a young man who asked if Barrows was a Christian. According to Barrows, “I say, ‘Yes, I guess I am. I was born in a Christian home.'” After explaining that being born in a Christian home does not make a person a Christian, the official gave the young Romanian man his very first Bible and a biography, The Life of D.L. Moody. Then he approved Barrows’ passage to the United States.

The man took them, made a promise, and started to read but never completed the biography. After arriving in America, the young man kept his promise to God in the back of his mind, but didn’t act on it. He got a job at the Ford company in Detroit, Michigan. Periodically he would read the Bible and every now and then would feel a twinge of guilt for not keeping his word to the official. Out of sheer loneliness, he began drinking heavily and lost his way in life. Alcohol became his escape.

God, however, did not forget Barrows. One day, Sept. 22, 1976, as he wandered aimlessly in the evening hours, he saw a massive crowd coming out of the Pontiac Silverdome. Thousands were exiting. He thought it was a football game and wandered in wondering what the stadium looked like. To his surprise it wasn’t a football game. It was a Billy Graham Crusade. He walked around the arena and ended up near the platform, where he saw people folding chairs and putting them away. One of them looked at him and said, “May I help you?” The man said he was just curious about what the event was all about. The gentleman on the platform sat him down and several minutes later, led him to Jesus Christ. He was so convicted and transformed by God’s grace that he went back to his room, picked up D.L. Moody’s story again, started reading the Bible again, and one day asked to be baptized.

The man who had led him to Christ on the platform was Cliff Barrows, Billy Graham's song leader (The man who got the world to sing, “This is my story, this is my song”). So when he was baptized, he took the first name of Dwight Moody and the last name of Cliff Barrows. Hence, the Romanian with the name Dwight Barrows. Two years later, when he became an American citizen, he officially adopted the name Dwight Barrows. And he kept the promise he made to God–to live his life for the Lord. He has built a strong ministry since those early days, especially among fellow Romanians living in the United States.

When Cliff heard that story, he said, “I remember that happening because it was so unusual.” His eyes filled with tears and his face radiated with gratitude to God. Years later as he wrote his memoirs, Cliff phoned me and asked how he could connect with Dwight Barrows. With the little details I had, I gave them to him, and amazingly, they made contact.

On April 2, 2011, Barrows had the opportunity to meet once more with his namesake. As the two men tearfully greeted one another at the Billy Graham Library, Dwight said to Cliff, “Oh God bless you, brother! This is a dream come true to see you again. And I wish you a very happy birthday on Wednesday and for God’s blessings always.”

“Now I work more or less like an evangelist,” says Barrows. “I work with so many Romanians…we have a Romanian Baptist Association in the United States. We have about 56 churches. I work a lot with the Romanian people from the republic of Moldova.”

Source: https://www.rzim.org/read/rzim-global/the-story-and-the-song-a-tribute-to-cliff-barrows; https://billygraham.org/story/a-tale-of-two-barrows/

Stories of Faith - Episode 58

As narrated by John Idoko: 

"There was a well-digger, a northern migrant in our neighborhood (in Southern Nigeria). He was not only a drug addict, but also ran a joint where other addicts came to drink and drugged themselves to stupor. There was nothing that was meant to be smoked and drank that he didn’t drink and smoke. He was a known and regular culprit in police stations; he had been to police stations so many times that as soon as police heard his name, they would be at a loss what else to do to him.

We continued preaching to him, and he would make fun of us and the preaching. But in God’s own time and in His way, he willingly accepted Jesus one day. It was on the street in front of my gate that we stood, along with his wife and some of his children, and he invited Jesus into his life. And the transformation in his life has been amazing to all who knew what he was,. He has not only made a complete turn away from smoking, drinking and other things he was involved in, he has also closed down the shop where he and his family used to sell different brands of gins, beers and drugs. I still stand in amazement of the Lord’s work of grace in his life. He has become a witness to all his former colleagues and clients."

Culled from "Reach Your Kind in Diaspora Missions"

Stories of Faith - Episode 57

Corrie ten Boom (April 15, 1892 - April 15, 1983)

The frigid night air wafted into the room as people began to leave. Corrie silently thanked God for another wonderful night of fellowship and started walking towards the coat closet to collect her things. A man approached her, hat in hand, and Corrie smiled at him in greeting. Suddenly, she saw his face clearly and the smile froze on her face. She looked at him and the past flashed by in a matter of seconds - she saw the man holding a baton, the look on his face as he struck a frail woman who had fallen under a heavy load, his many cruel actions in the concentration camp. Unbidden, tears flooded her eyes, and now as she looked at him more closely, compassion flooded her soul, for she saw something in his eyes. Sorrow, shame, repentance. She smiled again, but this time her smile spoke volumes - forgiveness, acceptance, reconciliation. Corrie and the former guard moved at the same time. As they grasped each other's hand, Corrie was flooded with a consuming love - God's love. She knew that in this moment, God was smiling.

The youngest of four children, Corrie ten Boom was born into a devout Christian family and grew up watching her father, a well-liked watchmaker, practice his art. She started training as a watchmaker in 1920 and in 1922, became the first woman to be a licensed watchmaker in the Netherlands.

However, watchmaking was not all her family was involved in - in 1942, two years after the Nazis invaded her country, Corrie's family became very involved in the Dutch underground, helping to hide Jews and protect them from the severe persecution they were facing. In time, the family built a secret compartment in Corrie's room for the refugees, and a large number of Jews received help in this way. Because of this, the ten Boom home came to be known as 'The Hiding Place'.

The entire family risked their lives daily to protect Jews, and one day in 1944, they would be found out. Corrie's family was betrayed by an informer, and they were all arrested. Corrie and her sister, Betsie, ended up at Ravensbruck camp together. There, in spite of their dire consequences and the unbearable prison life, they shared the gospel with their fellow prisoners, many of whom received Jesus as their Savior.

Eventually, four members of Corrie's family would die as a result of imprisonment - her father, Casper, died ten days after his arrest, her nephew was sent to a different camp and was never seen again, her brother contracted spinal tuberculosis and died after the war, and her sister Betsie died in camp.

However, Corrie survived her ordeal - not only physically, but spiritually as well. She always focused on forgiveness and never harbored any bitterness. When she discovered that her release was a clerical error, and that all the women her age were killed the week after she was released, Corrie said "God doesn't have problems, only plans"

At 53, Corrie began a worldwide ministry - she traveled to over 60 countries and had numerous speaking engagements. She passed away on her 91st birthday, but her message of God's love and forgiveness live on in the legacy of her life.

"Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart." Corrie ten Boom.

Source: http://meditationsofthesoul.squarespace.com/men-like-us/2010/10/16/corrie-ten-boom-april-15-1892-april-15-1983.html

Stories of Faith - Episode 56

Tears running down his face, he knocked on the doors of people he knew – looking for help. His feet ached from walking all day, but desperation fueled him. He had to keep going on. Not just for his sake, but for his wife and their unborn child. Their excitement at having their first child had turned to distress when they found out that the baby was too big to be delivered normally. Two weeks after the due date had passed, his wife’s cervix wasn’t dilating and the doctor told them that a C-Section would be needed to deliver the baby. The thought of the doctor’s ‘No service before payment’ policy spurred him on…he knocked and knocked on door after door. He had begged the doctor to deliver the baby and keep them in the hospital until he could find money to pay, but no. The doctor had refused. Tears in his eyes…pride turned to dust, he asked for money to help pay the doctor. Rejected time and again, he finally gave up for the day when nighttime approached. “Tomorrow is another day”, he thought to himself. “I’ll start again tomorrow.”

And he did…and the day after, but all to no avail. After the third day, the doctor decided to deliver the baby, but it was too late. The baby – a little girl – was gone. The doctor performed a D&C to remove the baby, and the baby had to be dismembered to bring her out. His heart broke as he looked at the baby that would have been his first child and he cried out “God, where are you?! I’ve obeyed you, why should it end this way?”

***

Born in Jaki, Benue State (Nigeria) in 1967, he was named ‘Dondo-Shater’ which means ‘Follow the Lord.’ His father was an evangelist and his parents worked together to bring the word of God to their small village. His father was the only Christian in the family and had joined with a few other Christians in the village to form a church. As a young child, Dondo had a mischievous streak and was always getting into one scrape or the other. Fueled by a natural curiosity, he liked taking things apart to see how they worked. He once punctured a clay pot and watched in fascination as his mother tried to cook with it. In spite of his destructive tendencies, Dondo was an honest child and always owned up to his mischief.

The death of Dondo’s father in 1982 threw him into a personal crisis. He had lost his best friend and confidant and a huge vacuum opened up inside him. He spiraled into depression and often heard his father’s voice speaking to him. His pain and distress over his father’s death drove him to prayer. One day while he was praying, God opened his eyes and he saw a revelation of his heart – he saw his heart open and full of darkness and evil. The image was so abhorrent to look at that he screamed “God, save me!” Dondo had always been conscious of his sin-nature, but for the first time he admitted that he was a sinner who needed the saving grace of God. The Holy Spirit came upon him and he started to speak in tongues. Like Dondo, several of his classmates also got saved at the same time and that was the beginning of a revival in the area. Dondo and his classmates preached to other classmates and everyone they met and within three weeks, 400 students were added to the fellowship.

Dondo’s love for missionary work was born when he watched a movie about Don Richardson, a missionary in Papua, New Guinea. The images from the movie followed Dondo as he extended his preaching ministry to the surrounding villages. Finally, his activities caught the attention of the church leadership and he was asked to stop preaching. Several church leaders interviewed Dondo and tried to convince him that he was teaching heresy and should stop. When their attempts failed, they located the man who had baptized Dondo as a child and asked him to speak to Dondo. The elderly clergyman met with Dondo and spoke to him in detail about the doctrines that he was teaching. After a lengthy talk, the old pastor met with the church leadership and gave them his opinion: all the doctrines that Dondo was teaching were Biblical. Unmoved, the church leadership ex-communicated Dondo.

Persecution against the fellowship increased so much that they could only meet in secret. However, this only strengthened Dondo’s resolve and he eventually became the prayer secretary for the FCS (Fellowship of Christian Students) branch in his school. In 1987, Dondo read a missionary magazine about the famine in Mali in 1983-1984. There had been a severe 2-year drought and people were dying of hunger. Missionaries had traveled to Mali to help distribute food and supplies to alleviate the effects of the famine. As he held the magazine in his hands, Dondo heard God say to him “The hunger in Mali is not only physical, but spiritual. I’ll send you to Mali.”

After more than a dozen years, God fulfilled His word and Dondo was sent to Mali as a missionary. He and his wife have faced some huge challenges including the death of their first child. But, they have been unwavering in their commitment to God and devotion to their mission. One year after the heartbreaking loss of their child, God blessed Dondo and his wife with a son and several years later, they were blessed with a second child – a daughter. Dondo and his family live in Mali and have worked to strengthen existing churches, and recruit missionaries for the villages where there are no Christians.

When asked how he would want to be remembered, Dondo said “This man gave himself to God as an article that God can use to purchase others into His Kingdom.”

Source: http://meditationsofthesoul.squarespace.com/men-like-us/

Stories of Faith - Episode 55

"The prayer for a miracle to save our baby son"

Cassie and Rick Littlejohn’s son clung to life in the NICU. Read on to learn how God’s hope arrived for thousands to see. 

On the day of the scheduled C-section, Cassie Littlejohn woke up anxious. 

It was as if she knew a storm was coming. Then God confirmed it in her devotional time. 

“Trust me. I’ve got this,” God spoke to her heart that morning. 

On the way to the hospital, Cassie prayed Jeremiah 29:11 about 30 times: “I have plans to prosper you; to give you a future and a hope.” 

That day, Levi was born limp and blue. He wasn’t breathing. 

Suffering from seizure-like activity, Levi was put on a ventilator and rushed to another hospital, where they put him in a medically induced coma by freezing his brain. 

An overwhelming crisis 

The storm ripped the Littlejohns' ordinary lives from their foundation on that Monday of Thanksgiving week. 

“Being a parent and not being able to fix or help your child, or take that pain from him, is quite overwhelming,” Cassie says. 

Cassie saw Levi for the first time in a transport unit covered with wires. 

Other women could hold their babies and bring them home. Cassie could only sit in a beautifully prepared nursery and stare at an empty crib, not knowing one day to the next whether Levi would make it. 

“It almost feels like your heart is being ripped out of your chest. You feel hopeless. You feel lost ... It can literally break you to your core, and it did,” Cassie says. 

Doctors speculated that Levi had choked on fluid inside the womb. They didn’t know how long he went without oxygen. He may also have suffered strokes in utero. 

After four days, Levi emerged from the coma. But over a sequence of weeks, he was hit with complications, one after another. 

They found a blood clot in his brain and a virus that attacked his heart and liver and caused those organs to become enlarged. 

Losing hope 

The doctors struggled to make sense of what was going on. After two weeks, the doctors were pessimistic Levi would make it. 

The only hope for Levi was a miracle. 

Cassie had to speak her faith over her child, even if she wasn’t always feeling it. She had to trust God’s promises. 

Family, friends, their network at NewSpring Spartanburg, and thousands of others on social media joined with them. 

“We prayed for the doctors to have wisdom. We prayed for healing. We prayed for intervention. We prayed for answers. We anointed Levi with oil and prayed Scripture over him.” 

One day, after crying out bitterly to God for answers, Cassie was riding home from the hospital with her husband in their pickup truck when a song came on the radio. The lyrics mentioned “coming home for Christmas.” 

In that moment, she felt God speak a promise to her heart that Levi would be home Christmas Eve. 

A dramatic turn 

That night, one of Cassie’s close friends had planned a special prayer time on Facebook. People in Spartanburg, across South Carolina, and all over the world were going to ask God for healing together at the same time: 8:30pm. 

For the first time, Cassie and Rick and everyone following Levi’s story, in person, online and through prayer chains, saw the true power of believing and praying in agreement with God. 

Overnight, Levi’s health made a dramatic turn. 

Many things changed all at once. He began to feed on a full bottle. He came off oxygen. His blood pressure regulated. 

It was like the difference between daylight and darkness, Cassie says. 

“He miraculously turned around,” she says. “It was all due to the prayer and God healing our Levi. I have no doubt.” 

Within two days, Levi seemed to be a brand new baby. Within a week and a half, he was home — on Christmas Eve night — just like God had promised. 

The doctors thought that wouldn’t happen for months. 

“Every day the doctors would come by and just marvel,” Cassie says about their visits to Levi's NICU quarters. 

The power of prayer 

From then on, prayer came alive for Cassie and Rick. It no longer seemed like a religious routine but a necessity. 

“Prayer is our tool to protect, heal, comfort,” Cassie says. “It’s our gift. It’s our shield. It’s our sword against Satan and the battles we fight.” 

Rick, in particular, saw the blessing of prayer. 

“He prays for everybody now. He stops what he is doing and prays right then. He has taught me to pray immediately,” Cassie says. “He sometimes will even go up to the NICU and pray for the children there.” 

The doctors warned the Littlejohns that Levi may face delays. But the now 3-year-old is healthy and developing normally. In fact, he is slightly ahead of his peers. 

For Cassie, Levi’s story is proof that God is the same today as He was when He parted the Red Sea, healed the lame, and raised Jesus from the dead. 

“When I look at Levi, I see the goodness of God. I see His favor, and I see His mercy and his hope,” Cassie says. 

Source: https://newspring.cc/stories/cassie-littlejohn