Have We been Successful?

July 15th 2024. It’s almost six years since Ingria and I received the Prophecies spoken over our lives by David Opoku at “Word of Life” church in Camberwell, South London, which were life-changing for us – first as being recently-acquainted individuals, and second in calling me out of retirement into a ministry of Healing and Prophecy. So I thought it would be helpful to do a ‘stocktake’. Regarding our relationship, we shall in two months’ time be celebrating our 5th Wedding Anniversary. Regarding the calling to Ministry, from the start I kept a record in my little ‘Spiritual Diary’ – the same one in which, several years earlier, I had recorded my hearing the voice of God at the ‘Beans Harvest’ – every instance of Praying for people individually – in person, on the phone or online, and every Prophetic Word I had received, or spoken, and every Scripture that made a significant impression on me. In addition to the little diary, I have similar information in a computer file – so I have paper and digital evidence (I still prefer the former, as befits my age!). I have also taken to writing – in a substantial notebook Ingria bought for me – a more potted record of the same information, to help me see the ‘big picture’ in more condensed form.

I estimate I have prayed with individuals on roughly 300 occasions – mainly during Prayer-ministry in church services, or online or by telephone. That’s about one per week. With some people I prayed more than once; and I have also listed the times I personally needed healing. (Let me hasten to add that it would be extremely difficult to identify anybody if my spiritual diary went missing into someone else’s hands – not least because my scrawl is unintelligible, even to me sometimes!); and the computer file would not yield any embarassing details nor identify anybody either – you are free to check that out with me if the mention of this makes you feel vulnerable). Of these I count 26 occasions when people experienced genuine healing – either immediately or within days, and reported it to me – some on more than one occasion. I have also indicated where a ‘relapse’ occurred, and whether further prayer changed the situation, to the best of my knowledge.

What is my motivation and purpose for keeping and examining these records? To judge whether the Healing and Prophetic Ministry has been ‘successful’? Scripture advises me that a Prophet’s veracity should be tested by the result (or lack thereof) of a prophecy uttered. However it also warns me against counting my human resources (specifically the King counting his military), which tends to place reliance on / give glory to one’s personal strengths rather than on God’s enabling. I have always maintained and stated (long before the 2018 Prophetic Calling) that I would always persevere with laying hands on / anointing the sick regardless of the number or lack of ‘successes’, because I believed in its ministry. Nevertheless we all need a little encouragement from time to time, and my ‘stocktake’ has shown that at times when I began to question my calling, the Lord graciously encouraged me by giving a wonderful result. And this seems to happen approximately once every three months. The important thing about ‘successes’ in the Healing Ministry, is that they are not my successes but God’s alone. There is no occasion for personal pride (and God made me wait until He could trust me to practise this ministry!) This has to be, since it is only done in Jesus’ Name. So, to Him alone be the Glory!