The Angel and the Spoiled Brat
David, my husband and I plus many of our friends had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. We had been hungry for God for a long time..and eventually God got through to us in late 1970’s. Having come from a background of strong legalistic, Puritan type teaching we were reveling in our new found liberty in the Spirit.
I was excited to learn that God had not taken away His power from the church..the gifts of the Spirit, miracles and healing was still available. Only problem was that as I was used to receiving things in my head..I didn’t know how to receive these wonderful truths in my spirit and actually make them work in my life..it was mostly still head-knowledge.
Healing is in the Word
I was convinced by the scriptures that God was ready and willing to heal me! I read in Matthew chapter 8 that Jesus healed all their diseases, and in Peter, “By His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).
I asked the Lord to teach me how to receive healing..I had lost the hearing in one ear a year previously. I tried everything people told me, I prayed and confessed my healing, I read books on faith and healing, but I still wasn’t healed. I asked others to pray for me.
Griping and complaining
I was also convicted (a little) about learning to have a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. One of the elders in our house church prayed for me one evening at a meeting, “Lord,” he said, “Work in Kathie so that she is able to praise you, even if you put her in a mud hut in Africa.” Everyone, including me fell about laughing at the thought of me being remotely near a mud hut..I was a spoiled brat – used to having everything I wanted, and definitely roughing it was not on my agenda in any way, shape of form.
One thing led to another.. and about six months later our church sent David and I to Kenya to teach at some meetings, not in Nairobi, but way out in the bush area.
Mud hut
So here I was – everything I dreaded was happening..somehow in my mind I was trying to convince myself that in this village area we would suddenly come upon a Holiday Inn. The place we were brought to was a little hut with baked cow dung floors! We were committed for six weeks so I had to wear the same dress which I washed in a bowl every other day day. I had bought several new pairs of pants but the missionaries said they were unacceptable for where we were.
I remembered that I am supposed to praise the Lord all the time. I tried..I walked around gritting my teeth, saying, “Praise God, Hallelujah, Thank-you Jesus”. Inside I was fighting like a crazed gorilla! The people took us to other places to preach, and each place was worse than the one before. I was determined that I was going to praise – so I did – through clenched fists and clenched teeth..
Eventually we ministered at a place away from the town and people came from other villages. There was a long shed-like building and the people who came to the conference slept in rows inside. They put David and me in a little cupboard-like room. For sleeping we had a cot and a hammock.
I was not a happy camper – I was also getting mad at God for not healing my ear. I had asked Him show me how to receive this healing but so far nothing..except that He told me to put away all the books I was reading about it.
I had enough!
In the middle of the night the hammock broke and that was the end of a nights sleep.. And that just about finished me off as far as Kenya was concerned. I gave up all attempts at my “praising exercises” and started yelling at David. “I’ve had enough of this.. David you can stay here at long as you want but tomorrow you are going to find a way to get me to Nairobi, and I will wait for you at the Holiday Inn.” David didn’t say a word, and as I was speaking I felt all the muscles in my thigh draw up as if a hand were pulling the muscles together. It hurt- so I started complaining big time about that. The more I complained, the more my thigh hurt. Somehow I made it until the morning and had no choice but to attend the meeting where David was preaching. But my thigh still hurt and I could only limp along feeling sorry for myself and looking really pathetic. I had given up all attempts of being a victorious Christian. I sat through the meeting waiting to escape and hoping God would produce a miraculous way for me to get to that Holiday Inn in Nairobi.
God moved in the meeting, and I tried to get Him to give me some attention. But He didn’t..afterwards I left and hobbled outside alone into a field. My thigh felt like someone was pulling all the muscles together in a knot. By now I really gave up any more thoughts of trying to praise the Lord. I felt He was being very unfair to me.. I tried and tried ( kind of) to do this praising thing. I couldn’t see of course that I wasn’t praising God in my heart, which was where it really mattered.
The Angel
“Look God,” I turned my face upwards, ” This is enough, I’m tired of this place and I want to go home. And another thing! What’s this with my leg? Is this some kind of African demon or something?” The Lord responded right away, “No, it’s not a demon, that’s an angel and he’s going to stay there and you are going to praise Me.” I freaked out and the presence of the Lord came around me like cloak. “O. K. I’ll praise you,” I said hurriedly. I started to sing and praise the Lord, the hand had lifted off me and the pain left my thigh. Then I felt as if I was floating in the air, I was so light. After a little while, I said, “OK God, now can I go back…?” The hand was back!!! The muscles pulled up again. ” Oh Lord, you are wonderful, bless you, thank you, you are good and kind.” The hand lifted..This little scenario was repeated over and over. The angel would not allow complaining words to come out of my mouth. I thought this was a bit drastic.
Healing
A few days later we returned to the original place we ministered. Nothing had happened regarding my ear. I did not dare to complain about it. I was sitting outside when suddenly some cramp like pains hit my stomach. I had not complained anymore about the food (boiled green banana’s) nor the sleeping arrangements or the cow dung floors. But I did complain about this. I went inside and lay down on the cot. “God, I can’t put up with this..” The hand came back! “Oh Lord,” Praise you, you are wonderful..if you want, I’ll just lie here and praise you.” I began to sing to the Lord. Suddenly the Holy Spirit fell on my head and moved down my whole body like a kind of light. I was lifted from the cot to my feet by the power of God. I was amazed, I didn’t know what happened. But I realized that I could hear out of my (deaf) ear, all my stomach cramps were gone.. And then on further inspection I noticed that a couple of little corns n my toes were also gone. A couple of little permanent red spots on my face and arm, were also totally gone., In fact, everything that was in the least bit wrong was gone. Boy I really did praise the Lord then…
Getting rid of the blockage
The Holy Spirit told me that God heard me when I originally asked for that healing, but there was a big blockage in my life, it prevented me from receiving from the Spirit of God. It was my spoiled-brat complaining spirit. The Holy Spirit is not negative, He is a Spirit of faith and my complaining and grumbling put me in a place where He wasn’t able to operate. But I had believed God to show me how to receive the healing and He is faithful He did show me. He spotlighted this barrier and dealt with it via the angel. I learned to yield to the Spirit and be thankful and believe in the goodness of my heavenly Father. Not only has Jesus made available His power, He is faithful to reveal to us how to walk in it and receive the things He has provided.
The angel stayed around for a few months..until that complaining habit had l
eft me. It was funny to watch people’s faces as I would begin to speak i.e. “Oh no! it’s raining..Oh Oh praise the Lord thank you for the rain.”
Ministering angels The angel stayed- but now he helps me pray and minister. The Bible says that the “Angels are ministering spirits – sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation.” (Heb 1:14)
Kathie Walters