HE CARRIED ME
Written by Phillip & Paula Towery
October 1994
Cover drawn by Judd Portzer
Acknowledgements
I'd like to thank the Good Lord for bringing my wife Paula and myself through the trials we faced in the 1990's. I thank God that He helped me through the writing of this book and for the wonderful promises He has gave to all His children to cherish, claim and to hold onto.
A special thanks to all of the doctors and surgeons that we had that God used during this time. To all my family, our home church, other churches that went beyond what one would expect, friends and wonderful children of God that gave to us in so many ways. I pray that this book will bless you and encourage you through any trial that you may be facing.
A special thanks to Justin Glass, my computer technician that retyped this book and did all of the things to allow this to be offered to you as an e-book that you could download and get instantly - no waiting for it to arrive in the mail. God bless, Rev. Phillip Towery, founder of Faith In Prayers Ministry, www.faithinprayers.org
About the Author: Phillip Towery is a Christian who, as a young teenager, had a bone disease to re-occur in his leg for 3 straight years. After having surgery his life went normally until one night in church, while praying for people at the altar, he felt a familiar pain in his leg. This was more than twenty years later. During this time he suffered through eight surgeries. He tells of how God miraculously brought him through spiritually and financially.
Index
Chapter 1 – Something’s Missing Chapter 2 – Saved! Chapter 3 – Found A Home Chapter 4 – A New Dimension Chapter 5 – A New Job To Do Chapter 6 – Battling The Enemy Chapter 7 – Getting Down To Business Chapter 8 – Growing In The Lord Chapter 9 – Trials of Life Chapter 10 – Looking Back Chapter 11 – Back To The Present Chapter 12 – To The Hospital Chapter 13 – Recovering Chapter 14 – The Second Trip Chapter 15 – Home Again Chapter 16 – The Third Trip Chapter 17 – Another Blow Chapter 18 – Home For Christmas Chapter 19 – The Last Time Chapter 20 – It’s Over
Scriptures
Jesus Is Our Savior Jesus Is Our Lord Love Fulfillment Your Deed of Inheritance You’re Experiencing Troubles You’re Experiencing Sickness You’re Need a Financial Blessing If You Feel Like Giving Up You’re Depressed
Feel Condemned Lonely Need Courage Marital Problems Confused You Need Peace In Your Soul Eternity Praise Him Family Grace of God Finding The Will of God Faith
SOMETHING’S MISSING
It was in the evening, and I was having dinner with my wife Paula, our two children Kevin and Amanda, at a friend’s restaurant.
There were about 3 or 4 other couples there also, and the men were shooting pool. Now this was not a pool hall; it was a nice establishment with a few video games and a pool table. My friend that owned the restaurant had just recently gotten saved, and these couples were some of his Christian friends.
At the time, my family and I were not saved, so I sat and watched them as they laughed together and played pool. They were calling each other brother and sister, and I could feel the love they had for one another as I watched them.
It made me think back to when I was a small child, and went to church with my grandmother. Actually, I have been around Christians all of my life. I also began to remember a time when Paula and I started going to church a few years after we were married. We went for a while, but then we missed a few services and before long, we dropped out completely.
After we had eaten and were pulling away from the parking lot, I turned to Paula and said, “Did you see how happy those people were in there?” I knew in my heart that they were happy because they had the joy of knowing the Lord. I also knew that joy and happiness was lacking in my life. I knew that I was a sinner, and on my way to hell.
SAVED!
Many months after that evening, I ran into one of the men from the restaurant. We ran into each other at a business opportunity meeting where he worked part-time.
We soon became good friends and he would frequently invite me to church. I would tell him that I would probably go, but when Sunday morning came around, I always had an excuse not to go. Well, he kept inviting me and I kept making excuses. This went on for several weeks. He was a real worker for the Lord; he would just not give up. Finally, after about 3 or 4 weeks, he called on a Sunday morning and I just didn’t have an excuse.
My family and I got ready and headed out, and he was waiting to meet us to take us to the church. When we got there, we were late and they were singing when we walked in. The church was jam-packed, and I would have liked to have sat in the back, but it was so crowded I couldn’t see any vacant chairs. But then we were guided to some “reserved seats,” right on the front row. Imagine that! Four seats! One for myself, one for Paula, one for Kevin, and one for Mandy. I had no idea that on my first trip back to church that I would be sitting right on the front row.
It just so happened that the sermon that morning was titled “A Brand New Start.” As the preacher delivered the message it seemed as though I was the only one at church, and he was preaching straight to me. Everything he said seemed just for me, and I could feel the Lord dealing with my heart. I knew that I was lost and the heaviness that I felt made it feel like I would explode, I also knew that I was ready for the altar even before the message was finished. That morning when the sermon was over and the invitation was given, my wife and I rededicated our life to the Lord, and oh what a burden was lifted from my shoulders that morning!
FOUND A HOME
The very next Sunday morning, I had just returned from a business seminar, and we had driven most of the night. I was unable to make it to church that morning, and Paula did not know the way to drive back to the church where we had gone the last week, because she was unfamiliar with that part of town.
Some friends of ours attended a church not too far from where we lived, so she and the kids decided to go there for the morning. They came back from the service and said that even the kids liked this church. I told them that I would go see, but I really liked the first church that we had gone to.
That evening we all went back and I knew that we had found a home, and this would be our church.
A NEW DIMENSION
Time passed by, and before we knew it, we had been going to church for 4 months. But we only went on Sunday morning, and not on Sunday nights or Wednesday nights. I was so involved in the part-time job that I had that I didn’t seem to have time for anything else. Most of my appointments were in the evening.
Then one week in March after we were saved in November, our church held a revival. During the first week of it we did not attend, and a friend of ours from church called to tell us how good it was and asked us to come.
Well, we waited until the next Sunday morning to go, but what a blessing we got when we got there! We came away from church that morning with a new feeling that we had before and went back every night of the revival.
It was during that time that I was slain in the Spirit. That was the most beautiful experience that I had ever had. It is hard to describe the feeling; it’s almost like having a pipeline to heaven. I don’t know how long I lay in the floor, but little did I know when I gained the strength to get up, that God had made some changes in my life.
I used to be a sports fanatic, and could watch it on T.V. all day long, but now that desire has changed to a new one. Now I have a burning desire to work for the Lord, witnessing to the lost. The part-time job that had taken so much of my time just didn’t seem to be as important anymore.
A NEW JOB TO DO
As the months went by, I felt as though there was something else I needed to do for the Lord, but I just didn’t know what it was.
I had a couple of friends that worked at a Gospel radio station and I would go by there from time to time. I had some commercials for my business being run there.
One day as I was travelling down the road, it came to me so plainly to have a broadcast on the radio. I thought of having a call-in prayer line and invite different pastors every week. This was an idea that would not go away, so I decided to share it with my friend at the radio station. He and the manager of the station thought that it was a good idea but there were no openings available for me because I worked during the week, and went to church on Sunday, so the most practical day left was Saturday.
So one day as I was driving down the road, I thought Lord, if this is meant to be, let there be an opening. Less than 30 minutes later I got a call from the radio station that said someone had just cancelled their 30 minute spot on Saturday mornings. So I cancelled the commercials I had been running to use the credit toward the new broadcast.
BATTLING THE ENEMY
As soon as I had set my mind to do the radio broadcast, and had gotten everything ready for it, Satan began to battle me. He was trying to tear me down by causing turmoil in our household. He wanted to do anything he could to keep me from having the broadcast.
Several days before I was to go on the radio for the first time, I got so frustrated until I just threw my hands up in the air and said, “That’s it! I just can’t do it!” You see, Satan had me believing a lie. He had gotten me to the point to where I didn’t think I was called to do anything. As soon as I said, I give up, then Satan began to leave me alone, and I knew then that if he was battling me this bad, then I must press on and have the broadcast. I knew within my heart that I wanted to do this for the glory of God and to pray for hurting souls. Possibly people that were lost would listen in.
In a radio ministry you just don’t know who is listening. It is unlike a church where you can look out at your audience. There may even be back-sliders or people that had one felt a call in their life. The reason I say this is because I know from experience. When I was lost, I would watch Jimmy Swaggart or Kenneth Copeland from time to time on T.V., but I didn’t submit my life to the Lord. I was too caught up in the world, but deep down inside I knew that I was lost, and the only thing that would fill that empty spot inside would be God. Nothing else will satisfy that area of your life, no matter if you try all that the world has to offer. I would like to share some scriptures with you about the lost and being saved.
Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:17 – For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
These are only a few scriptures, but I hope they have been a help and blessing.
GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
On the morning of the first broadcast, I was a nervous wreck. It seemed like all of the oxygen in that room was gone. I felt like I would hyperventilate. But when we finally went on the air, a good friend of mine who is a pastor helped me to get started. I opened the program and after I began to speak the Lord touched me and helped me get through it. I was still nervous for the next several weeks, but as time went on it began to get easier for me, and many times I could feel the anointing so strong in that little studio.
God confirmed the radio ministry to me in so many ways until it left no room for doubt. I regularly invited people to share the broadcast with me to do whatever the Lord would lay upon their hearts. Some preach while others may sing or testify. You see this broadcast is not mine, but God’s, and it doesn’t matter who wins the most souls for the Lord. The important thing is that the job gets done and the Lord receives glory.
You see, there are so many people in the world that may have heard of God, but just don’t know how to pray or to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
This world is full of people that are bound by drugs or alcohol, or maybe caught up in homosexuality or any other kind of sexual promiscuity. They need to know that there is a God in heaven who loves them so much that He gave His only Son to die for them. Perhaps there are people that claim to be atheist because they blame God for some bad thing that has happened in their life, or because they have never been taught about him.
Even now as I write this you have to realize that God has been taken out of our public school system. They no longer want prayer or His Holy Book to be part of the curriculum, and there are so many children that do not hear of God in their homes, or never have the opportunity to go to church to learn about Him.
What amazes me is how the government that has voted God out of our schools cannot see the corruption that has taken place since then. Just think, when they took God out the back door, what came in the front door? Now instead of the teacher worrying about confiscating a pack of chewing gum from a student, they worry about taking guns, knives or drugs from them.
I remember a time when one of the most serious trouble you could get into at school was smoking or scuffling in the hall. Now there are rapes, murders, and all kinds of things happening in our public school system.
What is going to happen to all of these children that are growing up in this Godless system? Who is going to tell them about Jesus Christ, the one who walked this old sinful world in the flesh and was tempted in every way just as we, but without sin? Who will tell them of the great love that He has for mankind, and of all the things he suffered because of that love.
How will they ever know how they spit on Him and buffeted Him, and stripped Him of His clothes. How He was made to carry that cruel cross up Calvary’s hill after He had been beaten and bruised, and mocked, and His beard pulled from His face. How will they know how they drove nails into His feet and hands and hung Him upon that cross? And who will tell them how after all of that, He said, “God forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
It is up to us Christians, people just like you and me, to get the job done. That is why I fell like God has called me to this ministry. Not because I want to be heard on the radio, but because someone may tune in and hear the Word of God and turn to Him. I would like to share a few verses of scripture with you to tell you why I think we have a job to do.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
Many people may think that those scriptures were for the disciples in Jesus’ day, but read again in verse 19 where He said teach all nations. The disciples back then didn’t have the means of transportation or communication to accomplish this. So it is up to His disciples today to get the job done, and if you are saved and washed in the blood, you are a disciple.
I’m not saying that everyone has got to have a radio broadcast, but take the talent that God has given you and use it to glorify Him.
I feel like we don’t have much time before Jesus comes back to catch away His saints, and we need to be ready and working when He comes. He gave us signs and prophecies in His Word to tell us when the time of His coming was near, and they are unfolding before our very eyes. We all know people that are lost, so I encourage you to invite someone to church with you, and let’s pull together in the body of Christ and get the job done. If you don’t know what God’s will for your life is, remember to: #1 – Seek and ye shall find, and #2 – We are all called to witness for Him. Many times we are so busy in our everyday lives we fail to listen with our Spiritual ears, He says in His word that “My sheep know My voice.” So if you want to know His will for your life, spend time in His word and in prayer, and listen to the Master. Just as a shepherd cares for the flock, He will never steer you wrong.
GROWING IN THE LORD
Getting back to my story, as I have already told you in the previous chapters when I was first saved, I didn’t go to church except on Sunday mornings. I felt at the time that I really loved the Lord, but I didn’t realize that I was actually being deceived. I was still caught up with things of the world. Such as being successful in business and retiring early. Now I’m not trying to say that the Lord wants you to be poor to serve Him. But His Word says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
His Word also tells us in Matthew 16:26, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
If we all can only get our priorities straight and put God first, and seek Him with our whole heart, then He will take care of the rest of our lives. You see, I didn’t have my priorities straight at that time. I worried too much about making money and I also, in my spare time, spent too much time watching sports. I could watch sports all day regardless of what was on. Now please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that enjoying sports is a sin, but too much of anything cannot be good if that thing comes between you and the Lord.
I thank the Lord for that first revival that we had. It was a blessing for many people, and it was said that there were more than 80 souls saved. I know personally that my wife and I got a touch from God that changed our lives. We not only started attending all of our church services, but we began to start going to revivals wherever we could find them. I began to hunger to hear God’s Word, and to read God’s Word. I didn’t know at the time that God was preparing me for the work that I would do in the months to follow.
The joy that I felt after the revival was something that I wanted to share with everyone. I wanted everyone to feel what I was feeling. I wanted everyone to know this Savior that not only wants to give us eternal life, but He wants us to have an abundant life.
The Bible says in I Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”
Try to think of the most beautiful place that you can recall. No matter how beautiful it is, it cannot even be compared to what God has prepared for those who love Him and serve Him.
You may be reading this book and wonder, how can I receive eternal life? The Bible says in John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born-again; he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father, but by me.”
I just wanted to pause to let you know what the Bible says about being saved. If you haven't asked the Lord to come into your heart, please do it today, for the Bible says in II Corinthians 6:2, "For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
This desire to see people saved is one thing that happened to me during that first revival, but in another revival that we had I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and oh, how wonderful it is. It is hard to describe the feeling. I began to look at everything in a whole new way. I could see God's mighty hand in everything around me. At times I would just weep at His beautiful creations.
The Holy Ghost gives you boldness to speak God's Word. And even though some people may say that the Holy Ghost is not for people today, I'm here to say that it is! The Bible says in Luke 11:13, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?"
Acts 1:8 says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” This tells me that we are to witness throughout the earth, and the Holy Ghost is for all of us.
The next scripture states this even more plainly. It is found in Acts 2:39 saying, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." The Lord had to call you (or draw you), in order for you to be saved. So the promise of the Holy Ghost is for everyone. In the hour that we are living in, you need the Holy Ghost to give you the power that you need to face the trials and temptations that we all have to face every day.
TRIALS OF LIFE
I have told you in previous chapters how I was saved and started growing in the Lord. Now I want to share with you one of the hardest trials that I have had to face since I've become a Christian.
I was in church on the first Sunday in June of 1993. We were having a great service. People were in the altar, weeping and praying and you could feel God's power flowing. I was in the altar praying for people and praising God. During this time, I felt a strange sensation in my leg, but I really didn't think that much about it. After the service was over, my wife and I spent some time talking and fellowshipping. I stood for a long time and I knew that something felt funny about my leg, and I even told my wife so, but little did I know what I would be facing in the months to come.
The next morning I awoke with the same strange sensation, but it wasn't anything that I could put my finger on, so I went on to work. As the day went on, that funny feeling that I had turned into pain. We were painting the inside of a house and I spent a lot of time on my feet, but I knew this wasn't just fatigue.
By the time that I got off work that evening, I could hardly stand to work the gas and brake pedals on the car. Later on that night the pain go so bad until I could hardly put any weight on that leg. It was then that I told Paula that 1 hated to admit it, but I had felt the same pains before that I was experiencing now.
LOOKING BACK
When I was a boy I was very active, and I loved to play all kinds of sports, but football and basketball were my favorites, When I was about 13 or 14 years old, I was playing basketball, and I fell and slid on the gymnasium floor. It caused a burned looking place on my right knee. For some reason that place never seemed to heal up.
Not long afterward, I began to run a temperature. My mother took me to the doctor, but he couldn't find what the problem was. After a while he sent me to an orthopedic doctor that recognized my symptoms. He told my parents that I had. a bone disease called osteomyelitis. Immediately my mother began to cry because this was the same disease that took her father just a few short years before. He had the disease for many years and suffered terribly with it.
My Granddaddy was a precious saint of God and put all of his faith and trust in Him. He got the disease from an infection caused by a thorn in his leg. I saw him suffer for so long, and his foot swelled many times its' normal size, but yet he knew that he served a God that would take away all of the pain and suffering, either in his life on earth or when he went to be with Him in glory. I know in my heart that Granddaddy is gone to be with the Lord and is not suffering anymore, and I know if I stay faithful to the Lord, I will get to see him again someday.
In the last few years of my Granddaddy’s life, he was bed-ridden, and didn't get to go anywhere unless someone came that was able to carry him to the car. I have seen him weep as he rode down the highway looking at the wonderful things that God created; things that we take advantage of everyday.
My Grandmother was very special to me also. She stood by Granddaddy and took care of him all those years.
Both of my grandparents were a great help and inspiration to me, and no doubt I am saved as a result of God answering their prayers. So don't give up if you have lost loved ones you are praying for.
Now, back to the story. The doctor tried to reassure my mother that they had medicine to treat this bone disease now that wasn't available years ago. I spent about two weeks in the hospital taking antibiotics. At that time I would run very high temperatures. Finally, I got to go home, but I was on crutches for about 4 to 6 weeks.
Later on after I got off the crutches I even went back to playing football and basketball, but the very next summer I began to have problems with it again. This time the doctor gave me some antibiotics to take at home. Once again we thought the disease was gone, but the very next summer it came back for the third time. This time I was admitted to the hospital to have surgery to remove the diseased portion of the bone. I was 17 years old and I was scared. At that time I didn't know Jesus Christ as my Savior, but God kept his hand on me and brought me through even though I was a sinner, He still had mercy on me.
BACK TO THE PRESENT
As I have told you in Chapter 9 how I began to feel this familiar pain, I knew that something was wrong. The next day my wife started trying to find a doctor for me to see. You see the last time I had this disease I was still a child, and the surgeon that had performed the operation was deceased. My primary physician was a pediatrician, and he had retired. The worst part about it was, because I am self-employed and have no medical insurance, it is hard to find a doctor that is willing to see you. My wife spent a lot of time on the phone before she finally found someone that would see me.
By the time I got to see a doctor, the pain had gotten very bad. Many of our friends from church came and prayed with me. They brought a prayer cloth to leave with me. I would lay that cloth on my leg, and on top of that I put a Bible promise book. I knew that in that little book were scriptures that told me what the Word of God says about healing, or any other problem that we have to face. God has an answer for all of our needs. It doesn't matter if we are healed instantly, or if we have to go through a process of healing, God knows our needs and He knows what's best for us.
Well, I had a pair of crutches that my son used when he had sprained his ankle, so I used them to get to the doctor's office. The doctor that I saw gave me a complete examination, but he ordered some x-rays because he thought that I had blood clots in my leg. I told him that I realized that I didn't know much about the medical field, but I had a bone disease about 20 years ago in the same leg and that pain was hard to forget, and I knew that this felt the same.
Well, this doctor didn't seem to think that was my problem now, so he ordered the tests instead. Before the x- rays came back that revealed that there were no blood clots, I began to run fever. My wife called the doctor, and he in turn, told her to take me to the emergency room. We went to the emergency room, where we waited and waited for me to be seen. The pain was just awful as I had to sit there. I couldn't seem to get comfortable no matter how I sat.
When the doctor finally saw me, he did some more tests and told me to come back the next day if I wasn't feeling any better. The next day I wasn't better so I went back. That day they decided to put a needle into my leg and draw out some fluid by the bone to see if it would show that I had osteomyelitis. The doctor said that it would take a few days for the culture to grow from the test, and he thought that I needed to see an orthopedic doctor, so they made an appointment for me and sent me home without any medication. By this time I was in terrible pain, especially after they had put that needle into my leg.
It is at times like these that you need to know what God's Word says about healing. Isaiah 53:5 says, "But He (Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Matthew 4:23 slates, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” So you see God has made provision for our every need, but one thing is required of us. That is to HAVE FAITH. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...”
Now Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy. If he can put doubt in your mind, he will. Doubt destroys faith, and you have to have faith to receive anything from God.
I know I keep getting off my story, but I just want to give you some scriptures from time to time to help you. There may be some of you that are going through trials now and need to be reminded of what the Word says about God's promises. The next few days of waiting were pretty bad. The pain was so bad and the only thing that I had to take for it was some ibuprofen tablets that my Father-in-law gave me.
I just kept praying and putting the prayer cloth that my friends had brought and God's promise book on my leg. You may not believe in prayer cloths, but I do. Acts 19:11-12 says, “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from His body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.” Matthew 9:20-22 says, “And behold a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of His garment: For she said within herself, if I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; Thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.”
As I said earlier, some healings take place instantly, while others may lake time. This woman was healed instantly when her faith united with her actions. (Touching His garment) She had been sick for twelve long years. So if you have been sick for a long time, have faith, regardless of what the circumstances may be. Man doesn't know all the answers, but we serve a God that through Him, all things are possible.
TO THE HOSPITAL
The day came for me to see the orthopedic doctor and when he had examined me, he said that I had an abscess in my leg, and that he wanted to put me in the hospital to do surgery. Little did I know when I left home that morning that I would not be going back that day.
They wheeled me to the hospital on the exam table that I was laying on because the clinic was connected to the hospital. There they worked on lowering my temperature and scheduling the surgery. The night before surgery was a very restless night for me. My mind kept wandering back to the surgery that I'd had some 20 years before. I know Satan was trying to put fear into my mind about going into surgery, but that is when we have to use God's Word on him.
The book of Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee: he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Joshua 1:5 says, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
These scriptures just let me know that if you are a born again child of God, then these promises are for you too. So cling to them, claim them, and don't let the enemy steal them from you.
On the day that I was to have the surgery, I woke up early and got cleaned up and ready to go. Two of our good friends from church came to be with us, along with my mother and dad. We had prayer before they took me to pre-op. It sure is a comfort to have God's people to stand by you and pray for you in times of need
In pre-op they got an IV started and gave me a shot to relax me. As it had happened the night before, fear tried to enter my mind, but I began to meditate on God's Word and what He promises us in His Word. Now, when you really begin to dwell on the Word, and get it into your heart, then fear has to take a back seat. The Bible says in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
After lying in pre-op for some time, they took me on to the operating room where several nurses and doctors were waiting. There they put me on the operating table and covered me with warm blankets, and strapped me to the table, and even strapped my arms to some extended arm pieces. I was lying on my back with nowhere to look but up. I looked at the large lights above me and felt that same old fear trying to creep back in. I just began to pray to myself and immediately the fear left and the Lord put peace in my heart. I knew then that everything was going to be alright.
When I woke up I was in the recovery room. I looked around and saw other people that were there recovering too. I was hurting and heard the groans of the others that were hurting too. After a while they took me back to my room where my wife and family were waiting for me.
I spent 17 days in the hospital because the infection got into my bloodstream, and caused blood poisoning, I had temperatures for many days that would go as high as 104 degrees.
During this time my pastor and my church really stood by and supported us. When you have a load that's hard to carry, it sure is a comfort to have someone that cares enough to help you carry it.
RECOVERING
During the time that I was in the hospital the Lord blessed me with a large paint job that I was able to sub- contract to my brother. The money that I made from that job paid our bills up for 3 months in advance.
I am a firm believer in paying tithes on what I make. I also believe that if you are faithful to God in giving to His Kingdom then He in turn will be faithful to you when you are in need. There is one fact that has been proven time and time again. You just can't out give God.
Paying my bills 3 months in advance was something that I couldn't do when I was able to get out and work. But the Lord was so good. He showed us in so many ways that He was with us and would bring us through the storm.
After the doctor had performed the surgery, he left the incision open because he said that it needed to heal from the inside out. He felt that if he closed it up, that it would form another abscess. So for the 17 days that I was in the hospital they packed my leg by pushing sterile gauze with an antiseptic solution into it. It had to be packed tightly to keep any pockets from forming that would allow infection to grow. It had to be done twice a day, and the pain was almost unbearable.
They usually came in and gave me a shot before they done this procedure, but it didn't help a lot to relieve the pain. Before I could go home from the hospital my wife had to learn to pack my leg. That was a difficult time for both of us to go through, because no matter how hard I tried to keep from showing that I was in pain, I just couldn't help it at times. Then Paula would get upset and cry because she knew that she was hurting me, but she also knew that it was something that had
to be done, and it had to be done right to be effective. We just had to pray to get through these times.
You just don't realize what a person goes through while recovering from surgery unless you have been through it yourself. I couldn't take a shower or a bath for many weeks after the operation. I had to sit in a chair and take a sponge bath, and I would get so weak until I thought at times I would pass out before I got back to the bed.
I was on crutches for several weeks and couldn't drive or anything. I realized then how much we take for granted, and how blessed I was before.
The wound began to heal on the outside, but on the inside it was still very deep. I even got off my crutches and tried to go back to work, but the type of work that I was in (construction), I was only able to work about 3 or 4 hours a day and then I would have to stop. I returned to my doctor for a check-up and he told me that the incision was not healing as well as he had anticipated. He told me that if it wasn't better in two weeks that he wanted to put me back in the hospital and do surgery again. Before the two weeks’ time was up, I began to run fever again and was put back in the hospital.
THE SECOND TRIP
Once again I was admitted to the hospital and scheduled for surgery. The doctor said that he thought that a pocket of infection had formed deep inside my leg, so there was no alternative but to cut it open and re-scrape the bone. He said that sometimes these things just happen not to heal up properly, but he felt that things would be better this time.
On the day of surgery, I was sent to a floor where I was prepared for surgery. My wife, and my pastor, and one of our good friends from church were able to stay with me until they came to take me down for surgery. They talked and prayed with me while we were waiting. I know that it is difficult to go through times like these for anyone, but it is easier when you have the Lord to bear your burden and His people to help you pray. I could feel the Lord as I was being wheeled away. I remember lying there before the surgery and meditating on the Lord and feeling that peace that only God can give. He is so incredible!
Words cannot express the peace that God can give even in the most troubling times. The Bible says in Romans 15:33, “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” Romans 16:20 says, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” II Corinthians 13:11 says, “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”
If you are going through a trial now as you read this book, remember what Jesus said to Paul in II Corinthians 12:9, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Sometimes we have to face trials and troubles, but if we can just remember the Lord's wondrous grace, then He will see us through.
Now back to the story.
As they wheeled me into the operating room, I saw the same team of doctors and nurses as I had seen before. They went through the same routine of strapping me to the table and covering me with warm blankets. Again they gave me a shot and I felt myself drifting off to sleep. I woke up in the recovery room as I had before and I saw and heard other people that were hurting maybe worse than I was.
After I became stable they took me back to my room. This was a semi-private room, but at the time there was no one in it. A few days later they brought a young black boy that looked about 13 and put him in the other bed. He'd had one of his legs amputated in an earlier surgery because of cancer. They put him back in the hospital because they thought that the cancer had returned.
I felt so sorry for that little boy and his mother; I would lay there and pray for them. I just couldn't imagine what that mother was going through. I thank God that my children are healthy. A few days later the little boy and his mother was discharged. He was to go to the Children's Hospital to be treated. In his place they brought an elderly man that had just had leg surgery. This man had a very poor disposition. Days went by as I heard him curse the nurses because they couldn't bring more medicine. They had given him as much as he was allowed. He would also curse the physical therapists and refuse to go to his therapy treatment.
It was tough laying there listening to all of his negative talk when I was feeling so low because of the pain and this being the second time in the hospital. Many times I prayed that the Lord would open a door for me to witness to this man, and to be able to say the right things. He knew that I was a Christian because many of our friends from church would come to visit He told me that his wife had been a Christian, but that she had died. He had also recently lost a brother and he was very depressed.
One day while my mother and dad were visiting. I heard the man say "Brother Towery", and it opened a door for me to be able to tell him how the Lord can bring you through.
I spent 11 days in the hospital this time before going home with my leg open again to be packed twice a day.
HOME AGAIN
We had to go through the same process of healing this time as we did the last time. Although we were more used to packing my leg and taking care of it, it doesn't mean that it was easy. It was something that we had to pray through.
On my visits to the doctor he said that my leg was healing almost too fast. He was concerned that it was healing from the outside and not on the inside, as it had before. He said that it may have to be opened up again.
Now, I'm not trying to say that I never got depressed or discouraged during all of this, because I did. But when the enemy would try to drag me down, then I would try to meditate on God's Word and pray. Only then could I feel the fear and depression leave. When you feel the Lord's touch, then all of the negative things are replaced by God's peace, and love, and comfort
The Bible says in II Corinthians 1:4, “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which arc in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” II Thessalonians 2:16, 17 says, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.
Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.”
Just as the doctor had said, the incision healed too quickly on the outside and not on the inside. He also said that he needed to go inside the bone by cutting out a window and scraping out the inside. He said that they would put an antibiotic and cement mixture inside the bone to aid in healing and then go back in a few days later to clean it out again. Little
did I know that I would be facing five surgeries in this next stay in the hospital.
THE THIRD TRIP
The morning that my wife was taking me to the hospital for the third time, I was having to battle with fear. I was worried because the doctor had told Paula that he was doing all that he could to save my leg,
I knew that it wasn't up to the doctors whether I lost my leg or not. Although God gives them the knowledge to perform the surgeries and know the right medications to prescribe, it is He and He alone that is in charge. Satan would like for us to believe that he has the last word in these situations, but he is a liar and has been from the beginning. And I remembered that my Bible says that by His stripes we are healed.
I went through the same routines in pre-op that I had experienced in the previous surgeries. It was like reading the same page of a book over and over; you knew what was going to happen next. But at the same time, there are a lot of things that go through your mind. You realize that things could go wrong. They could cut through a main vessel and lose a lot of blood, or you could not wake up from the anesthesia or anything like that.
But I had to realize that these things were sent by Satan to torment me, and fear is not of God. Then I got a hold on myself and realized where all of this was coming from and started to pray and to think on good thoughts, as the Bible says in Philippians 4:8 and 9, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
As they rolled me into the operating room, I would be praying to myself; asking the Lord to be with me, and as they would place me from the stretcher to the operating table, the Lord would once again give me the peace in my heart that everything would be alright At times like these I don't think that people who don't know the Lord can have that kind of peace. Only He is our blessed assurance.
As I began to wake up in the recovery room, I realized that I was in terrible pain. I started to pray for myself, but I heard the cries of other people that were hurting too. I began to forget about my pain and pray for them, I realized that I had the Lord in my life, but I didn't know if these other people did or not. I wondered; did these people know how to pray and ask God for help? Did they know about all of the precious promises that are in God's Word? Did they know that things happen to everyone, but you have someone to help you when you serve the "Lord?
My doctor came' in the recovery room and told me that I had lost a lot of blood during the surgery, and they would be doing another surgery in a few days, so I needed to take about 4 units of blood. I was still drowsy from the anesthesia, and so I just told him no, that I didn't want to take any blood. He came back later after I had been brought back to my room and told me that there was just no way around it, that I had to take the blood, that my level was just too low.
That evening they began to give me one of the first units of blood. Fear began to creep into my mind. I was terrified at the thoughts of gelling AIDS or some other kind of disease. I realized that this fear came from the enemy. And that enemy was defeated two thousand years ago on Calvary's Hill when Jesus became our sacrifice, and took the keys of death, hell and the grave from him.
I thought about the scripture in Mark 16:18 saying, “They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Now I know that this scripture says if you drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt you. But my veins were having to drink in this strange blood, so I just claimed that scripture in my heart.
A few days later I was taken back to surgery to have everything cleaned out. They also removed the mixture of cement and antibiotics from inside the bone and cleaned it out good, and replaced it with some more. This stay in the hospital would be my longest and one of the hardest, because during this time they did a total of five surgeries on my leg and also put a catheter (called a Hickman Catheter) into one of the main arteries in my chest. The purpose for this was to be able to give me the antibiotics that I needed without having to re-stick my arms all the time. You see the antibiotics that I had to take were so strong that they would literally burn my veins. My arms were red and swollen and very sore and it became hard to find a good vein to put the needle into. They had to change them about every 1-1/2 to 2 days. They also told me that I would be going home with IV antibiotics, and the catheter could be left in for long periods of time.
During this time (23 days) in the hospital, I was left on a morphine pump for pain because of the many trips to surgery. I didn't have time to get over one surgery before I had another one. I don't like having to take all of that medication, but I had to have some relief from all the pain. I was almost afraid that I would become addicted to all of this medication that I was taking, and at one point when I was taken off the morphine pump, my body reacted to the change and I went through some withdrawal symptoms. It was then that I realized how easy it would be for someone that didn't have the Lord in their life to become addicted and dependant on these drugs.
I would like to take this opportunity to say to anyone that may be reading this book and in bondage to drugs or alcohol that God can and will deliver you out of that bondage. But you must ask in sincerity and believe that He can and will do what His word says.
A few days later I was taken in for another surgery where the same procedure was done again. My wife asked the doctor how many more times will this have to be done. He replied that it may have to be done several times to be sure that all of the diseased tissue was removed from the bone. He said that osteomyelitis was hard to treat, and you don't know if all of the infection is removed until it doesn't give you a problem anymore. During this time I became so weak physically until I could hardly keep up with the time or the people that came to visit
I was thankful that I didn't become too sick following the surgeries as I have seen most people do. The only problem that I'd had so far was when they cut into the bone for the first time. I was in surgery and under the anesthesia for much longer and by the time it was over, I was so sick.
My wife and family and pastor and friends were always there to greet me when I came back. What a comforting feeling to have people that care for you. But always remember that God cares for you even when you feel as though you haven't got a friend in this world.
ANOTHER BLOW
My wife Paula had been having some health problems for several months and I had tried to get her to go to the doctor, but she can be very stubborn at times. She kept putting it off until the symptoms became so bad that she realized that she had no other choice.
The doctor gave her some medication to relieve the symptoms, but she didn't get to feeling much better and the medication caused her blood pressure to go up and they had to take her off of it. They decided to do a biopsy to see if they could find the problem.
They thought that she would be fine while wailing for the results, but a few days later she had to return to the doctor's office because of further complications. They said that she needed to have a small surgery that could be done on an out-patient basis. They told her that the results of the biopsy was negative, and sent her home with some more medication until they could schedule the surgery. Here I was lying in the hospital and feeling so helpless because I wanted to be there for my wife as she had been there for me.
On the day of her surgery her sister and my brother's wife and our pastor went over to the out-patient clinic to be with her. The surgery went well and the doctor told Paula's sister that he thought everything looked fine. When she came out of recovery they took her home and I got to talk to her on the phone later that day. The doctor told her that they had done some tests during the surgery and they wanted her to come back in a few days for a check-up and they would have the results at that time.
Little did we know that when she returned to the doctor's office that they would have to tell her that they had found a tumor and the results of the tests showed that it was malignant.
The doctor's office was in a large clinic that connected to the hospital by a long walkway. Paula said that she left the doctor's office and started walking back to the hospital praying and rebuking fear in the name of Jesus. She knew that after all I had been through that this would be a terrible blow, and it was going to be hard to break this kind of news.
By the time that she got to my room she didn't look as though anything was wrong. She sat on the side of my bed and I asked her what the doctor said. Then she told me that the doctor said that she had cancer of the uterus, but that with a complete hysterectomy she should be fine. I couldn't believe my ears. At that time we both began to cry. I was afraid for my wife. I knew that her mother had died at the young age of 47. Naturally this is a time that the enemy would try to put fear into your heart.
Soon some of the family began to call to see what the doctor had said and we had to tell them. This was a hard time, and it seemed as though we were in a long dark tunnel, and couldn't see the end of it. But we serve a God that knows the beginning and the end of all things, and He has the power to put Satan in his place when he comes to torment you or try to put fear into your heart.
I felt so overwhelmed by all of this, and I knew that I would have to talk to the Master to find the peace and the relief that I needed so badly. I began to pray and to ask God to show me that Paula would be alright. After this a feeling of peace came over me that cannot be described. The Lord gave me the peace that no one else can give. It was then that I knew that Paula would be alright.
It was hard lying in that hospital bed with all that was happening. I just wanted to go home and leave all this madness behind, I felt so helpless at times. My children had to stay with friends and family members, and Paula tried to spend time with them and with me. I missed them and I missed home.
The doctors decided to put me in another room that had windows all around it. The view was much better than the brick wall that I had looked at for the last couple of weeks. I know they were trying to lift my spirits. The nurses were all very nice to me on this floor. This was the third time that I had been there, so I knew most of them pretty well. I also had a very sweet home nurse, and we became good friends with her and her husband.
This stay in the hospital turned out to be 23 days long. I had a total of five surgeries on my leg during this stay and was also taken to surgery to have the catheter put into my chest, which I had told you about earlier.
The doctor finally let me go home on December 23. He was going to keep me until the 24th, but I told him that my side of the family always got together on Christmas Eve, and it would mean so much to me to be there to greet them when they came, so he put in an order for my medication and got my paperwork in order and I was on my way!
Paula had already left from home to come and see me, so when she got there she was surprised to see that I was getting ready to go home. What a relief it was, it seemed as though I had been there forever.
HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
When I arrived home that evening, I was so happy to be there, but I was so weak and depressed because I wasn't able to do anything.
Christmas Eve came and all my family started coming in. There was my mom and dad, all of my brothers, with their wives and children. It was a joyous time to be with all of them. We don't get together very often, but we make a point to on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The table was spread with anything you could ask for and even though I didn't have much of an appetite, I ended up eating more than I thought I would.
We went back to the same routine that we had before of packing and taking care of my leg, only this time it was more difficult because I have IV's to take care of, and the wound was much deeper and larger this time. Paula could put her whole hand in my leg, and even put her gloved fingers into the bone that was hollowed out. I would try to lie there quietly while she packed it, because it was hard for her to do anyway. But at times I couldn't hold back because it was so painful I would pray Lord help me. Lord help me.
The nights were extremely long because of the pain, and because I couldn't sleep, I couldn't do anything but lay around all of the time. I usually watched a Christian broadcasting station every night until I drifted off to sleep. Most of the time that would be in the early morning hours.
I was worried about our bills and about our kids having Christmas, but I shouldn't have been because the Lord said in His Word that He would supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Our church had been very faithful and very helpful to us over the last several months that I had been sick, but what came in during the Christmas holidays was just incredible. God put it upon so many people's hearts to help us. There was so much food brought in until our cabinets were just packed. People bought presents for our kids for Christmas until it was the best one that they had ever had. Then there were people that sent money to pay our bills, more money than I would have made if I had been working.
Brother, if you ever hear anyone say that you can't out- give God, you had better believe them, because I'm here to say that it is true. God is so good. The community, the school that our daughter goes to, churches that we had never attended, along with our own church gave abundantly to us at this time. I thank God for them all.
God revealed Himself to us in our time of need and He will bring you through whatever storm that you may be in today, if you will only believe. The Bible says in Matthew 11:28- 30, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. So whatever you may be going through; remember through Jesus Christ you can find rest for your soul.”
As I had told you earlier, I had a catheter in my chest that allowed me to come home and still receive the IV antibiotics that I needed. The antibiotics that I took were put into a small pump that dispensed a measured dose of medicine 24 hours a day. I had to wear this camera sized contraption around my neck all the time. It would wake me up at night sometimes when it would get twisted or when I would lay on it. It was so irritating.
I had been home for about 2 weeks and I knew that Paula was scheduled in mid-January for surgery. She was concerned that no one at home knew how to pack my leg or care for me. There was a friend of ours at church that was studying to be a nurse, so we asked her if she would like to have some first-hand training. She quickly agreed, and started coming over and packing my leg every day. Little did I know that when I returned to the doctor, that he would tell me that my leg still wasn't healing, and I would need yet another surgery.
My doctor told me that he had consulted a plastic surgeon and he said that the reason my leg was not healing was because there was not enough blood supply in the area around the bone to promote healing. He told me that he would move a muscle in my leg to the infected area, and for the first time in 7 months, they would close the incision in my leg! Thank God!' Although I didn't want another operation, I did want all of this to be over. I knew that my leg was not healing up the way it was.
My doctor had left for the day, but he had left word with his nurse to call him when I finished meeting with the plastic surgeon. He assured me that he was not trying to get rid of me by any means, bet he was just trying to get some additional help in saving my leg. The surgeon told me that his nurse would call me and schedule the surgery.
As the days went by I began to have second thoughts. This operation sounded serious to me, and by this time I felt as though my leg had been through a meat-grinder already. I was so confused I didn't know what to do. I talked to my pastor, and we prayed about it, and I began to feel better. The nurse called me and scheduled me to come in for surgery the day before my wife was scheduled to go in and have her surgery.
THE LAST TIME
The morning came for me to go back to the hospital. I went to the early morning admissions, where they prepare you for the operating room. I had been through this routine so many times, but I was still uneasy. This surgery seemed more complicated and strange to me. I was to have skin grafted from my good leg to the bad leg where the muscle would be moved from. I knew that when I woke up this time I would have two sore legs instead of one. I was concerned too because I would not be able to be with my wife the next day when she would be having her surgery.
When I came out of the recovery room, they took me to my room where my family was waiting for me. This room was on a floor that I had not been on before because I was in the care of a different doctor. The floor that I had been on so many times was the orthopedic floor. This floor was for general surgery. There seemed to be many cancer patients on this floor.
My room was semi-private and there was a young man that looked to be about 30 years old in the other bed. He'd had surgery for colon cancer. He told me that he was a born-again Christian, but I couldn't help but wonder about some of the language I heard him use frequently on the phone.
That is what's wrong with the world today. They are deceived! Jesus tells us so many times in His Word to be not deceived. Now I am not trying to judge this man, but the Bible says that you will know a tree by the fruit that it bears. The Bible also says that from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.
I know that the enemy may trick you sometimes, and you may say something that you didn't intend to, but to say it over and over is a different matter. I talked to him at different
times, and my pastor prayed with him. A few days later he got to go home.
The morning after my surgery, Paula had to go down to have hers. It had been a restless night for both of us. We prayed together before she left, and I felt badly because I couldn't be with her, but we both knew that was not possible.
Some of our family came to be with us, along with our pastor and some friends. Some stayed with me, while some of the others went to be with Paula before her surgery. Her doctor was to notify me when the surgery was over. That was one of the longest waits.
Several hours later the phone rang and it was her doctor. She told me that everything went well during the surgery, and she thought that everything looked fine, but they had taken some tests to be sure. She told me that she would try to put us in the same room. We didn't get in the same room, but we were only 3 doors away from each other. But at the time it seemed like it was miles away.
I was hooked up to two different pumps, one for antibiotics and one for pain. I had a brace on my leg that went from my hip to my ankle and the other leg was bandaged where they had taken skin to graft on the other leg.
The day after Paula's surgery, she walked up the hall to my room, even though she wasn't able to. The doctor was pretty sure that they had gotten all of the cancer, but it would take about a week for the test results. I still worried about her.
A few days later I got a nurse to help me get into a wheelchair so that I could go to Paula's room. She was having a problem with a bladder infection and was having some pain. I was so glad to see her, but it hurt me to see her in the pain that she was in.
It was such a difficult task to go just a few feet down the hall. The brace that I was wearing prevented me from moving my leg. I was very hard just getting into the chair. Then I had to pull the IV pumps along as the nurse pushed me down the hall. By the time I got back to my room I was exhausted.
Paula was hospitalized for six days. I was in there for nine days. Being there was hard enough, but after she left, it was even harder. I was so depressed. It is in times like these that we need to put the promises of the Bible to work for us. When we are down and lonely the Bible says in Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
John 14:18 says, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” I Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” When trials or trouble arise in your life, the Bible holds many precious promises to help and comfort you in these times. Turn to the Lord, He is always there.
ITS OVER
The day that I came home from the hospital, I went straight to the bedroom where Paula was. She was weak and still hurting, but getting better. My mother and dad stayed with us for several days until Paula was able to get up and move about more comfortably. Some of the people from church came and brought food or did chores or just visited and prayed with us. Paula's sisters were a great help to us. It is such a blessing to belong to God's family. We all make up the body of Christ, and when we all pitch in, God's work gets done. His work is going to be done with or without you. But when we do the will of the Father; that's when we can receive His blessings.
A week or so later, Paula heard from the results of her tests. Praise God! All the results were negative! By His stripes, we are healed!
It has been about two months since we have had surgery and Paula is doing just fine and as for me, I am down to a walking cane. I stopped using crutches one night during a revival. I went to the altar to pray, and couldn't raise my arm to praise God without putting them down; and when I put them down, I felt God's power go through me and give strength to my leg.
I know I'm healed! The Bible declares it. We'll not go into heaven sick or crippled. We will be perfectly healed before we enter in.
Whatever comes your way, remember that Jesus is the answer to all your problems. He died that we might have life. Not only did He provide eternal life, but He made provisions for us to live an abundant life here on earth.
Recognize the enemy when he comes your way, know that God is with you and He will see you through. Believe on Him and His word.
The Bible says in James 1:13 and 4, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Remember, any temptation that comes your way, God will make a way of escape for you.”
In the back of this book, you will find Bible scriptures that will be a help for different problems that may arise in your life. Use them to strengthen your faith. Get into the Bible and see what God has provided for you and what He will do for you if only you'll believe.
This book was designed to fit in most purses. After you have finished reading it, keep it handy to give to anyone else that may be facing great trials. I hope that it has been a help and a blessing to you. This book was not written to uplift anyone except our Lord and Savior. He is the only one that is worthy to be praised.
I wrote this book to let people know that if you will only believe on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and by faith in His name, reach out and claim what God's word tells you, then He will see you through. This book is a testimony of God's love and mercy. It is not written to boast of anything I've done. I've done nothing except try to convince a lost, or backslidden, or sick, or desperate person, that God is there for them today. He has never left you. If you are separated from Him, then He is just a prayer away. Always loving, always forgiving.
I thank God for being with us through the storms. In times of trouble, a lot of people want to leave God. But I want to tell you, that is a big mistake. Please, don't run from Him - run to Him. If you are lost today, and feel the Lord drawing you, or tugging at your heart, I encourage you; let Him be the Lord of your life today.
Pray this prayer out loud:
Heavenly Father,
I come to you today, a sinner. I confess to you my every sin. Lord I believe that Jesus, your only Begotten Son, died on the cross at Calvary to pay the price of my sins. I believe that He rose from the dead, and is seated at your right hand. Lord, wash me whiter than snow. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Be the Lord of my life. Lead me and guide me that I may do your will. I thank you now for saving my soul and giving me eternal life. I give you praise Lord, and I ask all this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Now, call someone and confess to them that you have just received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Write me today. I want to send you some material that will help you in your walk with the Lord.
You may write me at:
Phillip Towery
P. O. Box 8
Vandiver, Alabama 35176
May God richly bless and prosper you in your walk with Him. Please find in the following pages a Bible promise section. I would be more than happy to give my testimony at your church.
God Bless You,
Phillip Towery
God's Scriptures for You:
JESUS IS OUR SAVIOUR
I John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the World.
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Ephesians 2:8,9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your- selves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast
JESUS IS OUR LORD
Romans 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lords.
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
LOVE
Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
I Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these thee; but the greatest of these is charity.
FULFILLMENT
Psalm 107:9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread from life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Romans 8:32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
YOUR DEED OF INHERITANCE
Romans 8:16, 17 The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Galalians 3:29 And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed; and heirs according to the promise.
Epheslans 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body and partakers of his Promise in Christ by the Gospel:
II Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
YOU'RE EXPERIENCING TROUBLES
Psalm 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in met
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Philippians 4:6, 7 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
YOU'RE EXPERIENCING SICKNESS
III John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall he saved: for thou art my praise.
Jeremiah 30:17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord;
Psalm 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Mark 16:17, 18 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
James 5:14, 15 Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
YOU'RE NEEDING A FINANCIAL BLESSING
Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall he given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Malachi 3:10-12 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may he meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be worn enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
And all nations shall call you blessed; for ye shall be a delight- some land, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
YOU NEED STRENGTH
Psalm 119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word:
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me.
II Corinthians 4:8,9 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are per- plexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Galations 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
YOU'RE DEPRESSED
Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
FEEL CONDEMNED
Psalm 103:10
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgression from us.
II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man he in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Isaiah 43:25 I, even I am he that blotted out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
LONELY
I Samuel 12:22 For the Lord will not for sake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.
John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Psalm 147:3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
I Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
NEED COURAGE
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalms 118:17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are purer whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
MARITAL PROBLEMS
Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone, I will make him an help meet for him.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Romans 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
I Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
John 15:9,10 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 8:38,39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creative, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
CONFUSED
Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
YOU NEED PEACE IN YOUR SOUL
John 14:27 Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Psalm 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
II Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
ETERNITY
I John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Psalm 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him your heart shall live forever.
John 10:27, 28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
PRAISE HIM
Isaiah 43:21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
II Samuel 22:4 I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Psalm 48:1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
FAMILY
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy House.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Exodus 20:12 Honour thy Father and thy Mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Malachi 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the father to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Proverbs 29:17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest, yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
GRACE OF GOD
Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Job 10:12 Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.
Psalm 5:12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
Proverbs 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord.
Proverbs 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin; hut among the righteous there is favour.
Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the Glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
FINDING THE WILL OF GOD
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalm 48:14 For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even unto death.
Psalm 31:3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.
Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
FAITH
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
I John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God over cometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
James 5:14,15 Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.