When I was born again back in the early 80s, I began to question the Lord about the church.  Not a particular church, but the overall church of our Lord.  I began to see people who were sick, broken down and financially in ruin.  I could not understand why the people in the church looked no different that the people who were not born-again.  I saw individuals who had developed cancer just like the cancer of those who did not serve Him.  I saw that most of the church was financially in dept and living from day to day just barely making ends meet.  I saw that most of the church had no peace.  And again, I saw many struggling with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and many other infirmities that should not be in the church.  I cried out many times asking God why these things are prevalent in the body of Christ. 

Could it be that we are much like the people in Jesus home town.  When Jesus left the place where He was brought up, his heart was filled with discouragement.  All those in His home town who were crippled died with their infirmity.  All those who were blind died with their blindness.  How horrible Jesus must have felt when He discovered that all he could do there was heal a few colds & flues, maybe a few fevers.  Unbelief was so strong that even Jesus could not heal their diseases.

 3     Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. 4     But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5     And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them (Mark 6:3-5).

I believe there are many hindrances to receiving what we need from the Lord.

No Desire To Grow Will Hinder Your Ability To Receive.  Some people want to just live on the edge of what they can get away with.  They want to give God 10%, then when they are in trouble, they want a God to dispatch armies of angels on their behalf.  Why should we think that God will give us any more than we have given Him.  We will not raise our hands, we will not get involved in the service, we have set rules with our attendance, sad to say, but most Christians will not read the Bible.  If you want what God has promised, then we may have to change to get it.  Grow in the things of God.  Get on the meat of the Word and go all the way with God.  In doing so, He will go all the way with you!

Failing To Repent Of Sin Will Hinder Your Ability To Receive.  You cannot have what God has and live anyway you want to.  I had a man tell me one time. “I will not allow anyone to tell me what to do.”  Well, that attitude certainly will not get you anywhere with God.  We must be pliable in His hands, willing to admit our failure, willing to call sin sin.

In today’s world, people want to have every excuse for their sin and most will not call sin what it is.  There is only one thing to do with sin, repent and go the other way.  There is only one lifestyle expectable with God, that is one which is holy which is described by the word of God.  Anything other than that is Sin.  You cannot think that God will heal you and at the same time you can continue in your sin.

Unforgiveness Will Hinder The Move Of God In Your Life. We must be willing to forgive those who have hurt us, those who have wronged us, those who have somehow sinned against us.  Failure to forgive will rob you of every blessing the Lord has to offer us through his promises.  Let’s look at the scripture:

 ²³    For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. ²⁴    Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. ²⁵    And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. ²⁶    But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses (Mark 11:23-26).

Maybe you have not talked to your mother for the past five years, maybe there was an argument at a family reunion and you have not forgiven her!  Maybe you were abused.  Did you know God will help you to forgive?  In doing so, you will untie the hands of the Lord.  He will do what he has wanted to do all along.  Healing is the children’s bread!!!   

This story begins in the foothills of a little mountain town called Ravenna Kentucky about 35 miles east of Richmond.  The church, New Vision Full Gospel, is located in the middle of a residential area.  Pastor Buford Powell, with just a small 10 or15 person congregation, told the Lord he would take all the people that other churches did not want.  A mighty revival under the leadership of Pastor Shaun Campbell came to this little church in October of 2007 and the church grew to over 150 with 79 people giving their lives to the Lord!.  Drug dealers and whiskey moonshiners were saved and gave their lives to Jesus.

Pastor Shaun asked me to come during that great outpouring to help him with the masses of people who needed not only to be saved, but healed of all sorts of sicknesses and diseases.  Many were healed during that wonderful time in which the Lord poured out his goodness upon his people.

Since that time in 2007, I have been invited back on a regular basis, to preach the gospel and lay hands on the sick!  Pastor Buford Powell along with his wife Lisa are ministers of great faith!  It is a pleasure each time I come to see the miracles that God will do.

a blinded eye open

several deaf ears open

a diseased throat healed

carpal tunnel in both wrist healed

numbers of necks and backs healed

severe allergic reactions healed in a small boy

The list would go on and on!!!

In November, our ministry team fasted and prayed for the meeting coming up.  We were prepared to preach the morning service at 11:00 am, and the evening service at 6:00 pm.  The Lord spoke so plain proclaiming a shaking of the entire city!   

After the message, we moved into the altar service and the people began to come forward, I saw a woman with an oxygen bottle who was coming up the isle to be prayed for.  I began to question her about her condition, as far as I know, I had never seen this woman before in my life.  She was an above middle age woman.  Her appearance was sickly with about all the color gone out of her face.

I learned later that she has had severe breathing problems for over 50 years.  As a matter of fact, she began having these problems at the age of nine years old when the doctor said she would not live to be ten.

Over 50 years of medication, inhalers, and other paraphernalia had kept her alive until, at this point, she was 62 years old, and suffering severely with lung disability.  The doctors said that her lung capacity was about 20 percent.  The doctors continued that the inside of her lung was like leather, not being able to expand or extract.  The only thing that will keep you alive is a lung transplant!  “Even then,” the doctor went on, “you will have to live in a bubble with perfect atmosphere.  Pastor Powell revealed to me, without her oxygen bottle, she could not walk to the altar from her seat (about 20 feet) without passing out.
The Miracle

It was November 22nd, 2009, about 1:00 pm when all that changed.  She came walking forward at our great altar call carrying her oxygen with her as usual.  She had no idea, this would be the last she would ever need it.  As she arrived, I told her to remove the oxygen from her face, telling her it would never be required again.  She quickly was obedient to the Lord, removing the hoses and setting the tank on the floor beside her. 

Prophetic message began to come forward saying, “The inside of your lungs are like leather, having no ability to expand or extract, but from this moment forward, I am giving you a new lining for your lungs.”   I laid my hands on her face.  Immediately she fell to the floor completely restored by the power of almighty God! 

The evening service was exciting as we all praised the Lord with the church’s wonderful praise and worship.  All of a sudden, the back door opened and in walked the woman who was healed with no oxygen attached to her.  A roar of applause and clapping of hands filled the sanctuary as she came and took her seat toward the back!  She had gone several hours now with no help from neither medication or oxygen from a tank!  What a service we had as people were healed from the back to the front.  The altar was filled with every person in the building wanting prayer for whatever they needed from God.  We saw numbers and numbers of healings and rededications to the Lord Jesus! 

Pastor Buford called me about four weeks later to testify about the wonderful move of God they had all experienced.  Then he told me about several miracles including the woman who was miraculously healed of severe lung disease.  She had not had any oxygen from the tank for a month.  The doctor’s are now saying that she has truly received a miracle.  Checking her oxygen level, they discovered she has 91.5% oxygen in her blood without any outside help of medications or oxygen from a bottle.  Normal level is anywhere from 90 to 100%.  God has performed a supernatural healing this woman will never forget.  She has a new life and will live many more years, thanks to God himself who loves people, and will make them whole if they will believe!

 Pastor Buford called me again December 15th, 2009, six weeks after the miracle.  He told me that the woman was making a trip to one of the western states to show her sister what God has done in her life. 

Since the doctor said the only hope is a transplant, we know that God indeed did transplant a brand new lung, a heavenly surgery. 

Thank God for his signs, wonders, and miracles that continue even in the year of 2009.  His love and mercy is to all generations!

from: Evangelist Bill Campbell