Smoke Shop Miracles: When Divine Power Meets Human Flaws

Healing doesn't wait for perfection. That's the profound message at the heart of this episode where I share the remarkable journey of a woman in our congregation who experienced God's healing touch three Sundays in a row—first her hips, then her knees, and finally her neck.

But the story doesn't end with her receiving healing. After attending my Encounters class where she learned to identify words of knowledge and minister healing to others, something extraordinary happened. While standing in line at a smoke shop—yes, still battling addictions to cigarettes and alcohol—she suddenly experienced excruciating neck pain. Recognizing it as a word of knowledge rather than a personal ailment, she turned to two women behind her and asked if they had neck pain. Both confirmed they did, amazed that she somehow knew. Stepping out in faith despite her imperfections, she prayed for them as she'd been taught, and both received instant healing.

What moves me most about this testimony is how it illuminates God's grace. "The Lord does not look at our sin as much as we do," I explain. If God withheld His gifts until we achieved moral perfection, none of us would qualify for ministry. Instead, the Scripture tells us "the gifts and callings are without repentance." God's healing power flows through willing vessels, regardless of their flaws. While I'm committed to helping this woman find freedom from her addictions, I'm equally moved by how God is already using her right where she is. Are you willing to let God use you despite your imperfections? Perhaps that's precisely where His power shines most brightly. Reach out to Rivergate Church at 918-492-5511 if you'd like me to share more testimonies and teaching at your church or conference.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Linda Budd.
I'm a pastor at RivergateChurch in Tulsa, oklahoma, and I
take the scriptures literally.
That says that we are to layhands on the sick and see them
recover.
And so for several years I'vegone after a healing anointing.
I've prayed for people dozensof times over the years and I

(00:22):
see so many get healed.
I've seen all manner ofsickness and disease healed.
If you have any pain in yourbody, if you're infirmed, if you
have any disease, if you haveany sickness at all, I just
reach my hand up to heaven rightnow in the name of Jesus and I
call forth the new body partthat you need.
Listen to this testimony.

(00:43):
A woman who is new in ourministry has been coming for
about the last month to ourservices.
On her first Sunday we were notthere.
We were out ministering but ourdaughter was preaching and this
woman got her hips healed.
The second Sunday I was back,got a word of knowledge for
knees and she got her kneeshealed.

(01:04):
And then on the third Sundayshe was back again and I got a
word of knowledge for neckproblems and she got her neck
healed.
She was in my encounters classand she learned how to get words
of knowledge herself and how toheal the sick by watching me
and and by practicing, and soshe reported this to me on

(01:24):
Sunday.
She said that after theencounter service, that she
wanted some cigarettes and somealcohol.
I didn't know that she wasstill addicted to these things,
and she said she went to thelocal smoke shop.
While standing in line, shesuddenly got horrific pain in
her neck and she said she knewit was a word of knowledge, like

(01:47):
I had been teaching inencounters.
And so she turned around andasked the people behind her.
There were two people One was awoman and I believe the other
one was a woman also, do youhave pain in your neck?
And both of them said yes.
And they said how do you knowthis?
And she said well, the Lord hasshown me through a word of
knowledge.

(02:07):
And so then she then proceededto pray for them in the very
same fashion that I teach, andboth of these people got
instantly healed.
Now praise God that the Lorddoes not look at our sin as much
as we do, does not look at oursin as much as we do.
Our sin often holds us backfrom ministering, but this woman

(02:34):
, she stepped out and sheministered and it wasn't as if
she had a choice.
She said the pain that came toher neck as a word of knowledge
was so bad she just wanted toget rid of it.
But I just praise God that hedoesn't look at all of my sin
and says that you are notqualified, but instead that he
has grace and mercy and that thegifts and callings are without
repentance, because if theyweren't, there wouldn't be one

(02:58):
of us that would be able tominister.
And I praise God that thisperson that was in my class in
my church and received all thishealing, that the Lord is using
her in spite of her sin, andthat people were helped.
And I do believe that thiswoman will get deliverance from

(03:18):
her cigarettes and from heralcohol and I know that I will
help her work on that now, inthe name of Jesus.
Aren't these just greattestimonies of the goodness of
God and the healing power ofJesus Christ?
If you are interested in havingme come and speak at the
motivational event, your churchor a conference of some sort, I

(03:42):
am more than happy to considerthat invitation.
Conference of some sort I ammore than happy to consider that
invitation.
Please contact my church'soffice, rivergate Church, tulsa,
918-492-5511, and we'll see ifwe can set something up.
God bless you.