Blessed Beyond Measure! (Living a Life of Thankfulness)

Mike-P1020072-200Dear Friends,

Often, as I think back over the years of my life, I find myself saying again and again, “I am so blessed sometimes I can’t even comprehend it.” This morning I was reading in a devotional titled, “Jesus Calling,” which started off with, “Rest in the assurance of my unfailing love. Let your body, mind, and spirit relax in my presence. Be awed by the vast dimensions of my love for you: wider, longer, higher, and deeper than anything you know. Rejoice that this marvelous love is yours forever!”

It’s hard enough to comprehend the vastness of this kind of Iove as it is so unlike what many often experience in their daily lives. If I just stopped right there it would be encouraging enough. But it gets even better as it goes on to say, “ The best response to this glorious gift is a life steeped in thankfulness. Every time you thank me you acknowledge that I am your Lord and Provider. This is the proper stance for a child of God: receiving with thanksgiving. Bring me the sacrifice of gratitude, and watch to see how much I bless you!”

I’ve never thought about this being the proper stance for a child of God, nor have I ever thought about the connection between gratitude and blessing. I’ve read many times about a sacrifice of praise but somehow didn’t connect that with a sacrifice of gratitude. But that’s one of the facets of praise, isn’t it?

So for me what I heard God saying is, “The more your mind is set on gratitude and thankfulness STAND BACK AND WATCH HOW MUCH I WILL BLESS YOU!”

What an incredible connection that was for me and certainly gives me further reason to be thankful to God in all things. I trust that this reminds you that not only is the love God has for you never-ending, but the realization of that love will also cause you to have a better understanding of how much He wants to bless you.

As I’ve thought back over this last couple of years, I’ve been blessed all of my life with good health. Through your support, I’ve had the opportunity to travel around this world and watch God transform lives, by healing those blind, deaf, diseased, and crippled. Many of those were in countries where they had limited or no access to doctors or medicine. I’ve watched God lovingly walk people through forgiving others of the deep hurt they carried for years because of what was said or done to them by another.

In last month’s newsletter, I wrote that I was going in for neck surgery to correct some damage that was done when I had a serious snow skiing accident in 1985 and I came close to breaking my neck. Over the years that caused some deterioration and I now needed surgery. The surgery was successful and I am recovering. I’ll need to wear a neck brace for a couple more weeks. Thank you for your prayers of support. I know they contributed much to its success.

Let’s not forget as Christmas comes the reason we have so much to be thankful for and to celebrate. Not only is it great to gather with our family and friends, watch the kids and grandkids with great excitement open the gifts, and enjoy good food around the table, but the real reason we gather this time of year is to remember the incredible gift God sent us in the person of His son Jesus. I pray you enjoy this time of year.

Thank you for your faithfulness and prayers in supporting this ministry work.

God bless,

Mike

Riding Shotgun With God, Evans, Front

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD

Filled With Healing Testimonies to Encourage You!

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD: A JOURNEY WITH GOD ON THE ROAD OF HEALING AND MIRACLES

This newest book is filled with stories of over 150 healing miracles that I have witnessed in my travels. I believe God prompted me to write this to encourage His people that He is still healing and restoring today.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Riding Shotgun With God

Walk Worthy of Your Calling!

Dear Friends,

The moment we become a believer by inviting the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and come into our lives each one of us is responding to being called by God. In addition to receiving the incredible gift of eternal life, which is astounding in and of itself, that calling also includes our destiny. A destiny that God has opened up to us through Him to walk out in the remaining time we have here in this world. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-31, Paul writes about the spiritual gifts we all have, and that God gives them to each one of us as He determines. Furthermore, all are to be used for the common good. Then he writes about the various parts of the body of Christ, the church, and that we all have a unique role to play.

In the church, we often look to those Apostles or Pastors, and those with prophetic gifts or gifts of healing to be of more value than the gifting we have and so we do not live up to our calling. But your calling may be in the area of administration, helping, giving, encouraging, interceding or any number of ways that are just as valuable in maintaining the health and growth of the entire body of Christ.

DO NOT fall into Satan’s lie that you are not of much value. I want to encourage you to understand that whatever calling God has planned out for you, it is because He sees you as a very valuable part of the whole body and as you walk out your calling, we will all benefit because we are all needed to keep the body healthy. So make a decision today that you will most definitely live out your calling in whatever time you have left in this world. Remember, you are here for a reason and are a valuable part of this body.

(Personal note) I, Mike, will have neck surgery on November 3rd due to a serious snow skiing accident I experienced in 1985. Dr. Terterov is doing the surgery and the goal is to take pressure off my spinal cord and to stabilize my spine from further deterioration. The initial recovery is 6-8 weeks. I ask for your prayers for me and the surgeon.

This is something I read every day to remind myself how much I am loved by God. I trust you will find it encouraging.

Let Yourself be Loved by God

“I am your God, you are my child. How can you ever doubt that I will embrace you again, hold you against my breast, kiss you, and let my hands run through your hair? I am a God of mercy and compassion, of tenderness and care. I so much want you to be close to me. I know all your thoughts. I hear all your words. I see all of your actions. And I love you. Do not judge yourself. Do not condemn yourself. Do not reject yourself. Let my love touch the most hidden corners of your heart and reveal to you your beauty, a beauty that you have lost sight of. Come, let me wipe away your tears, and let my mouth come close to your ear and say to you, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.’” Henri Nouwen

Thank you for your continued support and prayers that protect us and allow this healing ministry to continue.

God bless,

Mike

Riding Shotgun With God, Evans, Front

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD

Filled With Healing Testimonies to Encourage You!

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD: A JOURNEY WITH GOD ON THE ROAD OF HEALING AND MIRACLES

This newest book is filled with stories of over 150 healing miracles that I have witnessed in my travels. I believe God prompted me to write this to encourage His people that He is still healing and restoring today.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Riding Shotgun With God

It is an interesting Journey!

Mike-P1020072-200Dear Friends,

When I entered full-time ministry as a profession in 1976 little did I know that I would begin a life of adventure that just keeps me astounded at what I see and excited about what is yet to come. I still remember clearly the first healing conference Dr. John Lavender and I attended. It was held at the Vineyard in Anaheim, CA in a large warehouse with about 2,000 people in attendance.

Because of my exposure to healing as a ten-year-old boy, (not a good experience), I was not excited about this conference but Dr. John insisted I get in the car, and off we went. I was attracted to John Wimber’s teaching because it was presented low-key and easy to do. I was reminded of Jesus’ teaching which was so simple. He said to his disciples, “I have given you power and authority to preach the Good News of the Kingdom and heal the sick.” (John 9:1,2) He gave them two simple tasks. Proclaim it and demonstrate it. That command has not changed. We are simply to proclaim the good news and then demonstrate it by healing the sick.

I attend a weekly Bible study with a group of men, many with years in this walk of faith. I asked them how many of them had actually seen someone healed. Out of this group of 18 men, only four raised their hands. I wasn’t surprised but was grieved at this clear lack on their part of carrying out the second part of the Good News, healing the sick. To me, it is an indictment of much of the church for failing to train and equip people for this crucial part we have in bringing the fullness of God’s Kingdom.

My exposure to church as a young person included a strong emphasis on “getting ’em saved and discipled,” so they would go out and do what we had just taught them. We were good at that. But there was no importance placed on the second half of His command, “Heal the sick.” As a result up until I was 42 years old my experience of church was good, but it was obviously very limited.

When that changed in 1984 my journey became a life of adventure and astonishment at what I have personally seen and experienced! The blind healed, the deaf hear, the crippled walk, people are freed from demonic oppression, even a raging thunderstorm instantly stilled. These are not things I read about but experienced in my travels around this world. And this life of adventure is what I believe we were meant to live.

Yes, there are spiritual gifts given to all and I strongly believe we each have a particular gift we’ve been given that suits our personality. But we still have all been commanded to proclaim and demonstrate the Good News. There is risk involved but doesn’t everything that’s exciting or challenging involve some risk?

Whatever your experience be encouraged that there is plenty of opportunity for you to go “do the stuff”, as John Wimber would often say. It starts with you taking the risk, walking in the understanding that God is the healer. Grasping this is incredibly liberating as you realize that you are not responsible for what happens.

This book recounts over 150 miracles I have experienced in this journey.

Riding Shotgun With God, Evans, Front

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD

Filled With Healing Testimonies to Encourage You!

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD: A JOURNEY WITH GOD ON THE ROAD OF HEALING AND MIRACLES

This newest book is filled with stories of over 150 healing miracles that I have witnessed in my travels. I believe God prompted me to write this to encourage His people that He is still healing and restoring today.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Riding Shotgun With God

God bless,

Mike

Be Encouraged!

Dear Friends,

In my travels and interactions with people wherever I go the conversation often seems to turn to the sorry shape our world is in and how bleak the future looks. When I listen to these conversations I find myself returning to the peace and assurance I have in God and the promise that He gives throughout scripture that He is still in charge and if our hope remains in Him, our future is something we must always look forward to with excitement and anticipation. God is still working daily in our midst, is still our protector, and our provider, and our healer.

Years ago I was reminded that we are always to bring in the good news of the kingdom of God, and human brokenness in all its forms can be healed. The disabled jump to their feet, the deaf hear, the blind see, the dead show up for dinner. The strong message is that we are to bring in the Kingdom of God by doing exactly what Jesus did when He was here on earth.

Recently I published a book titled, “Riding Shotgun With God.” It is a book of miracles I have seen on this journey God has had me on for over 26 years. I strongly believe He prompted me to write this book telling these stories to be an encouragement to us today that He is still in the business of working powerfully in our lives. I want to share some of these with you to encourage you.

In Belfast, N.Ireland I spoke at St. Hilda’s Anglican Church.

No Longer Blind
After the message I gave an invitation to receive Jesus and hands went up all over the place. I would guess sixty-seventy people but I couldn’t keep up. One young girl with Multiple Sclerosis was going blind and could not see well enough to read. Later she told me she experienced healing when I was praying over the whole group. She said her eyesight cleared up and she was reading things written clear across the room on the wall.

Two Blind Ladies Healed!
On one of my trips, my friend Bill Chaney and I ministered at three different churches in India. The majority of people we prayed for were instantly healed. There was such excitement and expectation. Bill Chaney prayed for one lady who was blind in both eyes and was completely healed! I prayed for a lady who was blind in one eye and she was healed! We prayed for deaf people who were healed, people with breathing problems that cleared up immediately, people with leg and hip problems; we commanded demons to go and they left immediately; it was incredible! At one point I remember thinking, “This must have been what the disciples felt like.” What a glorious gift God gave us by allowing us to be a part of what He was doing.

When Rick Dickard and I were in Toronto a young boy of three was brought for prayer. One of his ears had a severe internal deformity, infection, and continual bleeding. This had been going on for months. After prayer, his parents took him to the doctor. The bleeding had stopped, the infection was gone and his ear was, as the doctor said, “like new inside!”

I could go on and on about God working among us today. So be encouraged that no matter what is going on in the world today, God is still in charge and has incredible surprises for us. He is still in the business of “Your will be done, your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Be blessed,

Mike

Riding Shotgun With God, Evans, Front

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD

Filled With Healing Testimonies to Encourage You!

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD: A JOURNEY WITH GOD ON THE ROAD OF HEALING AND MIRACLES

This newest book is filled with stories of over 150 healing miracles that I have witnessed in my travels. I believe God prompted me to write this to encourage His people that He is still healing and restoring today.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Riding Shotgun With God

These Books Could Significantly Impact Your Life!

Mike-P1020072-200Dear Friends,

Over the years I have received numerous emails and had conversations with people from around the world who have read these books of mine and told me how they have impacted their life. I am not one to brag and do not consider myself a great writer. I know the impact of these books comes from what God revealed to me as I was writing. Often times I would finish a section and when I went back to read it over my response was, “Wow, that’s really good; that had to have come from God, I’m not that smart.”

So, I don’t want you to miss the possibility that you could be inspired by them too.

Riding Shotgun With God, Evans, Front

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD

Filled With Healing Testimonies to Encourage You!

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH GOD: A JOURNEY WITH GOD ON THE ROAD OF HEALING AND MIRACLES

This newest book is filled with stories of over 150 healing miracles that I have witnessed in my travels. I believe God prompted me to write this to encourage His people that He is still healing and restoring today.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Riding Shotgun With God

WHY NOT WASTE TIME WITH GOD

It’s About Relationship!

WHY NOT WASTE TIME WITH GOD: MOVING BEYOND A SUPERFICIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD TO LIVE IN INTIMACY WITH HIM

“This book frames spiritual growth with God’s heart, given in his Son and validated by His Spirit. This book demolishes our excuses and defenses against divine intimacy. This book is for those willing to have a fresh self-encounter and a fresh God-encounter,” Dr. Don Williams

God wants to hang out with you. We so often feel as if we must be doing something even when we are with God that it’s difficult for us to grasp that He wants to be our friend. In order for deep friendship to develop there are times when we must spend time together doing absolutely nothing but being together.

This book will help you understand that, but only if you apply it will it help you live it. Everything in this world fights against time alone with God. Everything in God longs for time alone with us. Why would you possibly choose to be influenced by the former?

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Why Not Waste Time With God

BEFORE YOU GET HERE

Deal With The Garbage That Oppresses You Now!

BEFORE YOU GET HERE: BAGGAGE TO DROP ON YOUR WAY TO HEAVEN

Why wait until heaven to be freed of the invisible burdens that oppress and defeat you? God wants you to face those burdens now, on this planet, and through the power of specific prayer be freed from them. My book, subtitled Baggage To Drop On Your Way To Heaven, is a guide to assist in discovering freedom from the invisible burdens that oppress and defeat you.

You can order directly from our store at THIS LINK – Before You Get Here

If you have a copy don’t forget that they make great gifts. Consider giving one to a friend.

Check out our whole catalog at THIS LINK.

God bless,

Mike

BOOK AN IN-PERSON MINISTRY SESSION
We have found these ministry sessions with people to be invaluable in healing them from wounds from their past. In some cases after two or three sessions, they experience freedom! If you need deep-level healing prayer or know someone who could benefit from this, here is how to start the process. Send an email to mevans@wholeness.org or call 661-833-2920 to schedule an appointment. On our website, simply follow the instructions under Personal Ministry.