Testimonies

STIR YOUR FAITH WITH THESE REAL LIFE TESTIMONIES, AND SEE HOW GOOD GOD IS!

It's been on my heart to share something for a while, and on Thursday, your words solidified my need to express it. There are no adequate words to thank you and Pastor Mitch enough because, without your dedication and teaching, I wouldn't be living the life I currently do. I know there is more to come because there is more for me to learn and receive revelation about. I haven't "arrived"; I'm on a lifelong journey led by God, and I recognize who my shepherds are. This sheep wants to share just a bit of that journey so far:

As I sat in service on Thursday night, and you mentioned the time in my life when I left my job at the hospital and stepped out in faith, the Lord reminded me of just how far that journey has come. That was when I truly learned to live by faith. There was no regular income for roughly 18 months between leaving that old job and being hired as a full-time teacher. However, as you said, God always took care of me. My bills were paid, I didn’t starve, and I always brought something to sow. Many times it wasn’t much, but it was what I had at that time. However, one offering became a turning point when I truly let go and said, “Okay God, I’m really going to trust you.” That offering was $3.54; it was literally all I had (and I prayed that I had done my math correctly so it wouldn’t bounce. It didn’t.) From that point on, things began to happen. Did they turn around overnight? No, that’s not how it works. I kept walking by faith, stayed faithful to my pastors, my church, and my giving, which have all led me to where I am today.

It's been shared many times that when I first went to buy a house, I was laughed at. But I kept looking, and God made a way. There was a time in the first few years of my teaching career when schools faced budget cuts, and teachers were being laid off, including at my school. The way it works is it was supposed to go by seniority. Well, I was only a few years in; I should have been laid off, but my principal at the time created a position where I was the only person on campus who held the correct credential, and I kept my job while teachers with seniority over me were let go. I know that things like this wouldn’t have happened had I not given that $3.54.

We’ve been taught that when you put God first, He will see to it that you get the desires of your heart, and I’ve seen that happen over and over. If you know me, you know that I like attending certain professional sporting events and going to Disney. Some people may want a new Louis Vuitton, but I want a trip to Disney. While everyone knows I go to Disneyland several times a year, next month I’ll fulfill the lifelong desire to go to Disney World in Florida. This is a fully funded, paid-off trip that even includes nearly all of my meals. I don’t share this to boast about myself because it’s not me; it’s God being true to His Word. I share this so people know that what I am living now started with $3.54 and a commitment to stay faithful to my pastors, my church, and my sowing. This sheep knows where her wealthy place is and who her Shepherd is, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So thank you, Pastors Mitch and Jan, for your faithfulness because, without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

- Karen Norris, Member of Firebaugh Faith Fellowship

I went to the Doctor because it was hard for me to eat. I would try to eat a little, but I would get full and be miserable. I was rapidly losing weight that I didn’t want to. I had a test done with dye and an x-ray. It showed acid in my stomach, and I felt lots of heartburn in my chest. I asked pastor Mitch to pray for me.
I meditated and kept before my eyes Ps139:13-14, Ps118:17, and 1st Peter 2:24. I was sent to see a specialist, and that Doctor put me on medication. Two weeks later they did an endoscopy that came back normal. PRAISE GOD! Ps 89:34 He is faithful! The doctor said to decrease the medication and you will not need it anymore in a month. Thank the Lord. Also thank you, Pastor Mitch, for standing with me in prayer. To God be all the glory!!

- Rita Oliver, Member of Fresno Faith Fellowship