Vol. 3, No. 2 2010
Kenya! Hope Came to
TV that has
LIFE
Don’t pass by The Place for Miracles without stopping in. It just may be the right place at the right time that can help you enter into an atmosphere where nothing is impossible with God. You’ll see “living proof ” of miracles from people who tell their own stories of supernatural intervention. Listen as Richard and Lindsay share God’s ALIVE Word, and then pray over the needs of those calling in! Get in the right place at the right time to receive the miracles you need!
Visit www.oralroberts.com to watch us via the Internet or check for program scheduling in your area.
Jordan Roberts, Adrian Compton and the ORM singers at Uhuru Park, Kenya
FEATURES
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Hope Came To Kenya! by team member/staff writer Michele Chiappetta
God opened the door wide for Richard Roberts and the Oral Roberts Ministries team to share the saving, healing, delivering message of Jesus Christ in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.
Take Dominion Over the Everyday Issues of Your Life by Lindsay Roberts
Through Jesus, you have a right to take dominion in every area, every day of your life.
Redigging the Wells of His Father… During Richard Roberts’ two-day crusade in Montana, a new generation of the Crow Nation opened their hearts to God’s power.
The Lord Is My Shepherd a Classic Message by Oral Roberts
A classic message by Oral Roberts about the love, guidance, and comfort we receive from our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
Thank You for Helping Us Help the Nation of Haiti by Richard Roberts
With the help of our friends and partners, the Oral Roberts Ministries was able to send 570,000 meals to the hungry in a devastated Haiti.
Vol.3, No.2 Apr • May • June 2010. Copyright © 2010 by Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. No part may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Your copy of MIRACLES© is made possible by Seed-Faith offerings to Oral Roberts Ministries. No subscription price. MIRACLES© is published quarterly by Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, P.O. Box 2187, Tulsa, OK 74102-2187. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: MIRACLES, P.O. BOX 2187, TULSA, OK 74102-2187. For more information, call (918) 495-7777, or contact us on the Internet at www.oralroberts.com. Canada Publications Agreement #40774029.
Kenya! Hope Came to
B Y
R I C H A R D
In 1968 my father, Oral Roberts, held a crusade in Kenya. He and his team ministered on television and radio, in a remote Masai tribal village, and in open-air crusade meetings in Nairobi’s Kamukunji Park. Dad considered his
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Oral in Kenya, 1968
R O B E R T S
Kenya outreach the greatest international crusade of his life and ministry. When the doors to Kenya first opened to me in 2009, I felt a leaping response in my heart. Then, several months ago, the Lord spoke to me through a word of prophecy, telling me that Kenya would be the greatest crusade I would have so far in my life. I knew He was about to do something powerful in that African nation. What I saw in Nairobi this past January was nothing short of a supernatural miracle of God. I was privileged to teach
God’s Word to thousands of Kenyan pastors and ministers—many of whom told me they had accepted Jesus through my father’s 1968 meetings. The man who sponsored our crusade, Nairobi’s spiritual father, Bishop Arthur Kitonga, was one of them. I met with Kenyan heads of state and laid hands on the sick in the poverty-stricken slums of Kibera, where our medical team and humanitarian outreach Hunger Needs A Voice® treated the sick and fed the hungry. And I stood in Nairobi’s Uhuru Park to share Jesus Christ with thousands upon thousands of people—a crowd easily twice as large as any other crowd I’ve ever seen in the 30 years of my ministry. So many of them received salvation and healing! I can honestly say that because of this crusade, my life will never be the same. But most importantly, I believe with all my heart that the people of Kenya will never be the same. I’ve received telephone calls, emails, and messages from Christians in Kenya telling me
Richard Roberts meeting with Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga.
about the impact our ministry made there. They are so thankful for what you and I—as partners together in this healing ministry—have done for their country. The God we serve is so big, so mighty, and so good. I pray that the following articles on our Kenya crusade bless you and help you get a clear picture of the impact that you are making through your partnership with the Oral Roberts Ministries…and that you will be encouraged to reach out for the miracles you need. God is no respecter of persons, and the goodness He showed in Kenya, I believe He is willing to show in your life too.
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Call for salvation at Uhuru Park
Healing Power in the Heart of Kenya B Y T E A M M E M B E R / S TA F F W R I T E R M I C H E L E C H I A P P E T TA
This January, God opened the door wide for Richard Roberts and his team to share the saving, healing, delivering message of Jesus Christ through medical clinics, the food outreach of Oral Roberts Ministries’ Hunger Needs A Voice ®, and open-air crusade meetings in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. Thousands of people were touched as they reached out to receive God’s love in action.
Richard and Ian
Ni ne -ye a r - old Ia n wanted one thing: to be able to run, just like other boys that he was friends with. But unlike his friends, Ian had asthma, which prevented him from running because he couldn’t breathe…at least, he couldn’t until he came to Uhuru 6
Park with his mother one January night to attend the healing crusade of Richard Roberts. As Richard prayed for the crowd to be healed of breathing problems, Ian was with his mother at the top of the park’s hill. Ian heard that prayer and believed he received his healing. Then he did something he’d never done before. He ran all the way down the hill to the platform to testify—and he did it without losing his breath. It was one of countless miracles of healing, salvation, and God’s love revealed in the heart of Kenya through the Oral Roberts Ministries(ORM) January 2010 Healing Crusade.
Open Doors From the moment Richard arrived in the capital city, Nairobi, he and his team worked tirelessly to share the healing Jesus with the Kenyan people in every way they could. One open door ca me through the airwaves. “I was asked to be on all four network Pastor’s Conference television stations,” Richard said. “They reach all of Kenya, as well medical clinics were held in four Naias many other countries in Africa. I robi slums, reaching into the most thought I would be on for a just a few impoverished areas in the city. Hunger humanitarian minutes to advertise the crusades.” In- Needs A Voice ® —the stead, he was given free rein to preach, outreach of ORM—brought in 2.5 million nutritious meals for Kenya’s share testimonies, and pray. Richard spoke at several local church- children and their families. Once people see the love of God es, where some of the crowds numbered into the thousands. “It was standing in action—once their bodies are fed room only,” he said. “It was a tremen- and treated medically—their hearts are often more open to receive God’s dous, tremendous time in the Lord.” He also led a two-day pastors Word. As always, ORM also provided conference—a vital time of ministry spiritual food to the people of Nairobi to those who would disciple the people with three nights of evangelistic meetwho received salvation during crusades. ings in Uhuru Park. John Kangethe— a Kenyan busiAn unusually large gathering of approximately 3,500 ministers attended nessman who now lives in the United the sessions. At the end of the conference, States and who helped arrange the Richard laid hands on every minister in crusade—said, “Every minister who attendance, anointing them with oil and was there said this was one of the bigagreeing with them for a fresh imparta- gest crowds they had ever seen. Uhuru tion of the Lord’s anointing on their lives. Park seats roughly 200,000 people, and Richard said, “I thank God for pas- it was crowded and full.” The Kenyans came out by the thoutors hungry to be a part of the healing ministry who want to take it back to sands—many of them walking miles to reach Nairobi’s Uhuru Park early enough their local churches.” to have a place to sit on the hillside. Reaching Hungry Hearts “I believe that Kenya is the prize Because the Oral Roberts Min- of Africa…a special nation for which istries believes in treating the whole God has great plans,” Richard told person—spirit, soul, and body—free the crowd. “This is Kenya’s hour! It’s 7
a time for new beginnings, increase, miracles, signs, and wonders.” With special guests including Fox News’ Kelly Wright, popular Kenyan gospel singer Ben Githae, the ORM singers, a local choir, Masai dancers and others, the nightly meetings were a festive celebration of faith, hope, and healing. Richard and his youngest daughter, Chloe, greet the crowd at Uhuru Park.
Marta said her back pain disappeared.
Ben demonstrated that he could walk pain-free.
Joy testified that her eye was healed. 8
“I Send the Word” Each night, Richard encouraged the massive crowds to remember that God is good and that He can and does heal people. “I believe sickness is death trying to reach out its hand,” he said, “but God wants you well in every area of your life.” Richard then prayed for healings as the Lord led him. Each night, hundreds of people came forward to be examined by the doctors and then share the story of what God had done for them. Marta told the crowd that her back pain of eight years had disappeared. “The pain is completely gone,” she said, and she showed everyone that she could bend over with no problems. Ben had fallen from a roof 20 years ago and was unable to lift his legs, until God did a miracle in his body during the crusade. “Tonight when you prayed,” he told Richard, “I put my hand on my hip and believed God for healing. Now, there’s no pain!” Ben marched proudly across the stage, jumped, and ran like a young man. God also restored vision and hearing to many people. Joy told the crowd, “I normally don’t see well, but I can see clearly now…even with the sun in my eyes!” Reverend Joshua of the Masai tribe could barely see when he arrived at the crusade grounds. He had surgery (continued on pg. 10)
Miraculously Healed of AIDS One of the greatest testimonies of the Kenya healing crusade came from a woman named Gerri. Her miracle began in 2009, when Richard Roberts traveled to Kenya to begin the planning process for the 2010 outreach. Gerri attends the church of Bishop Arthur Kitonga, who helped sponsor the crusade meetings and medical Gerri with Richard clinics. After several years of being HIV positive, Gerri’s body Richard laid his hands on her and began to show the advanced effects of prayed for her. AIDS. She had boils and lesions on her Soon, the boils and lesions on Gerbody, and suffered from great fatigue ri’s body began to disappear. She no and terrible headaches that left her un- longer suffered headaches and quickly able to cook, clean, and care for her regained so much strength that she three children without help. was able to do her housework without As a Christian, Gerri never wa- help for the first time in a long while. vered from believing that God would After several weeks of improved heal her. The night before Richard health, Gerri returned to her docarrived in Kenya in 2009 to meet with tor for new tests, and they came back Bishop Kitonga, Gerri dreamed of a negative. The doctor found no signs minister who prayed for her, and after of the disease! he prayed, she was healed. With the boldness that comes from That minister turned out to be a changed life, Gerri joined Richard Richard Roberts. During his meetings with Bishop Kitonga, Richard preached on the platform during the healing at the church. After the service, Gerri crusade in Uhuru Park and told the came to Richard and explained her situ- crowd she was healed—and that she had the doctor’s report to prove it. Her ation to him, and he prayed for her. Later, she realized that the head- story became a tremendous testimony ache she’d had earlier that day had of God’s compassion and care, and totally vanished, and she believed that His ability to do the miraculous for God had healed her of AIDS when everyone who comes to Him in faith. 9
Pastor Joshua reported healing in his eyes.
Julius declared he could hear in his right ear again.
scheduled to repair his eye problem. But when Richard prayed for the crowd and told sickness and disease to “come out,” Joshua said, “I felt something come out of my eyes… Now I can see clearly. I can see everybody!” Julius was sitting at the top of the hill in Uhuru Park, at the farthest point from the stage. He had been deaf in his right ear. “My ear was not hearing, not even a little,” he told Richard. “But when you prayed and said, ‘I send the Word to you for healing,’ I was able to hear!” Countless others received healing during the crusade nights. Hundreds stood to testify that their pain was gone. And in the greatest miracle of
all, an enormous number of people came forward each night to dedicate their lives to serving Jesus Christ. Local ministers were on hand to pray and connect with those accepting Jesus for the first time, so they could be welcomed into a local church where they can grow in the knowledge of God. Even after the crusade ended, the miracles have continued. The Oral Roberts Ministries is still receiving reports from people whose lives have been changed as a result of the outreach in Nairobi. Thousands of people have been added to the kingdom of God through the miracle of salvation. And countless others received their healing, medical care, and much-needed food through the Kenya 2010 outreach.
FOX News journalist Kelly Wright joined the Oral Roberts Ministries team for the Kenya outreach. “You’re affecting a whole generation—a generation that can be changed for the better through hope, faith, and love,” he said.
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Shining the Light of God’s Love in the Slums of Kenya B Y T E A M M E M B E R / S TA F F W R I T E R M I C H E L E C H I A P P E T TA
The first slum that the Oral Rob- much older. She suffers from anemia erts Ministries team visited was Hur- and depression due to a lack of healthy uma. Life is hard on the people who meals and the harshness of daily survival. live there. Because of the crushing Children especially suffer in the poverty, promiscuity and prostitution slums—which is why Hunger Needs a are common and frequently lead to sexually transmitted diseases. Many A baby is treated at one of the free medical clinics. people—including young children and even babies—suffer from HIV/AIDS, and many are orphaned as a result. Family life can be very unstable in the slums. Often, fathers unable to find work abandon their families, forcing mothers into the streets to look for money and food, and leaving children to fend for themselves. The lifestyle takes a heavy emotional toll on the people of Huruma…like Caroline, who is 30 years old but looks 11
Voice ® went there to help them. One young mother came to us with a toddler who was crying in pain. He was vomiting, severely dehydrated, and too weak to walk any longer. Doctors and the local church sponsoring our mission outreach helped get this child to a hospital to receive fluids. Without this help coming when it did, he could have died. More than 1,200 people in Huruma—mostly mothers with children—received food and medical care. HNAV® also gave boxes of food to local churches in Huruma to distribute in the future.
Effie’s twin died young, most likely because of malaria or typhoid fever. Effie had pneumonia, while Dorcas had symptoms of tuberculosis. Dorcas can’t afford to buy medicine and she doesn’t eat regular, healthy meals. Through the clinic we were able to give them food and medicine.
Dorcas and Effie’s story A grateful mother thanks one of our nurses.
Dorcas and her 2-year-old son Effie
Many people saw the love of Jesus for the first time through our outreach. A Muslim woman told us she had walked a long distance to get to us. Both her children had respiratory problems. After she saw the doctor and received medicines and food for her children, she returned to thank the nurse for what we were doing to help her family.
Next, our team went to Korogocho, where 150,000 to 200,000 people live in tiny shacks made of aluminum, wood, canvas, and plastic. Between the garbage piled in the streets and the lack of fresh water, Korogocho’s children often get parasite infections that rob them of needed nutrients. We gave more than 1,000 children there medical care and food. 31-year-old Dorcas and her 2-yearold son Effie are a typical local family.
Giving the gift of life Kayole is on the outskirts of Nairobi. Over the past several years, this area has struggled with violence, gang activity, and a cholera outbreak. Food is hard to come by because the people are so poor. Our team saw a lot of children with iron deficiency. Others had asthma brought on by the filthy living conditions. One of the saddest cases we saw was a three-month-old baby girl. She
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had been hospitalized for malaria and then released with a prescription for medicine. The baby’s mother is so poor that she couldn’t fill the prescription, so her daughter got worse. By the time the baby was brought to our clinic, she had a fever of nearly 107 degrees and was severely dehydrated. Our medical team treated the baby to stabilize her condition. We prayed for her, and sent her home with medicines and food. Our nurse later told me that this baby could have died if we hadn’t been there to help. (continued on pg. 14)
Dr. Stephanie Gillette treating the dehydrated baby girl.
Showing Kenya’s Children a Jesus Who Loves Them I f we’re going to take the Gospel to children around the world, I beJordan with Prime Minister lieve we do Odinga’s wife, Ida. it by showing them a Jesus who loves them. I’m grateful we were able to do that through our ministry outreach, Hunger Needs A Voice ® this past January in four of the largest slums of Nairobi. There is so much need there… so many hungry people. But we worked with the Kenyan prime minister’s wife, local pastors, and our ORM ministry partners to bring two and a half million nutritious meals and the Gospel to needy children in some of the poorest and neediest slums in the world. The families living in these slums are starving. The children you see ev-
erywhere are so tiny and thin because they have nothing to eat. When we first visited the slums over a year ago to plan our outreach, the mothers said to me, “Help me feed my children!” That’s why we went to Nairobi. We went to feed the children. And we did! —Jordan Roberts, Director of HNAV 13
Kibera Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, home to around 1.5 million people. The streets are dirty and dusty, and smoke fills the air, causing the children who live there to suffer from chest congestion, coughs, asthma, and eye problems. Hundreds of families received Many people from Kibera walk medical treatment and nutritious miles to the industrial district each meals during the clinic in Kibera. morning, hoping to get hired for a The people were so thankful we were day’s work. They earn less than a dol- there. “This outreach is a wonderful lar a day, which means that they often thing,” a local pastor told us. “We’re skip meals. That’s why the food we grateful you came to help us and to gave them made such a difference. bless our community.”
Team Member Testimonies justing spines in his office in Tulsa. But on the mission field? That was a new experience for him. Yet he quickly saw the usefulness of his expertise in the slums of Nairobi. “These people work hard,” Tim said. “They end up with a lot of numbness in their shoulders and pain in their arms.” For such people, chiropractic care was a good pain reliever. Dr. Tim Tregoning Medical care is important, but the key to this medical outreach was in ORM’s team of doctors and nurses sharing the Gospel message. “I saw worked long, hard hours to bring medical care to some of Nairobi’s poorest the heart of God on this trip,” Tim people. But as these stories from our team said. “And His whole heart is souls.” members reveal, the effort was more than Ultimately, Jesus is the answer to the worth it. So many individual people problems of Nairobi’s slums. This truth was demonstrated when experienced the love of God through the partnership of medicine and prayer. Tim met a man named Martin—his very first patient of the trip. Stricken by polio at age five, his left leg is withered Relieving Pain As a chiropractor, Dr. Tim Tre- so badly that even as an adult, he can goning doesn’t think twice about ad- only get around by crawling. 14
Tim took Martin to his makeshift chiropractor’s office—a folding table separated from the rest of the clinic by a hanging bedsheet. Although Tim couldn’t do much for the man physically, he believed there was something he could do spiritually. He was able to lead the man in a prayer to receive Jesus Christ. Afterward, Martin was beaming. It was an amazing transformation.
Fighting Disease In thinking about what she saw in the medical clinics, Nurse Jennifer Kolb said, “We saw a lot of patients with HIV and AIDS.” Among the patients that Jennifer saw was a woman suffering from a severely advanced sore on her foot, a typical complication of full-blown AIDS. She desperately needed medical attention. “We gave this woman four different injections, as well as oral antibiotics and painkillers,” Jennifer said. “I dressed and cleaned the sore so that new skin can form and it can heal.” She taught the woman how to keep the wound clean.
Nurse Jennifer Kolb
Then she spoke to her about God’s healing power and ministered in prayer. The woman told Jennifer she had joined the church that sponsored the ORM clinic in Huruma. “I’m believing I am healed, in Jesus’ name,” she told Jennifer. By the end of the healing crusade, the medical team saw more than 4,000 patients. Hundreds of people accepted Jesus Christ as Lord in both the clinics and the nightly crusade meetings. Millions of meals were distributed to hungry children. As a result, we believe Kenya will never be the same!
“This outreach is a wonderful thing,” a local pastor told us. “We’re grateful you have come to help us and to bless our community.”
Oral Roberts: A Man Who Obeyed God
A glorious celebration!
Oral Roberts was one of the most well-known and influential Christian leaders of the twentieth century. Celebrate his life and legacy with this DVD recording of the inspiring Memorial Service with many of today’s Christian leaders in attendance. (Includes a 17-minute segment of Oral’s innovative TV Specials with guests such as Johnny Cash and Jerry Lewis.) $20. LC2406
Favorite Healing Scriptures by Oral Roberts
In this mini-book, Oral shares some of the Scriptures that have meant the most to him in times of great need. As you read them and find encouragement, let God’s Word help activate your faith to believe God for your own healing. $5. LC154
I Need a Miracle by Richard Roberts
When everything inside of you is crying out for a miracle, this DVD from the Oral Roberts Ministries can help. Richard Roberts shares powerful healing prayers for you, Bible-based messages to build your faith, and real-life stories from everyday people who received miracles from God. You can watch this faith-building DVD over and over and be encouraged to believe for your miracle! $10. LC2346
I believe this DVD can help you receive your miracle! –RR 16
Spiritual First Aid Kit (Confession Card, Book, CD) by Richard and Lindsay Roberts
The Word of God tells us, “Fear not!” With this Spiritual First Aid Kit (book, CD, and Psalm 91 card) you can find scriptural encouragement to fortify your faith for miracles. $15. LC2061
The Source, the Seed, the Answer by RIchard Roberts
Richard’s book can help you step up to a new level of giving and receiving as you discover the Bible principle of seedtime and harvest... and what it can mean in your life when you begin to plant seeds and expect a harvest. $6. LC1001
He Was Dying To Meet You by Lindsay Roberts
Learn more about the price that Jesus paid for your salvation, and the infinite depth of His love in this thoughtful and moving booklet. FREE with any Seed-Faith gift. LC56
If You Need Healing Do These Things by Oral Roberts
One of the first books Oral ever wrote, this timely message is still a powerful tool to help you learn how to release your faith for healing. $7. LC120
To order: Call 918-495-7777, or visit our bookstore online at www.oralroberts.com/bookstore.
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TAKE DOMINION over the Everyday Issues of Your Life
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ne day my mother-in-law, Evelyn Roberts, called me on the phone…and I could tell that she was frustrated. Now many words could be used to describe my mother-in-law, but I would never have counted the word frustrated among them. She was a very calm, comfortable person and sure of who she was. But this morning, she was frustrated. She told me, “Lindsay, I had a conversation with God earlier. You know, when God talks to Oral, Oral ends up going to the nations. I’m the one who has wanted to be a missionary my whole life. So I decided to have a conversation with God about my feelings.” Oh my, I thought, this is going to be interesting! Evelyn went on: “I began to say to God, ‘Lord, You talk to Oral in such ways that generations start changing, and nations change, and people get healed. God, I want You to speak to me the way You speak to Oral…I would love for You to speak to me and I would see angels, as Oral has seen angels. Then heavens begin to move… and this happens and that happens.’
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“But the Lord said ‘No,’ to me. At first I was upset over that. But then He said, ‘Evelyn, I will speak to you in the way I’ve designed you to receive it. I will speak to you in the everydayness of your life.’” Evelyn Roberts was a practical, logical, everyday-kind-of woman. She could easily take the Word of God, apply it to her life, and pass that wisdom on to others. While Oral was going out to the nations, Evelyn would go person to person. She was gifted at calmly, quietly touching hurting people right where they were at, in the everydayness of their life. God used her to minister to more people than we will ever know. Evelyn’s secret was simple: she knew who she was in Christ, and wherever she went she took that knowledge and that gift with her. She took dominion, or spiritual authority, over the situation in her calm, sweet way. And she carried that dominion with her everywhere she went. I believe we all can carry the spiritual authority God has given us…each in our own unique way… (continued on pg. 20)
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Make the Most of Every Moment With
Busy days… work… errands… cooking meals… caring for your family… Does this sound familiar? You work hard to care for your loved ones… Make sure you take time for yourself too! Tune in to Make Your Day Count with Lindsay Roberts, a refreshing half-hour of biblical encouragement, prayer, true stories from people whose lives have been transformed by God’s power, and much more.
Check your local television listing, or visit www.oralroberts.com to watch Lindsay live via the Internet. Inspiring interviews
Lindsay with daughter, Chloe
Always take dominion with you!
and touch people for Jesus in the everydayness of our lives. From the beginning of creation in Genesis, God told us in His Word to take dominion over situations that we face. Every day our ministry receives about 3,000 calls for prayer. In many ways we see Satan, our spirtual adversary trying to take dominion over us…and our allowing him to. Many things that we are supposed to take dominion over are taking dominion over us. So what do we do? I believe we need to take action to make it happen. No matter what we do or where we go, we need to “gather up our dominion” and take it with us. Think of a woman’s purse, and all the stuff we carry. There may be a scarf in our purse, tissue, pens or pencils, things that belong to our kids…a wallet, maybe a calendar…and other valuable things. But sometimes there’s a lot of junk in our purses, isn’t there, ladies? What God wants us to take with us is dominion. So I actually took a bag and wrote the word “dominion” on it to remind myself to always take dominion, 20
our God-given spiritual authority, with me. Wherever I go, I want to always take the authority Jesus gave us over sin, sickness and fear, or any other attacks of the devil. Yes, I need to take dominion over those things in my own life, but I also need to be ready to pray with anyone who needs it. And I think when we’re open to that, God brings people across our path that we can minister to and help them learn to take dominion over the enemy too. When something negative or destructive comes against us, it’s very easy to get into fear. But in 2 Timothy 1:7 God says, “I didn’t give you the spirit of fear, but I gave you power, and love, and a sound mind.” When we remember that and remember who we are in Christ—we’re the head, not the tail—we can take authority over those things that are not from God. Jesus gave us all power and authority over the tricks of the evil one. I want you to have all that is rightfully yours in the Kingdom of God. That includes healing, salvation…anything and everything Jesus went to the cross for. Let’s not leave it at the foot of the cross. Let’s appropriate it, so that in our everyday lives we walk with authority and dominion over the junk that the devil tries to throw our way. Through Jesus, we have a right to carry with us our healing, our prosperity, and victory in every area of our lives. So, remember your symbolic “suitcase” of dominion. Take it with you in the spirit wherever you go, into whatever problems you encounter. Remember what it is that you’re taking with you, and every day as you get up to get dressed and face the day…don’t leave home without it!
Dan Old Coyote, Vice Secretary of the Crow Tribe, officially inducting Richard and Jordan as members of the Crow Tribe.
Redigging the Wells of His Father…
A NEW GENERATION OF THE CROW NATION AWAKENED TO THE POWER OF GOD Just as his dad did before him, Richard Roberts felt the leading of the Lord to minister to the Native American people of the Crow Nation in Montana. In 1955, Oral Roberts conducted a great crusade with the Crow Nation. Many tribal members still remember
Oral Roberts honored in Montana, 1955
that time and what God did in the services that were held not more than a few hundred yards from where Richard recently ministered in a two-night Crusade of his own. In spite of the fact that many on the Crow reservation don’t attend a church, miracles and healings that occurred a generation ago in Oral’s crusade have continued to have a positive effect on this current generation. So when tribal members learned that Oral’s son, Richard, and granddaughter Jordan, were coming to minister to them—by invitation of Native American pastor, Jay Swallow—with the same power and anointing of the Lord that they had heard about as a result of their elders’ 21
Special commemoration for Richard and Jordan on the site of Oral’s service in 1955.
experiences years before, there was great anticipation of what God might do. For two days in Montana, the wells of God’s power and love flowed once again as Richard preached and ministered in the power of the Holy
Spirit. Surely God’s Word in Psalm 100:5 is true and was in evidence on the Crow reservation in Montana: For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
This man tells of his healed arm.
Richard receives a warm welcome.
Back pain declared healed.
Richard prayed for those who had needs.
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Testifying of an elbow healed!
The ministry of the Holy Spirit was evident throughout the service.
A heartfelt response to Richard’s message. 23
PARTNERS SHARE NEWS OF GOD’S GOODNESS Effect of Father’s Deliverance Felt Many Years Later When I was six years old, my father was struggling with an alcohol addiction. He wrote Oral Roberts for prayer. When he saw Oral read his letter on television, he realized someone cared about him. That day, he quit drinking cold turkey and never drank again. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was eight years old. I remember my father watching Oral regularly on television. Now, I am 45 years old, and when I need prayer, I remember my father’s miracle, and I call your ministry. Thank you so much for being there! —Dwanna (no city listed)
Our pickup truck hit black ice, went out of control, and flipped over a few times, breaking every window in it. My wife was able to crawl out of the truck, but I was seat-belted in and could not reach the clasp to release it. My wife had to crawl back in to release the belt so I could get out of the truck. I’m 73 years old, and my wife is 62, but we both walked away from our totaled pickup without a scratch. I’ve been a seed-sowing partner with the Oral Roberts Ministries for thirty years, and I know that only our trust in the Lord could have delivered my wife and me safely out of this accident. We give Him all the praise! —Chester from Wisconsin
The First Miracle I Ever Received We Were Saved from a I had a lump about the size of a radTerrible Accident My wife and I live in the snow coun- ish in my armpit. I requested a vial of try of Wisconsin. As we were leaving anointing oil from your ministry, and our home one day to go to town, we I used it on my lump. As soon as I apreached a stretch at the top of a hill plied the anointing oil, the lump disappeared right before my eyes! From that that had not been sanded. 24
A “Suddenly” Harvest Comes from Seed Sown I needed to sell my house quickly. It had already been on the market for over a year and things looked bad. But after I heard Richard teach on Painful Pleurisy Healed sowing a seed-faith gift toward your I’d had pleurisy in my back and shoul- need, I decided to sow a seed by faith. der for three months. The pain was so I called the ALPG to sow my seed* bad that I could hardly sit and could and agree in prayer, believing God not lay down. While I was watching would provide a “suddenly” harvest. The Place for Miracles, Richard gave a Within a few days, my home was sold! word of knowledge about someone’s —Claudie from Georgia back and shoulders being healed. I felt the presence of the Lord upon me, and Seed-Faith Gifts Are Opening now I am pain free! Doors! —Jean from Alabama We just want to tell you that since we agreed to send a seed-faith gift of I Don’t Walk Bent Over $300 to your ministry*, God has been Anymore opening doors for us. My husband got Due to severe back pain, I could not a $200-a-week raise. And he’s also even walk in an upright position. been able to preach his first sermon. While lying in bed one day, I watched God is good! The Place for Miracles. Richard had a —Vicky from Missouri word of knowledge that someone’s back was being healed. I got out of Now I Have More Than bed and put my hands on Richard’s Enough! hands on the TV screen. All the back When I needed employment, I called pain left me. I don’t walk bent over the Abundant Life Prayer Group to anymore! agree in prayer and I planted a $100 —Dorothy from South Carolina seed into your ministry*. As a result of prayer and giving, I have found a I’m Pain Free After Years of job that pays me more money than Suffering I’ve ever earned. I now have more I had experienced back pain for 9 to than enough! 10 years as a result of having surgery —Jaseth from Connecticut on my tailbone. So I decided to call the ALPG and agree with them for *To plant a seed-faith gift into the Oral healing. After prayer, I am now pain Roberts Ministries, visit us on the web at free. I believe that calling the ALPG www.oralroberts.com/seed, call us at 918-495-7777, or write to Richard Robmade the difference. —Donna from Arkansas erts, P.O. Box 2187, Tulsa, OK 74102 day until now, nothing has returned. That was the first miracle I had ever received from the Lord, and I’m so grateful for it. —Ofelia from California
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We’re Here for You…
••We’re here to pray with you when you’re hurting and feel that you can’t even pray for yourself. ••We’re here to pray with you when you have no one else to pray with. ••We’re here to pray with you in the middle of the night when everyone else is asleep. ••We’re here to pray with you at Christmas or on your birthday— when everyone else is gone and you’re alone. ••We are always here to pray with you…No matter what your situation is, no matter what has happened, we are here and we want to see God meet you at your time of need…to share the love of God with you as He has freely given it to all who call upon Him. ••We want to pray the Word of God and send His peace that passes all understanding into your life and circumstances. ••We want to believe with you for the answer and miracle that you need. ••And we want to rejoice with you in all your praise reports!
For prayer anytime, call 918-495-7777, or log on to our website at www.oralroberts.com/prayer.
The Lord is My Shepherd
A C L A S S I C M E S S A G E B Y O R A L R O B E R T S
I believe the sweetest psalm ever written is the 23rd Psalm. It was written by a shepherd, and a Shepherd is its inspiration. This entire psalm is a complete picture of the journey of the Christian from the pasture fields of life to the shelter of a better world.
A Story of Great Love As a boy, David had been a shepherd…with an unsurpassed love for his sheep. Now he is old and ready to be folded into the Great Shepherd’s arms of love and to lie down in the green pastures of Heaven. His war clubs are traded for a shepherd’s crook. His soldiers, his subjects, become sheep, and once more, he is back among the beloved hills of his youth. His sheep are scattered before him— how familiar is this flock! He knows them all by name. He knows their peculiarities—here is one that wears a scar. He had to rescue it from the jaws of a lion. There is one that limps as it walks. It had fallen into a deep pit of miry clay, and David had reached down and pulled him out. Many a night David had spent in the hills in search of some of his sheep, and it is a tender scene to him. He knows his love for them and theirs for him. It reminds him of another scene. As the sun is sinking over the western
rim and the sheep lie quietly at his feet, he murmurs, “I, too, have a shepherd, a Good Shepherd. He brought me up out of an awful pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock. He restored my soul. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” The 23rd Psalm is the most personal of all psalms. It individualizes the shepherd, and brings the sheep and shepherd into a tender personal relationship. David said, The Lord is MY shepherd. A thing becomes more precious when we can claim it for our very own. Children are loved by everyone…but they are never loved as much as when they are “our” children, and we know them to be our very own. I shall not want. 27
Want is an awful thing. Many people in this world know what want is. Beauty has turned into ashes. They have no peace, no joy…because the Lord is not their Shepherd. When Jesus Christ becomes the Shepherd of our lives, He fills the emptiness in our hearts, and His Word tells us in Psalm 84:11 NKJV that no good thing will He withhold from them who walk uprightly with Him.
He Gives Us Rest He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. Sheep are helpless animals. They cannot find pasture by themselves. They must have a good shepherd, for unless they are fed, they will not lie down… and unless their drinking water comes from a quiet pool, they will not drink. The ancient shepherd was ever shifting his flock from place to place in search of green pastures and water springs. The shepherd must find a stream and dam up the water so the sheep may drink from “quiet,” or still, waters. Thus David wrote, He leadeth me beside the still waters. Once the shepherd had fed the sheep, he sought a cool place where they could rest, and he would have the sheep lie down and relax from the morning feed. While they were lying down, he would take his horn of oil, go among them, and pour a tiny stream down each one’s head, which was very refreshing. Then he would go among them, pulling the briars or burrs that had become caught in their wool. In this way, David cared for his sheep. From the day the Good Shepherd found me, lost and undone, and 28
picked me up and carried me back to the green pastures of His love and presence, my soul has found rest and refreshment and I have longed for nothing more. The Good Shepherd ministers to the needs of His sheep.
He Provides Guidance He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. In David’s day, there were no roads as we know roads today. How important it was that the shepherd led his sheep in the right path. Unless the right path was followed, the sheep would be lost. For us, this life is a series of paths. There are broad and narrow ways. Every day we come to the parting of the way, a fork where the road ends and one must turn either right or left. Many ways are open for us to take. Many voices call for us. How important it is that we have a guide, for we, like sheep, are prone to lose our way. If Jesus Christ is our Shepherd, He can lead us in the right paths.
He Is Our Comfort Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. In Israel, there was an actual death valley, or “valley of the shadow of death.” Climatic conditions make it necessary to move sheep through this valley for seasonal feeding, but many wild dogs and other animals infest this region and seek to attack the sheep. As the shepherd leads his sheep along this narrow valley, he goes ahead with
his rod and staff, and while the sheep watch, he drives out the sheep-killers and makes the way safe for his flock. When there are slippery places, he personally leads each sheep over them, safely through this death valley to the green pastures. What a picture of our blessed Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and of the way He leads us through the valley of the shadow of death and down streets of gold to the throne of God, where there is “rest from our labor.”
At the End of the Journey Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. When the gathering shadows fall upon the earth, the shepherd rounds up his sheep, calling them by name, and leads them into an enclosed shelter. This shelter is built by the shepherd’s own hands. He never leaves nor forsakes his sheep, but always leads them into the shelter at night. This is but the shadow of another picture, the picture of the faithful Shepherd Jesus, who gave His life for us who were lost from God’s fold. Through the midnight of man’s sin, Jesus came over the rugged trails, His hands torn with the thorns of life, His feet pierced with the sharp rocks of the way. He falls on the Cross at the door of the sheepfold, a sacrifice, but on His shoulder is a lamb. He cries from the Cross, “I have found my sheep!” Through the ages, the Lord, the Great Shepherd, has been gathering His sheep into the great fold above as they finish their days. Millions are
already safely sheltered there and are basking in His presence where they are forever free from storm and strife. Some of us are still on our way, but we know it will not be long until He calls us by name and bids us to lie down in the shelter of heaven.
You Can Know the Good Shepherd If you would like to be able to say, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” and if you want to give your life to Someone who will guide and protect you and love you beyond anything you could ever imagine, just say this simple prayer right now. When you do, the Good Shepherd will find you and bring you into His tender care…and you can dwell in His house forever.
Let’s Pray: Lord, I ask You to be the Good Shepherd of my soul. I repent of my sins and my turning away from You, and I ask for Your forgiveness. Thank You for loving me, for dying for me, and for accepting me as Your beloved child. From this day, I will listen for Your voice and follow only You…and I will serve You joyfully, until You call me to go home to heaven with You someday. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 29
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US HELP THE NATION OF HAITI Report by Richard Roberts
In the wake of one of the most devastating earthquakes ever to hit our neighbors in Haiti, the Oral Roberts Ministries—with the help of our friends and Partners—were able to quickly send more than 570,000 nutritious meals to those who were hurting. Just as soon as we heard about the ter- We’ve got to do something; the prerible devastation from the earthquake cious people of Haiti need our help. in Haiti, I appealed to the viewers “We are working with our contacts on my television show, The Place for of Reach Now International in order Miracles, and asked them to “Help the to obtain as much food as possible, as people of Haiti.” My daughter Jordan, quickly as possible,” Jordan reported, our Director of Hunger Needs a Voice ®, “and we are also partnering with other said, “This is a part of our mission. relief organizations in Haiti.”
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Devastation in Haiti after the earthquake.
The presidential palace and other government buildings had been destroyed, many of the major hospitals were leveled, and most survivors were without electricity, clean water, and food. As I told our audience, “This is a major humanitarian emergency, and a time when Christians must step up to the plate.” And step up they did! Very quickly, we were able to send the first half of our shipment—285,000 meals—to the hurting people of Haiti. Not long after, the second shipment of an additional 285,000 meals followed. In 2009, we had a lready sent 285,000 meals to children in orphanages throughout this nation, in conjunction with a native nonprof it organization. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 72% of its population living below the poverty line. Every day, people face illnesses of all kinds, especially HIV/AIDS, and many people are starving to death. Haitian President Rene Preval has stated that death tolls from the earthquake could reach as high as 300,000 people. Thank you, friends and Partners, for your generosity and seed-planting in helping us help a nation that needs to know they are not forgotten and that God knows and cares about their plight. To plant a seed-faith gift to help us continue to feed the hungry in impoverished areas of the world, call 918-495-7777, go online to www.oralroberts.com, or write us at: Richard Roberts, P.O. Box 2187, Tulsa, OK 74102.
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