The Power of Intercessory Prayer

“And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord
will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. (James 5:15 NIV)

Intercessory prayer means a prayer whereby a believer pleads with God on behalf of another or others who desperately need God’s intervention. Through intercessory prayer believers have the privilege to exercise spiritual power and authority given by Jesus Christ. The following are three testimonies showing how the intercessory prayer of the members of the Korean Church of Bethlehem have been applied as a key to resolve problems and to create miracles by moving God’s hands.

Testimony 1 Deliverance from the Fear of Alzheimer’s

My mother had excessive protein in her eyes due to the initial symptoms of glaucoma. She trembled to think of being afflicted with Alzheimer’s because glaucoma directly correlates with Alzheimer based on a similar protein composition according to medical research. Although my siblings and I were trying to evangelize to her enthusiastically, it seemed not easy for her to have faith in God. However, we prayed for her salvation and deliverance from the anxiety and fear of Alzheimer’s every day.

As we pleaded with God so desperately for my mother in our prayer, we noticed her change little by little. We sensed that God was renewing her heart. Our intercessory prayer gained momentum and continued ceaselessly.

One day during our intercessory prayer we were convinced that God had healed my mother. She also felt some differences in her eyes. After her eye doctor checked her eyes, he announced an amazing result. The excessive protein in her eyes had been all removed, indicating no possibility of glaucoma. In addition to that, God delivered her from the anxiety and fear of Alzheimer’s and gave her peace and comfort in her mind. We truly appreciate God who answered our intercessory prayer.

Testimony 2 Deliverance from Chronic Alcoholism

My brother had been an incorrigible alcoholic for over thirty-eight years in Korea. He cast a dark shadow over my family’s life. My mother who had to take care of him suffered incommunicable grief every day. It was torturous and unbearably sorrowful to think of my mother and brother having such painful lives. I cried out to God daily.

The main reason that I started to attend the Korean Church of Bethlehem and to receive spiritual healing counseling was for the salvation and restoration of my family. With the help of Pastor Elisha my mother became the first to be saved. My mother and I tried very hard to obey and practice the Word of God in our daily lives. Also, we prayed as one for my brother with passion in expectation of God’s miraculous work.

Finally, God conducted His miracle at the Thursday Prayer Meeting of my church. When my pastor put her hands on me and prayed, I could confirm with faith that our intercessory prayer was answered. I called my mother in Korea and heard about the astonishing work of God that had made my brother stop drinking alcohol. After so long my brother was delivered from that accursed chronic alcoholism.

After experiencing the Almighty God, we did nothing but praise and glorify Him. There was no other way to express our thanks and joy to God. God, thank you so much for answering the intercessory prayer of me and my mother!

Testimony 3 The Restoration of Euthyroidism

When I called my mother in Korea, I heard that she was going to get surgery for her thyroid malfunction. I urged her to pray to God for His divine healing power instead of getting the medical surgery. Although my mother was saved by receiving Jesus Christ as her savior, her faith was not enough to believe in His healing power. She replied to me that because she wanted to get surgery, she would go for the preoperative preparation scheduled in a few days.

It was so pitiful to see her weak faith in God. After I got off the phone, I sincerely prayed to Him. With my whole heart I pleaded with Him to restore the function of my mother’s thyroid. I soon felt that my heart was brimming over with peace. I was confident of God’s answer to my intercessory prayer for my mother. I firmly believed that God took steps to help her so that she might not have had the operation.

In a week, I call her again. She answered the phone with a cheerful voice and said, “I don’t need to get thyroid surgery because it functions normally according to the preoperative check-up.” It was an overwhelming moment to me. “Wow… Hallelujah!” I explained to her that God answered my intercessory prayer and healed her thyroid problem because He loved her so much. Neither did she believe in God’s divine healing power nor did she understand it. I felt so sorry for her weak faith again. Nevertheless, I was assured that her faith would grow soon enough to have faith in God’s miracle.

God, I am really thankful for your love toward my mother and answer to my prayer.

We Got the Green Card!

11 years ago my husband was wrongly accused at a green card interview, resulting in the cancellation of his application. Initially, he filed the petition for permanent resident status as a single. While he was waiting for the interview, we met and started dating with marriage in mind. After the interview date was scheduled, we planned to marry immediately after his petition was granted. We went to a wedding shop to try on wedding gowns and happened to take a picture of us there wearing wedding gowns. He kept the photo in his wallet and eagerly awaited the wedding.

At the interview for the green card, the photo slipped out of his wallet when he was showing his driver’s license to the INS officer. The officer who saw the photo withdrew my husband’s case because he thought the petition should have been filed as a married man. He accused that my husband intentionally filed a wrong petition to make the case easy. Since then, it had been a tangled mess for over 11 years. None of the immigration lawyers whom we hired were able to resolve the case. Because it was beyond our control, we suffered so much under the oppression of dark power.

In the meantime, one of my fellow workers guided me to the Korean Church of Bethlehem. I decided to take the spiritual healing counseling with Pastor Elisha. Pastor Yohan’s preaching on the Sunday Service helped me understand the spiritual truth gradually. I took all of my family to the church on Sunday. My children loved to go to the Sunday school. My husband and I made a firm resolution to have a faithful life in God in this church.

I brought up the prolonged problem with the green card at the counseling session with Pastor Elisha and prayed to God for His help. After I started the spiritual healing counseling, by chance I met an immigration lawyer who guaranteed the completion of the case. I had doubts about him because no lawyer could resolve the problem for over 11 years. On the other hand, I thought it could be God’s intervention. When my pastor and other church members prayed together with me, all of us were assured of His intervention. Then, I obeyed my pastor’s guidance and instruction in order to come closer to the light of Jesus Christ.

Every day I engraved a Scripture in my heart, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ” (Isaiah 53:5 NIV) I believed that what Jesus had fulfilled would be fulfilled in me and my family.

On the day before the final interview for the green card, I earnestly prayed with my pastor and other church members for its passage. God answered, “Do not worry. I will take care of it.”

At the interview, the INS officer asked me and my husband no questions. We were just sitting there quietly. It was hard to believe that the petition was granted effortlessly. I kept asking my lawyer, “Is it really done?” According to God’s answer, the entire procedure was completed flawlessly with no hassle. Finally, we became permanent residents in the USA.

I give my best thanks to God, who called on my family to the Korean Church of Bethlehem, and helped us meet His sincere servants, Pastor Yohan and Pastor Elisha. With their spiritual guidance my husband and I overcame the severe oppression of dark power and received the green card. I love Christ Jesus, who came to this world to free the oppressed like us.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed
me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me
to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight
for the blind, to release the oppressed,” (Luke 4:18 NIV)

God Gave Me a Business

After I became the member of the Korean Church of Bethlehem and received the spiritual healing counseling, my life burst into bloom. I suffered financially from the first time that I came to this church. To make more money I decided to work on Sunday. But, my pastor advised me not to break the Christian’s fundamental rule, and to observe Sunday and not to follow human ways, but God’s way by consulting with God in prayer. I repented for my foolishness and weak faith before God and firmly determined to devote myself to God the entire Sunday.

The next day, when my boss asked me to work one more day on weekdays, momentarily, I was touched that God would open up a door to make more income after my repentance. I was thankful to God’s acknowledgement of my heart in prayer.

One day at the workplace there was an incidence that my boss mistreated me. I felt severe humiliation and damage on my pride. All day long I could not get over the emotion. I made up my mind to quit the job and went to the church prayer meeting that night. I asked God to help me find a different job. However, God answered me that no matter what the trouble was, I must stay at the current job and apologize to my boss. In addition, from now on I must be submissive to my boss, be an example to my fellow workers at work and be acknowledged as a sincere Christian by practicing Jesus’ love for them. His answer was not acceptable to me because I was in emotional turmoil at that time. My pastor persuaded me to obey God. I could not resist what God wanted me to do. The following day, I took down my pride and ego. I apologized to my boss and begged forgiveness on my rudeness. It seemed that God was pleased to see my obedience to Him.

I diligently tried to practice the word of God in my daily life. Especially, I tried very hard to act and say righteously before my fellow workers, and to show earnest attitude of mind as the salt and light of Jesus at work.

A year later, I started to cherish a hope for my own business. At the church prayer meeting I prayed to God to fulfill my hope. God answered that he would plan to give me a good business, but, he did not want me to waste my time to go out and look for one on my own. Instead, he wanted me to dedicate my time to build an intimate relationship with Him by reading the Bible, worshiping, and praying. It was not understandable with my human thought. How could I find a good business without searching for it? However, I decided to obey His answer just like Abraham, who took God’s instruction with faith.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

I trusted in this verse and concentrated on making God pleased every day.

When I received a phone call from an evangelist of a church who wanted to show me a good business, I was really tempted. But, I thought of God’s
answer that made me refuse her temptation. I swore to myself to more firmly trust in God only. Later I heard she defrauded several people in the same way she did to me. I was grateful that thanks to relying on God I was able to avoid a crook without any damage.

One day there was a surprise for me at work. My boss suggested that I take over his current business. I immediately remembered my prayer saying, “Please grant me a business as prosperous as this store.” How badly I wanted it! I never dreamt that my boss intended to sell such a great business to anybody. It was almost a miracle that he did not even put it on the market and offered it to me directly. With surprise I asked him why he thought I was the right person for the business even though I barely could afford it financially. His reply was stunning: “It might be God’s will.” Until that time I could not understand why God told me not to search any business.

I gave a thousand thanks in tears to God, who brought to me such a miracle in purchasing this greatly prosperous business with an unbelievable reasonable price. The good God rewarded me with such a great reward for my obedience in seeking to make Him pleased.

God gave me this business. Therefore, I serve Him as the boss of the business and I am an operations manager who implements His instructions. Through the business whose owner is the Almighty God who gove rns the entire universe I will try to do my best for the glory of God.

The Sun of Righteousness

I live in Tennessee. I became a Christian over 30 years ago and did a lot of voluntary work at church as a deaconess. But, I was not sure if I was saved or not. I had no experience in meeting God personally. The voluntary work for church was not based on my faith, but was for showing off to people. I had also only heard of the spiritual world as head knowledge without real experience.

Looking back at my 51 years of life, ever since my teens I had felt no happiness, only heavy oppression. I always suffered from numerous unknown physical problems. My blood pressure went up to 160 and 200 and came down; my heart was beating loudly so that people around me could hear it; I always had an unbearably heavy feeling in the lower part of my body; my head felt as if it would burst; my feet were cold as ice; and I had severe depression that made me stay in bed all the time. Frequently, I had to go to the emergency room by ambulance. Although no doctors could find the cause, they still prescribed medicines to ease my pain. I took so many medicines every day.

My husband and children did not have any sympathy for my suffering because they thought I was feigning illness. I was in extreme despair, pain, and agony, and knew I would die soon. For a last farewell I called my sister who lives in New Jersey. My sister said I could be healed if I sought help from the two pastors engaged in the healing ministry in NJ. I flew to New Jersey the next day and met Pastor Yohan and Pastor Elisha of the Korean Church of Bethlehem.

Through the spiritual healing counseling with Pastor Elisha I learned that the cause of my physical problem was spiritual by the powers of darkness. For
over two months I had counseling sessions with Pastor Elisha and also learned God’s spiritual truth through Pastor’ Yohan’s preaching during Sunday services. The two pastors put their hands on me and prayed for healing. According to their instruction I dedicated all of my time, heart, and energy to God every day.

Finally, I experienced God’s miraculous healing power when two pastors put their hand on me for prayer. From then on, the sun of God’s righteousness rose with healing and shone upon me. I was healed! After I came back home in Tennessee, I had more confidence in healing during my prayer. My doctors told me that I no longer needed to take prescribed medicines.

“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness
will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and
leap like calves released from the stall.” (Malachi 4:2 NIV)