My story started over 12 years ago when my hip pain began. Before the pain, I had lived in poverty and experienced a long life of trauma and pain, and abuse. Once the pain started, it progressed throughout my entire body. I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis and began low-dose chemo treatments to slow the progression of it down, but no cure was available. My bones started to fuse and damage all my joints and my spine slowly and very painfully as I was constantly getting injections to try to keep the inflammation low. Each day became literally 24-7 pain, stiffness, swelling, and burning throughout my body. I could not go out in the cold as cold felt like a knife cutting my bones in the middle, and I would cry from the extreme pain. My stiffness was so bad that waking up each morning was the worst part of my day, every day. I had also been diagnosed with PTSD, Severe Anxiety, and Chronic Depression due to the pain I was living with. I had a fentanyl patch on daily and additional pain pills in my purse for breakthrough extra pain meds to control what doctors could not cure, fix or stop. On top of that, I suffered from almost daily migraines and was taking other medication to help with my anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia. One Sunday morning, Ken called for anyone with Cancer or a long-term sickness to come up and pray for healing. Now I have prayed and been prayed for hundreds of times throughout my years, and nothing has ever happened aside from getting more sick. But this Sunday, something strange happened. As Ken came closer person by person, I began to freeze, and my body began to shake. I stayed and kept praying. By the time Ken put his hands on my head/neck, I was done. The freezing and shaking were so bad I felt like I was having a seizure, and then I blacked out. I could hear myself screaming in tongues, and I could hear Ken praying in tongues as I kept shaking now, and my pain was almost all gone now. From being sick for so long, I do have lots of bone damage, but I know each day I am still being healed, and one day soon, it will be 100% gone. I have never felt so much relief from pain and stress in my entire life as I do today. I honestly never once believed God wanted me healed, so I accepted my lot in life as God will use it for His glory. I am so grateful to God for the obedience of Ken and Clayton right now. Being able just to wake up and get out of bed now, each morning feels like I am walking out of the invisible wheelchair I have been in for over a decade. I am healed.
I learned much about deliverance at the Spiritual Warfare conference that was held at Free Life Church. Previously, I had been delivered from narcolepsy during a healing event, so I had a degree of faith in deliverance. However, I did not know that I needed deliverance from things in my childhood and in my family. At the conference, I decided that I no longer wanted to deal with my bipolar issues, that I had full faith God could uproot this disorder from my life, a disorder I have had my entire life and one that also runs in my family. I had an odd confidence, a readiness to be rid of it, an almost angry feeling for it to not affect me anymore. Two wonderful women met me upfront and prayed with me, some of which was for unity within myself. During this, someone had come to the left of me and stood behind me, placing a hand so lightly on my back, and they said “mm-hmm.” When I turned to peek at who it was, no one was there, and not anywhere behind me. I believe an angel had come to minister with these two women, and I cried. I have continued to be delivered from bipolar since. Not only was I delivered from a mental disorder, but I prayed for an entire evening to God that day, asking for deliverance from all sorts of things, two of which were unusually physically hard for me to do. I surrendered everything to Him. For an entire 24 hours after that evening, I had a peace within me, a calm where nothing could make me upset, even throughout my workday. I did not eat a single thing for those 24 hours. I was simply full already. – A
My name is Katalina Chetty
I was once a very active person who loved life to its fullest. I enjoyed reaching out to people in need and engaged in a lot of community projects through ballroom dancing shows with my team of dancers on a voluntary basis.
I had an active and very demanding job which I loved in marketing and events.
In 2020 I moved to an apartment in Umhlanga Durban South Africa, which was closer to the offices that I had worked for.
I was enjoying my new apartment and the presence of the Lord in this apartment. The scripture that kept coming to my mind was, He healed my sickness and removed my disease. I wondered why this kept coming to my mind but paid no heed to it.
Sadly, though a week later I was retrenched from my job, but still continued to enjoy the anointing of praise and worship to the Lord that was on me.
Two weeks later, I started to bleed profusely and was in a lot of pain. I went to many physicians who were not able to make the right diagnosis and prescribed over-the-counter medication for me which only made my condition worse.
The bleeding continued and the pain started to get severe.
I was then referred to a surgeon Dr. Naidoo who upon inspection discovered that I had a tumour.
On 17 November 2020, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
I was devastated as I was on my own and had taken care of both my parents since the age of 19 and continued to support my mum when my dad passed on. My Mum lived with me at the time but has since moved to a retirement home, as I was no longer able to take care of her.
Shortly thereafter I was booked in for surgery of a stoma, I was so scared as I was on my own and didn’t know what to expect. I was discharged from the hospital with excruciating pain and painkillers two days later.
A week later I was booked in for chemo treatment, radiation, and further surgery from hereon.
Chemo, radiation, needles, pain, surgery, tears, and being laid up in bed became my regular pattern of life thereafter.
I cried so much during this time but hung on to the promise that God had given me, despite my oncologist and my surgeon telling me that it is stage 4 and that there was no hope for me.
I was then invited to a service by a very dear friend of mine who has actually become a dad to me.
He said to me that Ken Grenfell is preaching at Immanuel church and you have got to come to experience falling under the power of the Holy Spirit. Uncle Phillip told me he was also healed from cancer when he was prayed for by Ken some time back. Uncle Phillip did say to me that I was going to receive a touch from the Lord.
I was so eager as I had suffered so much and I went with expectancy to this meeting of being delivered from cancer and receiving my healing.
After the service, I assisted uncle Phillip to the front to be prayed for. I then asked Ken to pray for me. He said sure and laid his hands on me in prayer. I started to heave quite profusely as Ken took authority over the spirit of infirmity, sickness, and destruction and commanded it to go.
I felt lighter thereafter, I felt that I had received a touch from God and that Jesus had completely healed me.
In the days to follow, I felt like a completely new person. I could not stop dancing in praise to the Lord, it was so natural. I was just rejoicing in the Lord and had so much energy to dance all day and even at night. It was a glorious season in my life as I experienced the power of God in a totally new dimension.
However, I still had two treatments to finish and decided to still go ahead knowing full well that Jesus had already healed me. I also told the oncologist that Jesus had healed me and asked for them to bring the scans forward which they could not do until my treatments were over.
Much to my amazement the treatment didn’t work for me and I came off it.
I was then booked for a scan which was brought forward by 2 months. My results from the scan showed clear and that there was no trace of cancer.
To God Be the Glory. Thanks to uncle Phillip for inviting me to this service and thank you to Pastor Ken Grenfell and Michelle for praying for me for my breakthrough and healing after almost 2 and a half years of pain and suffering.
I had most of my colon removed as well as my rectum and painful surgeries all over my stomach. I am on a stoma bag but have peace now to know that God has healed me and that He has a plan for my life.
My journey with cancer has definitely made me a better person of me and has drawn me so much closer to Jesus.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” Ephesians 3:20
I would like to share how God healed a physical problem I’ve had since a surgery I had in 2014. I’ve been having trouble swallowing since I had surgery for a removal of a hernia I had some awful testing they found nothing wrong, so I just lived with it. Fast forward to August 2020 and October 2020, two more hernia surgeries, I told this doctor about the swallowing problems I had for 6 years now. He repeated the same test and found nothing. He said my esophagus was clean no obstructions. So, again, I just lived with it, I wasn’t putting myself through those awful tests again to come up with the same answer. It bothered my family a lot because the enjoyment of going out to eat or even a family dinner was most always interfered with me getting the food out of my throat. What would happen is my throat would just stop the food from go to my stomach, and then of course I had to stop eating.
After I met with you, I went home and slept as I was drained physically. When it came to dinner it was always a bummer, because I never knew what food would would trigger my swallowing issue. But that night dread wasn’t there, and I thought immediately about you touching my throat so I could speak. I wondered if God healed that? Lisa had said in the car on the way over that she always thought the throat issues were something more than a medical problem. Ken I could feel my throat was open, it’s hard to explain how it feels, but something was different for sure. With apprehension I made what I knew was a trigger food, pasta. I intentionally didn’t cut it up small. I knew if I had episode I could help myself and not choke. Ken, God healed me, I don’t remember what you said when you touched my throat, but Jesus freed me Ken, I can swallow! I tried everything that would trigger it, nothing. Then I stopped and accepted his gift to me. I am his child.
The night before Clive texted me and informed me that Ken would be teaching on deliverance, from that moment I knew that God would be dealing with me the next morning, but I had no idea to what extent.
As I drove to church I go off the freeway into the short north and just began to weep because I felt the Presence of the Lord so strongly. I wasn’t worshiping or even in a place of trying to receive at this point. As Ken began to teach I felt the weight of what he was teaching on and the weight of the Presence of the Lord so strongly that I had to hold myself up by keeping my hands on my knees. As well nearly the entire time he taught, I felt like I was about to vomit. While Ken was wrapping things up and going through the list of things that people might need deliverance, I knew that I needed set free from just about everyone. Specifically the ones I felt strongest were: Fear of abandonment, Unforgiveness (towards myself and others), Unholy habits, Ungodly relationships, Past traumas. But I walked out of church on Saturday feeling more free than I have maybe ever!
Then on Sunday Josh approached me and told me he felt like he was supposed to pray for me again. So after the second service, he did and I believe he got the words, “Holy Spirit wants to fill you again…” out and I felt the power of God flow into me and I don’t remember much after that, but I’m convinced that I’ve never been more in love with Jesus myself and the life that He has given me.
I could write a novel on all that God did this week in me. But how I will best describe it is God answered my prayer to see more of His Father’s heart and how to live in my identity as His daughter, free from striving for His love.
The week leading up to Ken and Josh being here, I felt so blocked. I prayed for forgiveness for earthy father and for freedom from performing and striving for His love that felt it stemmed out of the last words my dad spoke to me of “when you’re ready to be a good daughter, call me.”
That first night Ken called Pete and I up and he prayed and released a heaviness off of me and prayed a removal of the poisonous words spoken over me. I knew it was a removal from the words my dad spoke. I knew I was delivered from those words I legitimately felt something extract from my body. Then I was light, full of joy, and knew what freedom felt like. My prayers were answered. I had never felt more seen and loved by Father than in that moment.
Last week, (August 1, 2021) while Ken and Josh were speaking, (sharing something of what happened on a trip to Ohio) I went up for healing for carpal tunnel. While being prayed for, I felt my joints popping and warmth throughout my hand! I could feel the pain leaving my hand and arm. I went home and could do work at home with no pain. When I got up the next morning, I could flex my hand with no swelling or pain for the first time in years. Each day, my hand has had less pain, swelling and discomfort. I can now do things I couldn’t do for the last several years! Thank you Jesus!
Testimony from Gareth
Dear Ken
We’ve never met – not face to face at least. But I was lucky enough to recently be drawn to the” restoring the well” website and there I read an article written by your good self, entitled “Love and Freedom”.
It reminded me of a time much earlier in my life where I experienced what I can only describe as a divine revelation. I have no doubt God that spoke to me that day and for a while I was held in loving arms. It was a wondrous experience and one that remains with me to this day, despite the many trials and tribulations I have experienced since.
Sadly I was unable to stay on my path and wandered off course for a while Eventually, and I won’t bore you with the details, I ended up as one of the “broken, bound and bankrupt”, locked in a severe depression and unable to forgive myself for the hurt I had unintentionally caused friends and family. To the outside world I had suffered a mental illness but deep inside I know that it was a spiritual malady that had laid me so low.
Finally, I am resurfacing after 3 years in the wilderness having lost my house, my home, my profession, and most of my “friends”. Although I now have very little, I feel as though I have everything, and for the first time in my life, I no longer feel lonely as I finally listen to the soothing voice from above that calls me to pastures new.
Where this calling will lead me, I do not know. What I do know is that I am finally back on my path. The line in your passage “The glorious message of the cross is that there is no person so broken, bound or bankrupt that God cannot restore to freedom and empower to love” spoke directly to me, as if spoken by God himself.
Finally, I was able to summon the courage to forgive myself and, in that moment, knew that I had to hand myself over to God so that I too could recover my dignity and desire for life. In writing this email I would like to bear witness to the wondrous and loving power of God and to thank you personally for sharing your words of wisdom.
Sent with kind regards and best wishes.
Gareth
Testimony by Tegan Peterson
When I was 15 years old, I became ill. It was a combination of a chronic virus, chronic excruciating pain, and hyperacusis- extreme pain that comes with sound. I was sick for 3 years. My life was ripped away from me- I lost almost all my friends, I could no longer attend school, and could not participate in my great passion, Irish dancing.
The thing about excruciating pain is that it travels to all parts of your body, so while it was my auditory nerves that were shredded, my entire body was in intense pain. My headaches were bad enough that at first the doctors thought I had a brain tumour or brain bleed.
Sometimes the pain was so bad I could barely breathe. Sometimes it was so bad I couldn’t move, it was as if I was paralyzed. Sometimes I truly thought I was about to die. I was never suicidal, but when the pain was at that level, although I did not want to die, I needed to go to Heaven and be with Jesus and be free of the suffering. The illness and pain would last for 3 long years. The first 1.5 years I can barely remember as the pain has wiped my memory, which I think was a mercy from God. For 2.5 years I was too ill to even leave the house. The last 6 months there were some improvements, but I was still very frail and had constant pain with numerous bad relapses when I could not get out of bed.
The pain was centred in my ears, we think I was attacked there so I wouldn’t be able to hear God’s words. However, the remarkable thing about these 3 years was that I never- not once- felt angry or bitter or depressed or hopeless. A few times I felt sad, but immediately I ‘righted my compass’ and looked to God and the sadness went away, only ever lasting for a few seconds. None of my many doctors or non-Christian friends could believe this. They were shocked that I was not depressed and was so full of peace, hope, and even joy. Everyone who walked into my house said they immediately felt at peace.
The entire 3 years I only felt an all encompassing peace, God protected my heart in a way I didn’t know was possible. My family and doctors tried so many medicines and therapies and nothing really helped, yet instead of despair I felt strongly there was an important purpose for all this and even a whisper of ‘not yet’. Looking back on journal entries, some which were written when I was in extreme pain and could barely breathe, the phrases that repeat again and again are ‘my heart feels as if it is soaring’ and ‘thank you God’.
My faith was a bright shining light that could not be dimmed. This was truly a gift from God.
This summer, I felt a shift in my heart. I had a picture of a large red ball that was at the top of a hill, starting to roll. It was going faster and faster, and I knew it would get to a speed when nothing could stop it. God told me this was about my healing. God also told me that great things, powerful things, and wonderful things would happen this year. A final conviction I had was that this would be a year of healing.
Nearly exactly 3 years after I became ill, my church had a weekend conference led by Ken Grenfell. It was only the second time I was physically well enough to go to church. On Friday night, a young woman came up to me and said that she had a burning message from God for me. She said ‘God feels your burden. He feels your pain, and He loves you so, so much’. She had no idea I had been ill.
Saturday was my third time at church, and it was a miracle I was able to stay the whole day because as normal I had no stamina. But I prayed to God for strength, and I knew He wanted me there, so I stayed with very little problem of being tired. During worship, we sang the song “Take Courage”. There’s a line that goes ‘hold on to your hope / as your triumph unfolds’. As soon as I saw the word triumph, I knew that was for me from God. The entire time I was ill I had been calling it a trial, yet I said I was so thankful for it because of how I grew closer to God. But I knew then that it was a TRIUMPH, not a trial- it had been a triumph from the second I became ill.
On Saturday afternoon there was a ministry session. As soon as I walked in I felt a tenseness in my shoulders that I could not loosen and my stomach was churning. When it was time for prayer, I was the third person Ken prayed for. I was shaking and sobbing with the power of the Holy Spirit. Ken made me look in his eyes, and I desperately wanted to but I couldn’t for very long because of the Holiness I saw there. In his eyes I saw the infinite and indescribable Love of God. I have no words for the experience.
In total, Ken prayed for me three times. Three times I felt a lovely golden warmth in and around my ears. It was as if hands were cupping them. After the second time, I took off my sound generators. They were similar to hearing aids and a treatment for hyperacusis. If I didn’t wear them, I would be in excruciating pain. But God told me to take them off, and so I did. I placed them in my mom’s hands and told her I didn’t need them anymore. After the final time Ken prayed, I turned to my mom and said ‘It’s done. I’m healed’.
God gave me a miraculous healing. He lifted the burden, He lifted the pain. And so the triumph was completed.
Immediately after I was healed, God told me to pray for two other people. My mom says I marched over to them with such authority, and it’s really not in my personality to do that. But I was overflowing with something, and I knew I had to pray for them.
I no longer wear the sound generators and I am completely healed. A little bit of pain stuck around for a few days, but I just said to it, ‘No. You have no place here, God healed me. You are not from God.’ The pain abated, and now a week and a half later it is completely gone.
During the illness, I started feeling a call to mission work. I didn’t know when I would be well enough to do that, but now I can. I can’t wait to see what God has in store!
The entire time I was ill, I prayed and prayed that I would have a testimony that would touch and encourage even just one person. This reminds me of the verse that God will give you more than you could ever ask for or imagine. My testimony and miraculous healing are already being heard by others, and if it helps just one person that is all I could ever want.
What a great weekend with this guy at @revchurchvancouver!! I first met Ken Grenfell 10yrs ago when I was a young mom. I was insecure at that time in my motherhood. I felt intimidated by the other moms around me. Professional women with university degrees, they seemed so accomplished and shiny to me. “My name is Dana, I’m just a mom.” That was how I introduced myself to Ken. He went after that like a bulldog challenging me and encouraging me. My baby didn’t care if I had a plaque on the wall or owned a house or any of that stuff. God had blessed me with a child and being a mother is a high calling. That has always stayed with me. What an incredible time we have had during this Freedom Weekend. God is on the move and we are hungry for Him. He is setting free and taking us further on in the life of Christ. I’m SOoooo thankful for the body of Christ and the office of the apostle.
This weekend was life changing for me.
I grew up with abuse in my life on many levels. Sometimes it was subtle other times it was physical. The rest of the world only saw the good deeds my parents did but behind closed doors there was alcohol abuse, inappropriate innuendo toward and about women, a passive father figure and a strong abusive matriarchal influence in the home.
As the middle child, I was the scapegoat. Often in these types of family systems, particularly when there is a narcissistic parent, there is also a golden child. Thus was the case in my family. As I grew up under the oppressive nature in the home, I was ever insecure and over compensated on many levels in different ways in my life. I became involved with drugs and alcohol and was very promiscuous.
I came to faith when I was 29 years old and I was radically transformed. God removed addiction immediately from my life and my whole life was Him. I was and am in LOVE with JESUS!!!
Because of the abuse, I have done much inner healing and counselling and God has transformed me. From Glory to Glory He continues to reveal His nature to me.
An area I have struggled in on my 23 year journey in faith has been in the area of rejection and insecurity. As of late, it has been the area I have felt Holy Spirit putting his finger on this last 2 years. He wants me Free.
When Ken Grenfell came to minister to us at Revolution Church for the Freedom Weekend, I was there to serve leading the Worship. I came expectant, longing to see God move in others and if at all possible in my own life. During the ministry portion on the weekend I had honestly felt that there was not going to be anything I needed ministry for ( silly I know) but I felt that I had done a lot of my own inner work and was not wanting to take away from what others there attending, may have needed.
As Ken began to list the things we may have felt leading up to the weekend that would be indicators that we may need deliverance for, I didn’t think that there was anything for me, and then God dropped the words “rejection and Insecurity” into my mind and I began to feel compelled to repent and ask for forgiveness for bitterness toward my mother (my abuser) and my sister, the two women in my life who I longed for affirmation from but never seemed to get. As I finished talking to God in my heart, Ken said “ if you are sensing the LORD moving in you and talking to you specifically about the word ‘“rejection”’ I want you to stand up.” Immediately I stood up. I had my eyes closed so I’m not sure how many other people stood, but Ken began to move toward me and began praying for deliverance. He spoke precisely to the issue within me. Saying things like “no more cowering, its ok, come out from the corner” and immediately I was taken to multiple memories of being bullied, abused and cornered and so fearful, from the youngest memory. He then began to prophesy over me things that I have heard the Lord speak to me regarding my identity and who I am in Him, how I am known in heaven and my calling and anointing. At the end Ken had me look at his face and I knew I was seeing Jesus. It was Ken, but it was Jesus, and I know that I know that I know that I am free from the spirit of rejection and low self worth that was on me. I am claiming for my daughters as well. Praise the LORD!
Oh, what miracles our family experienced this past weekend through the very kind visit of Ken, Michelle and Josh!
We learned so much during the classes they provided. Deep truths that penetrated to our hearts.
During prayer times, we were renewed!
Thankfully, a friend captured the time in prayer over our son which makes it possible for us to relive and share the absolute beauty of The Father’s healing, renewing, refreshing, teaching and blessing over a young man who is moving forward in His Joy!
My sweet husband was renewed in prayer! Such tenderness was given to him! Josh- you are overflowing with His tenderness! My husband was encouraged to try again to heal a relationship with his earthly father. My husband, my son and I went straight to his father’s house. His father received us into his home! He even allowed my husband and son to pray for him!
Praise The Lord!
I received prayer this weekend too.
The encouragement from Michelle was so great that my heart overflows even now. I also received prayer for freedom. I know that I was physically looking at Ken’s eyes but I saw Jesus in my spirit!
We will be thankful forever for the love of Jesus.
God spoke in many ways, some things were quite personal. But one thing that I want to mention here, was seeing Jesus in Kens eyes, I totally forgot about Ken. Then I was hugged, and it didn’t make me think I’m hugging Ken at all, I was hugged and loved by the Father. Tears roll down my eyes as I’m writing this. His love made everything alive again, restored my hope and faith. I grew up without getting daddy hugs as my dad was absent, and that little moment made me feel like that lack of a fathers love never happened and never affected me. It reversed the damage in my soul.
Also, another reverse effect was that I had to deal with anger in my life (again something I received when growing up) and felt hopeless and condemned, because I tried so so so hard not to have those outbursts but always failed.
Jesus broke that in my life and I believe I was delivered from it. Now I need to practically deal with that temptation when it tries to arise, but I will have the ability and power to overcome. I was bound – but now I’m free! I’m not a slave to it any longer – praise God! And last but not least, Jesus showed me that I’m not guilty of it. I felt so condemned and guilty – but Jesus took it upon himself and nailed it to the cross. I’m now empowered and guilt free. Funny thing is, In my mind I always knew all this …. but His power and presence made this freedom a tangible reality. Hallelujah Praise Jesus
I really struggled to come up. I debated, I fought, I laid down ‘a fleece’ even and then when God made it crystal clear I got into the line. I thought to myself: you have a chance to hear from God, why wouldn’t you want that? So up I went… I felt like Jesus met me right there and it was 100% Him speaking to me. He spoke to everything in my heart and I went away and all I could think of was when the women at the well went away and said “He told me everything I ever did”. I went away feeling, “He told me everything I ever felt or thought.” Ever since then I have a fresh hunger for the word and fellowship with Him.
I was amazed and excited at the number of words, prophecies, encouragements and prayers that were so accurate, it was very clear that the Father was speaking to us 🙂
Personally, I was challenged and encouraged by Ken, at the meetings, but more during a meal or even a card game, to walk closer with Jesus. I have become dulled by day-to-day administration and routine, that I had lost the closeness of my relationship with Jesus. I feel a change of gears.
“Ask for physical healing? Or spiritual?” Was my big debate as the line drew closer and closer to Ken. “How on earth are you going to describe all the questions your hearts longing for God to answer right now? Just tell him about your hips.”
Then it was my turn. It was wonderful to be prayed for for healing, but as the prayer came to an end my heart screamed to God to please have something for it as well.
Then the words came. Were they really from Ken? Because I heard Jesus- standing there holding my face in his hands speaking to the questions of my heart, and like a caring Father, confirming and directing me. I sobbed in his embrace and felt healing where I needed it most.
I also wept at the words He had for friends. It felt like Bible times where Jesus touched and healed and spoke and loved on the crowd. No one was turned away.
Just one touch.
Ken had spoken about his relationship with his earthly father and it brought up a lot of memories of my earthly father. My father left when I was three and I have not seen or spoken to him since. While he was there I was told that my many visits to the hospital were do to him. This left me with a lot of anger and hatred that I still struggle with to this day. I had decided that I needed help with this and approached Ken and he began to pray over me. Funny thing is I didn’t tell him what I needed prayer for he just started praying. He also didn’t pray about my hatred and anger. Instead he prayed about the tenderness inside me that I have suppressed and that I need to let it out. I now see that I have been focusing on the wrong things and that I do have a Father who loves me.
When I went forward for prayer I was not even sure what I wanted or needed; just that I felt like I had to go. But I thought I will just go and see what God has for me. …And it was like he reached right into the deepest part of my heart/soul; He spoke words that I did not even realize I needed. He spoke a release from a weight of guilt for something that was beyond my control, beyond my power to protect. Guilt that was having an effect on my family and my marriage. Because I blamed myself; I thought surely my husband must blame me also. I know now this has caused me to lash out in anger where there was no condemnation. Ken asked my husband if it was alright to hug me. . It stopped being Ken hugging me…it was God himself. And as he held me the guilt was gone and I felt such complete and total love. Since then it is like I am seeing things with new eyes; clearer with a fresh perspective. And I look in the mirror and see a daughter of the most high God.
by Anonymous
Chicago, USA
On January 18th, 2016, I woke up with my limbs alternating in numbness and pain. This is not unusual. For the past 18 months it’s been a challenge that dogged me daily. Always varying in intensity, duration and location it was difficult to diagnose, apparently impossible to treat, and something that disrupted my life. Throughout the day my legs settled down, my left arm became mostly functional, but my right arm got worse. I couldn’t grip or feel anything. My arm felt like a dead thing hanging at my side until it would spasm or shoot with flares of pain. It hadn’t been quite this bad for many days. My right arm was useless and dragging the rest of me down with it.
Three of our church Connect Groups gathered together that evening for a time of teaching and prayer. There were two people in the room I hadn’t yet spoken with or met. During prayer one of those two, a woman I did not know, had a prophetic word for me: “I see you with a pencil and paper.” Half the room chuckled. God has called me to write the stories He gives me and it is something many know and have supported in prayer. This reminder was both encouraging and frustrating—I want to obey, but am physically unable to write much of the time due to this frequent numbness and pain.
Yes, I spent a season in disobedience trying to make God’s call into something it was not, but once convicted of that, I repented. Several months later, still trying to obey and write, I constantly run into obstacles I fight to overcome but cannot get past. Doctors seemed to not hear the words I said describing my pain and numbness. Treatments and medicines had little or no effect. When I felt well enough to write there was often no place to do so, or once I began the numbness and pain would quickly set in. After receiving prayer for the condition many times I began to lose hope it would ever go away.
So, to be given a confirming word to write when there was no way I could do so, spurred me to ask for healing prayer. As Michelle and I began to pray not much happened with my arm. God began showing me images of being stuck behind a foggy wall with dark skies overhead. We prayed through some more and eventually got to my heart—where healing needed to happen. As God began to breathe His resurrection life into my hurting and broken heart, His restorative power started pumping into all the cells and tissues of my body. My arm tingled—prickly and sore—but I could feel it again. Though stiff and still clumsy, something had begun. God started a process deep within: a change in my heart that is now affecting other parts of myself and my life. Changes I may have to wait to see or understand, but one thing is certain, I am no longer the same.
Thirty minutes later I had full use of my right arm. No numbness. No pain. Michelle encouraged me to write down what God had shown me. As I did so my right hand began to tingle again as I gripped the pen. “I do not receive that,” I said. It went away.
by Mindy Myers
Ohio, USA
I felt very encouraged and my faith had increased from our time with Michelle and Ken Grenfell.
The following week a co-worker came to me saying she had knee pain and couldn’t extend her leg.
I asked her to sit and at the same time I heard Gods voice to pray for her knee to be healed so I took hold of her leg and prayed, within seconds her knee popped , she said “Did you hear my knee it popped!” So amazed at Gods goodness yes I heard her knee pop!
She exclaimed for all to hear that “Mindy barely touched me and my knee is healed now!” It was Gods healing hand on her knee that day, she does not understand God healed her. Pray for her eyes to be opened to the truth of Gods love for her!
by Wendy Willoughby
Ohio, USA
How incredible it is that God so knows the desires of our hearts and ministers to us so tenderly.
What a joy it was to have Ken and Michelle visit us at our young church in Columbus OH and how God ministered to so many of us through them – especially their encouragement and ministry to us grandparents!!
It was a special precious time.
On Saturday evening as Ken began praying for groups of people I sensed the Holy Spirit was touching me. When Ken prayed for me it felt like someone had knocked the back of my knees, hard, and I couldn’t stand.
There was such a lovely presence of the Holy Spirit and during this time I had a picture of a group of healthy looking trees of various shapes and sizes with netting around them – like the netting that is put around Christmas trees to enable one to transport them easily. I believe that the Holy Spirit was removing the ‘netting’ and bringing freedom to areas of my life where restriction had crept in. I had been praying about these areas and am so thankful for the Holy Spirit to come in power and break that yoke.
by Talley Hess
Virginia, USA
I awoke one morning and could not get out of bed. My lower back was in excruciating pain and I could barely move! Slowly I was able to roll myself out of the bed to the floor, but I could not stand up. I had to crawl to the wall and cautiously inch my way up the wall until l could stand, all the while in debilitating pain. I didn’t know what had happen to my back as I had retired to bed the night before feeling healthy with no presenting back issues. All day, I was in intense pain and while I could slowly walk, I could not or would not sit down as I couldn’t bare the pain when bending over.
The following day was a Sunday and I didn’t know how I was going to get to church as just the thought of getting in and out of the car seemed impossible. However, I knew church was exactly where I needed to be…in a corporate atmosphere of praise, worship, expectancy and God’s presence!
I made it to service and I sat the entire time as I could not stand up without making a scene. When service was over my husband Glenn accompanied to the front for healing prayer ministry. Ken Grenfell, prayed for me along with my husband Glenn. After a few minutes, the prayer was over and instantly I was healed. I lifted one leg – no pain, I bent forward – no pain, the next thing I knew I screamed out “I am healed, God Healed me”. It was such a natural exclamation of joy and thanksgiving, much like the response of the lame man in scripture when Peter said: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. Acts 3:6-8
Later that evening, I felt a slight nagging, soreness start to return. I rebuked the pain and declared that the pain had been defeated and God had fully healed me. I commanded the pain to leave in Jesus name and praise God…it left me!
When Jesus was crucified, he bore the stripes for us and he made the payment for our healing. The work of healing has been accomplished; our posture is to receive his provision and to rejoice, be glad and to testify to his goodness so others may freely receive.
Praise God for his all sufficient love toward his children, full of salvation, healing, deliverance, compassion and mercy…he is my good, loving Father!
by Val
Chicago, USA
Shortly after I lost my job in January 2010, I knew I was entering a season of healing and breakthrough. My first task was to stand on God’s promises and to practice diligently what He’d been teaching me over the past several years – to take every thought captive, replacing fear and negativity with praise, worship and meditation on His word. He graciously led me to a handful of promise scriptures, and kept me there, day after day, for well over a year.
Last summer I had a dream. This wasn’t anything new; my dreams have long been insightful and prophetic, and I can track my mental, emotional, and spiritual growth through them, going at least as far back as high school. This one was especially troubling however, and as I prayed for interpretation, God revealed that He (and therefore, I) was ready to tackle the two biggest, most impactful issues in my life, issues that have plagued me for the past 40 years.
The first had to do with familial relationships. As I was praying about it, the Spirit put a phrase into my head, a phrase that I had never heard. I looked it up on the internet, and sure enough, there were books on it. These enabled me to understand and name the issue before me, which in turn enabled me to take a stand against it, binding spirits and praying for release. The results weren’t outwardly dramatic; I just woke up one day and knew that I was free from that particular curse, and soon after, I began to see the outward manifestation of that freedom.
The second issue raised in my dream, related to walls of self-protection, was not so “easy” to address. I cried out to God, meditated on scripture, bound spirits, focused on God’s word and promises, prayed continually – and made very little progress. I had minor breakthroughs: greater understanding here, a new level of forgiveness there, deeper revelation of God’s love and grace; but something was holding me back.
A few weeks ago before Ken came to minister at the retreat, the Lord told me very clearly that while I was doing all I could do, scripturally, to face this issue, it wasn’t going to be enough. I needed deliverance. Just that knowledge brought me great relief.
When Ken told us that he was going to teach on spiritual warfare, my ears perked up. Halfway through Friday’s session, I knew this was my time. By the end of the Saturday morning session I told God I would not let go/leave that place until I had received my blessing/breakthrough! I also told Ken over lunch that day that I was going to be first in line for prayer, and that I’d push people out of the way if I had to. He laughed and said he liked my spirit. I’m not sure he knew how serious I was!
Ken started by asking those who felt God had called them to help set captives free to stand. I stood, and while Ken prayed, I felt a burning sensation in the palms of my hands. Remembering the prophecies about my touch, I went forward when called, and was quickly slain in the Spirit. It was a marvelous experience, but as I returned to my chair, I said to God, “This is fantastic, but it’s not why I came here, and I will not leave until I’m set free.”
As Ken began to call out specific people for prayer, I felt like a little kid. In my mind, I kept begging, “Pick me! Pick me!” So when Ken called me out, I was excited and relieved, and only a little bit scared. Someone asked me later if it was embarrassing to stand in front of 70 people in that way. I had to say no, because looking into Ken’s eyes, I have never been more aware of God’s love for me, and have truly never felt safer. I knew that God was working through Ken, that I was safe with him, and that as a result, I was safe in front of my Church in the City (CITC) family.
When my session ended, I knew I was free. I also knew that while some of the stuff related to my issue would take time to work itself out, there were some things that would manifest immediately. I even shared with a friend that if I went home and didn’t see a change – that day – in one particular behavior related to food, I would know that there was more in me that had to be addressed, and I intended to go up for prayer at church over and over and over until it was done. It’s been five days now, and I can happily (ecstatically) share that this first change has indeed manifested, and I know I am free.
Of course, God being God, that’s not all. In the few weeks prior to the retreat, He was already working, starting to bring about the fulfillment of the other prophecies. After months and months of no interest at all from prospective employers, I am now actively interviewing for four great jobs. It’s clearly time for a new season in my life, and I am anticipating amazing things to open up for me over the next few months. Praise God for His goodness and faithfulness and power, and thanks to CITC for being an integral part of this marvelous process. YES!
by Erin
Chicago, USA
THE ENTIRE WEEKEND of our fall retreat flowed perfectly. What we were learning and the way the Holy Spirit was personalizing key components and fitting them into what I already understood as well as into place was amazing. On Saturday, during worship, I felt the Holy Spirit surround me in a way I hadn’t really experienced before. I felt free to drop to my knees in worship and I began to sing my own song…perhaps the Fathers song over me. “You have nothing to fear, nothing to fear….I have nothing to fear, nothing to fear..My God is Greater.” I had been internally struggling with much fear after several bizarre incidents in my neighborhood. While on my knees in worship, I began to weep…a release that I have needed. It was during that time that a couple prophetic songs and words came through about the very thing I had been singing…we have NOTHING to fear in light of WHO our GOD is!!!! I felt incredible freedom wash over me in that moment as the Lord confirmed the Word He had been ministering personally over my heart.
I think that set the tone for what that day would be for me–A day of freedom!
That night I paced the back of the room for a bit, working out what felt like random tweaks all over my body. I had a shooting pain in my back, then in my ear, then in my head, then in my shoulder…just pinging pain. I thought it bizarre and had a twinge of insight (given the weekend’s teaching) that there was something not quite right about that. When there was an opportunity for prayer, my husband and I went up. I don’t think I had any expectations…I just felt that the Lord was doing something so I wanted to stand with others in that.
As Ken began to ask me what I needed prayer for I felt extremely awkward…and those that know me would know that I don’t feel awkward very often. In fact, some might say I make it my mission in life to diffuse awkward situations by calling it out or actually creating the awkward situation by being overly silly. So it was…awkward to feel awkward. I drew a blank…I didn’t know what to pray for. My husband reminded me that I mentioned the pinging pain all over my body…and so Ken began to ask some questions. Nothing really resonated and I was readily able to say “Jesus is my Lord, I am loved and accepted” so they just began to pray. Then my husband Dave said, “You know, I just keep hearing ‘alcoholism’…alcoholism runs in her family.”
I reacted immediately. I don’t know how to explain it…I was fully present in my mind but it was as if God made a supernatural freedom bubble around me that allowed me to crack. I began buckling over, crying and say, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry” repeatedly. Ken then called on my husband to take authority over this familiar spirit. (Ken later said, Dave got a crash course in deliverance.) I ended up on the floor. Dave said I would squirm away from his hand as he tried to lay it on my head. My face was on the floor and I don’t think I heard much of what he prayed. I know he prayed in authority releasing me from the alcoholic history in my family and the resulting shame, feelings of abandonment or loneliness that came from that. Another friend and elder’s wife, Kathy, came over at some point and joined in praying for me as well. I began coughing and gagging a lot…feeling overwhelmed by tears and relief. While at one point I was unknowingly squirming away from my husband who was ministering to me, I began to find peace, stillness, and rest and when I turned my head on the floor and opened my eyes I saw his hand and grabbed it.
I am still processing what happened in that time. While I didn’t actually struggle with alcohol myself, despite my family’s battle I never felt compelled to abstain completely. Nevertheless, I felt it personally important to apply faith and action to my sure deliverance, so I am taking a fast from alcohol for an unknown length of time. I’m allowing God the space to continue working out and to cement some things He has done AND to stand in absolute resistance to a family door the enemy would just love to find a way into again.
What I do know is that I have a quietness in me that hasn’t been there before. I’ve since been in circumstances where I’ve noticed a stillness where there used to be a compulsion to argue and a quietness where there used to be anger or anxiousness. I am so curious about all this…but it tastes like freedom and feels like love…and that is more than enough!
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom”. Praise our LIVING God!
by Karen Hale
Alabama, USA
I wanted to give you all some testimonies about pregnancies from Ken’s visit to our church. First, there was a couple visiting our church, Kyle and Elizabeth, who are good friends with Andrew and Jaime, our elders. She is very new to things of the Spirit. I think she was the first lady that Ken prayed for that day, and she fell out under the Spirit, laying on the ground for quite some time. Elizabeth had miscarried twice, in April and October, just before Ken got here. Two weeks after receiving prayer that day, she found out that she was pregnant. At the time of writing, she is approximately five months along and the baby is doing great! She hasn’t had any complications and the doctors said everything is going well for both of them.
Second, we have a couple – Matt and Liz – who have been trying to get pregnant since before we got here three years ago. Matt had been diagnosed with very low sperm count. Liz didn’t have any physical complications or hindrances, and yet, they could not get pregnant. They had been doing artificial insemination for close to two years at that time. That month, after Ken prayed for them, Matt’s count had dramatically increased and they are pregnant….with TWINS! We don’t know if it was natural or artificial insemination, but nothing had been working up to that point, so either way, it’s the Lord’s goodness! She is about half way through her term with great reports from the doctors. We believe that what has been happening in the natural is surely a sign of what’s here and what’s to come for our church family and that it will be a double reward!
We just want to honor you both and say thank you for loving the beautiful bride and giving your lives for her to become all she is meant to be by walking in full inheritance with Christ, the one who’s given everything for her! Bless you both! He really is alive!
I will never forget the day that Jesus set me free from the spirit of fear that I’d been living with for 18 years. It was the day I realized just how much Jesus is the Lord of Lords. And just how much He loves me.
My story began when I was 19 years old. I had grown up in Cape Town, South Africa and had given my life to Jesus when I was 12 years old. I went to youth group, became very involved in my church, and was a youth leader by the age of 19.
Times were volatile in South Africa, but I had led a relatively sheltered life and had never experienced anything untoward. South Africa was months away from having its first democratic elections, and there had been a number of random attacks made on various public places. Gangs of “Freedom Fighters” were opening fire on restaurants.
On the night of July 25, 1995, while sitting in the evening service at St. James Church in Kenilworth, Cape Town, a gang of African Extremists burst into our church, threw in some hand grenades, and began shooting at the congregation. It was traumatic and many lives were lost; but it was also the first time I really felt the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit. As I lay on the church floor and prayed, I felt such an overwhelming presence of God’s comfort and love.
However, I now believe that in the days that followed a spirit (demon) of fear entered my life. The doctors put it down to severe Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and I assumed they were right. For three months after the incident, I suffered panic attacks twice a day and needed medication to control them. I saw fear and a possible trauma situation in everything. I was afraid to go out, and it took me at least a year to get over most of these intense symptoms, but I was trying to do it all in my own strength.
Over the next 18 years, I struggled through life. My Christian walk was difficult, and I backslid many times by trying to “fix myself”. I read so many books on fear and I received prayer, but I don’t think I realized that I had a spirit of fear in me. Rather, I thought this was just how things were since the church attack in 1995.
So I did the only thing I knew to do and that was to accommodate this terrible fear within. One of the things that I was petrified of was flying. I would cry for the majority of the flight. I would read Scriptures of God’s protection and love, but I just never overcame the intense fear no matter what I tried. So I would only fly if I absolutely had to. The past 18 years was one big calculation on how to live life and accommodate the fear within. It was tiring, to say the least.
Even sleep was exhausting for me. I would have dreams of demons attacking me and I was so afraid that I couldn’t even say the name Jesus in my dreams to get rid of the demon. I would be praying and seeking God and I would hear the name “Satan” – it was awful and it made me question if I was truly saved. I was just so tired. I had some breakthrough in areas of my life, but then new fears would come.
Then in 2010, my husband and I moved to the UK and joined Kings Gate Church. The move was good for me, and I felt in my Spirit that God had brought me to the UK; that this was the place that I would be set free from fear. I actually thought that it would be as a result of being in a safer country; I had NO idea what God had in store for me. My relationship with Jesus since 2007 had become much stronger and I was on track, so to speak. I just had this one “minor issue”, I was bound by fear!
Then I was told one Sunday morning that Ken Grenfell was coming to do a workshop on deliverance. I thought, “Hey that’s great, I would love to learn how Jesus sets people free.” I never applied it to myself – never! (I thought I was free.) In the week prior to Ken’s ministry I had more demonic dreams than ever before. I was fearful of everything – driving, flying, even the hairdryer exploding! It still didn’t click.
As Ken went through the teaching and explained what deliverance is, who it’s for, where the spiritual battle takes place, how a stronghold is formed – well, it finally dawned on me. This is my life. He is talking about me. I was scared (spirit of fear in me), and I prayed as I listened to Ken. I just felt Jesus say, “I am going to set you free today”.
So afterwards, I went up for prayer with my husband. As Ken began to pray, God gave him a picture of me lying on the floor and God lifting me up in His arms and carrying me. And He said to me, “Never will I leave you, never will I abandon you”. As Ken told me this, I was actually seeing myself lying on the St. James Church floor during the attack and Jesus picking me up and carrying me. He then continued to pray for certain things that God was revealing to him. After the initial prayer, I just felt like Jesus wanted me to tell Ken that I had a spirit of fear, and that I so wanted to be set free. And I told him.
As I did, I started weeping uncontrollably. Then Ken took my face in his hands and said, “Look at me”. I looked at him and the anointing of Jesus was in His eyes – I could see Jesus’ love for me. Then Ken addressed the spirit of fear within me. This was when I really realized that there was a spirit inside me, because when Ken addressed the spirit of fear, my head rolled to the side (I had no control over it), and I couldn’t look at him. I was scared, but I had my husband, the pastors, and people that I know love God around me. I felt safe. As I clung to Ken’s arms, I cried out, “I just feel so trapped, I just feel so trapped”, and then, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus”. And as I said his name, Jesus came flooding in and set me free. I just cried and cried. God is just so good.
Afterwards:
I was exhausted and we went home I just needed to rest. That night as I was falling asleep, I was concerned that maybe the entire demon hadn’t been cast out, and I started feeling anxious (apparently, that is normal). I told my husband and he reminded me that Satan is a liar and wants me to believe that I wasn’t set free. When I woke up in the morning, I realized that I had had my best sleep in 18 years – and, even better, I had no demonic dreams.
Two days later, I went for the first drive in my car since the deliverance. (Remember I was very anxious and fearful when driving.) And I realized, “I AM FREE.” I wasn’t scared at all. I cried all the way home and told my husband, “Jesus really has set me free.”
Then I was reminded of this scripture: “He who the Son sets free is free indeed” (John 8:36).
The Cherry on Top:
By the way, worshiping God after being delivered is amazing. God gave me a new song in the days after my deliverance. It’s as if the “floodgates” have been opened. Previously had put my guitar down, and my song writing had taken a back seat.
I also feel like a fire is being ignited within me when I read the Word. I now have much better concentration when reading my Bible.