God Heals Autoimmune Disease Pt.2

Stephanie Stocks

November 22, 2017

Calvary temple, Calvary temple pastor Scott, Healing, Pastor Scott, Prayers

Sarah was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. The doctors stressed that there was no cure. But our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to his power that works in us.

Go here to read God Heals Autoimmune Disease PT 1

It was February of 2016. I was in the hospital reeling from the news that i had an autoimmune disease that had no cure. We started the conventional treatment of Prednisone and discharged from the hospital. I had a terrible reaction to the steroids and had to stop taking them immediately. My doctor then wanted me to try some other medications, but I declined.

I believed that the Lord had put in my heart not to take them. I continued to have weekly blood work taken and my liver enzymes began to come down. But I was still in an extremely dangerous health crisis. The GI specialist told me I would need a complete liver transplant in the near future. I transferred to the head physician of the liver transplant center at the University of Virginia.

In April 2016, I had my initial consultation and we began preparations to get on the liver transplant waiting list.

The Transplant Center performed a liver biopsy. It confirmed that I had an active autoimmune disease that was attacking my liver cells. My cells were dying faster than they could regenerate. The head physician of the liver clinic, Dr. Northrop, straightforwardly informed us that my condition was dire. I was in end stage liver failure and needed to start steroids right away. My liver cells were dying faster than they could regenerate.

He told us that if I didn’t start the medication, I would certainly be dead within 2 years.

As Taylor and I talked and prayed about what to do, I still felt very strongly that I shouldn’t take the medication, but continue to look to the Lord. But, I told my husband that I knew God had put him over me as my God-given head and covering. I would start the medication if at any time he felt that I should.

Together we decided to trust the Lord moment by moment, and if God wanted us to change our course He would let us know.

The song, “Bless the Lord, Oh my Soul…Worship His Holy name…Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes…” strengthened my heart during this time. I hung it on my refrigerator and sang it to myself almost every day.

As time went on, I began to research alternative ways to slow the progression of the disease. I became very strict about my diet hoping that would help. Even though I wasn’t taking medication I continued to have regular blood work and follow ups at the UVA Liver Clinic.

Seven months later, in November 2016, Dr. Northrop informed me my liver enzymes were spiking again and it was imperative that I start steroids immediately or I had less than a year before a liver transplant or death.

He also recommended I go to John Hopkins and Georgetown Hospitals to get more opinions. Maybe they could “convince me of the severity of my disease to start medication.” I hung up the phone, and for the first time during the illness, I felt crippled by fear and confusion. I had tried as hard as I could in the natural with a healthy diet, exercise, rest, eliminating my exposure to toxins, but it wasn’t enough. I felt scared, alone, and in the dark.

That evening we met with our Pastor and his wife. We shared the grim report we had just received. They encouraged and prayed with us, but I was still feeling very downcast. Near the end of our conversation, Pastor Scott spoke these simple words to me. “Sarah, just make sure you’re abiding in the vine.” Those words hit my soul like a load of bricks.

At that moment, I realized I just needed to get back into God’s presence. Without even realizing it, I had allowed the cares of this life to crowd out the presence and Spirit of God, and now I found myself feeling lost, alone, and in the dark.

I began to fast and pray. I needed to hear the voice of the Lord again.

On the third day, while my kids were napping and I was painting, the Lord spoke one word to my heart – REPENT. I instantly fell to my knees, broken before the Lord as He began to show me that there was still so much in my life that was displeasing to Him. My pride, my independent spirit, my vanity, how easily I steal God’s glory when I do something “good”, how I say I’m trusting Jesus with my illness, but at the same time I was putting more trust in perfecting a healthy diet and lifestyle than I was in Him for the healing of my body. As I began repenting, the Lord brought true remorse and change over the sins and weights in my life.

In January, Taylor and I began seeking the Lord specifically as to whether I should start the steroids and go to John Hopkins or Georgetown to see more specialists. After a few weeks of seeking the Lord and wisdom from other counselors in our lives, we still hadn’t felt the Lord leading us in a specific direction.

My husband decided that if we didn’t sense a specific direction by the end of that week, then I should start the medication.

A few days later while I was folding laundry and praying in the Holy Spirit, I felt a prodding in my spirit to call my primary care doctor and schedule an appointment to have all my blood work checked again. It was also during this time that I began to experience a worsening of the liver disease symptoms again. Feeling hopeless and discouraged, I decided to step out in my own wisdom and reach out to holistic liver practitioner to start 6 months of holistic therapy and supplements. I was scheduled to start the alternative therapy on the exact day my blood work results came back.

The blood work showed that my autoimmune disease was completely gone, and my liver enzymes were normal.

My kids were in the car with me when I read the results and we began shouting out PRAISES TO GOD! I then called my husband and drove to my Pastor’s house to share the news. I called the liver clinic at UVA and told them about the incredible bloodwork results – the nurse was shocked, speechless. She passed the message on to the doctor and he called me 5 times that day with different questions. The doctor said that, “I had proved him wrong every step of the way. He had never seen someone come back from end stage liver failure to perfect health. Especially with having taken no medications.” However, because he is a man of science; I must still have the disease since it doesn’t just “disappear” and there is no cure. He wanted me to get routine blood work done and come back to see him if I get worse again.

He discharged me from the liver clinic because I definitely did not need a liver transplant anymore.

There was indisputable proof that a supernatural healing had taken place in my body. And it had nothing to do with medication or human ability. “..for I AM the Lord that heals thee.” Exodus 15:26

In the following months, I continued to have routine blood work done as my doctor requested. The liver tests improved even more, confirming that my liver was functioning and healing from all the damage. My increased energy and vitality alone is undeniable proof of the miracle God has done.

If you’ve been blessed reading the testimony of what our Lord has done, check out the other posts on my homepage.

ABOUT CALVARY TEMPLE

Calvary Temple is an independent church which holds to all Assemblies of God tenets of faith. Calvary Temple ministries include Discipleship Training, adult Bible college, media ministry, and an aggressive missions program.

Pastor Star R. Scott is Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia, where he has ministered since 1973. In addition to the pastoral gift, Pastor Scott functions in the five-fold offices of apostle and prophet. He has planted churches, and currently oversees the pastors and ministries of numerous satellite churches.

Visit Calvary Temple online on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,Flickr,Instagram

God Heals Autoimmune Disease Pt. 1

Stephanie Stocks

October 31, 2017

Calvary temple, Calvary temple pastor Scott, Healing, Pastor Scott, Prayers

Sarah Kain began having unusual symptoms in the fall of 2015. Her health deteriorated quickly and launched her family down a road of medical tests, discovery and faith. This is the harrowing story of her mystery illness and near death. But God’s hand was always there to heal, and set her free.

The following testimony was submitted by Sarah Kain

Having always been a healthy, strong, energetic young woman, I knew I hadn’t felt like myself in a while. I kept blaming it on the fact that I was now a mom of 2 young kids. This constant state of exhaustion was my new normal. Everything I ate or drank gave me pain, reflux or nausea. My body ached, I had zero energy and I was covered in bruises. I experienced intense itching all over my torso. My abdomen was extremely bloated even though I’d unintentionally lost 10 lbs. I had swelling and pitting in my legs from fluid. My skin and eyes had a yellow hue, and some other disturbing symptoms I’ll spare you the details of.

I told my husband one Sunday as we were leaving church, “I feel like my body is shutting down.” It wasn’t until January 2016, after I’d experienced a miscarriage that I couldn’t seem to recuperate from, that I finally had to see a doctor.

One morning I was feeling very discouraged about the mysterious condition I was in. I began pouring my heart out to the Lord. I opened my Bible and began reading about the life of King Asa. Immediately the words on the pages came alive and spoke to my spirit.

2 Chronicles 15:12-13 Asa in the thirty-ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceedingly great: yet in his disease he sought not LORD, but looked to the physicians.”

It was in this moment that the Lord impressed so clearly upon my heart that I was to seek GOD and not solutions from the doctors for whatever illness was going on in my body.

I shared this with my husband and although we didn’t fully understand all that would entail at the time; I was fully persuaded that this was the direction God had for me. All I knew was if I kept my eyes on the LORD, no matter what was going on in my body, everything was going to be OK regardless of whether or not I was healed.

On February 15, 2016, my primary care doctor told me that something was terribly wrong with my liver and I needed to go to the Emergency Room right away. When we arrived at the ER, they informed us that I was in liver failure and they didn’t know why. I was an otherwise healthy 28-year-old female that had never smoked, drank alcohol, or done drugs.

Normal liver enzymes are between 0 and 55. My liver enzymes at the time were 961. Normal bilirubin levels which causes jaundice are between 0.2 and 1.2. Mine was 10.6. The doctors were very concerned and began running every test checking for hepatitis, liver diseases, genetic diseases, parasites, cancers etc. I was immediately hooked up to heart monitors because when your liver doesn’t function, your blood becomes very toxic and can lead to heart and brain failure as well.

My husband sent a message asking our church family for prayer. Soon after the message went out for prayer many of the terrible symptoms, discomfort, and exhaustion I had experienced for months began to subside.

So much so, that I wanted to go home, but the doctors objected. They kept me in the hospital for a week as they closely monitored me, ran tests, and consulted with many physicians and specialists from other hospitals and liver clinics. During this seemingly turbulent time, my husband and I were in complete peace. I hated being stuck in the hospital, but there was no fear, no crying, no asking why.

I felt like the Lord had me cradled in His hands above the storm.

During my hospital stay, the Lord gave me multiple opportunities to minister to others with severe illnesses, as well as, many of my doctors and nurses. My Pastors, family, and friends visited me daily in the hospital, cared for my husband and babies while I was unable too, and offered up many prayers on our behalf. I am so thankful for my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, and likely had battled it longer than we realized.

There appeared to be extensive damage already done to my liver. Autoimmune hepatitis is not contagious. It’s a rare, but serious condition where your immune system attacks healthy liver cells which ultimately leads to cirrhosis and liver failure as I was experiencing. The MRI showed that my liver was extremely swollen and had hardened masses in it, which meant this disease had raged in my body for some time. The specialist explained to us that the only treatment option was to try to slow the progression by suppressing the immune system and reducing inflammation in the liver. There was no cure.

^“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Mark 9:23

Read Part 2 of Sarah’s amazing testimony next time on Calvary Temple Miracles

If you’ve been blessed reading the testimony of what our Lord has done, check out the other posts on my homepage.

ABOUT CALVARY TEMPLE

Calvary Temple is an independent church which holds to all Assemblies of God tenets of faith. Calvary Temple ministries include Discipleship Training, adult Bible college, media ministry, and an aggressive missions program.

Pastor Star R. Scott is Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia, where he has ministered since 1973. In addition to the pastoral gift, Pastor Scott functions in the five-fold offices of apostle and prophet. He has planted churches, and currently oversees the pastors and ministries of numerous satellite churches.

Visit Calvary Temple online on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,Flickr,Instagram

The Prayer of Faith Shall Save the Sick

Stephanie Stocks

December 8, 2016

Growing up Calvary, Healing, Pastor Scott, Prayers

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 4:7

The following testimony was submitted by Gwen Wotring

What started as a routine physical turned into a nightmare! But it was miracle that we will never forget!

I took Sydney for a routine physical. Her Pediatrician felt that her spine was curved a bit so she wanted to check for h. The x-ray process went smoothly. The Radiology office automatically sends the pediatric films over to Children’s Hospital for them to review.

When Children’s reviewed the films, they noticed something that concerned them. They saw a shadow on the left side of Sydney’s lower back that they were very concerned about. She used the words, “Possible mass that is pressing against her spine and she definitely has scoliosis.”

They were so concerned that they wanted Sydney to get an MRI as soon as possible.

The Pediatrician was going to schedule the MRI at Children’s Hospital, and we would be hearing from them soon. I was scared. I called my husband, Matt, to tell him what the doctor said but I couldn’t get through it without crying.

When we told Sidney what the doctor’s were concerned about, and that we were believing for God to do a miracle in her body. Her attitude the entire time was one of, “God’s got this! I’m not at all worried!”

I’ve never seen a child so calm about anything.

We got the call that the MRI was scheduled for Thursday morning. Matt really felt strongly that we should have Pastor Scott lay hands on Sydney Wednesday night in church, and pray for her to be healed. We wanted everyone in our church to be believing with us.

So that night, Pastor Scott anointed Sydney with oil and prayed over her in the name of Jesus. Again, the peace of God was on her and us. It was an amazing feeling!

During the check in process at Children’s Hospital, Sydney was so calm that even the workers were amazed.

I was able to share with them that we had prayed, and a lot of people were praying for her. We believed that we wouldn’t be back, Jesus had healed her! When they took her back for the MRI, I sat in the waiting area praying that whatever was ahead for us as a family, that God would give us the grace to stand through it. Father gave us all such a peace that we will never forget. They called us 90 minutes later and said that the MRI was finished. Then they informed us that it would be a few days before we heard any results.

We really didn’t want to have to wait over the weekend to find out if our child may have cancer, but Father again gave us peace about it. Sydney’s pediatrician, however, woke up Friday morning thinking about Sydney and wanted to know what the results were, now! She called them first thing to put a rush on the results. I received a call from her about 1 o’clock that afternoon. She said, “I heard back from the hospital, and I wanted to give you the news. There’s no mass and the scoliosis is only showing as a mild case!”

What showed on the original x-ray as being a severe case of scoliosis showed on the MRI as a mild case. What showed on the original x-ray as being a large mass pressing against her spine was completely gone!

If you’ve been blessed reading the testimony of what our Lord has done, check out the other posts on my homepage.

About Calvary Temple

Calvary Temple is an independent church which holds to all Assemblies of God tenets of faith. Calvary Temple ministries include Discipleship Training, adult Bible college, media ministry, and an aggressive missions program.

Pastor Star R. Scott is Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia, where he has ministered since 1973. In addition to the pastoral gift, Pastor Scott functions in the five-fold offices of apostle and prophet. He has planted churches, and currently oversees the pastors and ministries of numerous satellite churches.

Visit Calvary Temple online on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,Flickr,Instagram

God Can Restore What Was Lost

Stephanie Stocks

January 4, 2016

Prayers, Salvation

“I will restore the years that the locust has eaten” Joel 2:25

The Following Testimony was submitted by Rodney Smith

I have a son that I did not see for almost 20 years.

Because of my sin and selfishness, I had not had a relationship with Nathan from birth. I had only met my financial obligations. But after my repentance, the Holy Spirit began to weigh it heavily on my heart to reach out to him. Through hours of prayer and biblical counsel I chose to write Nathan a sincere letter of apology and told him about how God had changed my life. I wasn’t sure that he would even read the letter, but in it I told him that if at any time he wanted to contact me I would welcome it.

Through the mercy of God, it wasn’t long before Nathan contacted me. He told me that he was a born-again believer and attended a spirit-filled church. He told me that he forgave me. Even though he had never met me and could have been bitter and resentful, instead he had been praying for me and my salvation for 13 years. He had wanted nothing more than to meet his dad and for him to know Jesus.

“I am confident that my salvation was an answer to the persevering prayer of a child moving in faith for 13 years, Hallelujah!”

God has blessed me with the opportunity to be reconciled with my youngest son, and now we are getting to know each other.

If you’ve been blessed reading the testimony of what our Lord has done, check out the other posts on my homepage.

About Calvary Temple

Calvary Temple is an independent church which holds to all Assemblies of God tenets of faith. Calvary Temple ministries include Discipleship Training, adult Bible college, media ministry, and an aggressive missions program.

Pastor Star R. Scott is Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia, where he has ministered since 1973. In addition to the pastoral gift, Pastor Scott functions in the five-fold offices of apostle and prophet. He has planted churches, and currently oversees the pastors and ministries of numerous satellite churches.

Visit Calvary Temple online on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,Flickr,Instagram

Growing up at Calvary Temple

Stephanie Stocks

March 2, 2015

Calvary temple, Pastor Scott

I grew up at Calvary Temple since I was born—29 years ago. Two simple things were always predominant in not only what I was told but also in what I saw in the people around me: love God first, and secondly, love people better than yourself. My parents tell me the first Bible verse I ever memorized was Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” I was 3 years old, and of course couldn’t pronounce adversity so well. I’m sure I had no clue what I was saying. I had no idea how many friends were going to come and go in my life, and how many friends would actually stick with me through the tough days. But I’ve never forgotten that verse.

I’m also positive my parents were grinning ear-to-ear as they listened to me.

They were smiling because before I was born, they had decided that they would teach their kids about how much God loves them, and that it’s actually possible to have a relationship with God just like you do with a friend. In reality, a much better one, because God is perfect and your friends….well, they just aren’t.
And this is the cool part! This wasn’t just my parent’s goal. As a baby, I was “dedicated” in church, Calvary Temple which meant the whole church came together to pray over my life and dedicate themselves to the task of helping my parents teach me the importance of a relationship with God and what that looks like. It was 1986, when my senior pastor wore a three piece suit (I think everyone is glad the current dress code is a lot more relaxed!) and we had church services in a gymnasium.

Growing up at Calvary Temple, I learned more and more about God. I learned how to make your parents and teachers happy by saying all the right things, how to keep rules, and generally be a good kid. But that’s not what my parents wanted. That’s not what all the people who dedicated me wanted. Things hadn’t “clicked” yet. Finally, one day, it did click. And this is what I mean. It wasn’t during a sermon, or a school bible class, or during a heart-to-heart discussion with my parents. I was in my bedroom alone, giving thought to all those sermons, bible classes, and heart-to-heart parent talks, and comparing all those moments to what I’d seen in people’s lives. I couldn’t ignore the fact that even though they weren’t perfect, the authority figures in my life actually did what they taught me. I couldn’t ignore the fact that my parents, teachers, pastors, and some of my older friends who knew God were living a life I knew nothing about. They had a genuine, consistent joy and peace (not that fake-smile happiness you can spot a mile away on a stranger) that was based on something deep, not the circumstances. I wondered how that could be, with so many different people and varying personalities. They had an unwavering commitment to continue to teach me about God’s love that ran deep in their hearts and was fresh, not out of habit.

It was becoming clearer and clearer that they had something I didn’t. They kept telling me over and over again that I needed to decide whether to have a relationship with God on my own (not based on my parents beliefs), and that keeping rules wasn’t the point of life. My youth pastor Jeff had emphasized the phrase “Dig your own wells” which came from the Bible story of the Israelites wandering the wilderness who had to dig new wells to survive, as the wells previous generations had dug would dry up.
It became clear to me that I didn’t have my own relationship with Jesus, and wouldn’t be able to survive God’s judgment if I stood before him. I knew rules couldn’t save me, because I was always falling short (if not outwardly, in motive and thoughts). I decided to ask Jesus to become the most important thing in my life, and that I wanted to live out of love for Him, and not because of rules.

From then on my life changed, and my gratitude kept growing more and more for those people around me who had dedicated themselves to helping me serve God. Even though I had to “dig my own well”, these people were integral in showing me how to do that and cheering me on as I did. Words can’t put a price on the unconditional love I’ve received, and the priceless treasure of countless people who have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into making me who I am.

My life mimics the story of Samuel, who was a little boy in the Bible who was dedicated as a baby to serve in God’s house. One day, Samuel heard a voice calling him in the middle of the night, and he thought it was the priest Eli who was training him. When he ran to the priest, Eli responded, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” This happened a few more times, until finally Eli told Samuel, “It is the Lord calling you. When you hear the voice again, just respond ‘Speak, Lord, your servant hears.’” When I finally said “Speak, Lord”, He did and ever since, I’ve had tremendous joy learning how to love and serve Him at the church I was born in.

I am thankful for the tremendous privilege of growing up at Calvary Temple, for the people who trained me and who sacrificed their time and energy to teach me how to love God first, and love people second. Nothing else matters! Here is my family now all grown up and we all plan on one day continuing to train up our next generation in this way.

About Calvary Temple

Calvary Temple is an independent church which holds to all Assemblies of God tenets of faith. Calvary Temple ministries include Discipleship Training, adult Bible college, media ministry, and an aggressive missions program.

Pastor Star R. Scott is Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia, where he has ministered since 1973. In addition to the pastoral gift, Pastor Scott functions in the five-fold offices of apostle and prophet. He has planted churches, and currently oversees the pastors and ministries of numerous satellite churches.

Visit Calvary Temple online on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram

Growing up at Calvary Temple

Stephanie Stocks

February 27, 2015

Calvary temple, Calvary temple pastor Scott, Growing up Calvary

I am so very thankful to have grown up at Calvary Temple.
I came to Calvary Temple in 1981 with my Dad and 2 sisters. I was just a year old. I don’t remember much from when I was little, but remember the Word of God being taught to me. I remember faithful servants living the Word before me and requiring it of me. I attended Calvary Temple from Kindergarten thru 2nd grade. Being taught the Word of God every day; I loved it. I don’t remember praying to ask Jesus in my heart (maybe I was too young to remember), but I remember loving Jesus and asking for His Holy Spirit to fill me. I was filled with the Holy Spirit when I was just 7 years old. I was young, but I remember the presence of God was surrounding me. It was an incredible experience.
When I was in 3rd grade I started going to public school. I viewed going there as an adventure. It was a new place and new people. I liked it. I continued in public school until the 6th grade. By that time I can say that I was no longer a Christian. I was a good kid, but definitely not a Christian. During this time, we still went to church at Calvary Temple and I enjoyed going, but I didn’t have the same longing to go that I had when I was younger. Being in public school had definitely vexed me. As a 3rd grader I started out telling everyone about Jesus. But then kids made fun of me, so I stopped. By 6th grade, I was just going through the motions of being a Christian (I did what I was told and I attending church, but didn’t love God anymore).
When I was about to go into 7th grade, my dad gave us the choice of going back to Calvary temple or staying in public school. I wanted to go back to Calvary temple. I knew that’s where I needed to be. As I sat in Bible class every day and started reading the Word again, I started to hunger for it more. I knew the Word and I knew that I wasn’t right with God. I asked Jesus to come back into my life at the end of 7th grade.
I am so VERY thankful for the faithful men and women of God that consistently poured out their lives for me to make sure I knew the Word and lived it. Lives that have been a comfort to me or a jolt to get me back on the right path. And now, most of the same men and women that poured out their lives for me, are pouring out their lives on a daily basis for my kids.
Now as a grown woman, I am still in awe of the goodness of Father to place me at Calvary Temple. This is where I met my husband. This is where hands were laid on me in the name of Jesus, I was healed and was able to have children after doctors told me I couldn’t. This is where my 2 daughters were dedicated to the Lord. This is where they are now being raised to love Jesus. This is my heritage. A heritage that I can share with my kids. It’s my prayer that they know Jesus and only Jesus for all their lives; that they too can have this as a heritage.
I am so thankful for what Calvary Temple is: Not just a building where I go to church, but a place I can go and be fed the Word of God. A place I can go and look at the leadership as examples of Jesus because they not only teach the Word, but they live it without compromise. A place that miracles of God happen. A place where the presence of God is. A place of comfort when times get hard. A place that has a family of believers that reprove, rebuke and exhort with the Word of God. A place that I now am able to teach the kids on Sunday Mornings and sow into their lives just as my life was sown in to. A place that I am blessed to have called home for the past 34 years and by the grace of God I can continue to call home.
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” Psalm 122:1
I am blessed and so incredibly thankful! To God be all the glory!!
~Gwen

Healing Testimony

Stephanie Stocks

February 10, 2015

Healing, Salvation

My healing testimony starts a year after the birth of our daughter, Grace. I started experiencing moderate back pain, it wasn’t the usual back pain symptoms it was a radiating deep pain that would start as soon as my feet hit the floor and get worse as the day went on. I went to doctors and physical therapists, no one knew what was causing the pain. Nothing they did would make the pain go away, but would give temporary comfort. After about a year with this pain and also not being able to conceive a child again, my gynecologist suggested that I have exploratory surgery to see if I had developed endrometriosis. So in early December of 2002 I had that surgery, Dr.Stokes said he cleaned things up a little but saw nothing that would be causing me so much pain, no sign of endrometriosis. I was then recommended to long term pain management. This was very upsetting for me, I did not want to live on pain medicine to function without pain. All along I had been praying for healing but thinking I needed to know what was causing this pain. I decided I did not need to know what was causing the pain. I was going to believe that God knows and he would heal me. Our Pastor Star Scott at Calvary temple church had taught on making our God big, and so I was going to do that. I was not going to do it to get healed but just was commited to allowing God to be Great in every area of my life. A few months later we had a very powerful service at Calvary Temple. The presence of God was definitely there and I had been strengthened in my faith over the past months despite the pain I was living with. That night the service from Calvary Temple with Pastor Star Scott teaching ended with people standing praising God. As I left that night I noticed I wasn’t in pain, all night I thought I think I may have been healed. It wasn’t a healing service but God was there. I wasn’t seeking to be healed during that service but God had definitely visited. The next morning I jumped out of bed, and was so excited to not experience any of that deep setting radiating pain. I usually would feel it first thing in the morning sometimes as soon as getting in the shower. I was so thankful and still wanted to make sure I really was healed. I got Grace dressed and put her in the stroller and walked 2.5 miles to our church Calvary Temple, I experienced no pain along the way it was gone. I gave praise to Jesus the whole way, when I got there I first saw my husband and told him that I got healed in last nights service, we rejoiced in that together. Then I remember telling others that had been praying for me. To complete the miracle God had done in me, in March of 2003 I found out that I was pregnant. Jesus healed me of the back pain and allowed me to get pregnant. I saw this as such a gift from God, a true blessing. God is always wanting to bless us more abundantly than we can ever imagine. Throughout my pregnancy and to this day 11 years later I have never ever once experienced that radiating back pain ever again. Praise the Lord.

Calvary Temple is an independent church which holds to all Assemblies of God tenets of faith. Calvary Temple ministries include Discipleship Training, adult Bible college, media ministry, and an aggressive missions program.

Pastor Star R. Scott is Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia, where he has ministered since 1973. In addition to the pastoral gift, Pastor Scott functions in the five-fold offices of apostle and prophet. He has planted churches, and currently oversees the pastors and ministries of numerous satellite churches.

Healing Comes Through Repentance

Stephanie Stocks

December 4, 2014

Healing, Salvation

The following is a member testimony from Calvary Temple, a Bible believing church located in Sterling, VA, that teaches and lives sound doctrine.

As I sit here and think over these last few years my mind cannot help but going back to December of 2011. It was a monumental time for me and looking back at that crossroad, that the Lord allowed me to come to, and a true life changing decision that I was faced with at that time. See, earlier that year, I went on a short term mission trip to Kenya with the mission team that was sent out from our church and had an incredible time. The goal of the mission team that year was to go thru and strengthen the main core of our churches in relating to one another (building true relationships built upon God’s word). I was assigned with two others (Corey E. and Tony S.) to prepare share our lives (to be open and vulnerable) with other married couples in each of the core churches there. In order to do this, we created a marriage booklet, with different sections (each dealing with common areas from scripture in relating to our spouses) to facilitate the ministry while we were there. A daunting task that I know none of us felt adequate for. Well the team went and the ministry we were a part of that year was powerful (probably because we felt so inadequate for the task at hand) and effective, However I could not help coming home from that missions trip being bothered by a lot of the topics (relating to your spouse) we had discussed while we were there. I could not stop thinking of how many areas that I was having problems with and trouble in relating to my spouse.

When we arrived back home from our mission trip, I picked up the normal routine of life, and I never took time to deal with these issues in my life or to even look at why or what was the root of these issues in my life. Well life continued as normal all the way into late November of that year until, when Pastor began to teach on marriage and challenging each one of us in how we were relating to our spouses. The funny thing was that pastor pulled out the marriage booklets that we had made earlier that year and we began to go through them as a fellowship. The Lord used the topics in this book (communication, money, physical relations, etc…) and really began to challenge the lives in our fellowship. I was one of those lives, Praise God! I remember submitting a question in writing with no name attached, to a panel of our pastors (that we were having in the middle of these teachings) asking a question in regards to “the struggle my wife was having when it came to our physically relating to each other. That she seemed uninterested and never really interested in this area of our life and what could be done on my part (real noble) to help her change. Well when it came time for our question to be read and answered, that the answer that came forth caught me totally off guard. I remember Pastor sharing that the problems that we were having in our marriage was because I (he kept it general saying we -even though it was me he was talking to) was wearing out my wife spiritually and physically having her doing things that were unnecessary. That I needed to look at what I was having her to do at this time in her life and ask was it God’s will? At the time, I was asking my wife, a mother of four children to work forty-eight to fifty hours a week, at a strenuous job thirty miles from the house (one-way) and come home and minister to her husband, children and the Body of Christ with minimal to nothing left in the tank. Looking back now with shame even to think that I asking why she was having trouble relating to me? Was it ever God’s intended will for my wife, actually she’s not mine but God’s daughter and I had better be absolutely sure that I was helping her to fulfill God’s plan for her life and not my own plan. To make sure that I was giving her the best opportunity, to fulfill that role, unto God’s family. Sister, let me tell you that was the opposite of what was happening.

The decisions that I had made in the previous years (poor financial decisions caused by my own lust) had caused now a need my mind for my wife to leave the household that she was looking so well too, to help me hang on to everything I had obtained. What was so important? A house? A Car? A Better Quality of life? Entertainment? Vacation? To have enough money in your account so that you do not have to live by faith check to check? “What profits a man if he gaineth the whole world and lose his soul?” (Luke) I remember being very smitten in my heart during these last weeks of 2011. I remember very clearly Pastor challenging us as a fellowship that it would be madness to continue to do the same things over and over and yet expect different results. In my mind I had only one choice, I needed to repent from the things that the Lord’s spirit had convicted me of and to do so would require a complete change in my life. I knew in my heart that my wife must return fully to the work that God had created and intended her to do. My wife is not my own but the Lord’s, and what does God’s word require of her? That’s the priority that we needed to return to. In order to do so, that she must quit her job and come home, that her focus needed to be towards her children (they need to see God’s word being fulfilled). This did not come easy, I remember many sleepless nights of wrestling with God, of confessing my faults, my fears, my doubts before the Lord crying out to him for grace to obey. I have to admit, I was very fearful (knowing that we no longer made enough to live off of on my salary alone) and I was very afraid at the time of losing our everything. I remember bringing these things to the light with my wife, Deacon and Pastor in order to do whatever it took to be freed from this snare in my life. Then one night after a wrestling with God in prayer, I broke. I woke up the next day and told Shelly to resign, that she was coming home (oh the joy it brought her!) and that we were going back to Bethel. I repented before her, my children and shared the things God had been working in my life and the changes that were coming.

That was the last days of December 2011 and began a walk with the Lord that was renewed and began a walk down a path greater trust and dependence that God would bring out in the days ahead. See this decision was just the beginning of trusting in God’s word for every need in my life and not looking to another source (and God knows I have tried). See, the trials did not cease, the dark clouds that I was wrestling with in the prayer closet did not disperse, in fact since have gotten darker at times but the three years since those days in December we are still standing by God’s grace, we are still learning to trust God through all of Life’s trials, that we still have a savior in Jesus, who has promised to never leave us or forsake us. That He is working something far greater in us than we can ever imagine (most definitely for His eternal Glory) and to think, I almost forfeited it all for temporal things. Thank God for Men and Women who will tell you the truth, when your life does not line up with that truth, who will not let you press on while you are sick. I am sorry this has been so long, but this is what came to my mind when you asked for a testimony of being healed. God will not allow us to rest, when we are living below what he called us to be.

Romans 8:28-30: “And we know that ^[^k^]God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.²⁹For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;³⁰and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

Your Brother In Christ,

Mark

About Calvary Temple

Calvary Temple is an independent church which holds to all Assemblies of God tenets of faith. Calvary Temple ministries include Discipleship Training, adult Bible college, media ministry, and an aggressive missions program.

Pastor Star R. Scott is Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia, where he has ministered since 1973. In addition to the pastoral gift, Pastor Scott functions in the five-fold offices of apostle and prophet. He has planted churches, and currently oversees the pastors and ministries of numerous satellite churches.

Visit Calvary Temple online on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram

Deliverance from FEAR

Stephanie Stocks

November 28, 2014

Healing

The following is a member testimony from Calvary Temple, a Bible believing church located in Sterling, VA, that teaches and lives sound doctrine.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Today at Calvary Temple Miracles I wanted to share about the Deliverance of Fear. This testimony is about Donna Wotring and how the Lord set her free! God is so good!

For years I’ve struggled with believing for healing. I believe He can heal and that He will heal you but why would God heal me? Earlier this year began a move of the Spirit in our fellowship that had caused me to think about healing more. I really needed a whole body healing/wholeness. I have several minor things I deal with consistently…dental issues, digestive issues, thyroid disease, but the biggest one is fear. I’ve been bound by fear and anxiety in dealing with panic attacks for several years.

It had been so heavily on my mind, I knew during one particular Sunday morning’s service in early April, that that Sunday night would be for me. So when Pastor Scott came up and started communion, I knew it was my time. As he began to call people forward, I practically ran up before he even finished his first sentence. I was the first one up and my heart was pounding out of my chest. I could relate to the woman with the issue of blood and I knew that God would meet me. And He did!

I know the symptoms may still come (and they certainly do) but I don’t care because I know God loves me and wants me whole. God has promised me healing and wholeness, He has promised me peace when I abide in Him, and He has promised me victory through the blood of Jesus that was shed for ME. And He is able and will do exceeding abundant above what I could ask or think! And God will be glorified in my body and in my life!!

Even though I wasn’t physically healed that night, I believe God touched me and healed my heart and healed my faith to believe for healing like I hadn’t before. Now I have the confidence to walk in His strength and power so that when the symptoms of fear do come, I know I am not alone. My God is with me, upholding me by His right hand, fighting and praying for me.

God has worked many things in my life through these physical trials and is continuing to do so. While I want them to end, I know they have been good for me in many ways. God is bringing me to a place where I trust nothing but Him. I now have more of an eternal perspective; it has caused me to focus more heavenward and less temporal. I know Jesus is with me in the fire and when I come out, I will be as gold, I will be more like Him.

While I strive to wait patiently for healing, I just ask you to rejoice in God’s goodness with me and stand with me in believing for the work to be finished!!

In Him,
Donna Wotring

“Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of good courage! Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save nor His ear too dull to hear.” –Isaiah 59:1

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” -Psalms 34:19

“God has not given me a spirit of fear; but of love, of power, and of a sound mind.” -2 Timothy 1:7

About Calvary Temple

Calvary Temple is an independent church which holds to all Assemblies of God tenets of faith. Calvary Temple ministries include Discipleship Training, adult Bible college, media ministry, and an aggressive missions program.

Pastor Star R. Scott is Senior Pastor of Calvary Temple in Sterling, Virginia, where he has ministered since 1973. In addition to the pastoral gift, Pastor Scott functions in the five-fold offices of apostle and prophet. He has planted churches, and currently oversees the pastors and ministries of numerous satellite churches.

Visit Calvary Temple online on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram

Twins Testimony

Stephanie Stocks

November 17, 2014

Healing, Twins

Hi everyone! This week on Calvary Temple Miracles I wanted to share about Brady and Savannah Carlson. To always remember “TO TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART; AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING.” Please visit Calvary Temple Ministries with Pastor Star R. Scott.

Brady and Savannah Carlson are my precious boy/girl twins that were
born 9 weeks early on June 16, 2013. They weighed 3 lb 10 oz and 3 lb
7 oz at birth. The first miracle about Brady and Savannah is that they were this BIG
when they were born! On May 28, 2013, I went into premature labor with
them. I was 28 weeks pregnant, at the time, and was told that I would
need an emergency c-section that night. The twins were estimated to be
a little bit over 2 lbs each. My husband, Landon, and I were visited
by a number of specialists and were shown pictures of what
our babies would look like when they were born. The doctors also shared the number of health problems that the twins would most likely have from being born this early — lung problems, heart defects, and brain hematomas. These issues would warrant several surgeries for each baby. Upon birth, the twins would also require ventilators in order to be kept alive until they learned to breathe on their own. They would spend a couple of months in the NICU before they could come home.

LANDON AND I BELIVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER, AND INSTEAD OF BELIEVING THESE EVIL REPORTS, ASKED THAT PASTOR SCOTT AND OUR PASTORS AND THE CHURCH FAMILY TO LIFT US UP IN PRAYER AND BELIVE GOD FOR THIS MIRACLE. I truly believed in my heart that it was not time for the twins to be born yet, and that God was going to intervene.
When I shared this with my doctors and nurses, they probably thought I
was crazy! They were looking at a pregnant woman who was 4 cm dilated,
100% effaced, and having 30-second long contractions every 2 minutes,
and she’s telling them that these babies are not coming yet because they
were praying!

And God answered our prayers! I did not deliver the twins that night. Or the night after that. In fact, it would be almost three more weeks before I would deliver them. I would spend those next weeks in the hospital on bed rest.
The high-risk doctor who admitted me to the hospital on May 28th
because I was in labor, called my nurse multiple times in the following days to ask how my babies were doing. And when he was told that I had not delivered them, he was in disbelief. Each time he called, I would tell my nurse
to tell him that I told him I was not having these babies yet! With the
physical manifestations of labor being present at the time he admitted
me, he couldn’t understand how it was possible that I hadn’t delivered
them. So finally he came to see for himself! I was able to share
with him about the power of prayer, and about how God answered our
prayers when our church family joined with us in believing God. He was
speechless! It was such a great opportunity to boast in the
miracle-working power of God!

Once the twins were born, they spent 4 weeks in the NICU before they were discharged home. They never required a ventilator for breathing, and they gained weight every day.They are now active, healthy 17-month olds that fill our lives with
joy and laughter. They have not had a single surgery since they were
born!

We are so blessed that God has preserved the lives of our little
miracles! The road has not always been easy. I experienced my fair
share of doubts, worries, and fears. But I was always reminded by
family and friends of the goodness and faithfulness of God. God *always*
does what is best for us, and He *always* answers our cries for help. I vividly remember a phone call I received from the neonatologist a few days after Brady was born. He was very sick, and they believed that he had Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC), which is a very serious and life-threatening gastrointestinal
infection that preemies are susceptible to. They had him on a number
of strong antibiotics, and if he did not improve by the next day, he
would be transferred to Fairfax for surgery. I went up to the
sanctuary that night with my mom to pray for Brady. I remember sobbing
before the Lord, not knowing the fate of my baby. I put him in Jesus’
hands, knowing that Jesus loved him more than I did. My church family
was also interceding on Brady’s behalf. Brady slowly started improving
each time that I visited him, and eventually fully recovered from his
sickness. The doctors were surprised, but we weren’t! We had yet
another opportunity to boast in the healing power of God in our lives!

www.calvarytempleva.org/