We met a man at church one day who wheeled himself all the way from the nursing home a few blocks down the street to attend our church. It was the first and last time “Tim” came to our church, but he said that he felt the Presence of God and that this church felt like home. My husband Ted and I talked with him for a while and learned that he was in the final stages of ASL. We asked if we could pray for him, and he agreed. He was so grateful and felt very loved, but Tim wasn’t healed that day.
My husband Ted got his number and began to visit him regularly. When we were together, we talked more about his life – learned that he had become a baptized believer and had served the church. He had also been an inspirational speaker, so his conversations were quite lively at times, despite his pain and suffering. He was very focused on his relationship with God and wanted to talk about spiritual things. Ted spent a few times alone with Tim because Tim wanted to confess the sins of his past. Ted was very open as well with Tim, so Tim always felt that he could tell Ted anything. Tim renounced the sins in his life, and he was noticeably refreshed. But the intense pain continued.
One day, we went to the nursing home and learned from one of the nurses that Tim had been vaping outside because he used to smoke a lot. This wasn’t allowed at the home, but we also knew the health and addictions associated with smoking and vaping, so Ted decided to ask Tim about it. It was a Friday afternoon and Ted went for a visit. When he asked Tim if smoking was a struggle for him, Tim immediately confessed not only the issue, but also the guilt he felt, knowing in his heart that the Lord didn’t want vaping in his life. Ted never had to correct or challenge him about it. Tim’s heart was soft, and the Holy Spirit had already been working on him. Ted shared two verses with Tim:
I Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.
I Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
Tim received these words into his heart, with Christ as his motivation, and he gave up vaping that day.
The next day, many of the people in the nursing home noticed and remarked how happy and full of energy Tim was, but they didn’t know why. He went all around the nursing home encouraging the staff and residents. Tim had tried to tell others for weeks that he wanted to get right with God – that he wanted to confess his sins – but those in his life told him, “Don’t worry about it! We’ve all done bad things.” But Tim wasn’t at peace until he’d released it all and held nothing back. After a full day of joy, Tim went to bed early. He was tired and in pain, but he slept well that night -- all the way into eternity. And when the nurses found him, they were all amazed by his look of peace. He’d released all of his strongholds, and the Lord saw that it was the best time to take Tim.