He was diagnosed with Tuberculosis of the lung at a young age. Bed ridden, all he could do was imagine what could have been. The business man he could have become, the government official or maybe the preacher. He knew family members from his mother’s side had died of Tuberculosis. It ran in the family. And so he lay there waiting to die. His parents, being believers, sent out to all the pastors and ministers they could lay their hands on. One by one, the pastors came, but their prayers could not heal the young lad. Some of the ministers said perhaps it was God’s will that the boy stayed sick. That maybe God put tuberculosis on the young boy. Imagine that!

Thank God for Godly Mothers

The young man is Oral Roberts.  His mother continually told him that God would heal him. She said that sickness was of the devil. That if God wants to use a man, the devil will try to oppress the spirit out of that man early. That he was bedridden could be the very fact that God would use him mightily. Don’t you thank God for the words and encouragement of mothers? A few weeks later, a family friend drove Oral and his bed to a crusade where God healed him. Oral went on to preach the gospel to millions through out his lifetime, and he is still preaching today through his books and sermons. He became obsessed with bringing healing to many  partly because he knew personally, that it was the devil that bound people with sickness. And that God’s work is to heal and deliver. Many sick and afflicted went to Oral’s crusades and were healed. God was doing something, when he allowed little Oral go through that deadly bout of Tuberculosis. The devil didn’t know he was playing with fire when he afflicted young Oral.

God has work for you

Perhaps you can see yourself in Oral’s story. You can remember when the devil almost had you defeated. When he almost stifled the very life out of you. But look at you today. Still standing tall. You are saying: Satan you could have gotten me when you had your chance back then. When I was in the clubs. When I was gang banging. When I was out there ignorant of God’s saving grace. But I am saved now so you have nothing on me anymore. Everything you made me go through, my past failures and deficiencies, have served as a launching pad to the ministry God has in store for me. Today I work with Jesus Christ and it does not get better than that. I am better because I was worse.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. – Acts 10:38