March 2009

CLU Student Newsletter

Below are some wonderful testimonies of how vision and journaling can help us in every area of our lives. I am so thankful for these God-given tools! Read, enjoy, and be blessed!

Dr. Karen Joy King

Renewal & Transformation
by
Ann McIntosh

Dear Dr. King,

Your January 2009 Student CLU Newsletter truly encouraged me. I have been afflicted and in constant pain for many years. Others have given my pain a name, but I have refused to take possession of it.

I have prayed for healing for a long time, but I finally realized I did not completely believe. One day, I would feel strong in the faith; the next day, I would waver. I decided to go before the Lord in order to find out what was delaying my total healing since I know it is His will to heal us. While in earnest prayer, He gave me Romans 12:2, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Then He told me, “You are not healed because your mind isn’t renewed. You are not thinking like a healthy, healed person, and you are not doing the things healthy people do. Observe them and see what they do. They walk in health, they eat healthy, and they exercise. They walk in what they believe. Transformation can only take place with mind renewal.”

I knew the faith words but I had kept the same mind. I had to renew my mind, think like a healthy person, and think like a slim person (also dealing with some weight). The Lord said, “If you have a passport and it expires, unless you renew it, you cannot go anywhere no matter how much of a desire you have. You are not allowed to travel from one place to the other. It’s the same with you, Ann, if you do not renew your mind, it doesn’t matter what desire you have, you will be stuck in the same place.”

By God’s grace, I am going to renew my mind so the transformation I need can take place. I have adopted for my 2009 motto “RENEWAL & TRANSFORMATION.”

I Always Had to Work at Prayer
by
Debbie Winkelmann

The course, Communion With God, has been awesome. There is no greater experience than meeting with God. In this course, it was not just a theory but a reality. There was a great big “YES” in my spirit all the way through it. I received vital revelation from God regularly. Such enlightenment!

Through this course, I became aware that much of my prayer life has been one-sided, with me doing most of the talking. Prayer was always something I had to work at, but I was always willing to work at it because I knew it was important. However, a one-sided conversation soon becomes stale, lifeless, and laborious.

My faith has been strengthened by learning how to recognize and hear my Savior’s voice. Since He has confirmed Himself to me, I can take anything to Him! His answers are not always what I want to hear, but I know they are right because of the peace within my spirit. They also line up with the character of God and Scripture.

As a Pastor dealing with the lives and situations of people, journaling enables me to receive wisdom from my wonderful Friend. In order to receive this wisdom, it is important that I keep my heart pure so there are no obstructions. Journaling has really helped me with this.

Vision was something new to me, but I am enjoying experiencing it! I like the statement; “You have to be a looker to become a seer!” I am now a “looker!” During worship service the other night, I had a short vision. Jesus was waving His hands over His head and jumping back and forth across the building while saying, “Here I am, look at Me! Here I am, look at Me! Hey, look at Me!” He was smiling! It was rather comical and made me laugh. The impression I got was that our eyes are all over the place in worship but not on Him. How easy it is to let our eyes slip away from the One we love. I realize more than ever as a result of this course that keeping my eyes on Jesus is vital to my walking in victory.

In conclusion, my life and the lives of the people I pastor will never be the same. A window into the Spirit has been opened for us, and we are excited. This course came as a result of praying many years for God to teach us how to hear His voice and walk in it. I “happened” onto the CLU site and liked what I read. Hence our journey on how we arrived at taking the course Communion With God. I praise God for people willing to share not only their triumphs but their struggles as well. Bless you and thank you, Mark and Patti Virkler

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