LIFE TESTIMONY and Invitation group of messages of reflection about the search for God

http://groups.google.com/group/messages-of-reflection-about-the-search-for-God
http://groups.google.com/group/mensajes-de-reflexion-sobre-la-busqueda-de-Dios

Very dear ones. I would like to invite you to be a member of the group
called messages-of-reflection-about-the-search-for-God (messages of
reflection about the search of God). I am God´s miracle, the 28th of
February, 2008 I suffered a stroke, I suffered from hydrocephalus,
they inserted the Hakim valve in my head, I contracted pneumonia, I
was really sick. I spent forty days in intensive care in comma, two
months in the clinic, but it is God all powerful that saved my life. I
SAW OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST WHEN I WAS IN COMMA AT THE CLINIC. FOR ME,
THE DAY I GOT THE STROKE WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE BECAUSE ALLOWED
ME TO SEE PART OF GOD’S GLORY. You can read the whole story with more
details about my life testimony at “Beyond my circusntances.pdf”. Join
the group (http://groups.google.com/group/messages-of-reflection-about-the-search-for-God),
and download my life testimony, that is a document that talks about
the power of God and how I saw our Lord Jesus Christ. Every week
(starting the week of 28th of February, 2013), God’s willing; I will
send a short message based on the word of God. Register your emails
here (http://groups.google.com/group/messages-of-reflection-about-the-search-for-God)
in order to receive the messages of reflection or check them offline
every week. With God’s help I will publish them every week. If you
received an invitation from [email protected] you must click on
the Accept button (at the end of the invitation) in order to keep
receiving the reflections (if the link or the button is inactive, you
must copy and paste on a window of your favorite internet browser, and
push Enter). All the previous reflections will be available at
https://docs.google.com/?tab=go&authuser=0#all for you to read them. I
have faith the group will grow enormously, but I need your help to
achieve it, please invite more people to join.


BEYOND THE CIRCUMSTANCES

A Real Life Testimony

By CARLOS FERNANDO AGUDELO GOMEZ

2009


INTRODUCTION

This document has been written with the only purpose to honor God, to
show how big is His mercy, His love to men, His power over the whole
creation, and His grace. This document describes the events that took
place in the year of 2008 in the cities of Bucaramanga and
Barrancabermeja (Colombia), and which are registered in my clinical
history at the Fundacion Cardiovascular for anyone that wishes to
verify them.

My intention by writing this document is to honor our Heavenly Father,
showing His super eminent power in our lives, that He can act in the
lives of everyone who wants to open his heart to our Lord Jesus
Christ. That’s why it is so important to search for Him, because
without Him we are lost and without salvation; but (with Him) “I can
do everything through Him who gives me strength”. Philippians 4:13.

My life before

God had mercy on me long time before the events that I am about to
describe happened. He had mercy on me by giving me such a special and
understanding wife. He had mercy on me by giving me such a cute and
sweet son. He had mercy on me by giving me such kind and special
daughters. There would not be enough space in this document to count
all the mercies and blessings that God has given me. However, the most
recent of all, has been saving my life as He did, in an amazing way
that has shocked many people that had learnt about my story.

I was just another sinner. I knew about the Lord, but my life was
caught up in the daily routine. It would not be fair to say that I was
a bad husband or a bad father, in fact I was not. I consider myself a
man with a family that leads by example, but this is not enough, “all
our righteous acts are like filthy rags in front of God” (Isaiah
64:6).

At that time, when the events I am about to describe happened, I was
very worried about some economic and work commitments that could not
be postponed, this got me very stressed. I had forgotten to trust the
Lord. However, God, who can do everything and see it all, had informed
me of His plans three months before everything happened. I was in
Bogota (capital city of Colombia), spending time with my brothers
during their birthday, when an aunt invited us to a meeting in her
church. At the end of such meeting, I was giving a prophecy that I did
not understand at that moment. The prophecy said that God had acted
miraculously in my life, and continued saying that, He will still
perform something wonderful in my life. This, I did not understand
until several months later during my recovery.

I have got the conviction that His greatest blessing was not saving my
life in the way He did, but straightening my path, saving my soul. It
is better to fall into the hands of God who love us as a father, and
not into the hands of the destroyer, “Let those who love the LORD hate
evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them
from the hand of the wicked.”. Psalm 97:10.

The incident

I was in the city of Barrancabermeja. After finishing my work, I went
to check out at the hotel where I was staying. I decided to take a hot
shower (now, I see how bad a hot shower can be!), when I was leaving
the bathroom I felt a headache that I knew was not normal. Somehow I
made it down to the reception, but on the way my vision became blurred
and I asked for help. The first thing that came to my mind was to give
my wife’s mobile number to the receptionist. I requested her to be
careful when breaking the news of my condition to my wife. After that,
I fainted. I do not remember anything else, only until two months
after that when I was returning home for my recovery. If the Lord had
not allowed me to reach the hotel’s reception, perhaps I would have
died in my room. I had asked my wife to describe the events related to
my stay at the clinic, as well as her perceptions, worries, fears, and
all the emotions that took place due to my stroke.

At the Clinic

Writing about this part of my husband’s life is also telling a chapter
of my life that I had never imagined would happened to me; but I know
that from the moment God had decided to touch my life, He knew
everything that was going to happen, even this event that was so
painful, but of such a great spiritual growth in my life.

It was the afternoon of February 28, 2008. I was at home with the
children, when at around five in the afternoon some lady called me on
my mobile to tell me that my husband had been taken to the clinic
after he had fainted. The news confused me very much since that day I
had talked to him a lot of times and even he had told me since the day
before that he wanted to return home. He seemed to be in a good
condition as I had actually asked him a few times. The night before, I
had not been able to sleep properly because I had a dream. In that
dream, he had received some news and would put his hands on his head,
and then he got sick. This had motivated me to call him very early to
know how he was, but the dream continued in my mind during the whole
day, that made me call him more frequently. To me, the news of his
fainting was shocking since I had talked to him minutes before he went
to check out. He said that he would be taking the bus at four in the
afternoon; this would have allowed him to be home very early since he
had invited me to go out that night.

Everything ended up being different since it was me the one that was
taking the bus to go and see him. I do not remember how many times I
packed my bags that day, because when I was on the way to the city
where his colleague was, she called me on my mobile to return home
because they were going to bring him and I had to prepare everything
for his arrival, but when I was back home organizing everything for
the clinic then they called me to go again since he was very in a
fragile condition and it was impossible to bring him in that state.
However, they still had not told me what had happened to him, and when
they did I felt like the earth was eating me alive, I felt chills when
I heard that Carlos had suffered a stroke. I cannot deny that agony
and desperation took over me, there was nothing to wait for, I was
going to Barrancabermeja immediately, but once again, I had to return
since they told me they were on the way to bring him, and it was
better for me to wait for his arrival. At the end, I traveled with my
father since the family was already in shocked with the news.

After that moment, when all this happened, God started to show His
power among us, by keeping him alive, taking care of my emotions as He
knew that the path that was awaiting us was not exactly made of roses.

My husband, that man that God had gifted me, was lying on a bed,
connected to a number of machines without knowing why and what was
happening. I cannot deny that it was difficult for me during the first
days to know the purpose of God given that it was not easy at all to
see day by day how my husband’s condition was getting worse and worse,
and how his body was changing physiologically, observing how his face
had lost his usual calm and sweet expression.

My husband had already been in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for more
than twelve days. The doctors had not been able to do anything in
regards his stroke, because on the second day after the incident, he
had contracted a very severe pneumonia that prevented them from
performing any procedure as he had moments of very high fever that
could have put my husband’s life even in more danger.

From the very first moment everything occurred, God started to act on
my husband’s life. As he mentioned before, God guarded him by allowing
him to find someone to inform about his condition at the hotel. In
addition, God gives him a team of doctors and nurses that acted as
real angels surrounding my husband at all moments.

At that time, God had already revealed in my heart why he had allowed
this situation to happen in our lives. During many occasions when we
were praying with my husband we used to ask the Lord to allow us be a
testimony for other people, that he would touch our lives in a
supernatural way so others would know how Great and Majestic God is,
and the Lord that hears our prayers was acting on us through this
situation, that although was very painful, it would help us grow as
human beings and as His children.

My husband had already been in the ICU for about twenty days, when I
asked one of the specialists to give me her diagnostic. She performed
a series of exercises and physicals tests, and told me that there was
nothing to do, that my husband would be paralyzed for the rest of his
life, that the best thing to do was to apply for his pension and for
me to ask for psychological help because it was going to be very
difficult for me to endure this situation.

I remember that night leaving the clinic so depressed that I almost
could not see where I was walking, so I tried to swallow my pain by
crying. I am sure that the Lord let this to happen so I would become
closer to Him even more, also He reminded me once more that I should
not believe in the word of the man because "Cursed is the one who
trusts in man” (Jeremiah 17:5), the Lord said. That night, it was very
tough for me because it was not only the pain of having my husband so
sick, but in addition, my children were waiting for me at home and
they were always waiting for me to bring them better news.

The Lord knowing each of the things that were occurring around me had
sent me angels at every moment. That night, I talked on the phone for
more than an hour with my sister that was in another city, and since
she is also very blessed by God, she would give me words of
encouragement and invited me to keep fighting with the assurance that
everything would end up being fine, and that God would take care of
everything and I should not worry, that I should blindly trust in Him.
In those difficult moments is when God show us the importance of
having a great family because in those moments is when we discovered
who really love us, and that day I could see through my sister the
great love God has towards me.

Day by day, God was manifesting Himself to us because although my
husband was not showing any improvement, the company of many people
was getting stronger by the day, and that was part of God’s work plan
because He was using our situation through the condition of my
husband. He was attracting to His feet a lot of people that never or
little cared to say a prayer or ask for a petition to Him. Sometimes
people forget that our lives and everything that happens is an act of
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and we become the absolute owner
of our lives, we become our own gods, or create the god of money, the
god of work, the god of knowledge, the god of power, giving ourselves
without conditions or thoughts without taking into consideration that
these are only accessories in our daily life, that are as His word
says as the fog in the morning that would fade away at any moment.

The days were passing by, and my husband was not showing any
improvement, on the contrary, he was getting more and more fragile to
the point that the doctors told me that there was nothing else to do
since the pneumonia had not improve, and besides he was suffering from
hydrocephalus that made his condition even more complicated. He did
not breathe properly and we had to get him a more powerful artificial
respirator, but God that is so great facilitated all the things so my
husband would not lack anything. Also, His work was still inconclusive
and God is a God of perfection and He has a perfect will for us.

It was the second day of the holy week, and as I did every day, I went
to visit my husband who was still in the ICU. I could feel that my
husband was not that well that day. That night, I asked the person
responsible of the ICU to let me stayed over with my husband since I
felt that he was very fragile, I could feel him being far away from
me, but his answer was that, it was not possible as only medical
personnel was allowed to stay overnight at the unit. That night during
my prayers, I remember that when you ask the Lord you have to do it
specifically and that is what I did. I asked the Lord to give us
another opportunity as a couple, to give him another opportunity as a
husband, as a father, as a son, as a brother, as a friend, and as a
professional since he was still very young, and I knew in my heart
that he still had a lot of love to give, and that the Lord was pleased
with the people that know how to give love because that is the best
legacy that He had left us through His son Jesus. God knows how much I
pleaded for the life of my husband in the loneliness of my room that
night. He knew perfectly the distressing circumstances I was going
through, He knew detail by detail how things were developing around me
as a result of my husband’s fragile health, and I know that if it was
not for the strength that God had gave me daily through praying I
would not be given this testimony, not only a testimony of life, but
also a testimony that God acts for the good of all that seek Him.

That same night, I decided to do the same that Esther had done to
prevent the destruction of the Jewish people (Esther 4: 16). I decided
to fast for three days to obtain the favor of God. I remember that on
that Holy Thursday, my whole family had gathered for lunch at my
mother’s house, and my mother called me to ask why I had not come yet.
She said they had planed this lunch especially for me so I would not
feel lonely during these circumstances. After trying to decline the
invitation, I had to tell her that I had offered the Lord to fast for
three days, and that I was not thinking of quitting as this had
priority over everything because I wanted a prompt answer from God.
She understood immediately and respected my decision of not going.
This was one of the most beautiful days of my life because through the
prayers and praises I could feel the full presence of God. In those
moments, I felt that God was present through His Holy Spirit, that my
house was filled with His presence, and although I went to the clinic
a few times that day, every time I left the clinic I felt that it was
a very special day in my life and every time I entered the clinic I
felt that everything was filled with the presence of God.

That day, the Lord filled my heart with joy and peace because although
my husband was still in a very fragile state, my God had let me feel
His grace and mercy; it was a really beautiful day in my life.

He, that is a God of agreements, listened to my prayer, and exactly
three days after Easter, they called me urgently from the clinic
because the neurosurgeon needed my authorization to operate on my
husband to insert a Hakim valve which will be used to treat the
hydrocephalus that was putting my husband’s life more at risk.

It was not easy to take this decision as I asked the doctor about the
risks that my husband would suffer during this surgery, and he told me
that if it was not perform it would be very probable that my husband
could die, but even if we were going ahead with the surgery at least
we had tried it. I remember going into panic. I went away and asked to
the Lord, and He answered me that I had asked Him to act on the health
of my husband and that was the answer, that I should authorize the
surgery and He would take care of everything, that I should trust in
Him, and that is what I did. I went out and told the doctor everything
even knowing that sometimes they are a bit skeptic about these issues,
but I did not care because God actually calls us to do this, to be a
real testimony through our lives. I signed that authorization and in a
few minutes they were taking my husband to the operating room.

It was a three-hour wait. It was also a tough test of God, where I
know He was measuring our trust and real communion with Him, because
He uses each moment of our lives to act among us.

The surgery was very successful, and this worked as a sign that God
was going to lift my husband from his fragile condition.

Carlos Fernando’s health was improving day by day and that encouraged
us to ask the Lord more so that everything would go away soon. After
spending forty days in intensive care, my husband was transferred to a
special room that his company had arranged for him, but I knew that
everything was an act of God that would let them procure better things
and care for my husband. From the moment everything happened, the
company did not spare efforts to support such crucial moment in the
life of my husband, they also showed lots of appreciation and
permanent friendship.

It was a great blessing that my husband was in that room not only
because I could visit him at any time but also it was a clear proof
that God was acting greatly. Moreover, he started language, physical,
breathing and occupational therapies, everything that was necessary
for his recovery.

One day, one of the lady doctors came to the clinic with another lady,
that according to her had a special gift to that would let her to talk
to my husband, and since the doctor had some level of authority over
the patient we allowed the therapy. I was very nervous, and I started
to pray, and fortunately some nurse came to attend my husband and I
asked her if she knew that lady. She confirmed what I felt in my
heart, this was not from God. Also, according to that lady, my husband
told her personal details that I knew were completely mistaken. When I
told her that I did not believe in anything she said, that I only
believed in the Lord when He speaks to me through His word and to my
heart, she became upset with me calling me inappropriate names. She
was only right when she told me that it seemed I had a shield from
head to toe, and I assured her that it was right because I had the
shield of Christ. She realized that I was not willing to continue that
“therapy” and all of sudden she disappeared without my knowledge.
Neither, I ever saw anymore that lady doctor that used to visit my
husband frequently.

The recovery

When learning how to walk again God had blessed me from the start
because He allowed me to have an excellent health insurance and an
outstanding medical team. I had a few nurses that were full time
dedicated to me, and now, I take the opportunity to thank them for
their dedication, thanks to Anita, Edith and Lilian, thanks a lot for
your love and concerns for me. I also had a therapist that was a real
angel to me, thanks Angel. He taught me how to walk and use my right
leg although it was partially paralyzed. It was not easy, but with the
help of God and the medical personnel, I have been able to recover to
the point that the doctors themselves cannot scientifically explain my
recovery.

Understating God’s purpose for my life, I met Wilmer through a common
friend. Wilmer is a guy that at the moment this document was written
was 36 years old. I was 32 years old when I had the stroke. Wilmer had
the same condition than me, he had suffered a stroke. He had not been
able to move since his stroke happened more than five years ago; in
contrast, I was working again six months after my stroke. It is a real
miracle what had happened to me. I had continued visiting Wilmer to
give him encourage in his recovery and to tell him “It is possible
Wilmer, it is possible”.

During the first appointment I had with the neurologist, he was
surprised looking at the medical exams that they had performed when I
just got in the clinic, and looking at me with a perplex and amazed
look had told me “you should not be here, you should be dead”. Later,
I had learned that two of my cousins that are medical doctors, had
left crying after finding out the details of what had occurred to me
at the clinic, they did not think I would be able to recover from that
condition. The medical doctor at the research center where I work told
me she did not understand how I was still alive and the level of
recovery, but anyway she was happy and welcomed me back.

There are hundreds of thousands of people that testify they had seen
our Lord Jesus Christ, and I am one of them. This vision had
transformed my life completely; it gave me a purpose in life, to win
many more souls for our Lord Jesus Christ. During my stay at the
clinic, I only have two memories, one in which I called my son, and
another one, in which I was weighted on a scale with my right arm over
me like it was amputated, I do not remember anything else. However,
every time I think of my Lord Jesus Christ, I have the same image
recorded in my mind, that makes me think that I had seen Him, I saw
Him!. I have recorded the image of a being of light, with a tunic; His
skin and beard were made of light too. He was sitting on a throne,
like above a platform, on an asteroid coming to Earth. I do not know
how I know that it was an asteroid, I just know it. I saw Him looking
at me and telling me with His eyes that He was waiting for me. I do
not remember exactly His words. I feel that I saw Him; I can not deny
it, because I saw Him!. It could not have been a hallucination;
because everything points out that something supernatural happened.
The doctor who was taking care of me had also suffered a stroke (now
he is seeing his patients normally) and why exactly forty days in
intensive care?. The day I suffered the stroke was the best day of my
life because it let me see part of God’s Glory. I am a common person;
I do not want to be called a saint or special. God would want us to
stop the fratricidal war that annihilates us in Colombia. He would
want all the kidnapped people to be released, that the Jews and
Palestinians stop killing each other; that we help the poor, starting
with our neighbors, with the African countries. God would want that
the Iranians and North Koreans were treated as brothers, thinking of
what would join us instead of what would separated us. That is what
God would want.

Back to work

I had worked on a speech to testify the world what had happened to me.
God forgive me, but sometimes I laughed a lot at how many times I had
repeated the same words, thus I had to apologize to the person I was
given my testimony. I started with the taxi drivers that would drive
me every day to the office or back to home. After, I continued with
the taxi drivers that gave me a ride to the therapies, and then, with
every person I encountered. I would testify of the greatest of God,
His power, His mercy, His love and grace. My testimony was as follows:
I would ask the person, “are you a believer?”. This was asked because
what matters the most is to have Jesus Christ in your heart. It had
been almost ten months since the stroke happened, but almost four
months since I had been working, by the Glory of God. I suffered from
bronco aspiration as well as pneumonia, and the doctors did not know
what to do with me, they said I was going to end up being in a vegetal
state or paraplegic. They advised my wife to apply for my pension and
to be ready for the worse since I would pass away at any time. I
suffered from hydrocephalus; they had to insert a Hakim valve in my
head, it goes down here (I would point it to the person) to the
perinea. I was in the ICU for forty days and two months in the clinic,
but God All Powerful saved my life, however, you have to search for
Him every day, and everyday read His word. I would also ask: “Do you
go to a congregation?”. This was asked because as there is a God All
Powerful, there is also a wolf that as a growling lion is looking for
the sheep to devour, but if there is a shepherd, the shepherd scares
the wolf away; that is why for the spiritual growth it is important to
congregate, any church or temple you wish but congregate.

Recently, I learnt the case of a young guy (Wilmer), he is 36 years
old; so you will not think that I recovered due to my age. He cannot
talk or move, he can only laugh and cry, he cannot do anything else,
and we had the exact same condition, the stroke, exactly in the same
part of the brain (the brainstem), and there, I was working after six
months, and he was still lying on a bed after more than five years,
but I have faith in the will of God for Wilmer, that He is going to
lift him from that bed. My six year old son heard me repeat the same
words so many times that he memorized them, and one day he surprised
me by preaching to a taxi driver that was giving us a ride. More than
once, I started conversation with the people I was giving my
testimony, they wanted to know the source of my disease. I would
answer to them that it was a congenital defect which I had since I was
born, an arteriole that connected a venule without a capillary vessel,
and it had burst. In one occasion, I bumped into a very talkative taxi
driver that wanted to find out more about my life, this made me feel
uncomfortable, but then I remembered “He who watches over you will not
slumber” (Psalm 121:3). Even, more than one taxi driver shared his own
personal life testimony with me, children as well wounds that were
miraculously cured and so on. I would reply to them that they should
offer that testimony to everyone that would get in their cars. I also
learned that the father of one of the taxi drivers is a minister in
Canada, and from there, they were praying for me.

My friends from work have been very warm with me. They gave me a
welcome back party at the office, even having balloons and cake.
Recently, I was taking a course taught in English by an East Indian
guy. One of my best friends that was organizing the course told me
that he almost cried when he heard my talking in English because he
understood that my brain was still intact.

Recovering my life

Over the lapse of a month, I had prepared a talk about my personal
life testimony. That talk was presented in association with a friend
that had also recovered miraculously. It was held at the research
center of the company where I work. God had healed my friend from
being completely paraplegic due to an infection in the backbone. I
prepared the presentation to talk about the Word of God, and my friend
agreed with me that should be the main topic. Unfortunately, on the
day of the presentation, the auditorium was barely occupied; there
were only around twenty people. Although all of them said the prayer
of faith in which they would surround their lives to God, I was very
disappointed of thinking that people were so busy with their jobs that
do not give relevance to the things that are really important. A
couple of months later, one of the people that attended the conference
had a chat with me and admitted that the content of the presentation
had inspired him to share more with his family, and the prayer of
faith was recited by his children during family meetings. Then, I
thought that I had not wasted my time and that the Word of God is not
empty but it acts.

I had the opportunity of sharing with my wife a concert of the singer
Camilo Sexto, we had a great time and I felt excellent. Likewise, I
could share with my wife and children the presentation of the
Nutcracker Ballet Suite by Tchaikovsky, which it is beautiful. At
work, they had a mini Olympics, and I was asked to light the Olympic
flame, this was very rewarding for me.

The holiday of Christmas gave me the opportunity to have a toast with
my family, my two daughters, my small son, my wife and I. During the
toast, each one recognized that if it had not been for the Divine
Mercy, I would not have been alive at that moment. I was very grateful
to God for allowing me enjoy another Christmas, and I asked Him for
many more years of life, that He would let me see my grandchildren and
great grandchildren.

The alumni of the high school I had attended organized a reunion on
New Year’s Eve. I decided to go thinking of meeting with a few
friends. The welcome I received was overwhelming; my former classmates
kissed me while crying. They showed me their appreciation and love.

The farewell to the old year helped me thank God once more for having
gifting me life, and having the opportunity of catching a glimpse of
one more year. I had received thousands of blessings during the old
year that was finishing, life was one of them, and I did not stop
being hopeful that the new coming year would be full with many more
blessings.

We were visiting the farm of one of my wife’s uncles. I was always
very scared, and on our way back home I was praying so the trip will
go without any major trouble. However, it was there, during the trip
that I understood that everything was going to be all right. The right
hand of the Lord holds us with power, with love, with mercy, and
whatever happens will be fine. I could visualize events that had not
happened yet, and I understood that everything will be all right.

Recently, I had the opportunity to see the neurosurgeon that put the
valve in my head and give him thanks for his very blessed hands. The
doctor was very shocked to see me, he could barely talk, and he was
static. I did not know if it was because he did not recognize me or
because I was standing, anyway, I kept thanking him, but the man did
not articulate any word.

What I had learned

I had seen faith in many places, Christian, Catholic and even Muslim.
I do not have any authority to impose any person the path to follow,
because independent of the path, what it is important, it is to seek
the Lord. The Muslim friends I made in Spain during the doctorate
studies I am pursuing, have prayed for my recovery, and I am very
thankful for those prayers, not only to them but to all those that
took some time to remember me. Their prayers had an effect and I
enjoyed the Mercy of God.

Events do not simply happen, there is a reason behind. Sometimes the
motive can be subtle, but sometimes it can be important. If we allow
God to be the one to guide our steps, everything will be perfect,
since it would be God the one that will make everything happen.

The Lord act on the big and on the small as well.

The Lord talks to us daily. Along with my wife, we had planned on
buying a car, since we needed it. We had already given the deposit,
but I was not still convinced that it was the most prudent thing to
do, so I asked the Lord if that was what He really wanted for us. One
day, the Lord replied to me. He showed me on a reading that I do
besides the Bible, how a man cried for his wife after dying in a
traffic accident, his three children (and I have three children) had a
big hole in their heart. The youngest five year old son (my son was
five, he had just turned six) asked him if he was there. That was a
radical answer and did not let me any doubt that we should wait and
postpone the purchase of the car. Thank God, we could recover most of
the deposit money.

After the test, the blessing has come. God has opened the heaven’s
doors and there has been abundance in a super natural way in our home;
even during my stay at the clinic, my family had everything they
needed. The smartest decision I had taken was to name my wife as the
manager of our finances, women have a special talent to make the money
last, unlike, men are bad spenders. The tithe has been a golden rule
at home, now I understand that we are the most blessed when giving the
tithe. There are many people that have their concerns in regards the
tithe, but I would like to easy their mind by telling them that the
ministers will have to respond to God. Our duty is to give the tithe
for the expenses of the leaders of the church and their families, so
the work of God will expand all over the face of the earth.

God likes order and planning. He has given me a wife that is very
organized, my ideal help. Not only has she organized our finances but
also has given me valuable advices on how to organized the finances of
our loved ones.

We can act as intercessors. Fasting and prayer have power. Many people
around the world have prayed for me, and I received the mercy of God
“…The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James
5:16). I fasted for forty days asking the Lord to heal my right arm
and foot, as well as all my whole right side and left side if I needed
to be healed. The forty day into my fasting, I started to feel how my
arm, foot and right side of my head started to wake up; I even felt a
dizziness that I had not felt before. However, the Lord left my right
arm and foot semi asleep. I asked myself during many days if I had not
had enough faith, and if that was why the miracle had not been
completed. I do not know if the Lord had healed my brain, I do not
know if my Lord had healed me of something that physically cannot be
healed, but I understand that He wishes that we would make an effort
and be brave. The Lord expect us to do whatever we can as humans, that
is why I continue to go to the therapies every day, because I have
faith that the Lord will do the impossible, the possible I have to do
it myself. Furthermore, I hope that it will not happen to me as the
Israeli people leaving Egypt, that even after witnessing how the Lord
have parted the Red sea, they were thirsty and rebelled against Moses.

Each one of us is a precious being for God. The Lord used this stroke
to straighten my path, and what a great blessing to have a celestial
Father that is interested in His children, and correct them with love
and mercy. What a great blessing that us being so small and
insignificant still have a God that shows interest in us, and treat as
His children. He has made us His spiritual children, and has saved our
souls.

I would like to write something that I had reflected on the first
anniversary of my stroke. The blessing I received from my Lord was not
only to save me as He did, but also that I got the stroke. I could
have continued living a mediocre life, but the Lord had mercy on me
when He let me have that stroke. Besides living a Christian life, the
Lord gave me the purpose of sharing His word with others, and gave me
the tool to do it which is my testimony. Now, I understand that the
Lord can raise prophets from stones if He wanted, but the miracles He
has performed in my life, He has done them especially for me, so I
could really experiment Him. Not everyone has the same opportunities
that I have had, to mend my mistakes, to start my life again in a
clean state.

The following statement, I do not write it so the reader thinks I am a
good person, in fact, I am a sinner as everyone else. I write it so
you will be as blessed as we are. A couple of weeks ago, along with my
wife and children, we started to share the bread, and our plan is to
do it once a month, or every time is possible. It is basically
bringing something to eat to the needy. If you wish to follow the same
practice, do not forget the first rule, you must do it in a safe
manner according to your local norms. We contacted the police station
and requested their help. They provided two policemen to escort us.
Take your children, this is an excellent opportunity for them to see
poverty and value what they have. There is lot of need in this world,
and we as children of God are the first ones called to try to solve
the needs of the people that are not as fortunate as us, even if it is
in a small scale.

To this date (July, 2009) I am still working on my recovery.

EPILOGUE

It has been a relaxing exercise to write these short paragraphs. It
has unloaded the anxiety that I had, to tell what has occurred to the
largest number of people possible. I hope the reader had enjoyed
reading these lines as I enjoyed writing them. I had imagined
everything except to become a writer, let alone describing the above
events, but faithful is the God that gives us talents.


Another miracle was ready for me for my second birthday (February
28th, 2010), the miracle of perfect health. I had the great blessing
of sharing the second anniversary of my stroke with my wife and
children. I had a toast that I will describe. Before having the toast
in which I compiled the most important points during the last past two
years, I pointed out to them that I could now hold the cup with my
right hand. I also pointed out that I was drinking water and they were
drinking a delicious wine (my youngest son also joined us with a cup
of water), this due to the fact that every year I fast for forty days
to thank God for having saved my life. During this fasting, I do not
eat breakfast, but have lunch and dinner as usual, and on the fortieth
day of the fasting, I drink water and eat bread the whole day. This is
the second time I follow this fasting, in 2009 due to my weak health
instead of breakfast I used to drink tea. During 2010 I did not have
breakfast during the fasting.

It is thanks to the grace and mercy of God that I was in front of them
and not dead or on a bed. I got mercy.  Mercy means not to receive
what you deserve, since I deserved death, because I was a sinner and
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  However, I did not die. My
neurologist read the results of the exams I took at the clinic, and
the first thing he told me during the first appointment was: “What are
you doing here?, you should be dead”. The stroke was so intense and in
a very critical place of the brain that the doctors already thought I
would die. Now, I don’t even know exactly in what part of my brain I
got the stroke, the brainstem or the thalamus, but just know it was a
very critical place. The sin is to abuse the freedom that God has
given to people so they can love Him and love each other. I received
grace, the grace is to receive what I did not deserve, and I do not
deserve the salvation of my soul, however God had saved my soul. I do
not deserve the spectacular way in which God had saved my life, which
is written in my life testimony, however God saved my life and I do
not deserve the perfect health that I have received, however, God has
given it to me.
I give thanks to God, for His grace and His mercy. I thank our Lord
Jesus Christ who carried out our Celestial Father’s will. I am
grateful to my wife, a women touched by God who inspired me to
continue forward. She reminded me that you have to be specific when it
is time to ask God for something (1 Chronicles 4:10).  Part of my
prayer was that His will would be accomplished in our lives and in the
lives of all that give themselves to Him, and then I would claim to
God to heal me.  I am also grateful to all the doctors, nurses,
physiotherapists and all the people that were involved during my
recovery, since they were angels that God had put on earth to take
care of me.  Many people also contributed a lot with the salvation of
my life and the recovery.  For instance, the hotel receptionists where
I stayed in Barrancabermeja city, who gave me help during the first
moments of the event.  Also, all my great friends from the team of the
research center where I work, who were also in Barrancabermeja two
years ago.

From my stay at the clinic, I do not have clear memories, which is
actually better, since they were very critical moments, and I prefer
not to remember anything. What I know is through different people that
have described the events to me. I know for instance, that my first
neurosurgeon had a thrombosis, now thank God, he sees patients as
usual and there is not even trace of it. However, now I understand
that a change of neurosurgeon was necessary, since due to the high
peaks of fever that I had, the first neurosurgeon had not performed
the surgery fearing for my life. The second neurosurgeon instead
decided to insert a Hakim valve in my head, due to the hydrocephalus I
had suffered. Anyway, even with the high peaks of fever, I am
recovering since they inserted the Hakim valve in my head.
I returned home two months after the stroke had occurred, and only
from that moment I have memories of what had happened. When I came
back home I had not changed my attitude, I continued thinking that
just by acting well I was right, and I had sinned, how much arrogance!
After I started to read my medical history was when I started to
understand what had occurred to me. They performed a lot of procedures
on me at the clinic. I stayed up late reading the medical history. I
archived it and decided never to read it again. I asked God for
forgiveness and then my wife and children for the attitude I had
showed to them. When I returned home, my bedroom became a hospital
room, with an oxygen tank, a wheelchair, and all the necessary tools
for my daily life. I started being attended by three nurses, that did
everything for me, they shaved me, bathed me on a chair, they did
everything, and I am very grateful to them. I ate only liquids through
a tube since I had a gastrostomy, and also a tracheotomy.  I had to
learn to talk again; when I returned home I talked only by signs. I
started physiotherapy to be able to walk again since I was laying down
permanently on a bed. I had a therapist that was a real angel, and who
taught me how to walk using my semi frozen right leg. I started by
learning how to roll over in bed. Before, I did not want to get out of
bed. I remember in an occasion having an argument with a nurse for
keeping me out of the bed watching TV, for me the only thing that
existed was the bed, and I wanted to sleep early, thinking that this
hard time would pass by and things would be the same as before. I was
very far from reality; my life could have not been the same as before,
after what had happened. Even going up a single stair was very
challenging. I walked along my therapist around the house, initially
supported by a stick, then by a walker and finally on my own without
help. I got depressed, now I understand why the neurologist had
prescribed me with anti-depressants. I was very independent and then I
depended for everything on the nurses and my wife. The depression is
another disease that needs to be defeated.

It was during the fourth or fifth month, I do not exactly recall it
that I remembered that I had seen our Lord Jesus Christ. That vision
changed my life completely, it gave me a purpose of life, which is to
win many souls for our Lord Jesus Christ, and God gave me a tool to do
it, which is my life testimony. After having such an amazing vision,
what type of depression could persist?  I started to eat solids,
eating was another blessing, I could taste the food. We have to be
grateful to God that we can taste food; there are many people that do
not even have anything to eat. I learnt how to shower again, they did
not have to bath me on a chair anymore, and day by day I was getting
more independent.

It was exactly on the sixth month after the stroke that I returned to
work part time, I could be useful again. It was on August 28th of
2008. There are people that feel very loaded and stressed, and do not
realize that having a job is a blessing. In my case, they were
studying the possibility of my retirement; but I am very young, and I
want to be useful many more years. At the beginning, I had a lot of
concerns, I was insecure to return to work, but it was my wife again
who encouraged me.  Every morning, a taxi would pick me up and drop me
off at the office, and at noon, another taxi would drop me off back at
home. During the first month, my wife would accompany me during the
taxi ride since she was concerned that something could happen to me.
During the rides, I took the opportunity to share with the taxi
drivers my life testimony. I think there are too many taxi drivers in
Bucaramanga that must know me by now. I returned to work again after
six months of the stroke, and I was not working on anything simple, I
was working on my doctoral thesis even after having a stroke. God had
protected my brain because He knows I work with it.

I had lunch at home, and then in the afternoons I would go to the
physiotherapy sessions accompanied by a nurse.  I had physical,
occupational and language therapies. I would return home and rest on
bed. It was on the ninth month that the nurses were removed, I
remember it very clear since I almost cried, I was used to their
valuable company. For my wife, it was also very difficult, since they
became a valuable help for her.  Till that moment I was always wearing
sweat pants, because my right side was semi-frozen. It was easier for
me to use the toilets if I was wearing sweat pants. It was between
December 2008 and January 2009 that I started to wear pants with belt
again, my wife did not allow me to wear sweat pants again. Around a
year after the stroke, I started to take the company bus in the
morning to go to work, and in the afternoon a taxi would pick me up to
take me home.

Every day, we have to be grateful to God for allowing us to open the
eyes and hear the birds sing. We should seek to be understood and not
stubborn, seek the wisdom. The principle of wisdom is the fear of God.
Being fearful is not to be scared of God, is to love Him above all, be
obedient and serve Him.

I tried a lot of therapies during my recovery, acupuncture,
homeopathy, etc. However, things do not happen on our time, but on
God’s time.

Around the fifteenth month, I started to work full time. In the
afternoon, once I finished my work, I would go for my doctor
appointments and therapies, and in the evenings I would spend time
with my wife and children. It was like having three shifts, working at
the research center, the therapies and sharing time with my wife and
children, I had no time for stress. I stopped going for therapy part
time because I understood that God had started to spiritually heal me,
and there was not much left for my physical recovery, and the
spiritual healing precedes the physical healing.

Something that it is not written on my testimony is that three days
after the stroke had occurred; I was in comma at the Cardiovascular
Foundation, and all the doctors thought I was going to die. My mother
went to the Christian church she attends and received a prophecy, the
Lord told her “do not fear for your loved one, that I will give him
perfect health, and the Lord repeated, perfect health”.  A God’s
promise is worth more than gold. God is faithful to His promises. “God
is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should
change His mind.  Does He speak and then not act?  Does He promise and
not fulfill?” ( Numbers 23:19). On the Bible there are lots of
promises and how many of us meditate them? How many of us make them
our own?  How many of us worry about study them?  I will tell you as
Moses told the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 30:15-16 “See, I set
before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.  For I
command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and
to keep His commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and
increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are
entering to possess.”  And in Deuteronomy 28:13-14 “The LORD will make
you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of
the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them,
you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.  Do not turn aside
from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the
left, following other gods and serving them.”  Each day one must spend
some time to seek God, early morning (Psalm 5:1-3), searching for Him
in the pray, reading His word and meditating it. To me, God has spoken
powerful through His word and I have faith that He will also talk to
you. In Proverbs 15:29 says: “The LORD is far from the wicked but He
hears the prayer of the righteous.” He does not refer to the
righteous, because all of us are sinners, we are righteous because of
the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is why when the
Father sees us, He does not see us, He sees His son in us. It is in
bent knees praying that we can embrace our lives when everything
threatens to fall.  If the difficulties are disappointing you and you
lose faith, knee and talk to God.  He wants to walk with you; you just
have to talk to Him, empty everything you have inside, and allow Him
to fill you with His light. He is the one that renew the strength,
hope and faith. In John 15:7 says “If you remain in me and my words
remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you”. In 1
Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for
you”.  In 1 John 3:22 says “and receive from Him anything we ask,
because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him”.  In Colossians
4:2 says “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful”.
We have to clothe every day with God´s armor (Ephessians 6:10-18).  I
am going to give you more promises of perfect health that I used to
read every day:
Exodus 23:25  Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on
your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.
Isaiah 33:24  No one living in Zion will say, "I am ill"; and the sins
of those who dwell there will be forgiven.
Isaiah 35:2-5  it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and
shout for joy.  The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor
of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the
splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees
that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not
fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine
retribution He will come to save you."  Then will the eyes of the
blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Now I have perfect health. God did not healed me because I had a lot
of faith, or because I was very special, I am as sinner as everyone
else. God save me because of His Grace. For His grace God had saved
me.  Now I have perfect health, I am healthier than before. Now I know
that the first thing to do is to search the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things will be given to us as well
(Matthew 6:33).  And His righteousness is His son, our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who is mercy now, because to all that we look for Him, He give
us forgiveness, but the day will come in which He will ask ourselves:
What did you do with my sacrifice in the cross?  Why didn´t you look
for me? And then there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew
25:30).  That is why we have to seek now that He can be found.

At that moment, although I had God’s promise, I had to do everything
possible for my recovery, and He did the impossible. I started to go
to the gym, first only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after work,
then Tuesdays and Thursdays or every time I could. I developed an
exercise routine that I followed at home. This included 300
abdominals.  Later, I also started to swim after going to the gym; I
SWAM with my right side semi frozen. Swimming is another blessing. I
love to take the bus. Many people do not like to use the bus, but I
love it, because, it could be normal for most of people, but not for
me. During peak times is difficult to get a free seat, so I like to
stand holding onto the bars because that is a very good exercise for
my right arm.

After going to the gym, I would walk home since it was not that far.
On the way, I used to meet a great friend that used to give me
massages on my right arm while praying. I am going to tell you my
friend’s story. I had an excellent team of doctors and
physiotherapists, highly educated, some abroad, but this friend barely
finished second grade. However, none of those doctors gave me the
therapies that my friend did, who used to pray while giving me
massages. My friend barely makes any money, along with his wife and
daughter sells chewing gum in the streets at the traffic lights.

During the seventeenth month I had therapies on my right hand, with
the same physiotherapist that three years and a half before had taken
care of my left hand. On September 5th, 2006, I was almost killed to
be robed; they stabbed me on my left arm. God saved my life in that
opportunity as well. He saved my life because I did not see the knife
coming and somehow I lifted the left arm up. If God had not put my
left arm up, the knife would have gone straight to my chest and could
have killed me.  The wound was deep and went through the arm, cutting
the extenders tendons of the little, ring and heart fingers, and
partially the thumb and index fingers.  Although the stroke was a
miracle and a huge blessing, because it allowed me to see our Lord
Jesus Christ, and according to the doctors it was a birth defect, in
other words, I was programmed since I was born to have a stroke, I
believe that if I had attended the Lord’s call at that moment, nothing
would have happened.  God is also calling you when reading these
words; do not wait for something difficult to happen to respond to
this call.

I used to dialogue a lot with my physiotherapist during the therapies.
This physiotherapist had also received miracles from God. Her oldest
daughter was born with anoxia, and as a baby had spasticity, but she
is now fine. She had her youngest child after taking some medicine,
and the doctors said the baby would be born with problems. The Lord
had mercy on them and the baby was born completely healthy.  She had a
cousin that had equine encephalitis and was in comma during nine
years. After five years the doctors wanted to practice euthanasia, but
his wife did not allow it, she still loved him and had faith he would
recover, faith is what sometimes we lack of, and after nine years he
woke up from the comma and recovered in two years and a half.  Her
brother was hit by a car and abandoned while he was cycling. He
suffered a severe brain injure, but had also recovered and has not
traces of it.

In the eighteenth month, God taught me a very important lesson, the
lesson of Grace, He used my physiatrist to do it.  My physiatrist is
another miracle of God, doctors detected him a terrible and terminal
cancer, but nowadays he is healed and attends his patients normally.
He is a man very used by God.  My physiatrist told me a few beautiful
words that the Lord said to the Apostle Paul: "My grace is sufficient
for you".  Until then, I just believed in God's mercy.  My testimony
is written regarding the Mercy, but the Grace is essential.  Paul had
a sting in the flesh, and prayed to God to be removed, but God told
him "My grace is sufficient for you" as said in 2 Corinthians 12:7 "To
keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great
revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of
Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it
away from me.  But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for
my power is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore I will boast all the
more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on
me."

The gospel is the Grace of God.  Before the grace, the law existed.
The law was a pact of actions.  The Bible says that under the pact,
forgiveness and salvation were obtained by means of the actions, but
this was impossible and if it was not by God's grace even under the
law, no one would have been saved.  The law said if you were to obey
you would receive rewards (blessings), but if were to disobey you
would receive punishment (curse). So as no one could follow the law,
they were all cursed.  No one could live under the law because no one
could obey it entirely.  If you follow the law but failed on anything,
you would be guilty of all the law.  In contrast, the grace is not a
pact of works but faith.  Grace can be defined as the merciful act of
God which offers salvation and eternal life to all sinners who put
their faith in Christ to be saved.  The best place to see the message
of grace is in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when He says: "For
God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16).
I have found some advice on how to grow in grace:  Staying firm and
not going back to the system of works.  Not using freedom as
debauchery to sin again.  Loving our neighbor.  Allowing the control
of the Holy Spirit, not of the flesh.  Not giving place to the
vainglory.  Restoring the fallen.  Carry each other's burdens
(Galatians 6: 2).  Being willing to be tested, and carrying our own
burden.  Sharing with others.  Not getting tired of doing good.  Not
despising our Lord Jesus Christ.  We despise Him each time we sin, we
cannot go back to sin, and cannot disregard the precious blood of our
Lord Jesus Christ.  We cannot stop congregating, gathering as
Christians, Catholics, or Muslims, to receive the word of God, which
is the spiritual nourishment.  Not receiving the grace in vain.
Relying on the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Many times we have tests.  God did not promise that there would be no
tests, but He promised that He would accompany us during these tests.
Isaiah 41:10 says: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be
dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I
will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  A missing body part, a
beloved dead, an incurable disease, there are many tests we go through
during our lives, and in all of them we must remember the words God
said to Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you”.  Fear and anxiety is
normal, but we must change our fears for a strong faith despite the
suffering.  It is not a sin to ask why.  Even our Lord Jesus Christ
asked this question when He was hung sore on the cross. Jesus himself
was called "Man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isaiah
53:3).  All the suffering, all the disasters are the result of which
the same man has done with this land, through his sins.  It is not
God’s fault, only God wants to bless us.  We are the ones that stay
away from His blessings when we do not follow His will and sin.

Starting from the eighteenth month, my seven year old son became my
physiotherapist, and was a very strict one.  He would ask me to do
push ups while reading.  It was during the same month that I had the
great opportunity to meet Nick.  Nick is an Australian boy born
without arms and legs; he is a preacher of God’s word, and an example
to all.  His words were recorded in my being, and I can never forget
them.  He said that we should give thanks to God for what we had.  He
cited John 9, the case of the blind healed by Jesus, who said that,
neither he nor his parents had sin, but it happened so the work of God
would manifest in he who had been born blind.  He said that when he
was small he had asked God for arms and legs, and he did not
understand why he had not got them. Now, he had understood that if he
had got them, the day he would have died and reached heaven, God would
have told him that his worst mistake was to ask for legs and arms,
since although he was in heaven, 250.000 people that had converted
because of his testimony would have not be there.  Nick said again "My
grace is sufficient for you".  Nick said something very wise and true:
the biggest miracle is not having new arms and legs, or God healing a
person, the biggest miracle is the salvation of our souls, our journey
through this life is temporary, we must fight for eternal life.  I saw
him smiling; HE HAD NEITHER ARMS NOR LEGS AND COULD SMILE.  We often
make bad faces, and become sad, we get depressed, and he without arms
or legs could smile in a transparent manner.  He cited Jeremiah
29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I
will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me
with all your heart."  Nick leaned in the stage, and asked if he would
be able to get up, and without arms or legs using his head and his
torso was incorporated, and said "With God everything is possible".  I
SAW HIM RUNNING ON THE STAGE WITHOUT LEGS.  Nick stated that there are
people with more disabilities than him, since true disability is
interior, not exterior.

I remember very much that one of my physiotherapists told me the
recovery would happen until the eighteenth month; from there the
recovery of my mobility would stop.  It was exactly after twenty
months that I started the therapies that had taken me to the point I
am right now. I would be very ungrateful not to admit that I am
recovering since they inserted the valve in my head, but I must say
that when the medicine said that I would not continue improving my
recovering, I decided to start the therapies than on February 28th,
2010 had given me perfect health.

I used to do therapy with horses on Saturdays.  Thank God, I used to
make a series of exercises on the horse with the help of therapists
that guided and instructed me.

If God had not saved me, I would have blamed Him for unfair? Never,
God loves justice. If it was for justice I would be dead.  Every day I
give the Honor, Glory and Praise to Him. Gods gives us tests to
strengthen us.  In Psalm 109:30 says “With my mouth I will greatly
extol the LORD; in the great throng I will praise Him.”

I did my research on the presumption of faith.  Often, we think that
something supernatural had happened to us, but sometimes it is not
like that.  Some churches teach that if a person believes to be sure
that will go to heaven when they die, committed the sin of
presumption.  There are two kinds of presumption. Either the person
presumes about their capabilities (hoping to be saved without help
from heaven), or presumes of the omnipotence or divine mercy (hoping
to get His forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit).
The Word of God says "I write these things to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal
life." (1 John 5:13).  The Bible declares that all those who receive
Christ by faith and put their trust in Him are assured to have eternal
life:  "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever
rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
(John 3:36).  "I tell you the truth; whoever hears my word and
believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned;
he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24).  The assurance
of salvation is a biblical fact and a beautiful promise of our Lord
Jesus Christ.  It is never a presumption to believe in what God says.
In fact, God is pleased when we believe in Him: "I tell you the truth,
no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."  (John
3:3).

It is not a presumption to believe in God's promises.  This is called
faith.  Often the faith and the presumption are considered the same
thing, but they are not.  The act of reading a verse of the scripture
and saying: "I believe in this", and then make a presumptuous leap
from the pinnacle of the temple, could bring a tragedy to you and
others.  The devil gave our Lord Jesus Christ a biblical verse (Psalms
91:11-12) and then asked Him to run a presumptuous act.  If the heart
of our Lord Jesus Christ had been full of pride (as some of our
hearts), He would have been tempted.  However, our Lord Jesus Christ
knew the difference between the faith and the presumption.  Once I
read the testimony of a couple who lost their son because of a
disease, they suspended the medicines assuming that faith would save
him.  They put the faith ahead of love, which was their mistake.  The
word of God says that love or charity is greater than faith (1
Corinthians 13:13).  Only until God reveal us health, He expects us to
do everything we can to alleviate the pain and suffering.  Rejecting
the use of medicine, especially the medicine that gives life, is
presumptuous, this prevents the spirit of God to do His work.  It is
vital that we have compassion.  The Lord told the Pharisees: "It is
not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Matthew 9:12).  We
must not neglect this important principle and ignore what doctors
prescribe to preserve our beloved ones.  Then, our Lord Jesus Christ
questioned the Pharisees regarding what He meant when He said: "I
desire mercy, not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:13).  He repeated the same
question in Matthew 12:7 when He reminded the Pharisees:  "If you had
known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you
would not have condemned the innocent."  What God approves is “…faith
expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:6).

The Christmas of 2009 had arrived. Christmas celebrates the birthday
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we invite everyone except Him.  We worry
about the gifts, the dinner, but do we worry about giving God a gift?
Do we worry about sharing with the neediest, about giving toys to poor
children?  Or we only care about our own interests?

It is very important to give thanks, first to God, for each day that
He gives us, to amend our mistakes, and then to other people.  Many
times when people do something, we assume that we had already
appreciated what they have done for us, but that is not the case, it
is important to thank for each gesture of kindness that we receive.
We did a valuable exercise in our family during the New Year party: we
wrote down on a paper the things that we thanked God for.  We read
them privately at midnight to give thanks to God for His blessings.

First we have to listen “He who answers before listening that is his
folly and his shame” (Proverbs 18:13).  Learn how to listen, is one of
the main needs of the human being.  Listen to the voice of God.  The
strength that comes from the Lord will help you to face the daily
challenges with courage. Courage is not the absence of fear.  Fear
will always be present in human nature, but you will face it and
defeat it with the strength you receive from God in those daily
minutes of reflection and prayer.

In January of 2010, we did another family exercise: we put all our
projects for the New Year in the hands of God.  We must pray so His
will be made in our lives, since we do not know what is good for us,
but God knows, and He, as a loving father wants the best for His
children, He knows.  We must write the vision: "Then the LORD replied:
 Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a
herald may run with it.  For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end and will not prove false.  Though it linger, wait
for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:2-3).

We always want things to happen in the time that we want, but we do
not realise that things happen in the time of God, not in our time.  I
ask God so I do not behave as King Saul, who did not respect the times
placed by God, and therefore he was scrapped, as narrated in the first
book of Samuel, chapter 13.

Psalm 26:1 quotes: "Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless
life; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering."  We are sinners,
why can we say as the psalmist "blameless"?  Why?  For the justice of
God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who justifies us in front of the Heavenly
Father through His sacrifice on the cross.  Because of Him, we have
entry to the heavenly throne.  Our works are not enough to please the
Father.  Our life should be irreprehensible, but as a result of
salvation, not as a means to achieve it.  Many people say every day:
"I will never be able to overcome my habits, nor my vicious. I will
never reach integrity."  The key is to have a heart entirely dedicated
to God, confidence in God is what makes the weak strong, rises the
fallen, and restores the injured

God is the expert in the impossible, Who gives life to the dead and
calls things that are not as though they were (Romans 4: 17).  "What
is impossible with men is possible with God."  (Luke 18: 27).

On the evening of February 12th 2010, the pain in my right leg was
unbearable; also my right arm hurt when using the cast.  I cried to
God several times:  ABBA FATHER, ABBA FATHER, ABBA FATHER.  It was a
pain I had generated with my own sin and I deserved much more.  I
cannot imagine the cries of our Lord Jesus Christ, nailed to the cross
with nails in His hands and feet, with a crown of thorns on His head,
and it was something that He did not deserve.  Isaiah 53:3-12 details
His suffering: "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows,
and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely He took up our
infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by
God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that
brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.  We
all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own
way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  He was
oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led
like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
silent, so He did not open His mouth.  By oppression and judgment He
was taken away.  And who can speak of His descendants?  For He was cut
off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He
was stricken.  He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the
rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit
in His mouth.  Yet it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him
to suffer, and though the LORD makes His life a guilt offering, He
will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the LORD
will prosper in His hand.  After the suffering of His soul, He will
see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge my righteous
servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will
divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto
death, and was numbered with the transgressors.  For He bore the sin
of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”  And yet, there
are people who do not care about it.  “I am a scientist, science has
no time to talk about God”, some people say.  Others have no time
because they are busy with their business. The search of God must be
the first thing that should concern every human being.

On February 17th, 2010, I had faith that the impossible was going to
happen, to feel my right side.  That day, I had my entire senses alert
for what could happen, receiving the grace of God is not a common
experience.  During the therapies that I was taking, I was very
attentive to what would happen.  Mild abdominal spasms, soft
palpitations in my right hand, intense muscle contractions in my right
arm, general loss of the notion of balance.  That night, I was going
to meet my wife in a shopping mall.  She was telling me about a
personal project that she had. I was struggling to pay attention and
not to fall due to the loss of balance that I had.  I took a taxi to
meet her, I love taking the bus, but that night I would not have been
able to do it due to the loss of balance.  That night, we had a
meeting at the Christian church where we gather with my wife and I was
going for a miracle, I thought: at the church is where the impossible
will happen.  One of the songs we sang that night was:

Lord Jesus, Renew me
Now I will not be the same.
Lord Jesus, Renew me
put in me Your heart.
Because everything within my heart
Need to be changed by You Lord.
Because everything that there is in my heart
need more than You.

That night, something very interesting happened: I lost interest in my
physical health. That night at the meeting in the Christian Church
where we gather with my wife, the reverend showed us a short film
entitled "the circus of the Butterfly":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF5M_BjLg8w
Starring Nick, the Australian boy I talked about before.  Nick is
quite a character.  In the short film, Nick was exposed in a sample of
rarities.  "The circus of the Butterfly" director recognized him as
someone wonderful.  Nick decides not to proceed with a rarity bearing
life and goes with the circus of the butterfly.  "The circus of the
Butterfly" director tells him a few words that I have been playing in
my head: the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.  In the end,
Nick discovers his purpose and realizes that can swim.  By doing this,
he encourages a child that uses crutches.

I thought that I knew the will of God, because He gave us a promise.
Many times we tell God: "God I believe in you, but do things in this
or that way".  We try to manipulate God.  However, we must recognize
that God is sovereign in His will.  What would happen if His will was
not healing me?  I stopped crying unto God for my health and pray to
fulfill His purpose in my life.

The impossible occurred on February 27th 2010.  It is God's will that
this toast comes alive as it is written.  On the morning of February
19th, I had to take some blood tests and then go to work.  I thought
"If it is God's will that the impossible happens, then the test is
about to finish, and if not, then the best would be to get used to
this situation, in either case I will go by bus to work".  During
those days, each time was getting more difficult to walk, and my right
leg hurt. It would have been easier to take a taxi, but I had to live
these tests with joy in my heart.  That morning, I walked to the
clinic where I was going to take the blood exams (the place is not far
from home).  Someone offered me a ride to the clinic, but I told him
that I would prefer to walk.  God puts angels next to His children,
because that morning a friend of mine that lives close to me
accompanied me for much of the way and he spoke about the Psalm 103
that speaks of God's mercy.  "Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget
not all His benefits".  After taking the exams I walked to the bus
stop, and then to work.  I had an intense pain in my right leg and
arm, but I had to enjoy the test.  I know it seems crazy, who has the
mood to enjoy tests when he has no job, but has a wife and children to
feed, and the only option is to steal to be able to eat and have a
roof, or when we have lost a beloved one?  Even then, we must still
have joy in our hearts during these tests, and the secret is to have
the mind of Christ in us, full of love. In 1 Corinthians 13 love is
described:  "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have
not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have
the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am
nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to
the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.  Love is patient, love
is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is
not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps
no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with
the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.  Love never fails.  But where there are prophecies, they
will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there
is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy
in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.  When I
was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned
like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see
face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I
am fully known.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love."  The previous day, February 18th,
after work, I had speech therapy and then I went to the hairdresser.
I did not know if it was going to be the last chance in a long time
that I would go to a hairdressing salon, or if it was going to be one
of the many times that I would periodically go to the hairdresser,
anyways I decided to enjoy the visit, I even got my hair washed and
styled with gel.  Then I went to the gym, while exercising in the
elliptical, the treadmill and the bicycle, my right leg and arm ached
intensely.  I repeated to myself “mind of Christ, mind of Christ, mind
of Christ".  I believe that this time, the hour I spent in the gym,
has been one of the longest I can remember.

The next day, February 19th, after work I had an appointment for the
therapies I was following, and I felt an unusual courage on the way,
not because of what I was doing, since I am a repentant sinner who
claims that we must seek the Kingdom of God and His justice. It was
about to give myself the examination of the grace, but I was not going
to do as Carlos but with the credentials of our Lord Jesus Christ that
dwells in me.  That day, the doctor and I prayed before starting the
therapy, as we usually did, but that day I did not say the usual
prayer, telling God that He is the expert in the impossible.  That day
and the following days, I prayed that His purpose will be fulfilling
in my life, whatever it would be.  That day during the therapy, I felt
that something majestic was happening, it was fulfilling God's will in
my life, whatever it would be.  At the end of therapy, I found myself
happy and joyful, because I felt that I had passed the examination of
the grace and the will of God, whatever it was, it was working in me.
I had reached the spiritual health.  In those days, I remember very
well that I thought: "No matter whether the physical health is
reached, the spiritual health is the most important, and it has
already been reached", and I gave thanks to God for it.  Even though
the impossible had not happened, I decided to end the therapies I was
taking up to February 26th, 2010, two days before my second birthday,
and the horse therapy on February 27th, 2010, one day before my second
birthday.  It was time for my life to begin to take the best possible
path, although my life can never be normal after the great miracle
that happened to me, but I must make it the most suitable possible.  I
resumed my business travel, but wherever God wants to take me, I will
bring the good news of the Gospel with me, since there is a lot of
need for God in this world.  Psalm 126:6 says: "He who goes out
weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying
sheaves with him."  I cannot get tired of sowing, of teaching using
the Word of God, sometimes it appears that I am going on the opposite
direction of what the world teaches, sometimes my work seem fruitless,
but perhaps others would reap what I sow, I cannot get tired of
sowing, and God will irrigate and give the fruit.

I accepted my disability or whatever God’s purpose was for my life, I
had faith that it was already acting inside me.  On Wednesday February
24th, my dizziness intensified after the therapy I took (my second
last therapy), so I took a taxi to go home.  That night, there was a
meeting at the Christian church where I go with my wife.  The reverend
quoted Matthew 13:18-23 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower
means:  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not
understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in
his heart.  This is the seed sown along the path.  The one who
received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the
word and at once receives it with joy.  But since he has no root, he
lasts only a short time.  When trouble or persecution comes because of
the word, he quickly falls away.  The one who received the seed that
fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries
of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it
unfruitful.  But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil
is the man who hears the word and understands it.  He produces a crop,
yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."  Likewise,
he quoted Luke 8:15-16 "But the seed on good soil stands for those
with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by
persevering produce a crop. No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar
or puts it under a bed.  Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those
who come in can see the light".  If we want God to gives us the best,
we must also give the best, we must give 101%.  I understood that God
had already signed the edict of my perfect health and I should receive
it by faith.  I know it seems crazy, physical health had not arrived
yet, but I had to have faith in the perfect health that the Father was
giving me.  Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of
what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). Without faith it is impossible to
please God (Hebrews 11:6).  Faith is what we need to survive every
day.  God leads us from victory to victory, and from triumph to
triumph.  I remember that in the morning of February 25th, I bent down
at my knees in private and gave thanks to God for the perfect health
He was giving me.  Proverbs 4:13 says: "Hold on to instruction, do not
let it go; guard it well, for it is your life."  We must keep the word
of God, the instructions He gives us, His divine advice.  That
morning, I had an appointment with my neurologist, and I asked him to
stop the medication.  I explained to him that on February 28th, it was
the second anniversary of the stroke, and that it was time to resume
my business trips, I did not tell him that I already had perfect
health; he is a man of science that would have not understood a
statement of faith of such calibre.  He asked me about the opinion of
my physiatrist about me wanting to terminate the treatment, to which I
replied that two days ago I had a meeting with him and he had welcomed
my decision to end the treatment.  My neurologist stopped the
medicines (for several months he had been reducing it due to the signs
of recovery I was showing).

The next day (February 26th 2010), I prayed along with my doctor
before the last therapy.  I prayed giving thanks to God for the
perfect health He had given me, for the therapies I had been able to
take, and I asked Him to bless the doctors, physiotherapists, nurses
and beloved ones that have accompanied me throughout the recovery
process.  I think the doctor might have thought:  "Carlos must be
crazy, perfect health?  I still see him with the same disabilities as
before!"  Also, on that day, my dizziness was so intense that I had to
take a taxi to go home.  That night, I ate and went to sleep early
since I felt a strong dizziness.  I had a dream, I dreamed that I was
recovering the sensation in my right side.  The next day, February
27th, 2010, after getting up, my limp had decreased; God taught me
that dreams come true (when they are blessing dreams and miracles for
us and others).  God taught me that I choose, whether I believe in Him
and His promises.  I choose to believe in Him and His promises,
between healthy or disabled, I choose to be healthy.  Between making
my dreams come true or not, I choose the dreams come true.  Dreams
become a reality by building a stairway that day after day makes us
closer to our dreams, it is not with a magic touch that God fixes all
(although He could).  Happiness is not achievable when the goal is
reached, but on the road to fulfilling that dream, which once is
reached, another dream is to be fulfilled.  These are very important
things I have learned and I want to share with you.  Now, I know that
the impossible was not to feel my right side, because I can do that
since a while ago.  The impossible was to get out of the disability
where I had locked myself.  The greater disability is inside as Nick
said.

On the dawn of February 28th, 2010, the day of my second birth, the
day of my stroke, the best day of my life as I said in my testimony, I
gave thanks to God for this new beginning in my life, in the lives of
my beloved ones, and in the life of all the world.

In Psalms 138:3 says: "When I called, you answered me; you made me
bold and stouthearted."  Proverbs 1:23 says: "If you had responded to
my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my
thoughts known to you."  Proverbs 15:5 says: "A fool spurns his
father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence."
God rebuked me for my sin, but He did it with so much love. He has had
a lot of grace and mercy for me, a lot.  It is better to fall into the
hands of God that in the hands of the destroyer.  Psalms 97:10 says:
“Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for He guards the lives of his
faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked."  We
human beings are little inclined to listen to advice, receive
instructions, to be reproved.  Since small we want to get away from
the hand of our parents and we fall, then cry in pain.  Proverbs 17:10
states:  "A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred
lashes a fool."  Proverbs 9:17 says: "Stolen water is sweet; food
eaten in secret is delicious".  We cannot be foolish, we need to seek
wisdom, and the principle of wisdom is the fear of God, which is to
love Him above all, obey Him above all, and serve Him above all.  We
cannot sin again; we cannot disregard the precious blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ.  Psalm 141:4 says: "Let not my heart be drawn to what is
evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me
not eat of their delicacies."  Sin can be tempting, but we cannot give
into it.

Perfect health is not just physical health; it is also spiritual
health, which is more important.  Not only did I damage my physical
health but also my spiritual health with my sin.  Now that God has
given them to me again I have the resolution not to let them lose.
With my sin not only I affected my life but also my wife’s, my
children’s, our families’, and our beloved ones.  The night of
February 25th, 2010, my wife confessed to me, with tears in her eyes,
that, that day had been very difficult, as it was by day and not by
date, as this Thursday two years ago was the second anniversary of the
stroke in the city of Barrancabermeja.  She told me that these two
years had not been easy, neither for me, nor for her nor for everyone.
 I tried to comfort her, but could not share with her the great
miracle God was working inside of me.  Physical health should be taken
care of by obeying doctor’s orders, exercising (in my home and
regularly visiting the gym); and spiritual health that has to be taken
care of by no sinning anymore, following the divine advices that are
written in the Word of God.  Someone asked me "how can we take captive
every thought to make it obedient to Christ?" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
The answer is, understanding that the consequence of sin is death.  I
was on the verge of death, but God had mercy and grace for me.  We
learn from our own experiences, unfortunately we do not learn from the
experiences of others.  I cannot return to sin, I cannot receive the
grace in vain.

As David defeated Goliath, God allowed me to defeat my Goliath, my
disabilities.  God is the Lord of the armies, and for Him, nothing is
impossible.  Psalm 3:3 says: "But you are a shield around me, O LORD;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head."

Romans 8:37 says: "in all these things we are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us."  We must believe in this.  Our Lord Jesus
Christ overcome the world (John 16:33).  1 Corinthians 10:13 says: "No
temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is
faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can
stand up under it."

God knows how worried I was that I was not going to be ready for this
great blessing.  I was concerned that my right hand would not give
signs of improvement.  And, I understood that I could never be ready
to receive the grace of God.  Grace is undeserved by nature.  I rested
when I understood that it was not what you could do, it is what our
Lord Jesus Christ had already done for all of us on the cross of the
Calvary, saving us all, once and for all, for us not to be glorified
by our works.  He made us free, free of sin.  Thanks to our Lord Jesus
Christ we can cry ABBA FATHER (Romans 8:14-16).

The spiritual health arrived on February 19th 2010, nine days before
my second birthday. The physical health came on February 27th, one day
before my second birthday.  The truth is that, there are no
coincidences; it is the power of God working in our lives.

Isaiah 54:1-17 states: "Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a
child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who
has a husband, says the LORD.  Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch
your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.  For you will spread out to the right and to
the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their
desolate cities.  Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame.  Do not
fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.  You will forget the shame
of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is His name— the
Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the
earth.  The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and
distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected,
says your God.  For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep
compassion I will bring you back.  In a surge of anger I hid my face
from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have
compassion on you, says the LORD your Redeemer.  To me this is like
the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never
again cover the earth.  So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
never to rebuke you again.  Though the mountains be shaken and the
hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor
my covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on
you.  O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will
build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires.
I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling
jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.  All your sons will be
taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace.  In
righteousness you will be established:  Tyranny will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.  Terror will be far removed; it will
not come near you.  If anyone does attack you, it will not be my
doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you.  See, it is I who
created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a
weapon fit for its work.  And it is I who have created the destroyer
to work havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will
refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the
servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from Me, declares
the LORD."  We can no longer be like a bonsai, very beautiful but
without fruits.  God has called us to give many fruits.  The
limitations are most often in our minds.  The fruit we must give is to
bring many to the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many sequels I have left from the stroke, all of them are
very positive.  The first is that, now I have a strong faith, I SAW
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.  I developed an impressive sense of patience,
because I had to do everything with patience, very slowly, otherwise I
could fall.  God said to me, one second, we are going to do everything
very slowly.  I was the opposite; I used to do everything at full
speed, so I had to learn to have a great patience.  I used to smoke
before the stroke, sporadically, but smoked.  Now, I do not smoke,
because I cannot attempt against the temple of the Holy Spirit which
is my body.  My advice for the smokers is to stop smoking, remember
that you cannot undermine the temple of the Holy Spirit which is your
body.  Now, I am the zero stress man: "Let your gentleness be evident
to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 4:5-7).  You have to do your chores, it is true, but you
should not worry for anything, what you must do is to pray.

Christians say “since we are Christians, then we are saved”, Catholics
say “since we are Catholics, then we are saved ", Muslims say "we are
Muslim, then we can relate to God".  We as human beings are always
thinking of what separates us instead of what unites us. We are united
because we adore the same God.  God is only One (Deuteronomy 6:4-5;
James 2:19; Romans 3:30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; Mark 12:29;
Revelation 4:2), and the same, either for Christians, for Catholics,
for Muslims, for everyone.  It is true that we have to meet with
Christians, or with Catholics, or with Muslims, to receive the word of
God, which is the spiritual nourishment, the fuel that drives our
internal vehicle, but beyond the religions what God wants is to have a
personal relationship with each of us, and what we have to do is to
search for Him.

Why should not we stop seeking God?  1 Peter 5:8 - 9 states: "Be
self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm
in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world
are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."  We have an adversary
which is as a roaring lion looking for who to devour.  There is not
only earthquakes (such as the one in Haiti, recorded in January of
2010), but there are also defects that keep us away from God.
Proverbs 8:17 - 18 says: "I love those who love Me, and those who seek
Me find Me.  With Me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and
prosperity."   Psalm 105:4 states: "Look to the LORD and His strength;
seek His face always."  James 4:7-10 says: "Submit yourselves, then,
to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to
God and He will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and
purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn and wail.
Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."  If we want God
closer, we must search for Him.  We are the most privileged when we
seek for Him.

On my second birthday, I asked my wife to cut my hair.  The scars of
the tracheotomy and the gastrostomy are difficult to see.  However,
the valve in my head can easily be seen with the naked eye, but now it
is more noticeable since I am without hair, so people will ask me what
I have there, and I have to tell again the story of the stroke and
that I saw our Lord Jesus Christ.  I pray to God to let the Hakim
valve to be a monument in my life that reminds me every day how God
separated my Red Sea and my Jordan River so I could cross dry.  Being
without hair is an external sign of an internal transformation that
occurred to me: I do not longer have disabilities (especially
mentally), God had removed them all.

Those 40 days have been of preparation to receive this great blessing.
 Fasting has spiritually strengthened me.  God did not remember my sin
but had great grace and mercy.  Joel 2:12 - 18 says: "Even now,
declares the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and
weeping and mourning.  Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return
to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to
anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.  Blow the
trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.  Gather
the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather
the children, those nursing at the breast.  Let the bridegroom leave
his room and the bride her chamber.  Let the priests, who minister
before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar.  Let
them say, spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an
object of scorn, a byword among the nations.  Why should they say
among the peoples, Where is their God?  Then the LORD will be jealous
for His land and take pity on his people."  In 2 Corinthians 5:20
says: "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were
making His appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf:  Be
reconciled to God."  In 2 Corinthians 6:2 states: "For He says, in the
time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped
you.  I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of
salvation."  This was a special time for inner peace.  We must free
ourselves from sin, we must understand that with the sacrifice on the
cross of the Calvary, our Lord Jesus Christ made us free from sin,
with which, we get hurt and lose the eternal life.  We must share with
joy what we have with those most in need.  We must understand that we
are fragile, that we are sinners, but covered with the grace of God we
can move forward.

I also thank the company where I work; they did not save expenses
during my recovery.  Thanks to the initiative of the head of the
research center where I work, I was moved to a very special room at
the Cardiovascular Foundation, once I was out of intensive care.  They
paid my salary as usual during the six months I was out of work (which
allowed my family to continue with a relatively normal life), they
even gave me very generous monetary bonuses that my wife used to buy
creams and other essentials for my recovery.  They pay as well for the
rental of the medical bed I used when I returned home (something they
do not usually do with any other employee), they bought me a
wheelchair which I barely used (today is in another branch of the
company, serving with the help of God those who may need it).  They
invested my part-time in my recovery and paid for my transportation.
They paid for the therapies including the horse therapy and
transportation.  In summary, they did not save on expenditure. To the
president of the company, the vice-presidents, the head of the
research center where I work, and all the employees, I am deeply
grateful.  From now on, I will not treat them as my great friends, but
as my big brothers.

I had a toast for those two years, that I have faith will not return,
but have been the two best years of my life, because I trust in the
powerful hand of God which is always in our lives, holding us, guide
us, protecting us, but then it was evident that It was.

There is nobody poorer than those who do not have a dream. I have a
dream: that EVERYONE IN THE WORLD talks about the grace and mercy of
God.  2 Timothy 1:6-7 says: "For this reason I remind you to fan into
flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my
hands.  For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of
power, of love and of self-discipline.”  God had given us some gifts,
capabilities, and we must put them to work.  I need your help to
achieve this dream.  If each of us is committed to at least 1,000
people sign their emails here:

http://groups.google.com/group/messages-of-reflection-about-the-search-for-God
http://groups.google.com/group/mensajes-de-reflexion-sobre-la-busqueda-de-Dios

and read and meditate on the thoughts, we will be some reflecting on
the search for God. My dream is that we build a practice community
about the search for God, where we make team work and find value in
learning together, sharing experiences of improvement. We must be join
by passion and interest in the search for God. We must be connected,
not only together, sharing the learn lessons during the search,
successful stories, and our needs too.

Thank you for all your prayers for my recovery, God will pay you back.
 Now, I am going to ask you to pray for me so I can successfully
defend my PhD thesis.




-- 
Carlos Agudelo
http://groups.google.com/group/mensajes-de-reflexion-sobre-la-busqueda-de-Dios
http://groups.google.com/group/messages-of-reflection-about-the-search-for-God