
BOLDNESS WITH THE SPIRIT!
MY ENCOUNTER WITH GOD
Jesus Christ said, "The 'Advocate', the 'Holy Spirit' that the Father will send in my name; he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you"
"As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of god with boldness!"
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses"
Acts 1:8
I share my spiritual journey with you to give all the glory, honor and praise to Almighty Father. Yes, I was lost! Only with help of God's mercy and grace was I finally able to open my heart to let Him become the Lord of my life. 'HEAVEN REJOICES'!
I, Ronnie L. Macaisa, a 'Filipino by Heritage' originating from the Philippines (Tanauan City, Batangas) residing in the States since '67 was blessed to be born on Christmas Day, one of the holiest days of the year but the life that I lived, away from God for over 50 years as a 'Prodigal Son' was one of darkness. I used to call myself a 'Social Catholic'. I believed in God but I never practiced my catholic faith. My conversion really started in or about January 2000 (Y2K), God surrounded me with BLD (Openness to the Spirit) members within our neighborhood inviting me and my wife to join the community; instead of obeying God, I rejected Him. Like St. Paul, I had a predestined 'Encounter' with God in or about November, 2003, hospitalization for 35 days with pneumonia in my right lung; this time, God surrounded me with 3 doctors, a head nurse, again from the BLD community. I almost died once or twice but God never abandon or forsake me 'cause He has a purpose for me. In short, I will share this 'God's life saving' experiences of mine in God's time!
Jesus Christ said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him and he with me!" REV 3:20
In June 2004, I found God through a Catholic 'Charismatic' Covenant Community under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ when my wife and I made a Marriage Encounter (ME) Weekend followed by a Life in the Spirit Seminar (LSS) five months later. It was through these encounters with God that my heart was touched by His love and grace that I began to embrace Him as my lord. It was not long thereafter that I was led to become a member of St. Antoninus RC 'Charismatic' Church feeling drawn to its Sunday liturgical celebration and its gifts of worship, homily and fellowship. As I listened to the teachings which were given, I heard the Lord speak to my heart about what serving Him is really about ...
"For God is the one who, for his good purpose works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning" PHIL 2:13-14.
I feel compelled within my heart to make up for so much lost time after being away from Him for over 50 years. No one knows how much time he has left to walk upon the earth, and I want to make every moment of my life count for Him. I found myself imploring the Holy Spirit for all His Charismatic 'Spiritual' gifts or Charism / Love, fruit of His gifts (1 COR 12:4-11 / GA 5:22-23) and began to step out in faith and became involved in Gift of Healing / Gift of Tongues, Prophetic Word, Service / Fellowship (HEB 10), EMHC and Evangelization. The Prophetic Word Ministry was little scary at first, but I continue to ask for God's help and guidance to recognize His voice and to humbly impart the Prophetic Word given to me as accurately as I can.
Yes, God gave us free will - God has free choice, "For he says to Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will, I will take pity on whom I will,"So it depends not (N O T) upon the person's will or exertion, but upon God's mercy and grace." ROM 9:15-16.
Jesus Christ said, "I give you praise, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike." LK 10:21.
Here are some of the miraculous changes that happened in my life after my weekend retreats in 2004:
+ I started to deepen my prayer life and prayed daily the twenty mysteries of the 'Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,' together with the 'Chaplet of the Divine Mercy' which was followed by the 'Rosary of God the Father' in October 2005 and the 'Jesus Prayer' in July 2007. Since then, God in His mercy filled me with the fellowship of His Holy Spirit.
+ It was in November 2004 during the Life in the Spirit Seminar that I cried so much that I went through a whole box of tissues and noticed that how I had wet my opened LSS folder. I began cleaning it up when I saw 'The Face of God the Father', on the 2nd page. I showed it to others but someone told me to keep it to myself. And so I did. That night, I must say, I was slain in the spirit for the longest time ever and during that time experienced the infilling of the power and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. This feeling stayed with me for a long time; it was like getting up early in the morning, etc. Again, the same feeling came back with me during our 'Agony in the Garden / Washing of the Feet' one day retreat few months ago.
+ That following week, my wife asked me to drive her to Bayonne Hospital to visit a dear friend who had lung cancer. I was not able to see her that afternoon but I made a point to come back the following day to see her alone. When I saw her, I squeezed her hand but she did not respond. I took out my bible, placed it under her hand and I prayed in tongues. I truly felt that I received the gift of healing. After couple of months in the hospital, she fully recovered.
+ One Sunday mass at St. Antoninus, I had a sore throat and was coughing very badly. A lady in front of my pew offered me a few cough drops. After mass, she introduced herself and asked for my name. After some pleasantries, she asked me if I wanted to join the St. Antoninus healing team and I said, 'Yes'. A month later, I finally found the chance to ask Mary Jane, "Why did you pick me to be in your healing team?" She said, 'The Lord God told me so'.
St. Paul said, "Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God." 1 COR 1:26-29
Without a doubt, Father God uses all of us with our God given - 3T-T-T's; "The Parable of the Talents" MT 25:14-30. Father God revealed himself to me by 'signs and wonders' mostly through His 'Holy Word', the Bible for more than three (3) years before I realized what He wants me to be / do.
"BLESSED BE TO GOD ALMIGHTY"
EYE OF GOD
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