Ten years ago, I needed a breakthrough.

Rob and I had been following Jesus for years and had tried to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. I had been in business for virtually all my adult life, and after surviving the liquidation of a failing business, my subsequent venture had been going well, and we had been living in the home of my dreams. We’d shed blood, sweat and tears (quite literally) renovating our beautiful cottage and coach house. But one day the Lord spoke to me clearly and told me to give up my career. That meant our dream home too. We were obedient to his direction and in 2003 gave it all up. We stepped out in faith many times over the following years – attending ministry school in America with our two children, starting up an outreach programme in a ‘needy’ neighbourhood, Blacon, in Chester, and even moving house to Blacon when we felt the Lord call us there.

We launched a weekly ‘School of the Spirit’ where we enjoyed powerful worship times and taught others in the ways of the Spirit. With a group of twelve, we also pioneered a church in Blacon, meeting in a bar known for drug deals and stolen goods. During this time, many people gave their lives to Jesus and we helped launch others into ministry. We brought breakthrough for others, but what I’d been contending for all this time and hadn’t seen yet, was wanting to see people healed. For around twelve years I’d overcome my embarrassment and actually stopped people in the street or spoken to neighbours and offered to pray for their healing. I’d prayed and I’d fasted, memorised Scriptures, read stories from past revivalists and stepped out in faith. But for all those years, whilst being obedient to the Lord and laying things down, believing His Word, I still hadn’t seen healings. However, like a tenacious terrier, I didn’t give up, even when those around me told me to. I pressed on, hoping one day I would get my breakthrough.

When it came it was sudden, and supernatural. Many times, I had wanted to give up, but I persevered, and I am so glad I did. The Lord put on my heart to open a café at the parade of shops in the middle of our neighbourhood. We worked hard and got it ready. Despite looking like public toilets from the outside and with metal grilles at the windows, we made it nice inside and the day came for us to open. I’d already decided that I would share the good news of Jesus with everyone who came in (and even those who didn’t!). The Lord had told me to no longer pray for revival – ‘Be revival’ He’d said. So I made the decision to release the Kingdom of Heaven from within and to stop waiting for God to come down. He’d already done that two thousand years ago. I realised He was waiting for me to release His power. So that’s what I did.

Ten years ago, I got my breakthrough. I wrote how it happened in ‘A Diary of Miracles Part One’, my published diary from that time. Here’s my entry from the opening day of the cafe: “Five lads, around ten or eleven years of age came in with their bikes for sausage baps as it’s the school half term holiday. I began to tell them about Jesus but they said they didn’t believe in Him and they looked a bit embarrassed. I said, “Jesus is alive and He likes to show His power. Are any of you ill or in pain?” One brave lad, Jack, had a broken arm and said it was painful, although it wasn’t in a cast. He hasn’t been able to ride his bike for a while because he said it hurts too much and he can’t lift it up. When I asked if we could pray for it he said, “I suppose so.”

They were giggling and I know they were thinking we were crazy. I said, “Come, Holy Spirit.” They all felt the glory. A peaceful, wonderful feeling descended on us all. They fell silent and all looked up as we felt it come down. One asked, “What’s that?” I said, “It’s the presence of Jesus through His Holy Spirit. It’s the glory.” They liked the feeling. We then put our hands on Jack’s arm and told the broken bone to heal and the pain to leave. He lifted it up and said, “That’s weird” three times as he moved it without pain. He smiled and said his arm was better and he had to agree that Jesus is real! We couldn’t stop laughing.”

The photo shows those boys in the café on opening day. What I hadn’t realised in all those twelve years of contending for breakthrough in healing, was that I wasn’t just pressing in for myself. I realised it wasn’t about me at all! 😊 If you’re contending for something the Lord’s put on your heart and don’t give up, one day you will get that breakthrough, and it could be today. And what I learned is that it isn’t just a door of breakthrough that opens for you to step through, but you will actually be making a larger space for other people to step into their breakthrough as well. For ten years, not only have we seen hundreds, probably thousands of healings, salvations and deliverance and all sorts of miracles internationally, but we help bring breakthrough to others who step out in faith and see miracles, often the first time they give it a go!

Of course, the power isn’t from us, it’s the power of Jesus, but when we invite Jesus into our life and then release His power and love to others, we too can help others receive their breakthrough, whilst stepping into ours. My prayer is that you receive your breakthrough in whatever you’re contending for, and through it, you will also bring breakthrough to many others, for the glory of Jesus.

To mark ten years of miracles and celebrate all that Jesus has done, we’re offering 25% off my books when you buy them together as a bundle. These books are a testimony of the tremendous miracles we’ve seen Jesus do, as well as being powerful tools to equip you for breakthrough and launch you into a lifestyle of miracles. Click here or on the image below.