House Saved By the Spoken Word

Testimony of God's protection and prayer answer I will now explain what happened on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30, 2006, when we got a prayer answered and could clearly see God's protection upon our neighborhood and our home here in southwest Florida.

This Saturday I was sitting at my desk chatting on Skype with a dear friend in Finland when I saw through the window big smoke coming up from the ground far away on the other side of the road from my community where we have our house here in Lehigh Acres Florida. I told my friend that I had to go and look at this. Normally I never run after accidents or fires, but this one I just had to go and see, because it was so close and near our neighborhood, I had to know what it was.

I took my car and drove around the area and found a bushfire a few blocks from our house. The cops were closing roads and I did not want to hinder the firefighters to work so I drove slowly home again.

Back home all us neighbors began more and more during the day to follow this smoke we saw. Now later on this Saturday it spread and smoke was coming from many places in this block across our main road. I began to hear in the radio about damages to houses and how large the area was under this fire.

The fire began now to be so close to our community so we could see the fire itself burning with flames on the other side of the main road that separates our community from this area that was on fire.

The cops had now closed the main road and no one could anymore leave or come into our community through the main gate.

An area of around 1500 - 2000 acres was now on fire on the opposite side of this main road (Williams road) and we could follow this from a distance without being afraid of the fire. Now in the south end (to the right of us) of this main road the fire had really jumped over the main road to our side and trees and bushes began to burn and it was spreading to a nearby sports complex.

At this moment we realized that this could be a threat to our neighborhood too. Now it suddenly came closer on the north side of our neighborhood too (left side of us) and we could see large huge flames going up burning now on our left side of our neighborhood but still on the opposite side of the main road and also now huge flames began going up on the right side of us which parts had jumped the road over to our side, but not in our neighborhood at all. But at this moment, our neighborhood was still untouched, no grass or bushes were burning inside it.

Now large helicopters began to pass our houses and landed inside our neighborhood to get water from our lake to extinguish the fire. I was now standing in my backyard, looking at the flames and at the same time watering my own lawn with sprinklers in order to keep it wet to avoid it to begin to burn. I also sprinkled water on my roof now and then. But at this time there were no direct threats to our community or our house.

I stopped watering my lawn and put away the water hose I was using (but I forgot to turn off the water). Now I grabbed my camcorder and went to film the helicopter when it was flying around in our neighborhood with this large water tank under it.

I stood near our security gate and filmed the flames for a while that were at the other side of the main road and also the helicopter. Suddenly the county police came and ordered us to evacuate from our houses.

Everyone standing in that area began now to quickly go back home to prepare to evacuate their new homes that were built on this area. Cops began to drive around on the streets inside this community and commanded everyone to leave their houses. One of my son's friends was not even allowed to go back in their home anymore to pick up a large sum of money they had saved, instead the cops grabbed the mother's arm and commanded her to just take the car and to leave the area.

It quickly become dark and the electricity had been cut for around 2 hours now so when I came home to get my car from my garage I could not find a flashlight that was working. Inside the dark house with no electricity I could not find any other clothes to bring with me. I just grabbed something while passing a closet, and I was pretty scared what was going on. Outside the house I saw police lights flashing and heard them commanding people to leave their homes quickly.

I was now thinking that I would really like to stay home and water my lawn and roof, it would protect my house, but instead I had to leave it alone. Now I really was worried not having any insurance for it. The reason I had no insurance was because the insurer cancelled my policy for no valid reason about 8 months ago, right before the hurricane season, and because of that I was angry and was not really interested to take insurance anymore. I was thinking that, if I cannot have a insurance when I need it, I am not going to sign up for an insurance after the hurricane season when I really don't need it anymore. We tried to get a new insurance with another company before the hurricane season again last summer, but they rejected us right when we needed it. Honestly, I have not many positive things to say about insurance companies in the US.

So, here I was, having to leave my house alone, no insurance, and police outside my house shouting in loudspeakers to "get outta here". I struggled to get my garage door open with no electricity; finally I got out and drove downtown to find a hotel for the night.

My son had already left with his friend and they gathered in a hotel room and when I called they invited me to join them. No one believed we had to leave our homes, at least not me, but I had to leave when the cops commanded us all to do it.

Still driving my car, I got so scared that I had to get in touch with someone for prayer. My wife and younger son were in Finland already, because we are preparing to move back there after 7 years in the "wilderness".

I was blessed and I got ahold of David Eells over the phone. I normally don't call him, but I was considering this as an emergency situation.

I explained my situation to David and we began to pray together over the phone. We agreed as in Matthew 18:18-19 and also Mark 11: 23-24

David asked that we put our faith together to forbid this according to {Mt.18:18} Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. {19} Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.

He then said that we should speak to the fire and believe we received according to {Mk.11:23} Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. {24} Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive (Greek: received) them, and ye shall have them. David then spoke for us forbidding the fire to cross the road in front of my house or damage it in any way. He pronounced that the angels of the Lord were around my house to protect it.

After this prayer I was released from the pressure and was able to relax believing the Lord would protect my house and the community.

I went to my hotel room and fell asleep. Next morning we followed the TV news about the fire and tried to see how our area was doing. My son had now heard that it was now burning in our area too, that someone saw flames and fire behind our houses in our community. I was thinking, how can it be, there is hardly anything to burn there? But I know the enemy tried to scare me again. But I kept believing in the Lord for protection, because we had prayed for protection and I had to stand on that promise.

We began now to prepare to check out and we left around noon time to go back home and see if we still had a house left. We heard in the news that 13 houses were totally burnt up and 25 houses damaged. I can tell you, it was not a nice feeling, but I was somehow knowing that nothing had happened to our house.

Arriving back home we were discovering that nothing happened to our house at all, and not even a small fire had touched anything in our neighborhood. The fire had stopped at the main road where David had prayed and commanded it to and only in the south end of that main road, far away from our community, the fire had jumped the main road and caught fire in trees and bushes. I found my water hose in my backyard still running for full 18 hours later. I wondered why; maybe it was protecting my lawn, the grass was soaking wet in this area.

To me this was a great victory and testimony how I now can learn to lean and trust on God when I pray in an agreement with someone. Many thanks to you David and many thanks to you Jesus my Lord and Savior.

Unfortunately, many families lost their homes and belongings in this fire, and I pray for these people that they will get strength to go through it and that something good can still come out of it. No one was personally really hurt in it, all lives were saved, thank God. For the small boys and their mother (boys are accused of starting this fire) I pray that they get a fair trial without ending up in jail at all and that they too will learn from this without their lives being destroyed in jail.

We many times wonder why God allows bad things to happen to us, why God protects some and some are not protected. But the Bible tells us that if we ask, we will also receive, if we really believe. This puts us in a place where we really need faith in the God we serve. Many of us believe in God up in the heaven, but we don't have that faith to allow Him to be our Lord and savior in our life.

I would encourage you to get a book about these things, how to grow in faith, how to walk in faith, how to have a strong faith, that will lead and help you walking through "fire" if needed. You can get the free e-book here.

PS: I have been reading and listening to audios and teachings made by David Eells for a while now and learned a lot of new things from the Bible. I learned more from the Bible in a few weeks' time than what I normally had learned going to regular churches and regular Bible studies during the past 10 years. David Eells teaches Bible in a way that you will learn how to walk with the Lord in faith expecting things to happen, prayers answered, miracles, healings. This story above is only one thing that I began to experience lately. I see that God is trying to teach me to trust Him in all things. I learn to walk in holiness, in faith and to learn to do His will.

LEHIGH ACRES, Florida, USA April 30-06

Four brush fires were burning in Lehigh Acres and threatening homes on Saturday April 29, 2006. Officials say 1,500 to 2,000 acres were on fire. The Division of Forestry urged those near the fires to evacuate.

At 11:00 p.m. on Saturday night Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott explained two of the four fires were 50-percent contained.

All available resources are being used to fight the fire including the American Red Cross and Animal Services due to the large number of pets in the area.

The Division of Forestry says Richmond from E. 8th to E. 9th has been evacuated. In addition, several areas off of Richmond have been evacuated, including:
- Henry & 5th
- Prospect & 5th
- Lake & 8th
- All Streets between Richmond & Williams

People who have evacuated their homes are being asked to go to Veteran's Park Rec Center located at Homestead and Lee.

The Red Cross was set up at the park and remained there all night long. They were supplying cots, food, water, oxygen, and medical supplies for anyone who may have needed them.

Officials with Red Cross explained they have the capacity to hold around 200 people in the shelter if they need to.

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