he delivered me!
I was born in March of 1971 and am now a mother of five beautiful children. I got to know the Lord in 2001, but never took my walk seriously. I was not even a regular church-goer. I just believed there's a God and that He is good.
I got married at 19 and that marriage produced four wonderful children. I became a full-time mother and loved it. I dedicated my life to my family, but not to the Lord.
My marriage fell apart after 10 years and was annulled 8 years after. We have no divorce in the Philippines, by the way. The years that followed were a mess. I got so into the world. Though I knew the difference between good and bad, I became too busy pleasing the world and its people. I was too stubborn to hear the voice of God.
I got married at 19 and that marriage produced four wonderful children. I became a full-time mother and loved it. I dedicated my life to my family, but not to the Lord.
My marriage fell apart after 10 years and was annulled 8 years after. We have no divorce in the Philippines, by the way. The years that followed were a mess. I got so into the world. Though I knew the difference between good and bad, I became too busy pleasing the world and its people. I was too stubborn to hear the voice of God.
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After a few relationships, I met the man who eventually became the father of my 5th child. Six to seven months into the relationship, I got sick, was hospitalized, and given very strong intravenous antibiotics. Weeks after I was discharged from the hospital, I found out I was pregnant. I had the scare of my life and feared the outcome of my pregnancy. I desperately asked for God's help and He gave me a miracle. I gave birth to my 5th child, a beautiful baby girl, in 2012. |
During that pregnancy, I realized I wanted a life surrendered to Jesus. I just realized how sick I was of the things I was doing. I got sick of the world. It was a struggle because I wasn't married to the father of my 5th child. I ended up breaking up with him because he didn't want to get married.
On March 28, 2014, my baby's father and I were finally married. Though I had stopped going out with friends, my life still wasn't totally surrendered to Jesus. But despite my unfaithfulness, God has remained faithful. He is forever faithful! Though I don't have a job, I am able to cover my monthly expenses. Praise God for all His provisions! He even led someone I didn't even know to give me a love offering in the form of assorted brand-new furniture which He helped me sell in a week's time. I was speechless!
I had been praying for my husband's deliverance from smoking and drinking; been asking the Lord to shake him up. Then in October 2014, he suffered a mild stroke, stayed in the ICU overnight for close monitoring and another two days in a regular hospital room. He was completely delivered from smoking and drinking after that incident. Instead of feeling scared, I praised God for an answered prayer.
The next story I am about to share happened this February 23.
The brother of my ex-husband died last February 16 due to liver cancer. He lived a very worldly life. Though I wasn't really close to him, I felt so affected. I thought I was just sad. I thought it was just because I don't know if he really accepted Jesus when I asked him to say the sinner’s prayer through a text message days before he died. Then the feeling became worse. I started fearing and worrying about everything. It became like an anxiety attack that wouldn't go away. I was so scared to be left alone. So many times I felt I was going to lose my mind.
My family asked me if I needed to be brought to the hospital because I was like a different person. They were so worried about me. I had to force myself to eat. I would shake and cry often. I couldn't function anymore. Everything seemed different in my mind. I was not seeing the things around me the way I would see it before that feeling crept in. Each time I would feel like I was going to lose myself, I would get up and move around. I was begging God to help me because I knew I was being attacked by the enemy.
Instead of going to a psychiatrist, I chose to call a Christian female doctor to ask her to pray over me. I broke down while talking to her and told her I couldn't take it anymore. She prayed over me on the phone. We rebuked the spirit of lies. We rebuked the enemy. We even had a healing session that set me free from my past. Because of the power of God, we defeated the enemy! I was instantly set free from the attack. I was back to normal after the longest and scariest six days of my life. My appetite was back right after that. Even my husband said I looked normal again. PRAISE GOD FOR HIS POWER AND MIGHT! I was not just set free from that demonic attack. I was also delivered from so many things I had been fervently asking for deliverance from. God surely turned that enemy attack to my advantage.
Our God loves unconditionally, sets free, saves, delivers, redeems, heals, restores, provides! Our God is perfect! I know this because He shows up in my life every single day.
God is a God of process. He delivered and healed me but I have to maintain that deliverance through daily undivided time with Him in prayer and the Word. I know that the enemy is not happy about this and that he will continue to attack me. But greater is Jesus who is in me than the devil who is in this world. I will fight for my deliverance because Jesus paid a high price for it.
God is a God of process. He delivered and healed me but I have to maintain that deliverance through daily undivided time with Him in prayer and the Word. I know that the enemy is not happy about this and that he will continue to attack me. But greater is Jesus who is in me than the devil who is in this world. I will fight for my deliverance because Jesus paid a high price for it.
I just want to spend the rest of my life serving the Lord. I am all out for Jesus and there is no turning back!
Kathy Villanueva Lago
01 March 2015
01 March 2015
Kathy is the younger sister of God'z Gurlz editor/publisher, Lisa Maki. She resides in the Philippines with her husband five children, a daughter-in-law, a grand baby, and the rest of their family: parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews.
