BY GOD’S GRACE 1 WAS HEALED OF EPILEPSY & ACUTE ALCOHOLISM ON JUNE 26, 1976 & I'M STILL REJOICING Says Louise McCarthy, Parksville, BC
The thing that is REALLY noticeable in most of my pre-saved days - even as a young child is a dazed, beady-eyed look. The pictures that don't have that look have a very intense look of either excited happiness or intense anger.
My emotions used to go up and down like a roller coaster (or maybe a space needle). I did not do drugs (except for a couple of times when I worked for the NDP and hung out with people in their 20's) but it really looks like I was spaced out at the time for grad pictures.
This would have been borne out of a level of stress (Sept/72) that would make me exhausted, emotional, tense, jittery leading up to an epileptic seizure, so my parents and/or doctor would have over-medicated me, in order to stop the cycle.
As I grew up, alcohol was abundantly available in my father's unlocked liquor cabinet and when I was 13, my older sister showed me how to take some out of one of many bottles- various wines, brandies, rye, scotch, vodka (her favourite) rum (my favourite) and just add a little water to bring it back up to the level it was previously. By the time I was 14 this was something I looked forward to after school whenever I got home before the others. The next 7 years I spent in anticipation of where my next drink was coming from. My parents had lots of parties where I would serve drinks (and bartend in my later teens). I learned to "hold" my liquor and sleep very well those nights.
I didn't think highly of myself and rebelled against my parents who weren't too impressed with my boyfriend who was very moody, controlling (to the point of actually hitting me when we were going out) and obviously rebellious, without the type of upbringing socially and intellectually that my parents thought that I was used to.
They were right! But I just wanted to get away, so I eloped one month after my 19th birthday, June 8th, 1974. He was mean right from the beginning, and the doctor, seeing my epileptic levels being totally uncontrollable throughout my teen years didn't want me to add the stress of marriage to my life, and NO pregnancy for sure!
Well, I married; we bought a house a year later, had a child the year after that, who was collicky, never slept more than 2 hours at a time - of course that was MY responsibility and I became dangerously exhausted. He was ADHD which I found out after I got saved, the Lord revealed things to me to help me. Now we know that he also suffered FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome) Oh, the price others pay for our sin!
My girlfriend (from high school) invited me to come to “these great revival Meetings” that Max Solbrekken was leading in a Big Tent in Kelowna, and I thought I would go there to her dumb meeting and then stay till Monday and find a lawyer to get a divorce. That was the plan.
THIS MESS WAS MY LIFE WHEN I MET JESUS!
So, this mess was my life as I appeared before Jesus, Friday night, June 26, 1976. I'd worked at a chemical company as a girl Friday, the year before I got pregnant and the salesman always talked about Jesus. We went to his Bible study and didn't understand a thing. They were in Romans talking about circumcision, which I totally didn't get! What does circumcising a baby for health's sake, have to do with Jesus? Of course, I've been taught the difference since then.
Three times between June/74 and June/76, I said the words at the end of the '4 Spiritual Laws' tract as I had been instructed and three times I KNEW nothing happened and I was NOT different, no matter what was said. I was becoming desperate for relief!
When Jesus came in at the point of deliverance, Pastor Max, when you placed your hand on my head (you had been fasting before these meetings and some "only come out by fasting and prayer”) and my theologically incorrect prayer of salvation was a very loud "JESUS!!!" as I fell backwards into the chair on the platform in the tent.
However, this prayer of salvation "took", and I KNEW I was saved, delivered, set free from the bondage of sin, healed. When I got up from the chair I was FILLED with JOY!
I stayed in Kelowna for one more week learning the Scriptures from you and my friends. When I returned home, I grinned non-stop. I could NOT stop smiling. I felt 50 lbs. lighter, I felt in love with everything and everyone! Of course, I never got that divorce and we had another child 9 months later.
I was an AVON lady then, and I would be walking down the road with a huge grin and realize that I probably looked insane, so I would put my hand over my mouth and stop myself from smiling, then I would start to think again – “I AM FORGIVEN! PRAISE GOD! HE LOVES ME! HE'S FORGIVEN ME!”
Joy just could not be gotten rid of and I would find myself grinning from ear to ear again. I would repeat this scenario over and over as I walked down the street!
The night I was set free from unbelief, epilepsy, hatred, including self-hate, hopelessness, alcohol, etc., you told me that I should keep taking my pills until I could see my doctor.
However, I had felt the Holy Spirit move all through my body - I think I sat on that chair for at least 20 or possibly 40 minutes. After He had healed me, I saw JESUS standing not far away and He kept saying, “I love you Louise; I love you Louise; I love you Louise!”
No-one had ever told me that they loved me. I had been so full of bitterness, anger, hatred and confusion and it felt so wonderful hearing Him saying again and again, that He loved me.
Later that evening when the Holy Spirit was falling on the congregation I fell on the shavings and was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues and glorified God.
I had been standing by my girlfriend and when she saw the Holy Spirit fall on me, she took the baby out of my arms. How long I lay on the ground I do not remember but it was Heaven.
I had seen Jesus face to face, He had touched me and told me that He loved me and then He filled with His precious Holy Spirit. I could not contain myself for joy and peace and love!
He moved like a large bead of warm oil (about the size of a baseball) it seemed like He was moving through all my nerves - He stayed for several minutes at the back and base of my head, which my mother told me years later was where the original damage had been located (although she never believed that Jesus healed me--rather that I outgrew it--funny how the doctor was beside himself with the inability to know what to do with me and was about to hospitalize me just before this, so that he could stabilize me).
I KNEW I WAS COMPLETELY HEALED
I felt the Holy Spirit move up and down each finger and leg and toe before He was done. I threw my pills in the toilet that night and I've never had another one. God has loved me so much, and brought wonderful loving pastors that showed me how to stabilize my emotional ups and downs which was difficult as I had never had that required of me - just give me a tranquilizer!
It wasn't until Christmas that I ever thought of alcohol, when at a Boxing Day party my uncle asked me what I would like to drink.
I said "Oh, nothing for me, thanks" and stopped dead in my tracks as the realization came that miracle of miracles, I had not even THOUGHT of alcohol for 6 months and previous to that not a day went by that I hadn't thought of where my next drink was coming from.
I give God all the honour, praise and glory for His goodness to me for all these years of health and happiness! Amen. - January 27, 2003
