There are so many powerful ways the Lord has touched my life through Pastor Rodney’ ministry, but let me share this with those who may be new to the move of God and the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s power is real and it has a lasting effect! It’s now March of 2007 and back in late 1993, not sure of the exact date, I first came to some meetings of Brother Rodney in St. Louis. I had never heard of the church he was ministering at. I had never heard of him or seen the power of God in such a way, and had only been saved and filled with the Spirit less than a year. But in that first meeting, the Presence of the Lord was so strong and he preached on, “Have YOU had a Pentecost?” from Acts 10 and 11. There came a time in the service when he called those who wanted hands laid on them to come, so my friend and I did. When Pastor Rodney came and lightly touched me, the power of God came all over me and I fell under His power. As I lay there with my eyes closed, my hands became heavy and I saw in a vision the anointing (it seemed like a golden liquid) all over my arms, flowing down into my hands where it rested.

They were SO heavy! I laid there a long time and the Lord spoke some wonderful things to me for my personal life and ministry that was to come. He knew the hunger of my heart to see people healed and touched by Jesus as I laid hands on them, and was so good to help my faith. He spoke to me as I lay there that, “Tonight I have allowed you to see and feel my power in your hands to help your faith; now, when you go and lay hands on people, think back and remember this moment so you will KNOW no matter if you feel any power or not that My power is in you and in your hands. Then just believe as you lay hands on them that this heavy anointing you feel tonight will go into them and do a mighty work.” I understood that if I believed, and could get the person in need to believe, then the power that is always in me would manifest and touch them. And I want to testify to the glory of God that since then the Lord has used these hands to heal cancer, arthritis, uncontrolled and soon to be terminal diabetes, back injuries, a growth on a lady’s hand, internal bleeding that the doctors couldn’t find the cause of or fix, and many other things. People have been filled with joy; they have fallen under God’s power, they have felt the “heat” and the “fire” (their words) as I have prayed for them.

One friend of mine I asked to hold my Bible for me as we walked into work on day, and as soon as he took it from me he jumped saying it was hot and it felt like it was on fire, just from being in my hands that the Lord flows through. I could give so many testimonies, but what I really want people to know is that, this was over 13 years ago and the touch of God lasts! IF you keep the fire for Jesus and the gifts of God in you stirred up all the time, that power will always be there to meet your own needs and to bless, heal, set free, work miracles in, and impart fresh fire of love for Jesus to others whenever you let Him work through you. I praise God for Pastor Rodney, but what impressed me most in that first meeting of his, was that the focus wasn’t on him; he seemed to be in the background and it was the Holy Spirit Himself just ministering to the people all over the church. I was so excited about it that I told all my friends and brought a bunch of them the next night, telling them this anointed man was preaching, but really just allowing the Spirit of God to freely come and touch the people in a very real way. But KNOW that whatever touches you are receiving from the Lord at the River, in the River Bible Institute, and other RMI meetings, they are not by the hand of man, but by the hand and power of the Spirit of God working through a yielded vessel, and what He, the Lord does in your life will not only last, but the flow of power increases over time as you grow in your knowledge of and walk with Him. All honor, glory and praise to our great and glorious God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the wonderful Spirit of the Living God! His power is real! And the effects of it last! Rev. Bryan E. A, Anointed Love Ministries, Belleville, IL