Sid Roth - Intimacy with God Creates a Life of Miracles
Sid Roth: Hello. Sid Roth here. Welcome to my world where it's naturally supernatural. I'm in the most supernatural land in the world, Jerusalem, Israel, the place that Jesus came at his first appearance, the place that Jesus is about ready to return, and the most important thing for you to know is you can have yourself experiential knowledge with God. God wants you to have experiential knowledge. And my guest is supernaturally equipped by God to help you not just have experiential knowledge with God, but she operates in what is known as creative miracles, Katherine Ruonala. I'm going to tell you something. Get ready for your experience with the Living God.
Sid Roth: You know the Wuest's translation of the Bible says, "This is eternal life that you might have experiential knowledge of the Messiah". Katherine, I don't know how it happened, but at 12, your heart said, I've got to have more than religion. What did you pray?
Katherine Ruonala: You know, I believe you need to be, we need to be real with God. And I was at a youth camp. Everyone was worshiping God, lifting their hands, and I just got real with him. I said, "Lord, I believe in you, but I can't see you and I don't know you, and it's really hard to worship somebody I can't see and I don't know". And I just said, help, and you know, right there in the middle of worship the Lord made himself real to me. I can't explain it any other way than I was blind but now I see. He made himself real and from that day on I was different.
Sid Roth: But you know, Katherine, many times people have an experience with God, but then they get sabotaged along the way, called life. It's like the devil knows something good is in your future and he tries to sabotage you. So the first two people that Katherine prays for that are dying from cancer, what happened to them?
Katherine Ruonala: Sid, both of them died. And I tell you, I was so discouraged. I actually thought, you know, Lord, I love you, but I think I'm going to put this miracle healing thing in the too hard basket because it didn't seem to, it seemed to be too risky to me.
Sid Roth: Besides that, you know what, you can get by without the supernatural.
Katherine Ruonala: Yes.
Sid Roth: The words she said is true. It's too risky and most of you don't understand the definition of biblical faith is spelled R-I-S-K, risk.
Katherine Ruonala: That is so true. It's so true. But you know, as I was just putting this whole thing in the too hard basket, suddenly I had a vision. It was an open vision and the Lord spoke to me, and he said, "Katherine, you must believe". You know, God's ways are better than our ways and he said, "Lay hands on the sick and you'll see them recover. Heal the sick". And this was the way Jesus did it. He performed miracles and people then would listen as he told them the Good News.
Sid Roth: You know, this may be hard for you and maybe hard for you to believe, but when I first started praying for people, I had met Kathryn Kuhlman, I saw all these miracles, do you know the first at least 200 people I prayed for no one was healed, no one. One person died on me. The elders of the congregation said, "I don't like the way Sid is praying for so many people". But something in me would not give up.
Katherine Ruonala: Well you know, I believe if you don't change the subject, if you don't quit, you win. And now we have seen so many people with cancer, incurable diseases healed.
Sid Roth: But this is ridiculous. Let me explain something to you. Jesus said, "You'll do the same things I have done and even greater". You told me that you absolutely expect God to heal at least one deaf person when you speak. You really have to have faith.
Katherine Ruonala: Absolutely. Well you know, the Holy Spirit, it's the Holy Spirit who does it. And pretty much every town I go into one of the first miracles he does is someone with a completely deaf ear gets their ear open.
Sid Roth: All right, what about something really amazing like someone with no ear drum? How do you get someone healed with no ear drum?
Katherine Ruonala: I've seen four.
Sid Roth: Tell me one. Tell me about one.
Katherine Ruonala: Four of those. Just recently in South Korea we had two people, one lady was born without an ear drum, instantly got her hearing restored. Another lady at the age of six had had a terrible infection that didn't get treated and her ear drum was completely deformed and damaged. She had no hearing whatsoever. The doctors had just confirmed she has perfectly formed ear drum. She instantly heard. God does this and then as soon as people can recognize, wow, that person couldn't hear, now they can, they release their faith and amazing miracles happen without hands even being laid on.
Sid Roth: Now you teach that worship is the key to everything in life to the supernatural, to miracles, to solving family problems, to solving financial problems, just living this life in this crazy thing called life. Why is this worship so important to you?
Katherine Ruonala: Well you know, how do you trust somebody you don't know? When you know him, when you know how good he is and how much he loves us then it's easy to trust him. Because I know him, because I know his love for me, his love for people, because I know his will is to bring life and healing then I'm not putting my trust in a concept or an intellectual idea or even a theology. My trust is in somebody I know, God himself.
Sid Roth: When we come back I want to find out how you were baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire.
Sid Roth: Katherine, a word, when I think about you I think about two things. I think about miracles and someone that has such intimacy with God that the miracles are natural. To you, what does intimacy with God mean?
Katherine Ruonala: You know, the Bible talks about us becoming one with him. Because of the cross we have the privilege of actually being one with him and his desire, the joy that was set before him was that we would fellowship with him. That is we could be real with him, talk with him and hear what he's saying, and tell him everything that's going on in our hearts. You know, I believe if we learn how to really lean on him and not try to work out things with our own understanding, but to lean on him, to involve him in every aspect of our lives then he makes our path straight. And I tell you what, Christ in us, he has big dreams.
Sid Roth: You know something that I'm, from the people I interview and my study of the Bible, of course, there's something called being filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues or supernatural languages. But I hear so little and yet when I interview people that move in extraordinary miracles they have had what the Bible calls a baptism of fire. Tell me about the time you had a baptism of fire.
Katherine Ruonala: Well you know, I would read people like Maria Woodworth-Etter and John G. Lake, and Smith Wigglesworth, and their experiences with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And I used to think to myself maybe I missed something. I received the gift of tongues when I was about 13, and I'd pray in tongues, and that's powerful. But I wasn't doing the stuff that they were doing, and I thought what have I missed. And I began to think, well Lord, you said you were going to come and baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire. So I just began to press in and contend with God, saying, Lord, I want a baptism of fire. And I tell you, God just began to do such a deep work on my life. I was forever changed and his power now, he manifests himself in amazing miracles.
Sid Roth: Describe a specific moment in your history and what happened with this baptism in fire.
Katherine Ruonala: Well I used to go and rent videos, when I was mom with little kids, of people who moved in miracles. I'd watch Kathryn Kuhlman and different ones. And one day the video bus man that I was renting these videos from, he prayed for me. And as I walked off the bus I got in the car and suddenly the power of God came on me in such an amazing way. I shook and I laughed, and I cried, and you know, from that moment on things have been different. The Lord, he comes with such power and such holy boldness, and I believe that's what the baptism of fire is.
Sid Roth: Now out of curiosity, were you always as bold as you are now?
Katherine Ruonala: Sid, I was one of the most self-conscious and insecure people that you could have met, but it's the perfect love of God. It's in intimacy with him that his love casts out fear. You see, if we're not receiving what we need from him we're going to be trying to get it from everybody else. We're going to be looking at them and trying to get them to make us feel better. We'll be afraid to do things in case we don't get our needs for affirmation met. But when you're receiving daily from the one who speaks to you and loves you more than you can absolutely even emotionally handle, his desire is to fill you to overflowing so that when you are interacting with people you're no longer needing something from them. You're overflowing with a love that empowers you and casts out fear.
Sid Roth: You know, I'm reminded of a worldly saying: You're so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good. I call that a lie.
Katherine Ruonala: I think it's ridiculous.
Sid Roth: If you become so heavenly minded that's the only way you can be earthly good.
Katherine Ruonala: Well I think unless you are then you're conscious about yourself. But if you are absolutely caught up with this one who loves you more than life, and I pray from Ephesians 3. There's a prayer in there that I pray: Lord, that you would strengthen me with might so I could understand and know the love of God that passes knowledge. I need supernatural strength to actually handle that amount of love that he wants to give me. And as I receive that, that's what empowers me to no longer be worried about myself and I get to see what he wants. I get to hear his heart and I am empowered to be as he is in the earth, which is really exciting.
Sid Roth: You recently got back from Nicaragua. Tell me, I mean, that is a country with needs. What happened?
Katherine Ruonala: It was a very big meeting where many, many people came. They gave out free tickets to the prostitutes of the city and we saw such astounding miracles. I mean, the first miracle we did was open a deaf ear and then after that, suddenly the faith in the room was so high. I began to call out words of knowledge. There was a lady who had a tumor on her neck, another lady with a brain tumor who walked in unable to walk properly because of the tumor, someone with a leg significantly shorter than the other to the point that she had to hem her pants. I gave these words of knowledge not knowing anything about any of them being there, and they all came up and testified that the tumor on the neck had disappeared. The lady who couldn't walk because of the brain tumor ran up the stairs to testify. The other lady got down and showed us how her leg had grown out and she was now able to walk properly.
Sid Roth: And what I find is when people start saying God is moving and God is not a respecter of persons, that means that if he'll do it for one person, he'll do it for everyone. I'll tell you what, when we come back I want you to pray for two things. I want you to pray for miracles and I want you to pray for the most important thing. To God it's the most important thing that you yourself have your own intimacy with God because it is from this intimacy that the Messiah says all things are possible. So don't you tell me, "but". I tell you God says all things are possible. We'll be right back.
Sid Roth: You know, Katherine Ruonala is known for having intimacy with God. Katherine, if there's one thing that you can help us with to achieve this intimacy with God, what is the key?
Katherine Ruonala: You know, I believe it is fellowship with God through worship, through a life of worship. And worship is, I used to think of it as this strange conduct. Why would God want us to tell him how good he was all the time? But actually, worship is a Divine embrace. It's like when I was a young mom and my little kids would see me when I came home, they'd put their arms up and go, "Up Mommy, up"! And I couldn't resist. I'd want to scoop them up. And you know what, that's what worship is like for us. We come to God and we say, "Up, Daddy! Help"! And he runs towards us, scoops us up, and just as we love on him, he loves on us, and he tells us we have to pray for supernatural help to handle how much love he wants to give us.
Sid Roth: Well is worship an event such as singing to God or is it a lifestyle for you?
Katherine Ruonala: For me, worship is an absolutely lifestyle. It's not just singing. It is actually living in adoration to God. Everything, the whole of creation is our invitation to respond to God in worship, to have fellowship with him and that's where joy comes from. You could live joyful knowing that he loves you.
Sid Roth: You know, I believe if it didn't release miracles, if it didn't release favor, if it didn't release healing, if it didn't release solving family problems you would live a life of worship anyway.
Katherine Ruonala: There's nothing, nothing more glorious. We were created for worship.
Sid Roth: Would you worship God just for a moment. I want to watch you worship God. Would you?
Katherine Ruonala: You know, I believe even as we talk about him we are worshiping him. The Holy Spirit, he leads us in revelation knowledge of him and then God manifests himself through us. As we are communing with him we get to manifest him.
Sid Roth: I feel his presence as you're talking about him right now. Tell me a few miracles that have happened.
Katherine Ruonala: You know, I believe that as we live this lifestyle of intimacy with God, God wants to show himself strong. We had a couple bring a little foster baby, 18 months old, to a meeting, and she, they think she had been shaken as an infant. Her eyes couldn't focus. She had one eye would go this way, one eye go this way, and she had no sense of balance, had never walked as a result. And we just commanded her eyes in the name of Jesus to come straight, and in front of everybody, God just straightened her eyes. People gave their lives to the Lord on the spot.
Sid Roth: You know what's so amazing, here we are in Jerusalem and they have the Muslim prayers on loud speakers right now. I'm looking for the day that we have Christians worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the name of the one Messiah, the whole world, the Jew, Jesus, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach on loud speakers.
Katherine Ruonala: Well you know, and when we see God do miracles it causes people to respond to God and worship. And I got called one night into the intensive care unit and a man had had a terrible accident. It was a logging accident. He had been in a tractor, rolled down a cliff and had huge gashes in his head. They had operated, but they couldn't get all the mud and the gunk out of the deep gashes because it was just so deep and so dangerous. And so we worshiped God in the intensive care and just thanked God for healing. I felt the release of power and we just worshiped God there. I left. He was unconscious. We didn't see anything, but I knew God had done something. Well the next day, the nurses said that they had never seen anything like it.
Sid Roth: What happened?
Katherine Ruonala: As he was lying on his bed unconscious, suddenly the gashes in his head started spurting out all the dust and the mud, and the gunk all over his pillow, and he was completely healed. He didn't even need an operation.
Sid Roth: Do you know something, when you have a lifestyle of worship of God there's not enough that God can do for you. He wants to do so much more for you than he's doing right now. But in fact, he wants to heal you right now. I know as a fact there are people with arthritic fingers, the pain is gone, and back and neck problems, what is God showing your right now? Pray for the sick.
Katherine Ruonala: You know, I believe even as you're watching God wants to touch you. We see so many people healed even as we pray when people are watching. So right now whatever you need, I believe the God who loves you more than life, even if you don't know him, he wants to make himself real to you. He loves in a way that is practical. So right now in Jesus' name, I'm going to pray, Holy Spirit, Lord, whatever the miracles they need touch their bodies. I thank you, Lord, for eyes being opened. I thank you, Father, for a brain tumor right now disappearing in the name of Jesus. And Lord, I pray above all that everyone watching, everyone hearing the sound of my voice, Lord, that they would have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you, the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened, God, that they would personally know you, that they would experience you and find you, and feel you, Lord, that you would be so real to them because you don't want to be a concept to them. You don't want to be just a theology. You want to be their friend. Lord, make yourself real to them. Open the eyes of their heart as they cry out and say "help". If you're watching just say, "Help, Lord, I want to know you and I thank you, Lord". You delight to him.
Sid Roth: There is something going on right now in the invisible world. There is a flood of liquid love coming out to you from Katherine's heart of worship. There is rivers of living water pouring out to you right now. If you have never said with your mouth, God, forgive me of my sins, I'm so sorry. I believe the blood of Jesus washes them away and now that I am clean, I ask Jesus to live inside of me. Give me a new heart, a new spirit. Become my Lord. Use your own words. It doesn't have to be my words. Just "Jesus help" was enough to get it done for me. But this is your moment to have experiential knowledge with the Living God and live a life of worship. Yes.