Healing Nations

Tom Shanklin Ministries

for the

Hang in there, baby! It may not sound very spiritual, but it certainly is biblical. The Scripture says it this way, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9, KJV. Someone said, Persistence prevails, when all else fails. Perseverance is a major principle of success in every endeavor of life, and prayer is no exception. When we come to God with our requests for ourselves, for our families, and for others, there may be delays to receiving the answers to our prayers. Over the years of ministry, I have seen many instantaneous answers to prayer. Ive seen miracles right before my eyes, both for myself and for others. But at other times, the answer has taken some time to manifest. While we are waiting for the desired change, there is a temptation to grow weary and to give up hope. Thats when we need to Hang in there, baby! George Mueller of England is a great hero of faith to many. Mueller had a friend who did not know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He prayed for that man for 63 years, saying, He shall be saved. How can it be otherwise? I am praying. Mueller did not see this man come to the Lord on this side of heaven, but on the day when Muellers body was lowered into the ground in a casket, his friend gave his heart to Jesus. One of our great weaknesses is that we give up too soon. We pray for something and it doesnt come to pass, and we assume it must not be Gods will. But Gods Word says, And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:22, KJV. If we

Hang in There Baby!

Spring 2011

have a promise to stand on, we should not let go of it, but persevere in prayer until we see the desired result. After all, its Scriptural. Daniel did not receive the answer to his petition for 21 days, Finally, a heavenly being came to him. Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:12, 13, KJV. During those three weeks, Daniel was praying. What if he had given up after 20 days? Perseverance is often required in prayer. The Word of God says that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. (Luke 18:1) If there was never going to be a temptation to faint, that wouldnt have needed to be written. But the truth is, we all need encouragement to preservere. Hang in there, baby! Maybe youre facing the trial of your faith with your health, or with a loved one. Or maybe youre weary because of the state of your nation, or the problems in your community or your church. I encourage you, remain steadfast. Persevere. Press into the will of God. We dont always know all the reasons for delays in answered prayer, but we need to trust God and let Him work out the details. I know in some cases there is need for a change inside of us in order for the answer to come. Perhaps we are disconnected spiritually and need a refreshing and renewal in our relationship with the Lord. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you, repent, and apply the blood of Jesus. He says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9, KJV. Steadfast, prevailing prayer is frequently needed when you are praying for others. Whether it be family members, corrupt governments, or wayward church members, there is a work of intercession that needs to

Sunday, June 5, 10 a.m., For His Glory Church, Log Cabin, City Park, Spring Grove, MN. 507-725-2984. Sunday, June 12, 11 a.m. & 4 p.m., Restoration Church of Holiness, 2979 N. 21st St., Milwaukee, WI. Sunday, June 19, Word of Faith Fellowship, Avoca, Minnesota. 507335-7884. Sunday, June 26, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., Water of Life Ministries, Rockford, IL 815-873-9656. Sunday, July 3, 10 a.m., For His Glory Church, Spring Grove, MN. Sunday, July 17, 9:30 a.m., United Methodist Church, Litchfield, MN. 320-693-3409. July 27-28, House of Prayer, Fairford, Manitoba, Canada.

Upcoming Meetings

If you would like to schedule Tom or Susan Shanklin in your church or community, you can reach them at tom@shanklinministries.org or by mail.

Scheduling

KRJM, Mahnomen, MN, 101.5 FM, Sundays, 8:45 a.m. KABU, Ft. Totten, ND, 90.7 FM, Sundays, 12:15 p.m. KOYA, Mission, SD, Rosebud Indian Reservation, SD 88.1 FM, Sundays, 8:15 a.m.

Radio Outreach

take place in order to see the desired results. In such cases, its not just a matter of asking God to do something, but also progressively releasing His will into the situation through Spirit-empowered prayer. Our nation, for example, needs sustained, prevailing prayer for change. This will come as we progressively press into Gods will and do not lose heart by what we are seeing with our natural eyes. Often, our prayers are hindered by opposing forces, demonic powers, which are holding people in mental, physical or spiritual bondage. We have to impinge upon these forces with the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, and command Satan to loose his grip on our loved ones, or others. Jesus died and rose from the dead to give us victory over these evil powers. Sometimes our faith and the release of power need to come up to the level of the need that we have. However, it we give up, this will never take place. Persevering prayer while yielding to the Word of God and to the Holy Spirit will allow our faith and our power level to grow. The Holy Spirit is our helper in this work of prayer. When we dont know how to pray, He will show us the way to bring victory in every situation. The important thing is to yield to Him in prayer and let Him guide us to victory progressively. Another awesome tool we have in prayer is the Word of God. Ive found that praying the Word will often bring results when nothing else will. When we pray the Word, we are praying the will of God. Find the Scriptures that relate to your particular prayer request. Then you can be confident that God hears you and that you have the petitions you have asked of Him. (See 1 John 5:14-15) I encourage you to search the Scriptures to find out what the Word of God says about prayer, faith, and spiritual warfare. Study, so your mind wont be corrupted by mans opinions or the devils lies. If you dont have the answer on something, remember, your heavenly Father does. As you press in, He will reveal the answer to you by His Word and by His Spirit. So keep pressing in. Dont lose heart. Dont let go of the promise. Hang in there, baby!

Our Partnership in Prayer

The mission of Tom Shanklin Ministries is to unite with the Body of Christ to reach the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Mission

Healing for the Nations Newsletter and all the outreaches of Tom Shanklin Ministries are made possible by the prayers and financial support of our ministry partners.

Ministry Partners

E-mail: tom@shanklinministries.org Web: www.shanklinministries.org

World Evangelism Fellowship PO Box 4144 Mankato, MN 56002

Susan and I consider it our high privilege to pray for the partners of this ministry. We pray over every prayer request we receive. In our daily prayer, we also pray for many of our partners by name as the Holy Spirit prompts us. We believe that our Father is helping you to come into your destiny in Christ and to overcome the obstacles that the enemy would like to place in your way. We know the challenges that many of you are facing, but we also know the greatness of our God to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory. We also depend on your prayers for Please pray for our mission to the success of this ministry, for divine India in December 2011. protection, health, victory, and strength. We are persevering with you in a mutual prayer partnership, a sharing of giving and receiving of prayer for one another. This month, please persevere with us in prayer in the following areas: -For the book You Can Touch the World which is in the editing phase right now. Pray for an excellent product, and wisdom for promotion and distribution, and that it will have a powerful impact on the human race. -For our upcoming meetings, including the mission to India we are planning for December of this year. We are planning a crusade and pastors seminar, and hoping to evangelize some of the un-reached tribal groups in southern India. You are a great blessing to Susan and me! In the love of Jesus,

Reaching the World with You

Continued from back page Im in heaven seeing the fresh-turned earth. Soft billows of dirt longing for seeds and plants. Tom hoes and I plant this time. Tom is more upright and I bend. Women are more geared to bendingbending to pick up socks, bending to pickup tissues off the floor, bending to pick up towels. Some of you get it.....ha ha! I carry my baby tomatoes outside and we plant and water and lovingly gaze at the children. In my mind I see the tall, staked plants bursting with mouth-watering juice that is flowing down my chin to my shirt. I take the side of my hand and wipe the sweet, tangy raw broth. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! We go to bed that night knowing the seeds and plants are started and their destiny is sure. BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM.......The sky lights up with cracking thunder and lighting. Rain falls from the sky. Yes, rain. This is good! Rain for two days. Well thats ok. Rain for three days. You can stop now. Rain for four days. This is not fun. And on and on we go. Clouds, cool breezes, unseasonable weather, they call it. Unseasonable, abnormal, unnatural and unwanted. Is that what youve got? Something unseasonable, abnormal, unnatural and unwanted? I woke up today and said, Enough is enough! God is a good God and He is working on my behalf and I AM His daughter and He does love me and care about EVERYTHING that is going on in my life and........my garden! I am doing my part and I will trust Him to do His part. It says here on the package too, 90-100 days. It also says, Soil fertility should be normal. Water them if dry. Apply mulch to preserve moisture and prevent weeds. Cage or stake to prevent soil contact with fruit. Now thats good preaching. Check your soil fertility. Water if dry. Preserve your moisture. Keep out the weeds and prevent the world from coming in contact with your fruit. Ha ha ha ha. Im smiling now. I serve a true and live God and NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE THAT! Later.

Dear Tom, Blessings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I thought I would send you an update to encourage you in the Lord. The first time that you came to North Woods Church to share, a young man gave his life to Christ. I want you to know that he is still following Christ. He has had some ups and downs and is still working through issues. This young man is illiterate, so Bible reading and even worship is a challenge to him as he cannot read the words for the songs. I recently gave him the New Testament in audio form so he could listen to the Scriptures. I was reading in John 15 this morning, where Jesus stated that He who abides in Him would bare lasting fruit. I thought of you and this young man. He is one of many. Your ministry and your life bear fruit. Pastor John Malone Solon Springs, Wisconsin

From the Mailbox

Gifts were given in memory of Dorothy Nelson and Mr. Ucida by Steve and Julie Nelson of Jamestown, North Dakota.

Memorials

You can listen to our radio broadcast and find other great information at www.ShanklinMinistries.org
Thank you for your financial support for this ministry. It enables us to be a help and blessing to many peoplethrough prayer, preaching, encouragement, radio ministry, missions giving and all the outreaches of this ministry. Were a team! May God bless you as you sow your seed this month.

Were a Team!

Take time to smell the lilacs.

Home Fires. . .

Tom said I should call my article this time, The Spring That Never Happened. Does that phrase fit what is happening in your life today? Something that you have been waiting for and keep looking for, and it just never seems to come to pass. Its the end of May and its 48 degrees and the wind chill is 44 degrees. Folks, we shouldnt be talking about wind chills here in late May. May is Spring for us here in upper Midwest. Wind chill is for January and Im wondering if I should put on two or three layers of clothing to go outside. Do I wear the stocking cap or the wool hat with ear flaps? Is it the fiber-filled coat or the down coat? Yesterday, we turned our furnace back on. We exhausted our seven cords of wood that we used to supplement our natural gas furnace. Have you exhausted a supply of faith or well doing? I scan the different weather reports and look out the window, which seems to be a better guide to actual weather than the guy or gal on TV. I look for a sign of change to happen. I say to Tom, Tomorrow, it is going to warm up. Tomorrow comes and it rains. Rains from the Northeast no doubt, not warm rains from the South. All of a sudden, trouble comes from a different direction! Another low punch. Unexpected! POW! I suppose I could succumb to the cold, wet, breezy unseasonable circumstances, events, conditions or afflictions. I could say, this is Gods will for people who need to choose stocking caps over ear flaps. I could say, this is Gods will, just because I see what is happening in the conditions or situations. I started some Brandywine tomato, cabbage and zinnia seeds later than usual under a grow light hanging with baling twine and suspended from hot water pipes in the dining room. I planted seeds by faith. They were good seeds placed in peat pods, well watered and tended to. Bye golly, they sprouted in the controlled environmentthe tender plants

Anointed Spring!

heated, spoken to, and nurtured by the loving farm wife. You have a destiny, I told the little tomato plants. You are going to grow and produce nice luscious, red fruit for Tom and Susan. You tomatoes are going to look so pretty sitting in jars of juice, sauces and ketchup. You little tomato plants have a future and a hope. I took my tomato hopes outside one day and transplanted them into larger pots. I know from the directions for growing plants from seeds that I just couldnt throw them in the ground but I had to harden them up and get them used to the wiles of the outside world. On a sunny day when it was not too cold, I would carry my trays of tomatoes outside just for a few hours to let them taste the world to which they would be going. This is what you are going to have to get used to, I told them. Winds from all directions. Strange animals sniffing your leaves and gushes of water, cold water from the watering can. Can you take it little plants? Are you able to take the rough stuff and produce for the farmer? You have the blueprint of success inside you, you know. Your DNA says right here on the package, Large RosyPink Brandywine Tomato. How about you? What does your DNA say? More than a conqueror? Healed? Whole? Complete? Forgiven? FINALLY! The little plants are ready, ready to be planted. The rains have stopped for a few days and the soil can be tilled. Tom tunes up the tiller. Tom had a problem with the tiller from the end of last Fall that he hadnt tended to before the next Spring. Mmmmmm, sound familiar to anyone????? Toms tiller wouldnt go into reverse. Ha. He could go forward but not backward. Well, whats wrong with that? We all want to be forward people not backwards........ but if you want to get out of a tough space you need to go backwards and then go forward. Anyway, Tom takes the belt guard off and removes the massive weed, hay and stubble off the tines and it becomes a full and complete running machine. Continued inside on page 3