Sid Roth

Sid: My guest is Katherine Ruonala. Katherine and her husband pastor a church in Brisbane, Australia. And Katherine I don’t believe it’s an accident Katherine that that’s your first name because as I read about you I think about another Katherine that I personally got to know, Katherine Kuhlman. Some mutual friends of ours have been saying that you’re really walking in that anointing. In fact you told me that you walk by people and they get healed, tell me one.

Katherine: Well that’s just last month I got a report when I was back in an area I had been in last year and a lady was so excited to tell me that she’s been in a meeting that as I walked past she felt a wind of the Spirit go through her and she was instantly healed. And you know I believe that we are meant to be carries of the Holy Spirit but Katherine Kuhlman is someone who’s been so important to me. To see the relationship she had with the Holy Spirit; I remember one night I was coming home from a meeting where God had done an amazing miracle, in fact many amazing miracles. And I felt a little bit intimidated thinking that I had another meeting tomorrow night and all of these people are going to bring all of their sick friends because they’d watched with their own eyes extraordinary things.

Sid: Tell me one miracle at that time that had occurred.

Katherine: Well that night one lady had had her eardrum cut out because of cancer had her hearing restored and cataracts had clouded a man’s eyes had instantly dissolved. And people were just so excited and I remember climbing the stairs to my room that night I was staying at the pastor’s home and thinking to myself “Oh, Lord I know I didn’t do that I hope you show up tomorrow night and do it again.” And as I was coming up the stairs I left my computer playing on shuffle and I heard one of Katherine Kuhlman’s heart to heart radio talks. And she was saying as I was thinking these things I heard her say “Every time I walk out on to the platform I die a thousand deaths.”

Sid: And I remember hearing her say that by the way, but go ahead.

Katherine: Knowing that people are coming and this is their last hope. And I thought to myself “Oh, I understand that pressure.” But it was so lovely to hear her continue she said “But I encourage myself that everything Jesus did on the earth He did as a man actually dependent on the Holy Spirit.” And then as I walked I to my room she said “The Holy Spirit never let her down.” And I heard her say “And the Holy Spirit will never let you down.” And I felt like I’d been kissed by God.

Sid: Hmm.

Katherine: The next night more deaf ears opened, more miracles happened; it was just such an encouragement from the Holy Spirit that we can actually depend on Him because He is utterly dependable. You can only fully know that as you get to know Him personally.

Sid: Now I talked to you a few days ago and you talked to me about a subject that I want you to discuss and that is humility and totally helpless without God.

Katherine: Oh yes you know I really believe this is the word of the Lord at the moment that God is really wanting to open up our eyes to see the depth of our need. Because I believe that it’s really when we understand our need for God that we will cry out and we’ll receive what He wants to give. I believe it’s to the level of your need that you’ll go to God to get what He wants to give. You know in the Book of Revelation it talks about a church that thinks of themselves as rich and having need of nothing. And we’re counseled to cry out to God to buy eyesalve and I think praying that even myself recently “Lord give me eyesalve to see the depth of my need.” I remember once being on an altar call and in the early days and just crying out to God saying “Lord, I feel like I have a big jagged cut in my life and nobody is able to fill my need for love.” And I was looking at the cut I saw a piece of heaven coming out shaped right down in exactly the same shape as the cut in my life. You know I believe God wants to fill us with the level of our deepest need; but unless we’re aware of our need for Him we are not going to go to Him and get what He wants to give us. He says He’s laid a banqueting table before us in the presence of our enemies but unless we actually recognize our need; unless we go to Him to let Him show us we are desperately needy, that we’re actually not rich and full and having need to nothing. We are desperately full of need then we miss out on the truth filling; we spend our money on what’s not actually bread like the scriptures says and yet God’s wanting us to exchange our weakness. Use that as currency, exchange our weakness so that we can receive His supernatural strength.

Sid: Well you know Katherine a lot of people look at the ministry that God’s entrusted to me and they think “Boy, he’s a sharp businessman; he’s brilliant; he’s got so much gifting. But guess what I know what you’ve been talking about; I am 100% dependent on God not just for a miracle to happen, that’s minor; for everything to happen. And the older I get the smarter I get, and when I say the smarter I get the reason I get so much is I realize I need God more. When I was younger I didn’t realize it I was stupid; now that I’m older I realize how much I need God in every relationship and everything that goes on in my life. And that’s what I see going on with you right now Katherine.

Katherine: He’s our ever present help in my time of need and my time of need is all the time. And I really believe that is one of the best revelations that God’s given me because knowing that I need His help and knowing that He’s so willing and so wanting to give me more than I need has been the key I believe really to walking in a joy and a deep satisfaction that produces fruit and supernatural miracles.

Sid: You know I read a book a number of years ago about the presence of God that was Brother Lawrence “Practicing the presence of God.” And to what degree do you do that?

Katherine: I need to spend time alone with God more than I need anything. So I love to walk and talk with God. I do all my verbal processing with Him; I tell Him how I’m feeling and I look to Him for help. You know He is my ever present help and He’s my teacher and my counselor and when I expose my need to Him; when I talk to Him about my fears; when I talk to Him about my weaknesses, He’s always got the answer for me. And He always manifests Himself to me with what I need. The Bible tells us that He makes us lie down in green pastures and He restores our soul. And every day I believe that God wants to bring us daily bread, He wants to help us. And unless we actually take advantage of this beautiful fellowship we miss out on the rich fair that God wants to feed us with day by day. To walk with Him is my greatest joy and it’s the thing I need about above anything else.

Sid: Now when you pray for someone and they’ve got… let’s take the person that had no ear and no eardrum. You certainly… you don’t have to be a PhD to know that you’re in trouble if God doesn’t show up. So you put your hand on them and you pray but what’s going on inside of Katherine Ruonala?

Katherine: Oh, at that moment I was thinking that it might grow back overnight. I honestly did not feel like I had huge faith but this I know that when God tells me to do something that obedience brings blessing. I just trust the He knows what He’s doing; and you know that sometimes when I go to pray for the sick I find myself you know really wanting to see it happen. And Holy Spirit will just tap me on the shoulder and say “Rest back into Me.” Because it’s through Him that it flows and as a result I’ve started to see people get healed before I get to lay hands on them. I started to become God’s reporter that when I have word of knowledge they step out and God touch them before I can even get to them.

Sid: And you know what it sounds like it’s almost like… I kid around a lot sometimes I demonstrate it when I’m speaking before a group. I say “Watch this and I’m not going to say a word and watch what happens to the presence of God.” And the minute I shut my mouth the presence of God increases; so it lets me know how important I am to the deal.   (Laughing)

Katherine: Oh, it’s so true and He just enjoys working with us; He enjoys working through us. But I tell you He is God and He is the healer and when people become aware of His presence and reach out to Him He is irresistibly drawn to anybody that will become vulnerable and expose their need to Him and look to Him for help. Jesus always manifests Himself as the answer; that’s who He is. And that’s who He was when we read about Him in the scripture; everyone who came to Him with a problem and looked to Him for help He manifested Himself as the answer to them. And He’s the same yesterday, today and forever if we’ll get humble and expose our need to Him and look to Him.

Sid: You know I don’t hear that word that often humble, humility and that is the missing ingredient in many many Christians. But I’ll tell you what Katherine wants to mentor you because that’s what she does she’s got a whole ministry team that does what she does….