“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you” (Isa. 43:2, AMP).
Through the Word of God, the Lord is always bringing revelation and truth on how we, as believers of Jesus Christ, can have victory over the rising waters and fierce fires of life. Through the Word, we can rest assured that we can claim our victory by faith to move any mountains in our lives.
I have had many people say to me over the years in ministry, “Sandra, how do I get enough faith to overcome every situation in my life and be victorious through Christ?” Or “How does that person have so much more faith than me?”
Well, we do know by studying Scripture that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). This is the basis of my own faith and how it grew over the years to get where I am today. And I am still growing and learning.
When you read the Word, it will elevate your faith so that you we can roar and soar in this journey of life and overcome rising waters that are trying to drown you! You will know that God is with you and carrying you over the rough waters and fires, and you will not drown or burn.
I would like to share a short snippet of my own personal testimony because, you see, when people say to me, “Wow, Sandra you have such great faith to walk through storms, and I wish I could have the faith that you have,” I say to them that it was not always that way for me.
In 2001, my 7-year-old son, Stefano, was diagnosed with brain cancer. My world quickly fell apart in a matter of minutes when the doctor reported the diagnosis to me.
I fell apart.
I wavered in the tumultuous waters and in the furious fire in so many ways. My faith shook, and I questioned whether I even had any faith at all. Yes, I was a believer of Christ, but back then, I really did not understand the fullness of God’s Word about healing, about deliverance, about the author of sickness and disease or about faith.
Many would tell me that his time was fulfilled here on earth and that he was destined to watch over me from heaven. I knew in my heart that this was not true. So, the physical journey of Stefano marked the true beginning of my spiritual journey. My son died at only 8 years old after a one-year battle with cancer, and my life has never been the same.
The very tragedy the enemy meant for bad, God used to awaken me to step forward on this journey of faith—faith not only for me but for others too.
I now operate in ministry, seeing the miraculous through God’s healing and deliverance power through faith and learning to navigate raging storms.
I quickly learned that God did not bring my son’s sickness, but He certainly used that time, and many years thereafter, to awaken my mind, my spirit, my body and my soul to the truth of His Word, and as much as I needed the answers—and I was hungry for them—I soaked myself in His Word, and my faith began to move. My faith was awakened; it began to shake, and it began to roar. I hungered for more of Him.
As my hunger grew, He began to teach me through His Word how I could have tenacious faith to move mountains and also have the faith for others, to minister healing and deliverance and to set the captives free. That is when my ministry was birthed by the Lord for the work of the Lord.
So today, there may be many of you searching for answers, wanting to know how you can pass through those rising waters that come against you, how you can get through that fire and grow in faith and understanding of the truth of God’s Word.
Let’s navigate this together by listening to this episode of the Fresh Fire Podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network and learn what it means to be able to have victory over those rising waters and fierce fires. We will tap into how we can elevate our faith, so we can endure and continue to fight the good fight of faith while passing through the waters and moving every mountain that comes our way victoriously through the finished work of the cross in Jesus’ name. {eoa}
Sandra Benaglia Smith is the founder and president of Fresh Fire Apostolic Ministries, along with her husband, Todd Smith. They live on the Great Lakes Region of Ontario, Canada (Toronto area). Sandra carries the mantle of apostle and prophet, and she and her husband also pastor the ministry’s Fresh Fire Church.
Fresh Fire Apostolic Ministries is about bringing revival fire to local communities, regions and the nations. She is mandated to teach, train and equip the saints and ministers through the power of the anointed and infallible Word of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Tangible miracles, creative miracles, deliverance, healings, signs and wonders follow Sandra as she ministers under the unction and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Sandra has a heart to see the captives set free, healed and delivered. She wants to encourage and raise up spiritual sons and daughters and an army of believers into a deeper relationship with the Lord and to see them walk in the fullness of their identity and inheritance in Christ. Her desire is to see believers understand their kingdom authority and position and to use the spiritual gifts they have been given and impact their areas of influence for the kingdom of God. Through her own personal journey and testimony, Sandra also has a huge heart for women, children and the broken. Her yearning is to see them healed, delivered and set free and to be all that God has created them to be! Sandra is trailblazing and bringing flames of revival and longs to see the body of Christ united, ignited and awakened with a new fresh fire of God.
Sandra has broadcasted on a Sunday morning program on Arise Radio Station and has been a guest speaker on Yes TV and many other global platforms. She has launched Fresh Fire Podcast with Charisma Podcast Network, which is featured on all podcast platforms all over the world. Sandra also writes many featured articles for Charisma Magazine. Reflections of a Conqueror is Sandra’s first published book (late April 2021) with many more on the horizon!
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