Ted's Testimonies of Faith

Prayer

accomplishes miracles when we pray in faith!

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we

may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

(Hebrew 4:16)

GOD'S MIRACLES IN MY LIFE!

By Ted Matamis,

Founder and Editor Of the Free International Email Ministry

"A Spiritual Note from the Bible."

It is my joy and privilege to share with you how God has worked miracles in my life. Jesus Christ saved my soul out of the bondage of sin, and later, He saved me from the deadly illness of cancer.

I was born in a small village in Greece, the country where the Olympics were started and whose language God used to write the New Testament. My parents were poor and simple people, but they were very kind and hospitable. They sacrificially provided for their children and others. They loved God and lived with moral and ethical principles.

I was raised Greek Orthodox. In the Orthodox church, I learned the first lessons of the Christian faith. Generally, I was a good boy and a good student. I studied five different languages (in addition to English, which I learned later), and I wrote my first book at the age of eighteen.

I graduated from college with a degree in Education. Later, the Department of Education prepared a scholarship for me to go to France for more studies. Regardless of all this, I was still very unhappy, and my heart was filled with emptiness.

I turned in all directions to find the truth that was missing from my heart - the truth that would satisfy me and fill the emptiness. Everything my parents, teachers, and others taught me was not enough. I feared God, and I desired to know Him better. As a religious person, I prayed and asked God to give me peace in my heart and the opportunity to help others.

After I got married in 1968, I came to the United States to earn a Ph.D. in Education that I dreamed of, but God had different plans for me. Because I had a talent for art, I received two scholarships from two well-known American art academies. After attending the academies, I started to work for large American companies and became a successful commercial artist.

I thought a wonderful family, education, a successful career, money, a lovely home, and a car would offer me the happiness and satisfaction I expected. The strange thing is, even though I began to accomplish and earn these, one by one, still, I felt unhappy and empty inside.

At this time, while I was still trying to find happiness in my life, I became very sick, and the doctors told me that I would never recover. While I was in pain and despair, God sent one of His people to me. He was a godly man who preached the Word of God in a Greek church and on the radio in the Chicago area where I lived.

For the first time in my life, somebody sat down with me, and plainly talked to me about God's love and the price that Jesus Christ paid for me on the cross. He described God's simple plan and told me that Christ died for my sins and offered me eternal life. As he unfolded God's plan of free salvation by grace, my spiritual eyes were opened. Finally, I began to understand clearly all that I had been reading in the Bible about salvation.

On March 17, 1970, I repented and by faith accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. He gave me eternal life and filled the emptiness I had. The Lord put a smile on my face and peace in my heart. He performed a miracle in my life. He not only healed my soul, but He also began to heal my sick body.

My whole life began to change, and the Word of God became not just theory and head knowledge, but a transforming power in my daily life. Before, I had taught the Word of God and the Greek New Testament to my students without experiencing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

After my salvation, my dear wife got saved, then later, my two children. Praise the Lord! Through the years the Lord has opened many doors for me to witness to thousands of people of many different nationalities.

I have been involved in many American Christian ministries and have taught and preached the Word of God in Greek churches, schools, and on a Greek Christian radio program. The Lord gave me a passion for souls, a loving and caring heart, and made me a successful soul-winner. It has been a blessing over the years to direct thousands of souls to Him and see many of them get saved.

Since 1996, God has given me a unique and blessed ministry in the English language through the Internet, "A Spiritual Note from the Bible." The Spiritual Note, which includes a short message from the Bible, is sent out free of charge. It also contains the plan of salvation for adults and children, prayer requests, and information relating to the main subject of the Spiritual Note (testimonies, Bible verses, sermons of well-known preachers and evangelists, good Christian music, interesting Christian websites, inspirational quotes, beautiful pictures, clean humor, and more).

The Spiritual Note is received by believers and non-believers from all walks of life who have requested them. I have experienced the hand of God upon this ministry. He has helped to spread the Spiritual Note all over the world by recommendation of the people who receive it without any personal, commercial advertising or marketing. Also, many recipients have described the Spiritual Note as "the best email ministry in the world." The goal of this ministry is to glorify the Lord and help others by encouraging, comforting, teaching, inspiring, challenging, and evangelizing.

My first dear wife is now with the Lord in heaven after she had a heart attack in 1996. We had twenty-eight happy and blessed years of marriage. I am grateful to God for giving me a wonderful and blessed wife and children to help me in His ministries. Later, when I became seriously ill, God miraculously brought my second wife into my life. She is a blessed Christian lady with a kind, loving, and caring heart. Her sacrificial and supportive spirit has helped me through all of my hard times. She is a real servant of God, and we are both very pleased and happy with our marriage.

In 1999, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and a large tumor nearby. The thyroid and the tumor were both malignant.

A surgeon removed the entire thyroid, the tumor nearby, plus fifteen malignant lymph nodes. During the next two years. I had radiation treatments. In August of 2001, tests showed another three tumors in my neck and nearby chest area. My surgeon told me, "Even God can't help you." He did not want to be involved with my case because it was severe, and there was a possibility I could die during the operation.

When people I knew heard this sad news, many (even some believers) raised their hands and gave up. Instead of comforting, praying, or helping me, they began to wait for my funeral. The devil used their attitude and the hard words of my surgeon to try to discourage me. Instead, as a redeemed child of God, I raised my eyes to heaven with confidence, and by faith, I told those with weak faith and negative attitudes that the Lord would deliver me from this life-threatening situation.

I believed that the Lord still had work for me to do for Him in this world. Through my internet ministry, I asked for prayers from sincere Christians and their churches around the world. A retired pastor told me he was getting up at midnight and was praying with tears for me, and a missionary wrote to me that he was praying for a miracle. As Christians, we believe the work of faith is in our hands, but the work of miracles is in God's hands!

The Lord helped me find a better hospital and surgeon. My unshakable faith in God and the prayers of believers gave me strength and peace as I faced this difficult situation. The Lord not only allowed the right doctor to perform the surgery, but He also caused my health insurance to approve coverage for all the costs of the operation, which they had earlier denied.

"The just shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4). When we put our cares in God's hands, He puts His peace in our hearts. This is exactly what happened. His peace and presence never left me. The prayers of my loved ones and believers from around the world were answered. Although the surgery lasted for many hours, everything went smoothly, and there were no complications.

It is unbelievable but true. The surgeon found and removed not only three, but a total of thirty-five tumors and lymph nodes. Eighteen of them were malignant. Because there were no complications during the surgery nor afterward, they sent me home the next day. I was even without pain. My surgeon said, "Now you are in God's hands." This was the best place to be.

I am in the hands of the Great Physician, my Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ! I am very thankful for the many miracles the Lord has done in my life over the years, and now He has added one more. I feel very well now, and the yearly follow up medical results have been normal. I know my trials in this world are not over, but I praise the Lord because, through them, He is increasing my faith and purifying my Christian character.

This temporary life is so short, and sooner or later, each one of us will meet the Lord. I hope you are ready to meet the Lord as "Savior" and not as "Judge." If you are not saved, I want to tell you something very important from my own experience. If you are far away from the Lord Jesus Christ, you will not find the salvation of your soul, real peace in your heart, or happiness in your life. Only Jesus Christ can give you a NEW LIFE and REAL LIFE. I am not promising that if you have Jesus Christ in your life, you will be without trials, but the Lord always will be there to help you.

Dear Reader, I believe with all my heart that it will not be the end for me when I die, but only a new beginning in my Father's heavenly home for eternity. Will you be there?

I encourage you, before it is too late, by faith, trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. The Bible says, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). In the quietness of your mind at this very moment, you can receive Christ's gift of salvation by sincerely praying this simple prayer from your heart:

Dear God, I know that You love me and want to save me. Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God, and you shed your precious blood and died on the cross to pay for my sins. I believe God raised You from the dead. I now turn from my sin, and by faith, receive You as my personal Savior. Come into my life, forgive my sins, and save me. In Your name, I pray. Amen.

Blessed Assurance (Audio)

This is my story, this is my song,

praising my Savior all the day long.

This is my story, this is my song,

praising my Savior all the day long.

— Hymn by Fanny Crosby

THE ORGAN

Several years ago, we gave our piano to my daughter so that she could teach her children to play. This way, her children could use their talents to serve the Lord as they grew. Because my wife played the organ in the church where we attended at that time, she needed an organ at home to practice. By faith, I told her that the Lord would give us a free organ for a Christmas present.

I believed this because first, we tried to help my daughter; second, we did not have thousands of dollars to buy an organ; and third, because my wife was going to use it to glorify the Lord. When some other people heard about this, they were skeptical and told me, "You are asking too much. Maybe the Lord will give you one for a good price, but not free."

Without giving those people any attention, I checked on the internet and found a church in our area that wanted to give their organ away for free. They wanted to give it away because somebody had donated a brand new organ to them. I was the first to respond to their ad. Possibly, others thought a free organ would not be worth anything. The organ was beautiful and in excellent condition, but it was too big for our living room.

We talked to our Pastor about the organ after we saw it. He told us that our church would take it and would give us the church's current smaller organ for free. Our church's smaller organ was like brand new. The church received the big organ; and the pastors, with a few other men from our church, delivered the smaller organ to our home without us having to pay a penny. The Lord not only blessed us - He blessed our church, too. PRAISE THE LORD!

Are you living by faith? Faith is not feeling, it is believing. Faith is not doing, it is resting. Faith is more than mere belief. Faith is deep confidence in the One you trust. This confidence is demonstrated by your actions. The Bible says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6), and "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).

Depend on God's promises. By faith leave everything in God's hands and wait to see the surprises He has for you. Maybe your test will take a little longer, but for sure, God will "supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Take a step of faith today. The Lord will honor your faith and may even give you a free organ for Christmas!

THE VENDING MACHINE

One morning in 1970, my first wife and I took a bus to pick-up some transfer papers from college. Because of a severe snowstorm, the college was closed, and only a few office staff were there. One of them told us that they would prepare our papers, but we had to wait until late afternoon. Due to the weather, we were stuck by ourselves in the waiting room all day.

We had not brought along anything to eat, and we did not really have any money for the few vending machines that were there. In fact, I only had twenty five-cents in my pocket. Just a few days earlier, I had gotten saved and was experiencing "the first love" the scriptures mention. I had faith that the Lord could do anything for us. I told my wife the money was not enough to buy food for both of us, but we would pray with faith and ask the Lord

to perform a miracle.

After we prayed, we decided to buy a container of soup with the twenty-five cents. When we got soup, the quarter came back. We tried again for another soup. Again and again, the money came back until both of us had a soup, sandwich, drink, and dessert. PRAISE THE LORD!

Live by faith and believe in the power of the Lord. No matter what you face, God will help you. The Lord may not do a miracle opening the heavens to send you "manna" or control the vending machine to give you food when you need it, but for sure He will find a way to supply all your needs. "For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down...Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled..." (Luke 9:14, 16, 17)

NEW JOB

In the summer of 2001, I told my wife to resign from her job. She was not happy there because of her Christian convictions. I told her that the Lord always honors a person who lives with Christian convictions, and He will have something better for her. By faith, I also told her with peace in my heart that she would find another job within four weeks.

The first three weeks, we found many jobs opportunities, but they were far away from home. The fourth week I told her to apply for a job that was only two and a half miles from home. She felt that she was not qualified, but she sent her resume anyway. When the personnel director called, she asked her to come the next day for an interview and to take a test that would last about four hours. At first, she felt it would be a waste of time, but I told her with confidence and faith not to close the door. Instead, allow the Lord to close the door if it was His will.

The next day as she went for the interview, I prayed sincerely that the Lord would be praised and glorified in this situation. The test took her only twenty minutes, and all the people who interviewed her liked her personality and her qualifications. The position they advertised was not for her, but they hired her immediately for another and better position with much better pay and benefits. PRAISE THE LORD!

Are you living by faith or by sight? Depend on God's promises. No matter what problems come your way, God will help you. The Lord may not do a miracle by giving you a good job, but for sure, He will find a way to supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ. I recommend that you walk by faith and step out of the boat, and you will discover the thrill of walking on the water as Peter did! "And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus" (Matthew 14:29).

OUR FIRST HOUSE

In 1972, my first wife and I began to look for a house to buy close to our church and to the company where my wife and I both worked. One of us worked at night while, the other one worked during the day, so one of us could be home to take care of our daughter, our first child. Because there were no houses for sale in the area we were looking, I went door to door and asked if the homeowners were thinking about selling their house.

Not a single person had an interest in selling their house except for one lady. She told me that she had cancer and was in the process of getting a divorce. She also said that possibly they would sell their house in the future. I gave her my phone number and told her to give me a call when they were ready to sell the house.

We really liked that house very much. Since a few months passed and we did not hear anything from the lady, we made an offer on a single-family home we really did not like much. The night we went to the realtor to find out if our offer was accepted, I told my wife that before we go to the office, let us pray for the Lord to do His will. We prayed, sincerely and earnestly. After our prayer, we went inside. The first thing we heard from the realtor was, "You lost the house. Another person got it because he made a cash offer and not a loan."

As human beings, we were disappointed. I told my wife, "The Lord closed the door for a reason. Let us go home and see the next door He will open." When we got back, we could hear the phone ringing as we opened the door.

I rushed in and picked up the phone. Can you imagine who it was? It was the lady who I had given my phone number a few months ago.

She told me that she and her husband decided to sell the house for an excellent price. This house was a hundred times better than the other one. It was a newer brick house with two apartments. We purchased the house and lived there free because we were able to rent out one of the apartments. PRAISE THE LORD! The Lord gave us a good lesson-not to close the door before He closes it.

OUR SECOND HOUSE

In 1975, we had two children and were looking to sell the first house to buy a single-family home for our children with plenty of room in the backyard to play. My first priority was to find a house close to a specific church that had a Christian school where I wanted to send my daughter and my son. This was in a nice suburb of Chicago. For a year, we looked for the right house.

This time, we did not rush after we learned a good lesson from the first house. Finally, the Lord opened a door.

It was a house that was almost brand new. A young family had built it, but they wanted to sell because the man of the house found a better job in a different state. The man had already moved, and his wife was trying to sell the house.

We liked the house very much. It had everything we were looking for, plus a lot more. The only problem was that it was very expensive. My wife and I felt that the Lord had this house for us, but we needed a miracle for us to buy it. I gave a much lower offer than the asking price. The realtor tried to tell us that we would lose this beautiful house. One Sunday, after our morning church service, we stopped to see the house again. We did this before heading to a Greek church in Chicago where I preached on Sunday afternoons.

The realtor again tried to push us to give a better offer. He told us that this is your last opportunity. He told us that, next Sunday there will be an open house, and somebody else will take it. My wife and I without hesitation and with faith told him, "If this house is for us, the Lord will keep it." We left to go to church and continued to pray for this house.

The next Sunday, which was in the month of April, they had the open house. Believe it or not, during those hours it unexpectedly began to snow. As a result, nobody went to the open house. Because they needed to move, they accepted my low offer. After that, the Lord brought a buyer who bought our first house at a good price. We got the house the LORD had for us. PRAISE THE LORD! I have been living in this house since 1976. If somebody does not experience miracles, it is because he does not believe in miracles. For me, God's miracles are not unusual anymore.

The Lord also challenged the faith of the realtor, who questioned our attitude and faith at that time. Later, when we had him, his wife, and his five children for dinner, he openly admired us for our faith and he admitted that his faith was weak.

LADY IN THE HOSPITAL

Many years ago, we attended a large church that had many successful ministries and an energetic senior pastor.

At that time, my first wife, Georgia, found a job for a Christian woman from our church at the place she worked. About a year later, the lady developed a tumor in her pancreas. She had surgery at a specialized hospital about an hour's distance from our home.

A few days after the surgery, the hospital tried to contact her husband because she had taken a turn for the worse. She was placed in intensive care. Her husband was on his way to take their son to a Christian college in another state. The hospital was not able to reach him, so they called her work and informed them of her situation.

After the sad news, my wife called our pastor and then me at my work. I told my wife to leave her work immediately. We drove together to the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital, we found our pastor already there. We all went into her room. She looked totally hopeless, but I took hold of her hand and prayed. I told her, by faith, not to worry because the Lord would heal her.

Afterward, we went back to the waiting room, where my pastor was going to pray. Before he prayed, he told me that I should not have said that she would be healed for sure. He said that only a few minutes earlier, her doctor said to him that she would possibly not make it. His words really bothered me, but I did not respond or argue with him out of respect. For several days, I prayed on my knees and with tears, asking the Lord to have mercy upon her and her family.

Every time I prayed, I had peace in my heart and a clear answer that she would recover. Many people from our church lost hope, but they continued to pray. It was sometime later that she eventually recovered from her near-death experience and was actually able to return to work. PRAISE THE LORD!

Please do not limit the power of the Lord. Take advantage of the access you have to God. As a child of the King, you can enter into His presence to seek His help in time of need. "With God all things are possible"

(Matthew 19:26).

Do you believe this with all your heart or just with your mind? Faith grows as your vision of God's greatness increases. The Bible tells us God can do more than you can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

OUR FAITH'S NUTRITION

Many times, people have admired my faith and asked me, "How can we have your faith?" or "How can our faith grow?" To grow your faith, ask the Lord to help you with this. If the Lord gives you trials in your life, do not complain. These are the best nutritional foods for your faith. Through them, your faith is tested and grows. Faith grows by obeying and trusting Christ even when you do not know what He is doing. Faith grows by seeing that Christ is not limited by the weakness of your faith. "According to your faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29), and "Now unto him, that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think..."

(Ephesians 3:20).

When I was a new Christian, I met some older Christian men and ladies who had strong faith, and I admired them.

I always prayed, and I asked, "Lord, give me more faith." The more I asked, the more trials and difficulties I had in my life. I almost came to the point of telling the Lord, "I do not want any more faith." However, before getting to that point, I learned my lesson-that through my trials, my faith increased by obeying and trusting in the Lord. Today, I know that my trials in this world are not over. Nevertheless, I praise the Lord because, through them, He is increasing my faith and purifying my Christian character. PRAISE THE LORD!

Are the storms of life making you feel down? The next time you feel queasy with fear, remember to call upon the Lord. He is with you. He is greater than any storm you face. When the strong winds blow and the storm rages, remember to look up!

WHAT HAS PRAYER DONE?

"Prayer has divided seas, rolled up flowing rivers, made flinty rocks gush into fountains, quenched flames of fire, muzzled lions, disarmed vipers, and poisons, marshaled the stars against the wicked, stopped the course of the moon, arrested the rapid sun in its great race, burst open iron gates, conquered the strongest devils, commanded legions of angels down from heaven. Prayer has bridled and changed the raging passions of man and routed and destroyed vast armies of proud, daring atheists. Prayer has brought one man from the bottom of the sea, and carried another in a chariot of fire to heaven; what has prayer not done!"— Dr. Ryland