I ended up in the Emergency Department one night because I was in bed and this happened and I was really frightened. They ran a myriad of tests and everything came back fine. The doctor came in and asked me if I was under any undue stress. I told him truthfully that I wasn’t. With that he looked at me and said, “Well, Helen, you are suffering from panic attacks. I think you need to get to the bottom of what is going on with your mental health.” I said okay sure, with no intention of ever doing anything about that.
These experiences were becoming more and more frequent and were now happening for no apparent reason. Just sitting at my desk and I would find my heart beating fast, my breathing rapid and of course I became dizzy.
Now, indulge me here as I need to go back a bit……
Doug (my husband) and I had been in Sydney at our nephew’s wedding and we had had a lovely weekend and when I got home, there was a whole heap of housework to be done before I headed off to work. I just didn’t want to do it and so we sat and watched a Joyce Meyer Video (yep video – I’m that old). She was preaching – sharing incredible stories about her experiences. It was so fascinating and I absolutely loved it. At the end of the video – I decided I had to go and at least change the sheets on the bed.
I was in my bedroom and had my back to the door. As I threw the sheet on to the bed I heard a voice say to me “You will preach the word just like that, and the power of your testimony will set captives free.” I immediately turned around to see who was speaking – I thought it was my husband, but there was no-one there. It shook me up a bit and I was not sure what was happening. I kept that to myself for a very long time, afraid to share it. The next Sunday in church as I was worshipping – the same voice spoke and said the same thing but added “the leadership of the church will release you into your calling.” I simply stood a little dumbfounded that God would speak to me but in awe.
Again, I kept this to myself for a very long time, but I watched and I waited.
Captivating Freedom 