An Update on My Mom

My mom asked Jesus to be her Lord and Savior yesterday afternoon! Although she has suffered from some confusion since the incident last Thursday, I am confident that my mom became a Christian, while I led her in a prayer to receive Christ.  This is so wonderful.  All I can say is that the Lord is absolutely FAITHFUL!  I have been praying for the salvation of those in my immediate family since 1984.  I am trusting for my father and my brother to accept the Lord as well.

My mom has made fairly good progress physically.  Her double vision seems to be going away, and she is becoming more mobile with her walker.  She still has some confusion and memory problems.  We covet your prayers for her complete recovery. 

The doctors now believe that her heart stopped for several seconds causing her to become unconscious.  Back in August of 2011, my mom had triple bypass surgery, and she has sometimes had a problem with irregular heartbeats.  One of the doctors at the hospital has suggested that my mom have a defibrillator implanted in her chest.  This device will monitor her heart and give her a shock to restart her heart, if her heart muscle has irregular beats for a dangerous length of time.  She will have the surgery as early as tomorrow. 

Today the neurologist gave us wonderful news.  He said my mom would fully recover.  This means no more confusion, no more memory problems, and no more double vision.  This is an answer to prayer!  Thank you so much for lifting up my mom in prayer.  God definitely answers the believing cries of his children.  Let me encourage you: expect the Lord to keep His promises to you – every one. 

Blessings,

Tom Toya

For the Prodigal

This is a piece that I entered in my blog previously.  I believe it is a message that will benefit many.  I hope it ministers to you.


For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12
It doesn't matter how many times you've fallen into that same sin. It doesn't matter what you've done or how far you've run from home. God your gracious Father is waiting for you. He is ready to embrace you – to forgive you of all your sin.

You weren't made to carry that heavy load of guilt and pain. The Lord wants to invade your life with kindness. He wants to shower you in mercy. If you are His prodigal child, won't you come home? Your Father will restore you to your rightful place in Christ. Don't you know that Jesus blood has paid for your complete forgiveness?
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (italics mine).”

God's love for you is unwavering, relentless, extravagant. He would do anything to bring you back. The Scripture says that God is married to the backslider. He has not given up on you. Why don't you turn your eyes to Jesus and pray with tears of repentance. God will forgive you. He still has awesome plans for your life. If you turn to Him, you'll find your future is as bright as the noonday sun.

Dear Father God,

I am sorry for turning my back on You. I'm sorry for allowing myself to drift so far away from home. Lord, please forgive me. Please take me back. I receive Your forgiveness. I receive Your mercy. I choose to follow You once again with your help and the help of the body of Christ. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The Lord Our Healer

For I am the Lord that heals you. Exodus 15:26

Healing was purchased for us in the atonement. Our faith in Jesus' death and resurrection saved us spiritually. One of the Greek words for the verb “save” in the New Testament is “sozo”. One of the scriptures where this is used is Mark 16:16, which states, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved (sozo); but he who does not believe shall be condemned.” This word does mean eternal salvation, but it encompasses much more. Its meaning includes deliverance and healing. Jesus offers us His healing power as a free gift. He wants us to receive this blessing into our lives and into our bodies.

Sometimes, God's healing comes in an instant when we pray. At other times, healing is gradual. As believers in Jesus, we have been given authority over the enemy and over sickness and disease (See Luke 10:19). We are to use our authority, as born again believers, by speaking God's word over the physical symptoms we are confronting. We must stand our ground against the enemy and stand in faith regarding the Lord's promises.

The Lord is our Healer. We can place our trust in Him for our physical health. Let me also say that the Lord uses doctors. Luke, the disciple of Jesus, was a physician. God's health for us sometimes comes to us along with medication and medical intervention. God is the One who is in charge of how our healing manifests. He will lead us and guide us in the process.

Let's place our trust in the Lord our Healer. He is faithful to save us and to heal us. He paid the price for us to receive health and healing to all our flesh. We can receive the gift of God's healing in our lives, and we can believe God for His healing to touch others as well. Let's praise the Lord who forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases (See Psalm 103:3).

Request for Prayer

Some of you may have already heard that my mom was rushed to the hospital Thursday night. My dad found her in bed breathing forcibly. When he tried to wake her, she was unresponsive. He called my wife, and I and we told him to call 911. We arrived at the hospital shortly after the ambulance. They placed a tube in her throat to ensure that she could breathe, and then they ran a battery of tests on her.

My wife and I began praying from the moment we knew something was wrong. On Friday morning, the Lord spoke to me and said, “This sickness will not be unto death.” When my father and I arrived at the hospital on Friday after a short sleep, we learned that she was doing much better. They took the tube out of her throat and she was breathing on her own. She could talk, but was very disoriented and confused. She had poor short term memory and didn't even know the year or the name of the president of the United States. She also was seeing double. The doctors had told us that she most likely either had a mild stroke or a seizure. The latter scenario was much more favorable. The doctors said that if she had a seizure, she should recover quickly from all the effects she is now having from the ordeal. If she had a stroke, the prognosis would not be as good. We continued praying. I am very grateful for my wife, Lou, who sent text messages out to many people asking for prayer support.

Good news came last night (Friday) when the neurologist told us that she had not had any serious brain damage, which meant that she most likely had a seizure and not a stroke. I am sharing this story to testify of God's faithfulness, but also to ask those reading this blog to pray for my mom. Her name is Marina Toya. She is not a believer (neither is my father or my brother). I would like to ask for you to pray for my mom's healing and for salvation to come to my family. Thank you so very much!

Blessings,

Tom Toya

My Messiah

Your beauty is breathtaking
Your power is unimaginable and unequaled
Your blessing is unearned
A gift bestowed upon Your beloved ones
Covenant partners with You

Your favor is priceless

Your grace reaches to the deep places
Your ability flows within me

You are a Friend to the fatherless

Hope for those without vision
Joy for the downcast

The Son rises on the horizon
For the soul who puts her trust in You
Your healing manifests from within us
You say yes to Your promise,
Your provision

There is none like You

Oh Matchless One
My Messiah 

Journal Entry the Saturday Before Easter

Here is something the Lord spoke to me tonight.  I hope it is an encouragement to you.  God Bless, and Happy Resurrection Day!

My son,

I have chosen you.  I have called you.  You are mine.  Two thousand years ago on a Saturday I lied silent in the grave.  My body was lifeless.  But on Sunday morning I rose from the grave.  I conquered death.  I defeated the devil and his cohorts.  I am victorious.  And because I live you live as well.  All those that call upon Me and upon My name shall be saved.  They shall escape the power of death.  You have seen many things in your lifetime.  Many times I have brought you out of dire situations.  Know this, I will breathe life upon your negative circumstances.  You are going through a trial, but I am here to bring you through.  I will cause you to be victorious.  Keep your heart pure, love your enemies, and I will bring you over.  Love is the most powerful thing in the universe.  I am Love.  Do good to those that spitefully use you, Tom, and I will cause you to reign.  Two thousand years ago, I defeated death.  Now appropriate my victory in your situation, and I will give you the victory, says the Lord.

The Runner

The runner, sleek and swift,
Ascends the mountains,
Glides through the valleys;

In search of those
Off the lighted path
Those who've chosen a broken way,
Dwelling in the shadows.

The runner braves the race
To seek out the hurting
To father the orphaned
To restore the fractured
To bring the message to the poor.

Though his feet throb,
Blistered and worn,
He presses on.

Some smirk
At his bent towards saving others
They think it strange
As they sip their lattes
And bask in the summer sun,

But the runner searches in the rain-filled night
To find the one,
Who has left the flock,
Rescuing the wayward is his precious reward.