Inspired by heaven

AMANDA WELLS is one dynamic lady. She has many ‘irons in the fire’ and wants to accomplish so much in her life. We have met several times and it’s always inspiring to talk to her. I’m not sure who talks more–Amanda or me–because we have a lot in common—talking about business and ministry and there is always a lot to fit in, in the short time we spend together. But, it’s always interesting and I love an in-depth conversation!

I spoke to Amanda about her ministry and also, importantly, the time she died on the operating table and spoke to Jesus. This has been the driving force behind her busy timetable.

I have been in an itinerant ministry for about 20 years now. I have been in ministry to local churches here in Australia and around the world – particularly in Europe, Canada, and New Zealand. I have been to America and Africa, but I feel my passion is Europe. I have also spoken at conferences. I have started some humanitarian organizations as well.  I have also gone into a business side as well. Now I am coaching, particularly Christians, who are feeling they have something inside them – a dream a destiny, but are unable to fulfil it – the coaching is called ‘Passion to Purpose to Product in 90 days’. Seeing Christians just come out of themselves after being coached, and doing what God says has really been blessing me.

 

I particularly want to talk about when you went into hospital to have an operation and you died on the table and how this has driven you to accomplish all God has for you

It was in 1995 – I had been sick for quite some time. I had a very rare kidney disease and I was dying, I was only about 35 kilos at the time. I was in the intensive care part of the transplant unit in Brisbane. I decided that if I didn’t have the operation I could possibly die. I did have the operation, it was a massive operation and it had only been done once before. So, we had decided to go ahead and it was a 10 hour operation where they took my kidney and transplanted it within me because of the rare syndrome.

At one point on the operating table I remember being in heaven and it was a very profound moment and it has really crystalized my life since then. As I was there I remember seeing so much. I remember seeing the colours, the water and Jesus was on my left hand side and he looked into my eyes and I will never forget the love that he had, but also how he saw everything about me. Jesus was on my left hand side, he was dressed in white, but it was so white that it honestly looked like light. It is so true he is dressed in light! I took more notice of His eyes; they were piercing, yet were like pools of love. Even though those eyes seemed to know all my yesterdays and my tomorrows and knew me inside out, the love in those eyes was immeasurable.

Heaven was full of life. The colours were beyond what we see here. From the throne it seemed were colours in flashing light. The water that flowed was amazing!

As you walk on the grass in heaven it doesn’t flatten as it does on earth. There is constant sound in heaven; some I did not totally comprehend. It was worship but beyond what I had ever heard.

Everything in heaven responds to honour the King.

Everything, every living thing.

Authority in Heaven is quite amazing. I do not believe we have had a revelation of authority and honour as it is in Heaven.

At that point he had said to me these words: “What have you done with the gift I have given you?” I knew he meant the gift of life – what have I done with my life that he has given me. I didn’t answer, because there was no real answer. At that point I heard two prayers: I heard the prayer of my pastor as he prayed in the spirit and I knew what he was saying and it was like heaven was at attention when he prayed. The authority that happens in heaven, the dominion that we have where it says, “I have given you dominion under the earth, on the earth and above the earth”—it just blew me away. That this is the one area that churches really do fight against – praying in the spirit. But there is power in this.

The other voice was my doctor, who was a Christian. He was calling me back.  I knew exactly what he said. The one voice I didn’t hear was my husband’s, but I did say to him later, “I hope you were praying for me,” I said laughingly.

I remember waking up in recovery – I called my doctor over who was a professor and I said to him, “I want to speak to you.”

He said, “I want to speak to you, but I will speak to you tomorrow when you are fully awake.”

So, he walked in very early the next morning and he said, “I want to talk to you about what happened.”

I said, “I want to tell you first what happened.” I talked to him about my encounter. I said to him, “This was the prayer that you prayed during the operation.”

He said, “That was word for word what I said. Now let me tell you what happened.” They had cut my abdominal. It was a mess! They made quite a few mistakes. He said he almost saw the hand of God just stop the flow of blood. It was a real panic and there was an emergency. They got me back and they stitched me up. He explained, “You have to remember that you had 600 stitches inside and out.” I looked like Jaws. He continued, “We had an epidural in your back which was to stop the pain and movement for a few days.” I had IVs; I had about four drainage tubes. “I called you back, got you stitched up, finished the operation, we took the tube out and as we did you sat bold upright on the operating table, grabbed me around the throat and screamed at me, ‘What did you call me back for?’ He said, “You terrified me and scared the tripe out of every nurse.”

It was such a profound experience of heaven – when Jesus said to me, “What have you done with the life I have given you?”   I know I cannot die again – I will not go home until I fulfil everything he has asked me to fulfil.

In heaven, on my right hand side was a throne – I couldn’t actually see the throne, but I saw ….. I saw the water. I just knew that if I could get into that water I would be okay. Under the water there were so many beautiful jewels – I cannot explain all this. There were some personal things that Jesus actually did for me, especially with the jewels. I saw some angels but the beauty of heaven! I was a mother of three children at that point and I did not want to come back. It really showed me we need to get someone soon enough when we want to resurrect them. Once you get them into heaven they don’t want to come back. If you’ve got them in hell the enemy has got a hold on them. That’s why it’s so important that we pray immediately when someone has died, to grab them quickly. To me it was just an answer as to why we can’t raise the dead when we are told we can. That may be part of the answer – they are in there, they are not coming back. One thing the Lord said to me, “They will not let you.” However, I had not fulfilled things that I should have fulfilled – I knew I had to come back. Others may not care.

In heaven the colours are incredible – the sky just goes on to eternity. Our sky hides us from heaven. I want to go back when I can say to my Lord and Saviour, “I did everything you called me to do. I empty myself; I am giving myself to you.”

 

Your situation in heaven and what God spoke to you about has had a profound effect on your ministry now?  

Yes, a profound effect. I should say there is a story as to why.  I got offended and I was really hurt. That offence built up – it was an offence in church. At that time we lost everything. We had a master franchise business and the franchisor took off with almost $1 million – we lost everything. We had to sell everything – we had to sell our cars, we had to sell the house. If there had been e-bay at that time I probably would have sold the kids!

I got angry, I got hurt and I got offended. That is I believe, what actually caused me to get as sick as I did. One thing in my life – I will not get offended anymore. The day of the operation I said to the Lord, “Forgive me.” I needed to repent. After that massive operation I was out of hospital in six days. I played ping pong at church on the seventh day! God really touched me. I remember standing, crying in the bathroom of my hospital ward. I looked at the scar and just cried. The Lord just so sweetly said to me, “Warriors have scars.” Yes, this was a war, most of it was my own doing, but I have won a war over offense that will never get me again.

 

What is the main theme of your voice to the people – particularly to women?

It is to meet their destiny. There are so many things women have that they just don’t tap into – they get busy. As women, that’s who we are – we start fulfilling everyone else’s needs but we don’t meet our own. I am a mum, I have three children, I have a grandchild, a business, and I minister and I do all this well. You can do it.

The other thing: so many women have prophetic words and never see them come to pass. That’s part of my passion, to work through those prophetic words so they do come to pass. Right now I am doing a program with Caroline Marsh from the UK, who is a millionaire – she is a wonderful Christian and one of the UK’s wealthiest women. We are now working on a program where we are going to help women particularly come into their total full potential and break that glass ceiling that particularly is on women in Australia and Europe.

 

How do you see the importance of women in business and ministry?   

I think they are imperative. If we look at history – women have taken the world out of nearly every crisis that it has ever been in. You go back and look at Debra, look at Esther, Ruth – right through the Bible. Then we go back and look at World War 1 and when the men came home broken emotionally and physically it was the women who really got the world back and financially got the family back together. It was the same with the women in World War II and just recently we have seen in England, David Cameron, the Prime Minister, actually put a call out for women to rise up and be entrepreneurs and he is giving them 15,000 pounds to start businesses. He even recognizes that women have such an effect on the economy that we can actually change the world. I think women need to understand this. We are born to be nation changers.

 

What would you say to women now?

One of the biggest things with women is we tend to become complacent. We look at everybody else’s needs. I would say to take time out to get with God and ask him, “What is the life you have given me? What’s in my heart?” Really do some hard questions to yourself. Ask, “What is my passion?” Then don’t stop until you get God’s process of how you can fulfil your destiny. And don’t let other people put you down. You’ve got to be your own best cheerleader. When you get up in the morning tell yourself how awesome you are and what a great person you are. You can do it. Whatever you decide to do just do it! One woman in my coaching class wanted to be a doctor and she was 40 – she has now just gone into medicine. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what the world has said, when God puts something in your life, no man, no woman; nothing can stop you except yourself.  CW

Lynn Goldsmith

Editor-in-Chief