It’s my great pleasure to introduce you to another inspiring lady that I have the pleasure of knowing. Her name is Gill and what I love about her is her infectious joy! She knows who she is in God and lives with that as her number 1 reality. She carries the kingdom and expects God to rock up with her wherever she goes. She is a GP by trade and her stories of bringing the kingdom at work are incredibly impactful and awe inspiring. The thing is though, she is so natural and down to earth and when I look at her during worship times, I see her as a child who is just enjoying hanging out with her daddy! She literally makes it look effortless and that inspires me greatly. She is a kind, compassionate, generous and beautiful lady inside and out and she carries the glory of God with such grace. What a woman!
What prophetic words have shaped your life?
A few years ago, before I went out to India as a single woman missionary to the poor, a young teenager laid her hands on me with such authority and said,” You will lay hands on the sick and they will be healed”. I felt that was the beginning of a God given mandate for healing.
Later, I was in a room with some Indian prophets, back in Bedford, and one of them said “Heaven is populated with people that you have been a witness to and a healer “. I remembered that the year before many cancer patients and some really sick TB patients had died under my watch, but they had received Jesus through my ministering to them. It was a defining point in my life, that my ministry was not only heal, but bring life and that it had eternal consequences and that God knew me!
Later still, when I had my break through moment in healing for myself during a SOZO session, I was given prophetic words about carrying an Alabaster jar, the presence of God, a fresh anointing to bring life and bring freedom and breakthrough for people using creativity and the prophetic.
Finally, a prophetic word from a church member this year that Jesus is carrying my ‘bag’ (with healing tools in it) and will take the bag, whilst I follow him, rather than me take my bag and ask him to follow me. This word has taken all the pressure off and given me perspective about who is doing the healing!
Has there been a pivotal point in your life that has changed your direction?
Yes, I believe that when Steve and I decided a few years ago to do a distance course called ‘Leadership development programme’ with Bethel, that’s when everything changed for me. We began to shift our thinking about what was possible, with regard to the kingdom of heaven, especially in our place of work. The cultural values were so different from anything we had learned through decades of church teaching and ministry. The supernatural, prophetic, honour, valuing the presence to name but a few. We began to live these, pursuing the supernatural in everyday life.
I also went for a SOZO healing session which uncovered many wounds of the past that were hindering my understanding of the father’s heart. Finally, a Father Heart school cleared out the remainder of the rubble of orphan heartedness and gave me freedom to love being me
Shortly after this we decided to do TSM, and then make Kings Arms Church our spiritual home. We will never be the same again.
How do you hear from God?
I am a heart person, so a lot of what I discern or ‘hear’ from God is what I sense or feel in my heart. I hear from him a lot by what I see in nature as well, one of the best ways for me to connect with him is on walks with my dog, pouring out my heart and then listening for Gods response to me. I also feel that my love for the word of God is my launching point every day and I see or hear largely through the lens of what I read that morning or evening. He does speak to me in other ways e.g. pictures, quite often through a movie story line, a book, a documentary or the news, whatever is filling my mind, I feel like He can speak to me. I’d love to hear from him in more supernatural ways, such as dreams or visions…so always seeking for more.
What’s your mission field or passion?
I feel like I have always been drawn to those who are poor in spirit. I left the UK twice in my life to go overseas for this reason; once to work in an urban slum in Mumbai, and once to minister to the underground church in China. I would say that I am most alive and fully me when I am pouring out love on the most broken and impoverished person. One of the absolute highlights of my life was when I went to Pakistan with Release International and ministered to the persecuted Christians there. Another time, standing in a dump in Mozambique with folk from Iris Ministries, and embracing some Christians there who still made a living off the dump.
Now I work in General Practice in a deprived area and get to release exactly the same heart of the father to people every day, it’s my mission field, my place to display the goodness of God to people who have no clue at all as to who he is or who they are to him.
What do you do whilst waiting for promises to be fulfilled?
I am learning to strengthen myself in the Lord, like David did, to remain a worshipping dependant, adored daughter, and allow him to hold and protect my heart. I find Him in the waiting in a way that I never could if it all came to me thick and fast. Waiting makes me rely on Him in a deeper way, I learn to lay hold of promises and declare them before I see them fulfilled
How have you coped with any disappointments?
There have been many, I suppose before the healing of my orphan heart I didn’t cope very well. I remember being so hurt by the church and disappointed over ministry endeavours that appeared to have led nowhere. I was a joy impaired Christian and quick to criticise and very disillusioned generally. Disappointments like that gave way to new and wonderful opportunities with embracing Fathers healing of my heart and understanding my identity. But there remains a very great disappointment in my heart that hasn’t yet been resolved. I am learning so much through this process of waiting, trusting, releasing, forgiving and seeing with heavens eyes. I can’t deny the pain is there, but it doesn’t overshadow my life nearly as much as it once did. I am learning to navigate disappointment with the Father by my side instead of an my own.
What do you think is the key to breakthrough?
An absolute resolute belief in the goodness of God, and the faith to access His supernatural realm that He made available to me as a child of His.
What do you want to see God do in your life?
I want to see Him in clearer ways, more able to be aware of His presence, less inclined to get in the way of what He wants to do, live more simply and more restfully, more joyfully.
How do you pass on what you have to leave a legacy?
In the last few months I have been able to influence and hopefully pass on some of what I have learned along the way through speaking at conferences or smaller gatherings. I would love to be able to do that with other GPs’ primarily, as my skills are quite specific for healthcare. However, I believe I have passed on courage, faith and expectation for more by just being around people and telling stories of the goodness of God in my life.
What have been your biggest obstacles and how’ve you overcome them?
One of the biggest obstacles for me was never feeling listened to or taken seriously as a woman of God, with a calling on my life, in the churches that I served in over so many years. Overcoming that required faith to move and position ourselves under a leadership and authority that shared kingdom values about women in the church and honouring those equally who work in the marketplace. Another obstacle has been within myself and the fear of working openly as a Christian in a very secular work setting. Overcoming this with God’s help has been a process, and now I would say fear is never my primary motivator, but faith and expectation of God’s goodness to move on my behalf has taken its place.
What is your dream for the health care system?
I would love to see heaven invade the NHS. I am part of a network of Healthcare Practitioners (HCP’s) called ‘Heaven in Healthcare’ which started in Eastgate Church. We share stories of supernatural interventions, and God inspired solutions (Pete Carter, a former GP started this). I believe we as Christians in the NHS can influence culture and attitudes, bringing life, generosity, healing, identity and supernatural solutions. We just need courage and to get our own orphan thinking healed so we can act as those on a mission to bring heaven to earth, rather than complain and surrender to the impossible pressures on us. Burn out is endemic, but we can live as those who are resourced by heaven’s resources and so never burn out, just burn…
I am helping set up ED pastors in our city hospital, and this has been modelled now in several hospitals nationwide. The NHS can be saved, Jesus thinks so, let’s see what He can do…
If you would like to read more inspiring stories from Gill’s GP surgery then you can get a copy of her book here-The Mercy Seat.
If you have enjoyed this blog you may want to read my first ‘Inspired By’ series. You can link to previous posts below.
‘Inspired By’ Series 2
Gill Cronau
Kingdom Calling Blog... 