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THE HANDS OF AN ANGEL
By: Larry R. Lasiter
In October 1980 my wife and I were expecting our third
child. Her name would be Jennifer Elizabeth and she was
due near the end of the month. Our first baby was born
in a hospital, the second in a doctor's office and this
one we would have at home using the services of Sharley
Pettit, a mid-wife and personal friend. Jennifer was
actually born at Sharley's house in Atkins, Arkansas.
On October 19th Treon
went into labor. The labor went on and on until we knew
something was not right. On October 20th we felt like we
were getting close to the birth because the contractions
were harder and closer together.
Treon began to have strong urges to push and at one
point as the baby's head crowned Sharley could see that
the umbilical cord was wrapped dangerously around little
Jeni's neck! I was behind Treon holding her as she
pushed.
When Sharley saw the problem she cried out "Don't push!
Don't Push!" She was afraid that if Treon pushed the
cord would strangle the baby or possibly break her neck.
All of us went through a little panic! I felt as if all
my strength had left. My legs seemed as though they were
made of rubber. Then suddenly, Treon let out a cry and
pushed Jennifer out of her womb.
When this happened it seemed as though everything was in
slow motion. We were so afraid that the baby's neck had
been broken. For a few brief moments we were frozen in
time, stunned, confused and wondering what had happened.
Rubbery legs and all, I tried to make my way off the bed
to get a better look at my baby, all the while seeing a
look on Sharley's face that said "What just happened?"
We saw that little Jeni was fine, the cord was no longer
wrapped around her neck. Still everything was in slow
motion. Then it was if someone hit the rewind button and
played the scene back again in slow motion.
As I watched it playback in my memory I could see
Sharley crying "Don't push!" and could see Treon trying
hard to restrain herself. Then I saw two hands appear
and unwrap the umbilical cord from the baby's neck. Just
afterwards, Treon pushed and little Jeni was born safe
and uninjured. I realized that the hands I saw had
surely been the hands of an angel. After telling my wife
and Sharley what I had seen, we all rejoiced and thanked
the Lord for our miracle.
APPENDIX HEALED
By: Larry R. Lasiter
On August 17th; 2002, a Sabbath, we received
word that a member of our church was at the hospital
with their 18 year old daughter. She was experiencing
excruciating pain in her lower abdomen which the
physicians believed to be an inflamed appendix.
To make matters worse, she was 7 months pregnant. To
make matters much worse, this young woman's parents had
been saved only three years earlier and she had rebelled
and left home.
She had told me and her parents that she wanted to
"serve the devil." She had been taking illegal drugs,
practicing immorality and had set her course to
self-destruction. In all of this she knew that we loved
her and were continually in spiritual warfare for her,
offering prayers of intercession daily.
After Sabbath services, several members of the church
and I went to the hospital. In the room, we stood around
her bed as she suffered. Her mother turned to me and
said,- "We can pray for her." I replied, "If she wants
prayer." The mother then asked her daughter,- "Do you
want us to pray for you?" The girl indifferently
replied,-"If you want to."
I knew that Satan had a stranglehold on this girl. And I
also knew that she had invited the powers of darkness
into her life,- she must now invite the power of God
into her life by requesting a prayer for healing. I said
to her,- "We already pray for you everyday. But if you
want prayer for anointing you must ask for it." She
stubbornly refused, rejecting God's involvement.
Soon afterward a surgeon and a nurse entered the room
and asked that we wait in the hallway for a few minutes.
The surgeon told this young woman that there was a small
chance that she may die during surgery, and a 15% chance
that the baby would not survive.
The news devastated the family. While they tried to
comfort her the rest of us went to the waiting room.
Minutes later her father came and said that she was
asking for me. I went, hoping she would open her heart
to receive a Word from the Lord. I stood at her bedside
waiting for the invitation to ask for God's involvement.
She had great difficulty, truly a struggle was taking
place within her. Part of her desperately wanted to ask
for prayer, but the spiritual powers of darkness were
doing their best to stop her. Her face began to distort
as she began to sob, but finally said,- "Brother Larry
would you please pray for me?"
As I laid hands upon her head I could feel the demons
shudder as the power of God surged like electricity. I
knew that God had healed her of an inflamed appendix,
but more importantly had implanted Words into her being
that would stay, and continually trouble the devil's
plan. She also knew that she had been healed but did not
say so at the time because she still did not want to
totally change her lifestyle. She wanted only enough God
to get out of this situation. This was an important
moment. One who sows much reaps much and one who sows
little reaps little. It seemed that she wanted to sow,
but only a little, which meant that God would deliver
accordingly.
The door opened and another physician entered. He said
the first surgeon was wrong in saying that she and her
baby may die. He said,- "The worst thing that could
happen is that you may give birth prematurely, but the
baby should be fine."
He then noticed that she was no longer vomiting, in pain
or running a fever. He checked the readings on her
monitor and saw they were normal. He said,- "Though the
ultra-sound showed an inflamed appendix, I am tempted to
wait until morning since everything seems normal now."
He asked me to step out of the room while he examined
her again to determine whether to cancel the surgery or
not. Moments later he quickly exited the room and said,
"It is definitely appendicitis, we must get her in
surgery!"
Seeing this, I knew that there were still demonic
strongholds exercising their powers, so I went back to
the waiting room and told the brethren there to begin
praying fervently. I knew that she had been healed, but
I also knew that she was holding back in professing it,
and giving God the glory for it.
There in that public waiting room members of the Crusade
Church of God Fellowship in Russellville, Arkansas got
on their knees and began offering powerful prayers to
the Living God. We prayed for well over an hour. During
this time I could hear the waiting room door open and
close from time to time, but we did not care for we were
lost in prayer.
The physicians performed the surgery and removed a
perfectly healthy appendix. The inflamation they had
seen on the ultra-sound was no longer there, which of
course was "impossible."
But by asking for prayer, this girl had dared the
impossible and found that with God nothing is
impossible. She later admitted that she knew immediately
that she had been healed. Had she given God the glory at
first she would not have experienced this unneeded
surgery. I am convinced that the physician would have
cancelled it. In prayers offered in faith, the brethren
also dared the impossible and prevailed.
God has promised that those who believe would be clothed
with power from Heaven. That signs and wonders would
follow them as they walk their walk of faith.
We must only believe to receive, and act to see the
fact. God's promises are never "yes", "no" and "maybe,"
but only "yes."
Notice,- "But as God is faithful, our word to you is not
yes and no, for the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was
preached among you by us. . .was not yes and no, but is
yes in Him. For as many as may be the promises of God,
in Him they are YES." (2 Corinthians 1:18-20)
LITTLE CHAVI'S BRAIN
TUMOR HEALED
By: Larry R. Lasiter And Tammy Case
In 2004 my daughter Sarah was employed as a therapist
with Mi-Child Development working with handicapped
children. She became very close to a little one and half
year old girl named Chavi. Chavi had been born with a
brain tumor located at the base of her skull. The tumor
had been growing outwardly so her physicians were
delaying surgery until it was absolutely necessary.
During one of her routine check ups her physician
discovered that the tumor had began growing toward her
brain stem. He told Tammy, Chavi's mother that emergency
surgery was necessary.
Tammy was obviously very upset and fearful for her
little daughter. During this time Sarah had been
witnessing the gospel to Tammy for a while but she
remained entangled in sin. When Tammy told Sarah about
the emergency surgery Sarah said, "If you will bring
Chavi to Sabbath services Saturday to be anointed an
prayed for, God will heal her." Sarah does not make a
habit of making such strong claims, but she knew that it
was the Holy Spirit speaking through her.
The following Sabbath Tammy was there with Chavi and
brought her forward to be anointed for healing. After I
offered the prayer of faith I noticed that the tumor was
still visible on the back of her neck. But we remained
steadfast because faith not only believes the impossible
but sees the invisible. We were confident that no
surgery would be necessary.
Chavi was scheduled to go into the hospital that
Thursday to have the surgery mapped out. It was then
that a nurse discovered that the tumor was no longer
visible. After further examination a Cat-Scan was
ordered and revealed that the tumor had dissolved away.
When the Physician told Tammy that the tumor must have
taken care of itself, Tammy replied, "No, God healed my
daughter! I took her to the Crusade Church and they
anointed her - I know that God healed my child."
About two weeks later Tammy repented of her sins and
received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Little Chavi has
received a special and powerful anointing from God and
tells everyone she meets about Jesus. She is very active
in our church, singing special music and participating
in all our evangelistic efforts. One day while sitting
in the back seat of Sarah's car she made a remarkable
statement. As they were passing by Saint Mary's Hospital
Sarah said, "Look Chavi, there's your hospital." Chavi
replied, "Yes, Jesus took my tumor off of my neck and
put it right there on His neck." God's Spirit filled the
car and there was no doubt that God had spoken through
this little child. How could she know that Isaiah said
of the suffering Messiah, "He, Himself bore our
sicknesses"?
About six months after she was healed she broke her nose
wrestling with her older brother. The break was so bad
that little Chavi's nostril was actually split. Tammy
took her to the Hospital emergency room but discovered
that they were excessively busy due to a serious
multiple car accident. While waiting in the crowded room
little Chavi looked up into her mother's eyes and said,
"I need to sing to the people and tell them about
Jesus." She crawled down out of her mother's lap and
walked across the room, then stood up on a stool and
sang and testified about Jesus. Since the healing Tammy
and her two children have been faithful members of our
church and a real blessing to everyone.
MY BANNER WILL BE CLEAR
By: Unidentified African Martyr
I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the
holy spirit power. The die has been cast, I have stepped
over the line. The decision has been made, I am a
disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down,
back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present
makes sense, my future is secure. I am finished and done
with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless
dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving and
dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don't have to be
right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or
rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in His presence,
walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer and labor with
power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is
Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my
companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is
clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away,
turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in
the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the
enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in
the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, let up, until I
have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached
up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I
must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all
know, and work until He stops me. And, when He comes for
His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. . .my
banner will be clear.
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO
DO!"
By: Sarah Lasiter, 2000
At work, a lady named Cindy had been away from work for
quite some time. She has three children. Her two
daughters I had met, but I didn't know her son. I found
that the oldest, Brad, who was 8 years old was very
sick. The doctors' diagnosis was that he had somehow
contracted a rare bone disease and they didn't know what
they could do for him. In fact, when Cindy took off
work, it was to keep Brad at home. When I saw Cindy one
day, I inquired about her son and she told me that his
legs were covered with big red splotches that wouldn't
go away. At first, he became so weak that he could not
withstand an entire day of school and began attending
half days. While I was working one day I saw him through
the window as he was getting out of the car and I lost
my breath for a moment because he was so small and
having such a difficult time walking inside. Weeks
later, his condition worsened and he could not attend
school at all. A friend of mine at work went to visit
Cindy at her house. She said Cindy came to the front
door in tears saying she didn't know what to do; Brad
could be heard in the back room screaming in pain.
Upon hearing this, a burden was laid upon my heart for
this little boy and his family. I began to entreat God
with tears and with a fervency that I had not known as
the Lord gave me His compassion. I pleaded with God to
touch this child, to heal him from head to toe that He
would be glorified (as I had told his mother that I
would be praying.) I determined to fast for three days
though I had never fasted so long, because I knew if I
laid my life down to such an extent, God would hear and
act according to His promise.
Shortly after I ended my fast, I saw Cindy at work. I
was so eager to hear from her how Brad was doing. As I
approached her, she told me with joy how she was able to
return to work because Brad had fully recovered! The
spots on his legs had disappeared until there was not a
single mark. His strength had returned and Brad was
going to school again, playing ball with his friends
like he'd never been sick. It was so amazing how God
intervened for that little boy, not because of anything
he had done and not for his parents' faithfulness, but
because He is always faithful to hear the prayers of His
children and because it is His delight to reveal His
power and might in the face of human impossibilities!
"I will remember the works of the Lord, surely I will
remember" Psalm 77:11
DELIVERED FROM DRUGS
By: Donald Turner
Winter 1999: Very early in our walk with God, the Lord
came and spoke to be twice. My wife and I had previously
been drug addicts. In the two years before this I had
stopped my drug abuse and I thought that my wife had
also been drug free for about a year.
One day while getting ready for work, the Lord spoke to
me twice in a audible voice while I was in the bathroom.
I was brushing my teeth when I heard the Lord say, -
"She is doing something she is not supposed to be
doing."
Now I must admit that I was stunned and amazed that I
had just heard this voice. Standing there in my
amazement, and trying to figure out what it meant, the
Lord repeated what he had just said. When He said this
to me again He gave me the understanding that my wife
had been hiding that she was starting to do drugs again.
Now knowing that the Lord was telling me this for a
reason, I immediately confronted my wife about the drug
usage. The first thing my wife did was deny it. But I
said, - "The Lord told me that you were doing something
wrong and I know you have. Then she confessed that she
had been doing drugs off and on once again.
I give thanks to my Lord for first speaking to me like
He did and for revealing to me my wife's drug problem so
that I could help her. My wife and I also give thanks to
God for loving us so much in this way, because there has
been no more drug problems since that day. He has truly
delivered us.
DELIVERED FROM SMOKING
By: Earlene Donelson
I started smoking cigarettes when I was 17 years old. By
July of 2000 I was 39 and had been addicted for over
half my life. I had been raised in the church which did
not permit smoking but I was able to keep this problem
hidden for many years. Though I attended church services
and all activities faithfully since I was a young child,
I do not consider myself a real Christian until 1995. So
in July 2000 I felt I had been a real Christian for just
five years, but even then I still struggled with smoking
and still kept it a secret. I would try to quit and
would be able to for short periods of time, but though I
had the desire it seemed as though I did not have the
power. The real problem was, I had not given it to
Jesus. The during a praise and prayer service on July 6
theLord touched me in a way that I had never experienced
before. It was so wonderful that I felt as if I thirsted
for more, I had a hunger for another intimate encounter
with God.
It was at this time that I realized that my addiction to
cigarettes was in the way, and the Lord was piercing my
heart to make the commitment to quit in faith. On the
way home that night I finally truly surrendered to Him
and asked for help. Jesus promised that whenever we
asked the Father in His name we would receive it. He
tells us to let Him bear our burdens, and His Word is
absolutely truth. Praise the Lord! He set me free! I
found how sweet it is to have Jesus in me, and to be in
Him. And I have found that there are no addictions in
Jesus! Thank you Jesus.
"THIS IS THE WAY YOU MUST
BE"
By: Larry R. Lasiter
In 1995 I began to pray earnestly for the gifts of the
holy spirit that the Apostle Paul names in his first
letter to the Corinthian church. While working I would
often take breaks throughout the day to devote time to
prayer. One afternoon in late Summer of that year, I was
working at my desk at our church building when I had an
experience that I will never forget.
When I finished what I was doing, I stood up and started
to walk around my desk to go to another room to pray. As
I crossed in front of my desk I found myself suddenly in
vision. It was as if a tunnel, or a pipe had covered my
face. I could not see to my left or right, just straight
ahead. I felt as though I was traveling through the
tunnel, but it also seemed like the tunnel itself was
moving. I could see that there was a light at the end,
but it was partly obscured by what appeared to be a mist
or fog.
Looking at the end I could see a cross. As I came closer
I could see that someone was on the cross. As I came
even closer, to my surprise, I could see that the person
was me. When I reached the cross I found that I was no
longer looking at myself on the cross but was looking
out through my eyes as I suffered on the cross.
The completely overwhelming feeling in me was something
I had never felt. It was absolutely foreign to me. I
could feel the awesome power of God's love for those who
had crucified Him. At this time I believed that the Lord
was letting me feel the love He has for those who are
lost in sin. But I realized later that the love was
actually in me while I was on the cross. It was Christ's
love in me coming from His presence in me through the
indwelling of the holy spirit. I must say that I had
never felt this powerful a love before. I really didn't
recognize it. As a child I adored my mother. As an adult
I loved my wife dearly and would willingly lay down my
life for my children. But that love seemed almost dirty
in comparison to what I was feeling on the cross. I
realized then that all the love that I had ever produced
was tainted by selfishness and could not be compared to
the love of God.
This feeling of love so invaded the very essence of my
being that it dominated the feelings accompanied by the
suffering. I was absolutely in awe. At this time the
Lord drew me back so I could see myself on the cross
again and said, "This is what you must do." Then I felt
myself entering back into myself on the cross,
experiencing perfect love again, then the Lord said,-
"This is how you must be." Immediately 1 Corinthians
Chapter 13 seemed to enter my mind. I knew that when I
read this passage that I would have a better
understanding of what the Lord meant.
When I read this Scripture I realized that the gifts of
God were only effective if they were exercised in godly
love. The Lord was showing me that a foundation had to
be laid for the spiritual gifts to be placed on, and
that foundation was love. Without love, these powerful
gifts would be used to glorify the bearer rather than
the Giver.
The Lord was also teaching me that as a Christian I was
called to be a living sacrifice. That I was to lay down
my life daily in serving the needs of others. That as a
true servant of Christ, I must always put others first,
before myself just like Jesus did.
"THE HANDLE WILL BREAK!"
By: Donald Turner
Fall 2002: Our Lord does wonderful blessings. And they
come in all shapes and sizes. One night my wife was
preparing sloppy Joe's for dinner. She had made the
sauce in the skillet and asked if I would take it off
the table. On my way to the stove the Lord spoke to me
and told me that the handle on the skillet was going to
break off! I was both surprised and puzzled, not only
because I heard the Lord, but also because this was our
good skillet. Because I had heard the voice of the Lord
I carefully lifted the skillet and moved it slightly off
the stove. As I did this the handle did break off. If I
had picked the skillet up as I normally would have, the
hot, steaming Sloppy Joe mix would have poured all over
my bare feet and my wife's legs! So I thank the Lord for
all this blessings.
HEALING IN AFRICA
By: Larry R. Lasiter
In the Summer of 2000 I was invited to come to Kenya,
East Africa to hold outdoor crusades in the fall of
2001. I accepted that invitation and began to plan my
visit as the Africans began to make their preparations.
In the Spring of 2001, as my daughter Sarah hugged me
one day, I noticed a jolting pain in my left breast. It
felt as if there was a marble in there. Afterwards, I
went to the bathroom and examined myself. I found that
there was a small hard lump which caused me discomfort
when I pressed on it.
During the next few weeks and months the lump grew and
was even noticeable when I had my chest unclothed. It
was painful enough that I would only give someone a hug
at an angle that put little pressure against my left
side.
The devil began whispering "You have breast cancer."
"You better cancel the African Mission and seek
treatment." I would be in Africa for five weeks so the
devil put this thought in my mind,- "If you go to Africa
the cancer will go unchecked for more than a month and
will be untreatable when you return."
The holy spirit in me kept saying, "Only trust in the
Lord." Many times I would awake during the night with my
breast aching. I experienced sweats and anxiety.
Finally, I called a meeting with my wife and children
and told them what was happening. I showed them how my
left breast was swollen and let them feel the lump
inside. We are a faithful family, God has always been
there at the ninth hour to deliver us. I told my family
that I had decided to set my face like flint, put this
condition out of my mind and fulfill my Evangelical
Mission to Africa. Being faithful as they are, they
supported my decision fully.
My daughters Sarah, 24 and Jennifer, 22, went on the
Mission trip with me to open the crusades with music and
to minister to the African people. During our time there
we were very busy. We held 34 crusades in 34 days in
four regions of Kenya. Somewhere in the middle of our
stay in Africa, I noticed that there was no discomfort
in my breast. I examined myself and found that I could
feel no lump. I cannot say that I felt relieved, because
by this time I had completely put it into the Lord's
hands. I had decided that I was going to serve God and
do His work and leave the consequences of those actions
for Him to deal with. He did, and I was healed. What I
did experience was happiness and joy, and the excitement
of knowing that I had been given a testimony which would
strengthen, encourage and instill faith in others.
I Am Near
By: Domenica Gordon
In March of 2003 I found myself very distraught and in
depression from personal failures toward the Lord. All I
could do is go to Him and weep at His feet for days
despite receiving two prophecies of encouragement. My
heart was completely broken in disdain and disgust with
myself. My self perception of not meeting the precious
standards of the Lord tormented me. I love Him so much,
yet my actions, at times, show otherwise.
After I went to Him on my knees, weeping and sobbing, I
went to bed weeping. I was tortured but then I felt a
spiritual presence and heard the words, "Jesus feels
your pain." I asked, "Who are you?" "I am your angel
sent to comfort you. Jesus feels your pain," was the
reply. I became inconsolable, sat up in bed anc cried
out loudly, "My Lord, My Lord, Jesus My Lord!" I told
the Lord all that was in my heart. How tired I was of
failing and how I hated being here in this weak filthy
flesh, and how I longed to be with Him. Then, I felt as
if I were lying in His very lap with His very hands
comforting me. I was weeping and sobbing still. In the
spirit, I could see Him holding me.
Then I was sure that He had come to me Himself because
my angel's words, though touching, held no comfort for
my soul. Then I heard the Lord say ever so gently,
"Sister, daughter, weep no more, for don't you know why
you have such an awful time in the this flesh?" I
listened, still weeping, then the Lord went on to tell
me that because I am so sensitive to the spiritual realm
that I am vulnerable to both holy and demonic
influences, to enlightenment and discouragement. Their
have been few born on this earth with the gift of
prophecy. He said, "Receive a clear picture of Me and
what I reveal to you. No, look! Do you see?" I looked
and saw myself in the lap of the Lord, being comforted
by Him. Then I looked deeper and saw the throne of the
Almighty surrounded by a translucent sea of emerald
green, clear as glass. It was so beautiful and
surrounded by the angelic realm. "Don't you see how near
I am? I am nigh, even at the door, and I will do mighty
wonders through you and my people for an end time
witness on this earth. Haven't you read, 'Who would dare
bring an accusation against My elect?' Has not My blood
covered a multitude of sin? Rest now daughter and look.
What do you see?" I looked and saw Jesus glistening in
His holy attire! He said to me, "Keep you eyes on Me,
Jesus. Keep your eyes firmly fixed on me and you shall
pass through the fiery trials of this flesh and overcome
every evil thing. Keep your eyes upon Me, Jesus." I
begged Him mot to leave me until I fell asleep, then I
heard Him say, loud and crystal clear, "Haven't you
heard? I will be with you and never leave you, even to
the end of the age."
I FINALLY TOOK A LOOK
By: Tabitha Turner
In 1999 I looked in the mirror to see nothing but
emptiness staring back at me. I had struggled with
depression for much of my adult life. So I closed my
eyes and fell to my knees. I heard the Lord knocking but
I was afraid to let Him in. So I began to pray,-"Lord, I
know I am a sinner, and I am not worthy of You." Then I
heard a voice say, "But I died for You."
Then my eyes filled with tears, my heart with joy, that
someone would love me enough to die so that I could be
forgiven and live forever. This was a turning point in
my life. I could now believe that I was forgiven.
So now as I learn the True Word of God, not just what
preachers teach, but what God's Words truly are. They
are not only soft but hard. I remember the first time I
realized that I really was a sinner and already
sentenced to Hell. And that being a good person wasn't
enough to escape that sentence. Without repenting of
sins and accepting Jesus no one could be saved. For the
first time in my life, I went to bed afraid, thinking.-
"What if I died tonight. What would be my eternal
state?"
You can't just live and be a "good person" to be a
Christian,- you must strive to live holy and righteous.
Not being "self-righteous" or being "holier than Thou,"
but holy in action and words. You just let your fruits
show. By faith you live by God's Commandments, living as
obediently as you can.
Jesus said the road to life is a narrow road. The
world's road is wide but it leads to destruction. Some
people think I've lost my mind because I am trying to
stay on that narrow road, but in reality I've just now
found true sanity and the blessed assurance that comes
with salvation.
Now when I look in the mirror, I see a child of God,
even the apple of His eye,- and in the future, eternal
life. I no longer see despair but hope which serves as
the anchor of my soul. I can clearly see how empty the
world is of the things which truly matter.
Thank You Jesus for dying for me. Thank You for being my
Savior, my Redeemer and my Deliverer.
For the first time in my life I can honestly say that
Jesus has made me realize that "my life," is not really
mine but His and it is special to Him. And even my
children are not only "my children," they are really His
children only entrusted to me to care for and teach. And
I full heartedly thank Him for all the blessings He has
given me.
WHOM THE LORD SETS FREE.
. .
By: Treon Lasiter
In 1995, about seven years ago, my family and I went
through an unusually difficult trial. During this time I
made some decisions concerning my oldest daughter that I
grew to terribly regret because of the eventual
consequences that followed. When I came to realize my
mistakes I repented deeply, because I felt I had not
only let my family down by not being a stronger
Christian mother, but also my heavenly Father. I had
raised all my children in the Lord and we as a family
had taught them God's principles and ways every day of
their lives. But now I felt as if I had failed to be
strong enough for my firstborn when she needed me to
faithfully give her wise counsel. To make things even
worse I was in opposition to my husband in the matter
when I knew the Word of God told me to submit to his
judgment.
I went to God in tears asking for forgiveness in prayer.
I was afraid I had helped cause a child of God to fall
away. I hated those mistakes and vowed before God to be
faithful. But I began to feel overwhelmed with feelings
of guilt, shame and unforgiveness. Every time I would
kneel to God in prayer I would bitterly weep and sob,
and ask to be forgiven all over again.
Soon, I began to feel it was hopeless for me and that I
had even lost eternal life. That God did not love me
anymore. I contemplated suicide, but I had young
children at home and couldn't stand to think of what
this would do to them. I would simply have to live in
condemnation until the judgment, where I felt sure that
I would not be accounted worthy to receive eternal life.
Even in all this, having all these terrible feelings, no
one else knew I felt this way. No one knew I was
experiencing guilt, shame and feelings of condemnation.
When I was delivered and later gave my testimony to the
congregation, everyone was shocked. Several said,- "But
you are a wonderful example of what it is to be a godly
wife and mother." Everyone said they had no idea that I
was having such trouble, including my husband and
children.
This went on until a Friday night praise service almost
two years ago. I was having an unusually difficult time.
The devil would whisper in my ear; " you don't belong
here, you should just run away, etc... After we had been
singing for about an hour, we turned the lights down low
, and all went to our private places to pray. My husband
and I often pray in opposite corners as it was this
night.
I was so distraught , I could only pray silently,- "God,
help me!" It was at that point I felt someone's gentle
hands on my head and I heard my husband praying in a
tongue I could not understand, but I began to feel a
tremendous JOY and HAPPINESS and RELEASE that I had
never experienced before! I knew now that the Lord did
love me and had forgiven me all along. I was free from
those shackles of guilt, shame and condemnation for the
first time in years!
My husband said that as he was praying the Lord spoke to
him in the spirit and said,- "Go to your wife." He did
not know exactly where I was so he proceeded slowly in
the dim lighting. As I was silently praying, I felt his
hand take my arm and pull me toward him. It was at this
time that he began touching my head and praying in
tongues. But it did not seem to be his hands but the
Lord's. It was as if the Lord, Himself was just
caressing and loving me. My husband later told me that
he felt as though he could feel the Lord's hands on me.
He did not know all the meaning of the prayer he prayed
over me except that at one point the Lord said,- "You
are a blessed mother." At the time he did not know I had
been secretly struggling for years.
The next morning I went outside to pray and read my
bible. As I sat down in our yard swing, I began to
joyfully thank God for His presence the night before,
and out of habit, I began to repent again of the same
thing, but this time, before I even got the word
"forgive" out of my mouth, I heard the Lord's
unmistakable voice say firmly, "Don't bring that up to
Me again!" I shouted Hallelujah! And after reading a
while I went inside to share what had happened with my
family.
When I told my husband, he rejoiced with me and said,
"She whom the Lord sets free, is free indeed!"Since that
day of deliverance I have been walking in freedom and
victory, knowing My heavenly Father loves me. He not
only proved it by giving His only Son that I might be
saved from the penalty of my sins and be with Him
forever,- but also by reaching down and touching me with
His healing hand of deliverance.
Since that night two years ago I have felt for the first
time that I could claim what Proverbs says,- "Strength
and dignity are her clothing, and she SMILES AT THE
FUTURE." (Chapter 31, Verse 25)
IT PAYS TO STAY
By: Donald Turner
In the fall of 2000, our church here in Russellville,
Arkansas attended a two-day meeting with a number of
other churches. This meeting was held in Alma, Arkansas,
which is about 70 miles from my home. They began Friday
night and would conclude Saturday night. After services
Saturday afternoon, my wife told me that she was not
feeling well and needed to go home early. I told her
that I felt we should stay for the evening services, but
after a short discussion agreed to start our journey
back home.
After we have been on the road for about 15 or 20
minutes, my wife decided that she should go back for the
evening services. This would put us home three hours
later. At the time, we were short on money and had been
praying for God to provide enough food to feed our
family.
Well, we were blessed by the services, and were happy
that we had come back for them. Not only were we blessed
by the services, but God gave us a special blessing on
our way home. Approaching our driveway, only about a
quarter of a mile away, I saw a deer laying on the side
of the road. I went back to look and found that the deer
was still warm and in one piece. It had recently been
shot in the neck and had just bled to death. I loaded up
the deer, took it home and enjoyed eating of it for
weeks.
My this was not the only blessing of the night. When we
got home, my in-laws were unexpectedly there. They told
us the police had just left! When they had arrived and
saw that we were gone and the doors were locked, my
father-in-law climbed up to a second-story window and
entered into the house. He was intending to go down and
unlock the door so the others could come in. But just as
he went through the window he encountered an intruder in
the room! This apparently frightened the intruder as
much as it did my father-in-law, as he went one way that
my father-in-law went quickly back out the window. Just
at this moment they heard a car drive into the yard,
heard a car door shut, then the car sped off.
So in that night we were blessed not only by the
services we went back to, but the deer we found on the
way home and by the intruder leaving before we got home.
After examining the house we found nothing out of place
or missing. Not only did God answer our prayers in
providing food for us but also protected us from harm.
Had we not gone back to services, and had come home
early, we may have come face-to-face with the intruder
who had been in our home. Obviously, in all this God's
Angels were watching over us.
JEN'S TESTIMONIES
By: Jennifer Lasiter
7-06-01
We had a wonderful praise and prayer service this night.
Dad prayed and asked for the spirit to move us to
testify. I had been much less than a faithful servant
and child, and I felt as if I'd begun to receive a
refreshing from the spirit. So I prayed aloud and God
really inspired my words and I felt set free. After
everyone prayed, Dad said he was told to pray and bless
each person individually. One brother was told he'd been
given the gift of teaching, one young sister was given
the gift of revelation to be revealed in the future.
When he got to me, he said I was a blessed child of God.
He prayed that God would remove the doubts in my heart
when I think that He's not very pleased with me. Dad
also said he was told to touch my mouth and say three
times that my lips are gold and anointed the words that
would come from them. Praise Jesus!
8-03-01
This testimony came from another anointed Friday night
service. We sang and worshiped and then Dad prayed and
opened the floor for testimonies and prayers. I didn't
really think I had anything to say, but when I decided I
should, I started and God really charged and inspired my
words. We all knelt there in the dark while the music
played while Dad led us in prayer. We raised holy hands
to the Lord in adoration and diligently sought the gifts
of the spirit as well and individual blessings. I was
filled with a humbleness and love for the Lord in the
spirit, but we were praying for a touch from God and I
still hadn't felt anything. Near the end, I asked
silently for God to touch me through Dad. So when it was
over, I was standing by myself while some of the others
were hugging. Dad motioned for me. I went and hung on to
him, and was thinking of how thankful I am to have him
and how much I love him. Mom and Sarah were sitting a
few feet away singing a simple 'Hallelujah' chorus. Dad
started humming to me. At first, I thought he was
humming with them, but their's was a very simple melody
and I noticed Dad's was a bit more complex. It was at
that moment (knowing Sarah had received her two weeks
ago tonight) that I was about to hear my heritage song
for the first time. Dad said he felt me tremble when I
figured it out. I perceived that the song wouldn't
actually start until some other brethren left the room.
When they did, the most beautiful words I have ever
heard proceeded to come out of his mouth, words in
another language I could not understand. He sang to me a
song about my past, present and future. A song of my
heritage. Directly after he finished singing, he rested
his head on mine and said something. Later, I sat in
Dad's lap and asked him if he understood any of what he
had said and sang. He said he didn't have any idea. Then
the spirit of revelation came upon him and he said aloud
that children will sing it. It will be used to teach
them. A quick little thought crossed my mind from the
enemy, that it would be used to teach them what not to
do. Then Dad stated the obvious. It will be sung by
children to teach them how to be, how to do it right. At
a time when I was feeling unworthy, God looked straight
through it and saw my heart. He saw that I wanted to
love Him and worship Him will all that I could give. And
He touched me. I had asked for the assurance and He gave
it.
3. A friend of mine and I had recently begun Bible
studies together. We worked together in a classroom with
one other co-worker. On this particular day, our
co-worker was not in class because her young daughter
was not well. Not knowing any details, when we started
our Bible study that afternoon, we prayed for this
child. We carried on and studied the Word until it was
time for me to come home. Later that night, I received
an instant message from the co-worker whose daughter was
ill. She told me she'd be back at work the next day
because her daughter was fine. I asked what the problem
was, and she explained that her child had a shunt in the
back of her neck and there was severe swelling around it
which could be very dangerous. As we were about to sign
off, she mentioned that the swelling started to decrease
at exactly 5:30. I didn't realize it immediately, but in
a moment or two, I recalled that was the precise time my
friend and I had prayed for this child's healing. This
woman is not a practicing Christian, so it was a great
opportunity for me to witness of God's healing power and
compassion.
7-18-00
I was blessed on July 18, 2000. This day was four days
after I was baptized and received the holy spirit. I had
come home for a 20 minute lunch break from work. My
older sister had already received her blessing, so I was
not surprised when I walked in the door and everyone
told me my Dad was waiting for me upstairs. We knelt
together and through his tears, Dad gave me the words
from the Lord. I was blessed with 'peace, prosperity,
and health'. And God also said "'as the heart is to the
body, so shall she be to my people' thus saith the
Lord." He also said I will touch His people through my
hands, and that I am highly esteemed. He had me put my
fingertips together and feel my pulse in them. Also, Dad
was told to pour the vial of oil on my head and not to
rub it off. For the fulfillment of the blessing, the oil
was to stay on for three days.
JESUS IS MY SAVIOR
By: Earlene Donelson
What a wonderful, loving God we serve! My name is
Earlene Donelson and I was baptized into Christ in 1994
at the age of 34. Growing up I don't remember not
knowing about Jesus, but you can know about Him without
knowing Him. As a Christian I knew that He died to save
the world, for each person, according to His Word, the
Bible. But I also knew there was a little doubt in my
mind that He died for me personally.
I had been asking Him in prayer to take me to the cross.
To make the cross more real to me. Then during a praise
and prayer service, He did. I saw Jesus on the cross, in
darkness, and I could hear the crowd taunting - "save
yourself!" But Jesus replied - "No! If I do that Earlene
will die!"
Praise Jesus! Now I know that Jesus is my Savior. He
knew me before I was, and he loves me. He is my Jesus
and the Father is my Father. The devil can never tell me
again that I am not worthy. My condition may not be
worthy, but my position in Christ is worthy indeed.
There is no doubt, as He said, - "Ask and you shall
receive." Praise God!
JUST A TOUCH
Sarah Lasiter 2000
When I was working in an infant classroom, there came a
very small baby named Melanie. She was diagnosed with a
lifelong disease and often had health trouble. She slept
with a heart monitor and was fed through a tube in her
stomach. Thin and frail, a lot of times she would have
severe tummy pains and she would cry until we somehow
comforted her. One day, she was having such a terrible
morning. She could not rest for the pain. I did
everything I knew to help her: rocked her, fed her,
patted her back while she laid in her bed, turned the
lights out, sung to her and did all that I was taught to
do for situations like this, but she only cried more.
Even as I had been trained, I used an abdominal gas tube
to relieve any trapped gas or fluids in her stomach.
Nothing I did could help this time.
I called my supervisor who came at once and began trying
to soothe this little girl with all the tactics which in
her experience, one or the other, always work for times
like these. But nothing she did helped either. So she
transported all the other children under my care into
another classroom for time being because all my
attention had to be focused on Melanie and the noise
level in the room was far too high for the others with
this baby's screaming and crying. Then, she paged the
school nurse who also came in and when she was told of
all that had already been done, she left to contact
Melanie's mother, having no suggestions. My supervisor,
who was still with me, left from the room and said she
would be right back. She had laid Melanie back in her
bed and she was writhing there; she couldn't be still
and when I gave her my finger to hold she squeezed with
all her might.
I was alone there for a moment, so I placed my hands on
her and prayed, "Father, touch this child. Heal her,
Lord. There's nothing we can do." As soon as I finished
the prayer, I picked her up and held her against my
chest. She had stopped crying in an instant, the first
time in over an hour. I walked around the room with her,
thanking God for his touch and mercy. She was looking
around the room, smiling and sucking on her fingers like
nothing had ever happened and when my supervisor
returned, she stood on the other side of our half-door
and just stared with nothing to say. I turned around to
look at her, having known she was there and she asked,
"What did you do?" I said, "It wasn't me. I just prayed
over her and she stopped. God did it." What a witness!
When we find ourselves hopeless, we also find that Jesus
is our hope and all it takes is a touch.
MASTER OF THE WIND
By: Earlene Donelson
In early April 1980, there was an outbreak of tornadoes
across Arkansas. One of them touched down in Clarksville
which is about four miles west of our house. I had seen
on television that it had destroyed the county library
there. Upon hearing this news I decided to walk out onto
our front porch where my brother was standing to tell
him about it. When I opened the door he quickly pointed
west, and there in front of us was a tornado headed
straight in our direction! There was no time for
anything but a quick prayer for protection. As we stood
helplessly watching, the tornado parted into two
separate twisters, one headed north and one headed
south.
All my life I had heard the story where God parted the
Red Sea for the Israelites, and now I had seen with my
own eyes God split a tornado in two. Though we had
strong winds as these two passed by we were completely
protected and suffered no property damage. I praise the
Lord! For He is Master of the wind.
JESUS ON MT. NEBO
By: Larry R. Lasiter
In the Summer of 2000 our Church (Crusade Church of God,
Russellville, Arkansas) began having Friday night praise
and prayer services from 7:30 pm till about 10 pm. The
purpose of these meetings was to pursue the manifest
presence of God. We wanted more than to just worship the
Lord, we wanted Him to show up in ways which could not
be denied. We would praise Him and pray that we may even
see His presence.As we drew nearer to the Lord we found
that we had a thirst and a hunger for His manifest
presence. He was our Father and Jesus our Savior and we
desired intimate fellowship. During these meetings it
was common to receive a touch from the Lord. We would
often feel His presence and His power would sometimes
run through us like a electrically charged river.
During this time God became so real that I cherished His
presence much like I did my wife or one of my children
You know how you long to see, hear and touch someone you
love who has been away for a while? Reading their
letters, looking at their photographs, evening talking
with them on the phone is not satisfying enough,- you
just feel a real need to see them in person, to touch
them. When you are apart from someone you are very close
to, you find that you really miss them dearly. As I
became more and more intimate with my Heavenly Father
and my Beloved Savior, I began to sense that same
feeling inside,- the feeling of missing someone's
presence. I also came to understand that the Lord was
even more eager for my presence than I was for His. I
began to see that even His insistence that His children
walk in obedience was designed to make it possible for
Him to draw even nearer to us. After all, I am His child
and He is not only my Creator, but My Father.
Like a child, feeling His presence and His touch was
wonderful but not enough. Like Moses, I wanted to
actually see Jesus. Friday after Friday I would pray
that Jesus would let me see Him. Then one day while
ministering to a woman from New York who had fled an
abusive husband, I asked if she and her three young
children would like to spend an evening with my family
cooking out on nearby Mt. Nebo. She happily said "Yes."
While we were grilling burgers we noticed that there
were two young women camping in the spot next to us. We
heard Christian music playing on their jam box and saw
one of them kneeling at the edge of the mountain
praying. A little while later they walked by our site to
go to the restroom. My daughters Sarah and Jennifer
stopped them and visited with them about Christ for a
few minutes. They invited my girls to come over to their
camp after they ate.
After dinner, my girls walked over to their camp and
began witnessing for Christ and reading the Scriptures
with them. It was a beautiful, clear night with a full
moon. At our site, we sat and visited and watched those
young women fellowship across the way.
At about 10 pm we began to load up to return home. After
we finished packing the two vehicles we brought I called
for my girls to come. They began to wrap up their
conversations at that point. I was only about 30 feet
away and could see them clearly in the bright moonlight.
I wanted to hurry them a little so I took my mag light
and flashed it a couple of times at them. It was at this
time that I noticed that there was a tall young man
standing with his back to me, with two girls on one side
and two girls on the other side of him. He was wearing a
cap, white tee shirt, red shorts, white socks and
athletic shoes. When I flashed my light, the girls
decided to immediately end the meeting with a prayer. I
saw the four young women kneel down to pray and noticed
that the young man stretched his long arms out over them
as He went down with them.
By the time my two girls finishing praying and came to
their car I was already in mine. They rushed up to my
window and excitedly said, "It was awesome!" They both
said, when Sarah was praying that they felt as if "God
was right there!"
After we arrived back home my wife said we needed to go
to the grocery store for milk which would be needed for
breakfast in the morning. As my wife and I were about to
go, Sarah said, "So, we are going to have to wait until
you come back to tell all about our witnessing?" My wife
and I immediately said "No!" "The store can wait, let's
hear it!"
When they began telling us about the prayer that ended
their meeting I asked "Who was that young man that was
there?" My daughters looked at each other surprised and
said, "What young man?" I said, "The tall young man in
the white tee shirt that put his arms over you while you
prayed." Suddenly we all felt the unmistakable surge of
power in the room that so often accompanies God's
presence and we all knew that the young man which only I
could see had been Jesus! He was "right there with them"
as they prayed. And He had answered my prayer and let me
see Him. I am forever thankful for His thoughtfulness in
appearing to me in such a tender way. I had actually
worried a little that I would be frightened,- the Lord
is so awesome in His glory.
After many tears of joy and much rejoicing, my wife and
I did finally go to the grocery store. After returning
and stepping out of our vehicle, we heard loud praising
and more rejoicing. Looking up, I saw my daughter Sarah,
22 (at the time) on the roof top glorifying God with all
of her heart. Let me say, my home is in downtown
Russellville, and my house has two stories,- so not only
did the host of Heaven hear Sarah's rejoicing and praise
but so did many of our neighbors and those driving by.
I WILL NEVER LET GO OF
YOUR HAND
By: Larry R.Lasiter
In late Summer of 1995 a couple who had just begun
attending our congregation invited my family and I,
along with a number of brethren from our church to their
home for a cook out. The woman had told me previously
that sometime back she had awakened from sleep to see
three spirits at the foot of her bed. She told me that
it frightened her and wanted to know whether I thought
they had been angels or demons. I told her that with no
more evidence than I had, I could not be sure.
This couple lived on a small ranch, this is where the
cook out was. While some of the brethren were inside the
house visiting, her husband and I were outside at the
grill. Suddenly, his wife came running from the house in
a panic. She was gasping for air as if she was being
choked by someone.
As she reached us she stopped and pleaded for help. Her
husband sought to comfort and calm her but she was still
holding her throat and laboring to breathe. Immediately,
I felt in the spirit that the problem was not merely
physical but demonic in nature. I asked the man if there
was a quite room for us to go to and he quickly led me
to his computer room in the back of the house.
We knelt on the floor to pray and as I laid hands upon
her head I said, "I rebuke you foul spirit, come out in
the Name of Jesus!" As the woman trembled I saw a dark,
shadowy essence flee and pass right through the corner
of the ceiling.
She asked me, "Was my problem a demon?" I said "Yes."
She was full of joy and turned to her husband and said,
"When I walked into this room it was so dark (the lights
were on) but now it is so light!" "And I can hear
again!"
After a few moments, her husband stood and began to
nervously just talk away. She and I were still sitting
on the floor. When I noticed that I was still holding
her hand, I gently let go. Only minutes later, I heard
the Lord speak in the spirit,- "Take her hand." So as
discretely as I could I reached over and held her hand
again. Shortly, I heard the Lord say, "Tell her that I
will never let go of her hand." Well, I waited for a
couple of minutes, not wanting to interrupt her husband.
Then I heard the Lord again, but this time pressing me
to say,- "Tell her that I will never let go of her
hand!"
I should have promptly obeyed the Lord, but I'm ashamed
to say I didn't. I found myself just too embarrassed to
interrupt her husband and say that message. So I talked
back to the Lord in the spirit and said,- "Lord, please,
You can tell her." As soon as I gave that thought to the
Lord I saw her countenance change, then she stopped her
husband and said,- "The holy spirit just spoke to me for
the first time." Pointing to my hand in hers she said,-
"And it came through his hand."
After saying this she began to weep uncontrollably for a
time. After regaining her composure she began to tell a
story about an event that happened in her childhood that
had tormented her for her entire life.
When she was born her father was away serving in the
military. He always treated her differently than her
sister because he believed that he had not fathered her.
When she and her sister were very little their father
took them swimming. The water had a current so he had
both girls on an floatation device. Suddenly, both girls
fell off into the water. This man looked at her and
stretched out his hand toward her, then looked back at
her sister. When he saw that both girls were in danger
of drowning he drew his hand back from her and went to
save her sister. As a result, she was carried downstream
and almost drowned.
That day, she saw that her father had made a distinction
between her and her sister. She said that every bad
decision that she had made since that time could be
traced back to that event.
Her earthly father had let go of her hand. God knew it
was important for her to know that her Heavenly Father
would never let go. Obviously, this simple act meant so
much to this woman. I have to admit that when I heard
the Lord say.- "Tell her I will never let go of her
hand,"- that I thought it was just a "nice" thing to
say. I had no idea of its significance and what it would
mean to her.
I learned that day to always just do what the Lord tells
me to do without questioning it. As His servant, I
understand that I am to act as His legs, His mouth, His
arms and His hands. The Lord works through us. He helps
people through us. He touches people through us. And
sometimes He speaks through us too.
"IT'S NOT A DISK, IT IS
CANCER"
By: Larry R. Lasiter
Twenty five years ago in 1977 I started an outdoor
advertising business here in Russellville, Arkansas
doing graphic design for business logos, signs, tee
shirts & caps and lettering as many as two hundred
trucks a year. After entering the ministry my oldest son
Michael began to take up the task of helping me operate
the business so I could devote the necessary time in
ministering to others. Eventually I will phase
completely out and he will run the business entirely.
A few years ago we were contracted by a rural fire
department to design the logo for their trucks and then
letter them. In the Summer of 2002 they purchased
another truck and needed to have it lettered. So they
sent a man named David to us to see when we could do the
job. I had never met David beforehand.
This is how it happened. One day, my son Michael and I
were sitting at our desks when we saw a truck drive into
the driveway. We watched a middle-aged man get out of
this truck with physical difficulty. Our steps to our
door are steep and we saw that he was in pain as he made
his way up.
Inside, he introduced himself and gave us the
information for the job. When he mentioned that he had
just come from a physician visit I asked him what was
ailing him. He said that he had been experiencing pain
in his back and that the X-Rays showed that he had a
ruptured disk.
When David said that, I heard the holy spirit say,-
"It's not his disk, it is cancer." This took me by
surprise. Only once before had God revealed to me a
medical condition that was unknown to the person with
it. I did not tell David what I heard the Lord say. I
felt that I should just add him to my prayer list. As he
left he gave me a phone number of another fireman who
would meet me at the Fire Department when we were ready
to letter the new truck. So, I did not expect to see
David again. As he left, my son Michael said,- "God does
not want him to have to live in that condition. I
believe God wants to heal that man."
The next week when the signs were ready, we called the
number of the fireman we were to meet. His wife answered
the phone and said that her husband was forced to make
an unexpected trip out of town. She gave me David's
number and told me to call him and he would meet me at
the department. She also said that I should wait about
an hour because he was at the hospital having a Cat-Scan
done on his back.
This is when I knew that God wanted me more involved
than just praying from a distance. The Lord was
obviously arranging for us to meet again, even
immediately after he would have just had a Cat-Scan.
It was at this time I told my wife Treon what all had
happened and asked her to be praying for his healing and
for God's direction on me. I took my booklet "Receive
Your Healing" and my anointing oil with me. On the way
there I told Michael what the holy spirit had said to me
and that I was sure that David would tell us that he
just found out what we already knew,- that he had cancer
of the spine. We prayed as we drove and talked about
what a great testimony it was going to be when David
received his healing.
By the time we finished the job it was dark. Michael,
David and I were standing outside the department at my
vehicle when I asked,- "What did the Cat-Scan show
today?" He was a little shaken and his voice trembled as
he said,- "They found several spots on my spine about
the size of quarters." Then he said,- "They think it is
cancer but they would not say they are sure." "They want
me to have an MRI done."
It was then when I told David what the Lord had said to
me the day when he came by the shop. I told David that I
truly believed that the Lord told me his real condition
because He wanted me to anoint him for healing. I asked
him if he believed in God and in Jesus as the risen Son
of God. He said "Yes, but I haven't been going to
church." I told him that while on earth the Lord healed
even sinners who asked in faith with a repentant heart.
He told me that he did believe and that he wanted to be
anointed. So Michael and I laid our hands on him and
prayed a prayer for healing in the Name of Jesus.
Michael later said that he could feel the power of God
as the Lord touched this man. As we left I told David to
give God glory for his healing and to give us his
testimony when the physicians learn of his healing.
About two weeks later Michael and I were traveling to
Pocahontas, Arkansas to pick up a visiting pastor from
Africa when our cell phone rang. Michael answered and
Treon was on the other end. She was jubilant! She said
that David had just come by after having the MRI and
insisted that she call us immediately with the good news
that they found no cancer! We rejoiced and praised the
Lord all the way to Pocahontas. Once there we shared the
miracle with Brother Chris Barr and the church of the
Little Children of Jesus Christ. We all thanked the Lord
for His mercy and His love.
SONG OF MY HERITAGE
Sarah Lasiter 7/20/01
Tonight, after our worship service and prayer, my Dad
motioned for me to come over to him. I crawled across
the room and sat in his lap, resting my head on his
shoulder. He was rocking back and forth, then began to
speak in tongues. I was listening and enjoying the
sound. As he continued to rock, he began humming a tune
that I did not know. It was lengthy and I wondered had I
heard it before.
After a long interlude, he sang in the Spirit words that
were so sweet, so precious and yet I knew not what they
meant. I have heard him speak in tongues many times, but
never had I heard him sing them. When the song had
finished, he said to me, "The Lord's singing to you,
Baby." How wonderful! How unspeakably wonderful, because
not only had I just been asking God to touch me but God
was singing to me! A beautiful song like a lullaby. And
at the time Dad was singing, he placed his hand on my
head and it was truly as if the Lord Himself were
touching me and blessing me.
Afterwards, while we recounted this amazing experience
Dad testified that he was feeling a deep trembling on
me, like butterflies fluttering from head to toe and
like a dove. It was the fluttering of the Spirit in me!
I went upstairs to pray and I asked God to reveal the
meaning of this. I did not know at the time that during
the worship service Dad asked for the spirit of
revelation, but I asked him if he knew what he was
saying when he spoke in the Spirit. He didn't recall
initially, and somehow I knew that he would say no. Then
suddenly he knew and the power of God struck him. I
could see it on his face as if he were receiving an
urgent message from the Lord. God has revealed that the
song was one of my heritage. Perhaps God was pronouncing
what would be and then singing my song. As the
interpretation continued to come, we learned that this
is a song about my life, things I've done and things I
will do. A song sung by thousands of people, my Heritage
Song, and my Lord allowed me to hear it first from Him.
I've never asked for anything like this; I'm dumbfounded
and overwhelmed. In me tonight, there's this terrific
feeling of humility, being held in the arms of the
Almighty knowing my life is already written.
Dad could feel God's love for me, very intimate and very
personal, and while I was imagining myself being held by
my heavenly Father, in actuality I was. I cannot
describe how I feel right now... bless the Lord, o my
soul!
"So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts,
seek to abound for the edification of the church.
Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he
may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit
prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome
then? I shall pray with the spirit and I shall pray with
the mind also; I SHALL SING WITH THE SPIRIT and I shall
sing with the mind also." The Apostle Paul (1
Corinthians 14:12-15)
VISION OF HIS GLORY
Friday evening worship service- May 2,
2003
Sarah Lasiter
My eyes were closed and my hands were lifted up in
praise as we sang "Lord, Have Mercy." Suddenly, an image
appeared in my vision - it was our God on His throne!
Glory was emanating from Him; the brightness seemed
almost blinding. There were rays of white stretching far
and though I stood from a distance, I felt as though I
could fall to the ground. My knees were weak, there was
a tingling throughout my body and I put my hands out in
front of my face to protect my eyes from this great
Light.
As I looked, I saw between my fingers (though my natural
eyes were still closed) this One whose glory exceeded
far beyond that of the sun. I saw my hands as they
appeared as black shadows in from of me. The feeling was
unforgettable; I could feel His perfection and purity. I
knew there was no guile in Him and nothing unclean.
There was a yearning in me to be nearer, but I stood in
the awe of that moment... This is the presence of God.
And just as it came, it was gone.
I was thanking the Lord for giving it to my eyes to see
His glory and then I realized, my own flesh was
shielding my face from Him. So often, I have asked to
see Him but perhaps by my deeds I show that I only want
to see Him from a distance. I bitterly repented then for
putting fleshly things before Him and could only weep at
the thought of spending eternity without ever drawing
near unto Him in the fulness of His perfection, glory
and the love with which He changed my heart and set the
course for my life. Now, my hope and prayer is that He
will be perfected in me and I in Him until I see face to
face, in that day, unashamed.
Faithful is He who calls me and He will also bring it to
pass. Hebrews13:6
ONCE A MUSLIM - NOW A
CHRISTIAN
By: Name
Withheld
I was born in Saudi Arabia as a member of a Muslim
family. We were a very happy family, and I loved my
relationship with them. I also felt very happy because I
did all the things that God asked me to. I had learned
one sixth of the holy Quran by heart and a lot from the
Hadith. When I was a teenager, I was an Imam for the
mosque.
I was always very serious to do all that God ordered me
to do--fasting during Ramadan, praying five times a day
or more, Hajj and so on. I was, at that time, very much
desiring to meet God at the last day, even when I had no
guarantee. But I had always hoped for this. My hope grew
when I started to think about fighting in the name of
God (Jihad) in Afghanistan. I was sixteen years old. My
parents would not let me go because I was too young. So
I decided to wait until I was old enough.
I always had love and respect for the Muslim people.
There was no love or respect in my heart for the
Christians, and the Jews were my first enemy, of course.
After some time, the devil found his way into our home
and our life, and my life became very hard. Slowly I
drifted far away from God until the time that I believed
in no God at all.
My life became busy. I had a very good job and earned a
lot of money. Still, I was not happy because I was
afraid for the day that I would die. Sometimes a
question came to my mind--will I be with God in heaven
or not? And it was very frightening to think about this,
even for seconds, that I would not be there. What about
my future?
One day I had a big problem in my life. I was in my room
looking through the window up to the sky. Then I
remembered God, and I wanted to pray to him to ask him
for help, but which God should I pray to. Allah? I was
sure that he was very angry with me because I had not
prayed for a very long time. Or Jesus? I knew He had
done a lot of miracles in the lives of other people.
Then I said, "Jesus help me!" I don't know why I spoke
like this. I sat down on my bed and spoke to myself,
"What is this stupid thing you just did?" Anyway, I did
not expect anything to happen or the problem to go away.
However, one and a half days later, my problem was
solved! I decided to find out who this Jesus is. Is he
God as the Christian people say, or is he a prophet, as
I know from Islam? At this time, I left my country and
went to Europe.
On the third day, my circumstances became very difficult
for me, and I decided to go back to the Middle East.
During that night I had a dream. I was standing in a
cross shape with a low wall around it. In my right hand,
I had a big stack of white unwritten papers. I was
standing at the cross beam, and I was looking to a small
group of people who were standing at the top. They all
wore long white clothing, but one of them was different.
He was standing at the right side, and he was leading
the people through a door in the wall. Beyond the door
was light, and I could not see what was in there. One
moment I was standing in the dream, and the next moment
I was seeing the cross from above. It was difficult for
me to understand this. When I woke up the next morning,
I felt a very beautiful happiness in my heart that I
never had before. And I felt a love in my heart and from
inside my body a very special feeling. I felt also I
just wanted to walk and to walk and to ask every one I
met, do you know Jesus? It was more than a great
feeling. It was happiness that I had never known before
in my life.
After one year of reading the Bible in an honest way, I
understand now what happened to me. I found my way to
God, the real God, the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope now for
all the people I love, my family, my friends, and
everyone else to change also and begin to read the Bible
in an honest way. I am sure that God will help them to
find their way.
I feel love in my heart, and I am very happy to know
Jesus. When I was a Muslim, I could never imagine that
the Christians were right. After that, I found out how
much God loves me, and I became a Christian. Yes, He
loves me, He loves you, and He loves the whole world.
Jesus Christ loved us, and He still does. And don't
forget in the last day nobody can save us, only Jesus
Christ. Come to know Jesus before it is too late.
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