tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27688639687434421302024-03-16T11:50:17.188-07:00Testimonies from BudapestOriginally these were testimonies of the Lord's mighty deeds in our lives while we were in Budapest, as American missionaries. It has since come to include the testimonies of others around the world.Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-18751348440874226052024-02-23T10:30:00.000-08:002024-02-24T12:15:57.621-08:00Home<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfoy6Gi2No78yruQe_p25DWKUiM4JMRN90M6gGuttB4X1AD2oOOkmUDG6d1ginYStoLQCL-GkPqxE6N8kUZTjicU8tTSGR5paRKOx-I5YkzBKmvHvxUJ81nPE-PlEi51TBqeMzLrPL2i_/s1600/Jewish+Synagogue+Budapest+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfoy6Gi2No78yruQe_p25DWKUiM4JMRN90M6gGuttB4X1AD2oOOkmUDG6d1ginYStoLQCL-GkPqxE6N8kUZTjicU8tTSGR5paRKOx-I5YkzBKmvHvxUJ81nPE-PlEi51TBqeMzLrPL2i_/s1600/Jewish+Synagogue+Budapest+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jewish Synagogue in Budapest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While we were missionaries in Eastern Europe for four and a half years, based in Budapest, Hungary, I had the opportunity to post a number of testimonies of the great things the Lord did in people's lives. Some of them were the testimonies of people I met, which I wanted to publish for the glory of God. Others were testimonies of what the Lord did in my own life while we were there. And now that we are in the States again, I continue to post testimonies of what God is doing, so that He can receive the praise.<br />
<br />
I've tried to organize them in some sort of order, beginning with my own testimony of salvation and the salvation of others I know in the left column. In the middle column you will find testimonies of healing, deliverance and protection. In the right hand column, I have posted testimonies of miracles, signs, and wonders, as well as other subjects that did not fit elsewhere.<br />
<br />
"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Your name give glory Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth." (Ps 115:1)<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: white; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free!</a></td>
<td><a href="http://romaniatestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/09/testimonies-from-voila.html" target="_blank">Testimonies from Voila, Romania</a></td>
<td><a href="http://plovdivtestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/05/raised-from-dead.html" target="_blank">Pastor Raised from the Dead</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/12/the-lord-healed-my-backsliding_26.html" target="_blank">The Lord Healed My Backsliding</a></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2011/11/healed-from-breathing-obstruction.html" target="_blank">Healed from a Breathing Obstruction</a></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2012/04/gems-from-heaven.html" target="_blank">Gems from Heaven</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-life-was-built-on-wrong-foundation.html" target="_blank">My Life Was Built on the Wrong Foundation</a></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2010/10/healed-of-chronic-leg-pain.html" target="_blank">Healed of Chronic Leg Pain</a></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2011/01/escaped-having-possibly-fatal-accident.html" target="_blank">Escaped Having a Possibly Fatal Accident</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://plovdivtestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/05/delivered-from-cigarettes-and-saved.html" target="_blank">Delivered from Cigarettes and Saved</a></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2011/03/delivered-from-voices-and-dizziness.html" target="_blank">Delivered from Voices and Dizziness</a></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2010/09/like-man-finding-pearl-of-great-price.html" target="_blank">Like a Man Finding a Pearl of Great Price</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/11/the-joy-ive-come-to-know.html" target="_blank">The Joy I've Come to Know</a></td>
<td><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-voice-that-changed-everything.html&source=gmail&ust=1471550076903000&usg=AFQjCNHOyJAna06gC2Fj7_00z6nEhqjo1Q" href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-voice-that-changed-everything.html" target="_blank">The Voice That Changed Everything -- the Testimony of Dr. Stenhouse</a></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2009/08/letting-go-of-someone-you-love.html" target="_blank">Letting Go of Someone You Love</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://kozloduj.blogspot.com/2009/06/testimonies-from-kozloduj.html" target="_blank">Testimonies from Kozloduj, Bulgaria</a></td>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2022/02/amazing-healing-and-deliverance-in.html" target="_blank">Amazing Healing and Deliverance in Uganda</a></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2010/11/seeing-dad-alive-for-last-time.html">Seeing Dad Alive for the Last Time</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2014/06/my-journey-from-buddhism-to-new-life-in.html" target="_blank">My Journey from Buddhism to New Life in Christ</a> </td>
<td><br /></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2010/08/he-forgave-those-who-threw-gasoline-in.html" target="_blank">He Forgave Those Who Threw Gasoline in His Eyes</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2014/06/my-journey-from-buddhism-to-new-life-in.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/03/born-again-to-new-life-omolade-moses.html" target="_blank">Saved By a Vision of Second Coming - O. Moses Alabi</a></td>
<td><br /></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/07/you-give-and-take-away.html" target="_blank">You Give and Take Away</a><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/07/prodigal-restored-to-god.html" target="_blank">Prodigal Restored to God</a></td>
<td><br /></td>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2012/01/outpouring-of-spirit.html" target="_blank">Outpouring of the Spirit</a><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-night-lord-came-into-my-hut.html" target="_blank">The Night the Lord Came into My Hut</a></td>
<td><br /></td>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/11/supernatural-encounter-while-striving.html" target="_blank">Supernatural Encounter While Striving to Draw Closer to God</a><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-spiritual-awakening-of-richmond-king.html">The Spiritual Awakening of Richmond King</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-body-parts-storehouse-in-heaven.html" target="_blank">The Body Parts Storehouse in Heaven</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2016/08/muslim-woman-now-follows-jesus.html" target="_blank">Muslim Woman Now Follows Jesus</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-message-from-our-lord-by-sister.html" target="_blank">A Message from our Lord by Sister Catherine</a><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2020/04/lifted-out-of-slimy-pit.html" target="_blank">Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/07/boy-raised-from-dead-after-one-day.html" target="_blank">Boy Raised from the Dead After One Day</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2020/09/given-new-heart-and-sweet-peace.html">Given a new Heart with Sweet Peace</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><a href="https://fromevildeliverus.blogspot.com/2022/09/angelic-enounters.html" target="_blank">Angelic Encounter Testimonies</a><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-overflowing-joy-in-knowing-jesus.html">My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/07/former-child-soldier-delivered-from.html" target="_blank">Former Child Soldier Delivered from Alcohol</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/11/a-spirit-led-strategy-for-evangelism.html" target="_blank">A Spirit Led Strategy for Evangelism</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2023/05/hundreds-saved-in-uganda-through-jesus.html" target="_blank">Hundreds Saved in Uganda through Jesus Film</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2023/06/how-i-came-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">How I Came to Know Jesus</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2023/05/delivered-from-bondage-and-new-age.html" target="_blank">Delivered from Bondage and New Age Deception</a></td>
<td></td>
<td><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
“Every fact is to be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (2Co 13:1b)<br /><br />
"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when
faced with death." (Rev 12:11) <br />
<br />
<i>Attribution notice</i>: <a href="http://www.lockman.org/" target="_blank">Scripture quotation taken from the NASB</a>.<br />
<br />
You may also access my complete blog
directory at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html" style="color: #3333ff;">Writing for the Master</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a><a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/"></a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-61350775198225746022024-02-23T03:00:00.000-08:002024-02-24T12:16:03.103-08:00Donate<div class="Section1">
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"Give,
and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken
together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38
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Thank you!<br />
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We invite you to visit our <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.hu/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html" target="_blank">Collection of Blogs</a>.</div>
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Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-86962737253150661432024-02-23T02:00:00.000-08:002024-02-24T12:16:08.815-08:00Doulos Training School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Doulos Missions International now offers discipleship training online through the Doulos Training School (DTS). Please visit the DTS online at <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/2015/08/doulos-training-school.html">Doulos Training School</a> to find out more about how you or someone you know can participate.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
___________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was
based
in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as
helping leaders to be more effective at
making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the
ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> Partner with us online by <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2013/01/giving-to-dmi.html" target="_blank">giving to DMI</a>.Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-79361917374565469572023-06-01T19:33:00.016-07:002024-02-24T12:17:05.854-08:00How I Came to Know JesusI'd like to share with you the testimony of my oldest son Christopher, who is now eighteen years old (as of 2024). Although I am his biographer, it's his true story of how he came to know the Lord, based on the journal I have kept for all my children since they were born. I hope you enjoy it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Christopher's Testimony</span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJvd4Gttfx-FxB9pl_RH-RznruOnvD7LXUguHQbni4-HieHkGD2tU73xezI21F1y8ZKVcGDUmYUWkMaxVr4a0QRxxxvsADSZFRv-5ejYXyD9TIeGCSLEAIE_uL2YUAOj29cy9dURYgBwB/s1600/Christopher+at+3+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizJvd4Gttfx-FxB9pl_RH-RznruOnvD7LXUguHQbni4-HieHkGD2tU73xezI21F1y8ZKVcGDUmYUWkMaxVr4a0QRxxxvsADSZFRv-5ejYXyD9TIeGCSLEAIE_uL2YUAOj29cy9dURYgBwB/s320/Christopher+at+3+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three years old</td></tr></tbody></table>There were various points during my early childhood when I prayed to give my heart to Jesus, beginning when I was only two and a half. Only nine days after that, while I was on the phone talking to my aunt, she asked, "Who's this?" I said, "I'm Christopher, and I love Jesus." That was the first time I had ever said that on my own, and that was how I began publicly identifying myself with Christ. On another occasion, when I was three years old, I once again publicly identified myself with God. At a playground, I saw a little 4-year old boy, and ran over to him happily saying, "Do you know God?"<br /><br />During those tender years when I was just a little child, God continued to reveal Himself to me in various ways through nature, through His Word, and through my parents. For example, I once looked up at the stars in the dark evening sky and said, "Wow! God is in heaven!"<br /><br />As a result of God revealing Himself to me, I began to desire a relationship with Him. One occasion in particular that stands out to me was on Christmas, when I was three and a half. My father was washing and dressing me and I told him I wanted to pray to give my heart to Jesus. So I did that, as he led me in that prayer, and then he prayed for me to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.<br /><br />About four months later I told my father that when I grow up, I want to be a man who tells other people about Jesus. A couple of months later, I was preaching to my baby brother in his crib, who was only four months old, saying, "Now Joseph, you need to obey Jesus. You disobey the devil."<br /><br />On another occasion later on February 4, 2010, when I was almost five years old, my father explained to me at the dinner table about how God is bigger than the sky, bigger than the sun, moon, and stars. But He makes Himself small enough to live inside our hearts. We also talked about how we don't deserve heaven and we all deserve hell. But Jesus loved us so much he took our punishment. And because of that, now when we get to heaven, He will give us a big welcome. That was another one of those times when I invited Jesus into my heart and I committed my life to the Lord. <br /><br />About a week after that, my mother was praying for me and my baby brother at bedtime like she usually did, saying "Lord, I pray that they would come to know you as soon as possible." When I heard her pray that, I said, "But Mommy, I already know the Lord!"<br /><br />My parents began to see some fruit in my life after that, so once Jesus came into my heart, it definitely made a difference in me. I began praying for relatives to come to know Jesus and being thankful. For example, I said, "Daddy, I appreciate having you as my Daddy." That was something I had never done before.<br /><br />One evening I wanted to pray for all my uncles, that they would come to know the Lord. As I was doing so with my mother, I came to pray for my uncle Jeff, and instead of praying for him, I said, "He already knows Jesus." The Lord must have revealed that to me, because my family and I were living in Eastern Europe as missionaries in Hungary (we lived there for four and a half years) and I didn't really have any contact with my uncle Jeff, who was back in the United States. But it was true that he did know the Lord already.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-YrvE6SE5vvxY5RBruyCmBkq-wKv5Afw1t04dbNqn4Lf-AQMfFk6iMDJh-x9u5IkguQX6EfqD-M6jjFReR_SEJTIpuC8BQxfA56j4Q-JPUlAUKXnWd82sGMUwzxCylT2M7VQ4nUnjuYh/s1600/Christopher+at+6+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="480" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7-YrvE6SE5vvxY5RBruyCmBkq-wKv5Afw1t04dbNqn4Lf-AQMfFk6iMDJh-x9u5IkguQX6EfqD-M6jjFReR_SEJTIpuC8BQxfA56j4Q-JPUlAUKXnWd82sGMUwzxCylT2M7VQ4nUnjuYh/s320/Christopher+at+6+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Six years old</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />When I was six years old I enjoyed reading Bible stories like the one about Noah and the ark. My favorite one of all though was the story of David and Goliath. By the time I was six and a half, I had read the entire gospel of John. About that time, my father prayed with me one day that I would receive all of the healing that Jesus Christ had for me, so that whenever I would lay hands on the sick they would recover, and that healing and miracles would happen. The videos of miracles and healing that I watched that day really increased my faith.<br /><br />Soon after that, my family and I watched a video about a girl who went to hell and back, and another girl who saw Jesus. Afterwards we all repented as a family and asked the Lord to forgive our sins. We asked the Lord to fill us with the Holy Spirit and he did. I spoke in other <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>languages at that time, when I received the baptism with the Spirit.<br /><br />A couple months later, I prayed, “Lord please give me a dream of You!” I then had a dream in which I saw a picture right in front of my eyes. In the picture, I saw the back of myself in a room, facing away and looking at Jesus, who was standing before me, facing me and looking at me. Jesus did not look like a person, but like a round, bright white light. Behind Jesus in the room were four people, who were rather short. They all had black hair and squinted, oriental eyes like Chinese people. Two of them were wearing conical, Chinese coolie, straw hats like the rice farmers wear, which are pointed at the top. Behind the people was a stone staircase without a railing, which ascended to the right, and at the top it turned. It was a still picture, like a photograph. Even though it was many years ago, I still remember that dream.<br /><br />Right after that I received the baptism with holy fire when my father prayed for me. John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Mt 3:11; Lk 3:16), and that's exactly what He did for me. It was a tangible experience where I could feel the fire of God on my back, and my hands became hot. Soon afterwards, I began to pray more deeply and fervently than I had ever prayed before. I prayed, "Lord, help us to love you with a whole heart, not half a heart!"<br /><br />Soon after that, I had a dream from the Lord, in which I was together with my whole family outdoors in a field at nighttime in the dark, discussing the Lord’s glory cloud, like the one that appeared in the temple. Suddenly I looked up, and two white lights flashed in the sky about 10 or 12 feet above us. They flashed simultaneously like a camera flash. In the center of one white light, I saw a small, round, blue light. In the center of the other white flash, I saw a small, round, pink light. These smaller orbs remained in the sky above us after the white flashes, and there were other such orbs of different colors as well. They went upward with a sound like a mighty, rushing wind and descended downward toward us. As they descended, I felt something like a weight of glory coming down on me, upon my head and upper body. This weight was so great that it caused me to bend backwards at the waist. That’s where my dream ended. In the morning, I remembered the dream from the Lord clearly and shared it with my family.<br /><br />I continued to experience God in many ways, and He made Himself very real to me, including through dreams, visions, and encounters with Jesus and his angels. One time at age six, when we had our usual midnight family prayer meeting, I prayed that we would all be baptized afresh in the Holy Spirit. Soon after I prayed that, I felt a gentle wind blowing on my right ear, then on my right hand, and then on the back of my neck. There were no windows open in the house or fans blowing. It was definitely the Holy Spirit.<br /><br />Also at age six, during my morning quiet time, I asked the Lord to show me what He wanted me to do. The Lord first told me, “Obey your parents.” Then I said, “What else do you want me to do, Lord?” And the Lord replied, “Preach.”<br /><br />When I was nine years old, at bedtime I asked my father if it would be ok if I started getting up 30 minutes earlier in the morning, so that I could spend more time in prayer each day.<br /><br />When I was ten years old, during a Sunday service in our home, two of my older sisters separately received essentially the same prophetic words from the Lord for me about God's mighty calling on my life to preach and teach the truth of His Word. Afterward my father laid hands on me and prayed for me that I would indeed be a mighty man of God and preach righteousness and love truth. He released the anointing so that I could do so, and as he prayed for me, I sensed the presence of God.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pEgmd-EH094zPHKL9l1P5Rpx-N7xuAE1RSroh8jmNrJsmSLN4fuev-krSm3IMaOlw1RiUWoWY9wwsse0RiJPQaR5fz6gHTtpXP5s8PtmHNjR-qkd-fAthivY8BvCdKQN3d7_OFcO-cFg/s1600/Christopher+at+14+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="274" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pEgmd-EH094zPHKL9l1P5Rpx-N7xuAE1RSroh8jmNrJsmSLN4fuev-krSm3IMaOlw1RiUWoWY9wwsse0RiJPQaR5fz6gHTtpXP5s8PtmHNjR-qkd-fAthivY8BvCdKQN3d7_OFcO-cFg/s320/Christopher+at+14+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fourteen years old</td></tr></tbody></table><div></div>As a young teenager, I prayed for the Lord to show me my purpose in life, and I sensed that He said, "street preaching" and "evangelism". Then I seemed to see people coming together from two directions, pairing up in pairs of two and going out together two-by-two. Afterward the chapter I read that day was Mark one, which tells of John and Jesus preaching to multitudes. As I prayed further about it a few days later, I sensed "serving others" was part of my purpose.<br /><br />I trust the Lord will use my story to encourage you, especially if you already know the Lord. Continue to seek Him and pursue Him. Go deeper in Him than you have before. Ask for the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. Believe His promises and receive it. Give yourself totally over to Him to be His servant. Love Him with your whole heart, not half a heart! Ask Him to use you for the purpose for which He created you, and then let Him do it. Doing His will is the most fulfilling way to live your life, but also the most rewarding in eternity.<br /><br />If you consider yourself a Christian, or if you have been in church all your life, or if you have been raised in a Christian family, let me just say this. None of that will save you. Jesus said you must be born again (Jn 3:7). He said, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (Joh 3:3, NIV). Many people have been in church all their lives, but they have never been born again. So don't let that happen to you.<br /><br />God is real, and so is Jesus. Heaven is real, and so is hell. We all deserve hell, because we've all sinned. But by the grace and mercy of God, He has made a way for us to be with Him in heaven for eternity.<br /><br />If you don't know Jesus yet in a personal way, then I want to say a few words to you. Jesus loves you with an everlasting love, and He died on the cross for you. He took your place and bore your punishment, so you don't have to go to hell, if you repent and believe in Him. He rose from the dead three days after He died and He is alive. <div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRO_2-FcREM8DnKpr18Jxdla0JB9BzdyL56JW_8Vrl3lxty0ASicv-YKcdNUKREONdh_2VZg7zuEoH4UEviolcgkHrCa-jKVjV9LoOzMw4L_bEQJFVyN-AqkArgz-B_SalpSxBpPGt2G9NuDSOqnElPaWt4v-W5n5I-b3VgOhJ4fT6OK40C0vaj8z-p0B1/s3264/Christopher%20LinkedIn%20Profile.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRO_2-FcREM8DnKpr18Jxdla0JB9BzdyL56JW_8Vrl3lxty0ASicv-YKcdNUKREONdh_2VZg7zuEoH4UEviolcgkHrCa-jKVjV9LoOzMw4L_bEQJFVyN-AqkArgz-B_SalpSxBpPGt2G9NuDSOqnElPaWt4v-W5n5I-b3VgOhJ4fT6OK40C0vaj8z-p0B1/s320/Christopher%20LinkedIn%20Profile.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eighteen years old</td></tr></tbody></table><div></div>He has a plan for your life that is far greater than anything you've ever experienced. He can set you free from every addiction, break every chain of bondage, fulfill your deepest needs, and love you like nobody else ever could. He'll be your closest friend. I challenge you to repent of your sins and believe in Him right now to save your soul. Ask Him to forgive you for all your sins and come and live inside your heart. Ask Him to be your Lord and Savior, as you commit your life to the Lord. Then be baptized in water and live your life for Him, not for yourself. Then when you get to heaven after you die, He will give you a big welcome, and an eternal reward.<br /><br />I hope to see you one day up in heaven and rejoice with you there. What a time we will have praising God around His throne with the multitudes of saints and angels. Please don't miss it for anything!</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Attribution notice</i>: Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. </div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/p/saved-at-tender-young-age.html" target="_blank">Saved at a Tender Young Age</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/p/given-new-heart-with-sweet-peace.html">Given a New Heart and Sweet Peace</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/p/my-overflowing-joy.html" target="_blank">My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus</a>, and Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit, which are the testimonies of myself and four of my other children. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-44662155374299319262023-06-01T18:30:00.011-07:002023-07-22T16:03:51.025-07:00Delivered from Bondage and New Age Deception<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGc0YuXoy0ta2Q6OMXPHAbLbzIAF2teeWU8yPF5m3e0-y60AQQg-3DfQl6HASpyu3rrtpRCGrXitJRIctwTxz78Eii9t2YTnxBQsh13aemAQpFd1K3o5_2NSk0ygFYq1R3uv2e7FgDB_HN4cVB21-1dqXgJG4c52EmEGt90UMOPojbD2abNSydky0GPM4/s480/Mwendwa%20M%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGc0YuXoy0ta2Q6OMXPHAbLbzIAF2teeWU8yPF5m3e0-y60AQQg-3DfQl6HASpyu3rrtpRCGrXitJRIctwTxz78Eii9t2YTnxBQsh13aemAQpFd1K3o5_2NSk0ygFYq1R3uv2e7FgDB_HN4cVB21-1dqXgJG4c52EmEGt90UMOPojbD2abNSydky0GPM4/w200-h200/Mwendwa%20M%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would like to share with you the testimony of one of the Kenyan students in our discipleship training school called <a href="https://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Doulos Training School</a>. She recently came back to the Lord following nine years of backsliding in sin after she initially came to the Lord in 2002. Here is the testimony in her own words:</span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Testimony of Mwendwa</span><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Born in the early 80s, my childhood was traumatic -- riddled with chaos, sadness, torment, and despair occasioned by living with an abusive alcoholic father. My father committed suicide when I was 17, while my own first suicide attempt was at the age of 15. I struggled with severe clinical depression, low self-esteem, rejection, self-hate, OCD, social anxiety, fear, suicidal attempts and ideations, and sexual bondage from my early teen years to my late twenties. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I first got born again at age 20 alone at home, in 2002 after an abortion which left me guilty and filled with torment. I backslid two years later however without a foundation of the truth of God and always feeling not good enough and rejected even in church. I got pregnant at age 22. At age 29 after years of severe sexual sin, depression and constant suicidal ideations, I cried out to God in repentance in my bedroom as I could not go on any longer as I had been and he set free instantly from all my sin. I got active in a local church in worship team and teaching Sunday school, and also had my own ministry to the poor slum women and feeding street boys.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sadly, five years in 2014 later following a series of bad experiences with cults and false churches with false teachings, and being dismissed from the church I served as a leader in for questioning some of the things being done, I was tired and disillusioned and kissed formal religion goodbye opting to follow Jesus away from organized Christianity. However, isolated, wounded, and alone I found myself an easy prey to the devil. I got sexually manipulated by an apostle who took advantage of my vulnerable state, and this filled me with deep self-condemnation and I stopped reading the bible and praying, and eventually found myself back to the sins of my past worse than before, effectively opening the door to Satan's deceptions.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I began accepting and embracing new-age spiritual beliefs which seemed to offer me some semblance of a relationship with God since I no longer identified as a Christian. Over the next 9 years, these new age beliefs had taken deep hold of me and I became a 'spiritual' teacher in the metaphysical, law of attraction, and new thought community. I published 3 books and had clients and a growing following on social media. My new beliefs were a mixture of Gnosticism, Hinduism, Buddhism, eastern philosophy, and mystical Christianity. I had embraced beliefs such as non-dualism, reincarnation, Christ-consciousness, and oneness, and believed all paths led to God. I thought I had found the ultimate truth but was deeply deceived.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a ‘spiritual’ teacher I had also gradually developed a drinking problem and by 2022 was a full-blown alcoholic unable to save myself despite years of trying everything I could. My spiritual beliefs could not save me. I knew only Jesus could help me, and I cried out to him for help over and over. Finally at my lowest point when I felt I would surely die and gave up on all self-help, the Lord Jesus set me free instantly and miraculously in rehab. In rehab I began to study the teachings of Jesus in the bible daily, desiring the truth. The spiritual deception took longer to be free from because I still believed I was on the right path. However, Jesus was slowly opening my blinded eyes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">By April 2023 the word of God and the grace of the Lord Jesus had done their work and opened my eyes it seemed almost overnight to see how greatly deceived I had been. Through a convicting work only the Holy Spirit can perform, I was shown the depth of my deception for those 9 years and how I had turned to other gods. It felt like I had woken up from a deep sleep. I truly was the prodigal son. I had wasted all I had in prodigal living. Jesus said that the prodigal son "came to himself", and said, "I will arise and go to my father." Jesus opened my eyes, set me free from years of sin and deception, and revived my first love for him which had been lost. (Revelations 2:4)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Through godly sorrow and repentance, I knew I had to leave my old life behind completely. It was clear I could not maintain my old life and a walk with Jesus. In obedience, I left it all behind to follow Jesus (Luke 5:11). This included pulling down my books from Amazon, my old social media accounts, and all my articles on my website. I also made a public confession to my followers on social media and to my clients making it clear I could no longer teach what I had been.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was not easy and there were many consequences to this change-financially, socially, and emotionally. Sin and rebellion always have consequences. But Jesus promised to be with me always if I obeyed him and he has.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jesus has changed my life. I now truly understand the Grace of God. The old self-righteousness and works-based Christian life that always led to condemnation, frustration, and backsliding was been exposed. I finally realized that I cannot please God through my own efforts, and my efforts cannot save me. It is all by the Grace of God, and only by looking to Jesus Christ am I sustained. My salvation is the work of God. It is he and he alone who opened my eyes when I was greatly deceived, it was all him and none of me. I am grateful for his mercy, long-suffering, and kindness. He did not allow me to die and perish in my pitiful state. I was dead and now am alive again, was blind but now I see. All my life I felt not good enough and had adopted a performance mindset even with my relationship with Jesus, but now for the first time I feel truly accepted in the beloved without the need to DO things to be loved by the Father, but instead overflowing with good works as a response to his love, and not to gain his love.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">END OF MWENDWA'S TESTIMONY</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Closing Words</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I trust that this testimony has blessed you by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you have been in a similar situation to hers, I strongly encourage you to repent and ask the Lord to forgive you and set you free, trusting Him to do so in a very powerful way.</span></div><div><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-overflowing-joy-in-knowing-jesus.html" target="_blank">My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus</a>, and <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/p/lifted-out-of-slimy-pit.html">Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit</a>, which are the testimonies of myself and two of my other children. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p></div>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-60538803629806861932023-05-29T18:12:00.036-07:002023-05-31T21:58:41.618-07:00Hundreds Saved in Uganda Through Jesus Film<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87ZbUo0f3WnL5ClvNgBcyzzCH9hqmr4QCM1m_h1JIHdNCTMRoqqovzLNbiSLO_o-FUqa-X-FeRKCv88wIjcKKqCcEdf0mPoTEP75kMazB8JVk744iSVKGrDmIkVyk7_bqk6PU5l7EEcjbrUhplXnJ30WJ0DM8taERwIkqXzvWUD0pu8dRXhyPRWQgNQ/s480/Jesus%20Film%20Project%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="480" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87ZbUo0f3WnL5ClvNgBcyzzCH9hqmr4QCM1m_h1JIHdNCTMRoqqovzLNbiSLO_o-FUqa-X-FeRKCv88wIjcKKqCcEdf0mPoTEP75kMazB8JVk744iSVKGrDmIkVyk7_bqk6PU5l7EEcjbrUhplXnJ30WJ0DM8taERwIkqXzvWUD0pu8dRXhyPRWQgNQ/w200-h133/Jesus%20Film%20Project%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Between July 20th, 2022 and December 13th, 2022, one of our third-year <a href="https://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Doulos Training School</a> (DTS) students, brother Tom Abongo (pictured below), traveled throughout Northern Uganda showing the Jesus Film in four different languages—English, Lango, Acholi, and Alur. He is a Ugandan pastor living in Uganda, overseeing a ministry there called Doma Pentecostal Global Ministries.<p></p><p>During the period mentioned above, after he received a free projector from the Jesus Film Project, he showed the Jesus Film 72 times, to a cumulative total of 2000 people, with a result of 300 decisions made for Christ, four new churches planted, and 35 small groups formed. </p><p>Since then, his team has followed up with 280 of the converts, issuing evangelism handouts, and meeting with them in designated places, training them in different cells and using trained church leaders to carry out discipleship.</p><p>He writes: “Thanks to the Jesus Film Project, for it has been found to be the best tool ever in touching the lives of thousands in just a very short time.”</p><p>He continues on with the following short stories to summarize the major highlights of this five-month period of missionary outreach with the Jesus Film: </p><p>“I suggest that some financial support be extended to me in reaching all these areas with the shows and the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was not easy on my side and for all my members. Food, transport and accommodations became a very big challenge to us; but by God’s grace we were able to make it. The phone I was using got [ruined], and I lost all the video coverage and photos about our shows in Northern Uganda. If possible, [please let] a laptop be provided for proper and urgent updates.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wbKZaItGufD4XYPiskd8z1GC7DTOOuGi_gB1iCGusMmjNlvYnKEuAdtePX0vpxdWP1MefnkTbAloX1A5uCgEsgqXS4F3QeiEAu-ZLBo8YVD3bClBRnNxxqWqFfeESR4csUTBcOPAsMckKpnGHWv9TRiYuL6TKZ0tLmN-2Hr-33dPeI_moY4l6foiJQ/s480/Tom%20Abongo%202022%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="474" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wbKZaItGufD4XYPiskd8z1GC7DTOOuGi_gB1iCGusMmjNlvYnKEuAdtePX0vpxdWP1MefnkTbAloX1A5uCgEsgqXS4F3QeiEAu-ZLBo8YVD3bClBRnNxxqWqFfeESR4csUTBcOPAsMckKpnGHWv9TRiYuL6TKZ0tLmN-2Hr-33dPeI_moY4l6foiJQ/w198-h200/Tom%20Abongo%202022%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>“It was really a great encounter and the most efficient way we evangelized and used the Jesus Film to reach Northern Uganda.<p></p><p>Immediately after I received the Jesus Film equipment, the journey started. We started [off at] home, with 40 in attendance and 18 people coming to Christ.</p><p>When we started reaching hard-to-reach areas like Nebbi, Arua, Kitgum, Lamwo and the border of Uganda and DRC Congo, we were challenged by their [eating] habits. We were not accustomed to their food, but there was no other choice.</p><p>One of the pastors in our team was [spiritually attacked] in his eyes [through an evil spell that someone cast], and within the shortest hours, his eyes could not see any object. That day we did not show the film because of our brother. We all turned up for serious deliverance prayer to release him from the attack. Brother Innocent and I laid hands on him, and he received instant healing.</p><p>Besides all the challenges and many encounters with demoniacs, we stood for the truth.</p><p>One solid truth I cannot run away from is [this]: Christ is the sole provider and the sustainer of salvation. We could not sustain those to whom we preached the gospel, and they received Jesus Christ. But all of them made up their minds to follow Jesus. Three hundred people are still strong in the Lord and are already established in four different new churches.</p><p>In these four new churches we have established, prayer, counseling and deliverance services are now conducted every Wednesday and Sunday evening. Many are getting healed and delivered from demonic powers.</p><p>One young man by the name Joshua had lost his eye[sight] as a result of witchcraft practiced on him. But immediately as he stepped on the stage where I was carrying out deliverance, his eyes opened automatically by the power of the Lord Jesus, which was so dense in the area.</p><p>Many things the Lord did, of which I cannot condense here in the report.</p><p>May the Lord Jesus bless Life Ministry for their [part] in the evangelism explosion.</p><p>Let the struggle continue in Jesus’ name.</p><p>Brother Abongo Tom."</p><p>Tom also informed us on May 22, 2023 about many baptisms into Christ that have occurred as a result of this outreach:</p><p>"We have trained many Christians in discipleship, and yesterday we baptized twenty-three new church members. Next week we shall baptize twenty more members who are still undergoing discipleship. The twenty-three people we baptized were saved as a result of the film shows. Still twenty more are going to be baptized the following week."</p><p>--------------------------</p><p>[END OF TOM ABONG'S TESTIMONY]</p><p>Praise the Lord! What a mighty God we serve. This is a truly amazing report of what the Lord has done in a very short period of time to a brother with a passion for lost souls, and a heart to bring them to Christ. </p><div><i>Attribution Notice</i>: Image taken from<a href="https://www.jesusfilm.org/" target="_blank"> Jesus Film Project</a> website, used per the Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only, no copyright infringement intended.</div><div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read other testimonies from Uganda like <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-body-parts-storehouse-in-heaven.html" target="_blank">The Body Parts Storehouse in Heaven</a> and <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-night-lord-came-into-my-hut.html" target="_blank">The Night the Lord Came into My Hut</a>. You are also invited to read the testimony of Elisabeth from Indonesia that he referred to call <a href="https://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2021/09/40-days-in-heaven-and-hell.html" target="_blank">Forty Days in Heaven and Hell</a>. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. </div><p><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p></div>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-63877676903372968102022-02-13T21:00:00.021-08:002022-06-20T22:10:32.949-07:00Amazing Healing and Deliverance in Uganda<p>One of our graduates from our <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Doulos Training School</a> (DTS), who is now on staff with our ministry in Uganda shared the following testimony of several healing and deliverance miracles. Brother Grace wrote on February 14th:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3EIruI4v-f6HBecoDq4YyrZryJ9rrQV9430PPY4Shq9uWbnmQOuylaYoW9kzs0KZaG8xpXInKcAWeeUg60mjchMwJSd_meJRAwkVNbZKw7wodQZp5Fx50rQhf_20JZ7xcbQbxDgSiwDs4SMKL3rP9JnYXrbnlKuZVHK7upqCHd7QSNXSes6sYnJs9kg=s480" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="480" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3EIruI4v-f6HBecoDq4YyrZryJ9rrQV9430PPY4Shq9uWbnmQOuylaYoW9kzs0KZaG8xpXInKcAWeeUg60mjchMwJSd_meJRAwkVNbZKw7wodQZp5Fx50rQhf_20JZ7xcbQbxDgSiwDs4SMKL3rP9JnYXrbnlKuZVHK7upqCHd7QSNXSes6sYnJs9kg=w200-h191" width="200" /></a></div>Dear brother Len, glad to hear from you! <p></p><p>Amazing testimonies; just to single out a few among many: </p><p>1. A lady came to the house of prayer requesting us to pray for her daughter who couldn't make it to the place of prayer; the severe pain in the legs of Joyce left instantly the same time we were praying (John 4:50-53). </p><p>2. Richard from Kalaki district had a problem of witchcraft, where demons used to stone his house tops and several times attempting to target family members especially at night. When he called for prayer on phone, the Lord showed me two birds leave and fly away from his compound. No more sign of witchcraft in his home. </p><p>3. Margaret in Ngora district last Friday was in a dying point, suffering from serious headache, fever, cough and general body pain; she couldn't talk, stand, eat etc. Her daughter called, and after a short prayer on phone, she was completely healed. </p><p>4. Florence had marriage issues with her husband for long. Some months ago she came to our house for prayer help. Florence yesterday confessed that she despised our prayer, saying in her heart "this place is not a Church building, I am not convinced their prayer can avail anything." Just yesterday in our Sunday service she came with another lady who also wanted prayer for her marriage. Florence testifies that her [own] husband came back immediately after the prayer made; they have total peace now. </p><p>5. Sister Angela had been chased away by her husband and was living with her 4 children in her sister's home for 6 years. After prayer, the same week her husband came back apologizing; their marriage now is very stable. These are just a few among many cases of marriage restoration testimonies that the Lord has handled. </p><p>6. I have a neighbor here, Sam. His wife asked us to go and share prayer with him; I hesitated, but later that evening went with one sister. Sam was bedridden and was helped to the sitting room by three people. He couldn't talk, sit, eat or drink. Sam was crying with severe cough, headache, high temperature etc (all covid 19 symptoms). After that prayer he smiled, walked out, and took tea. </p><p>When I went back home I fell very sick with my wife, with signs of the illness. I remember sharing this with brother Len. At that time of prayer with brother Len, the Lord healed us! </p><p>A few days later, when I went to check on Sam, he testified that he had covid 19, and is now very fine. </p><p>Brother Len, there are many more healings and deliverances the Lord has done and will keep on sending their testimonies to you. All the glory and honor belong to Him! </p><p>Blessings in Jesus' Name. </p><p>Your brother,
Grace.</p><p>END OF TESTIMONY FROM GRACE</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Closing Words</span></p><p>Are you in need of healing in your body? Do you need deliverance? Is your marriage in trouble? There is hope for you today through the power of Jesus Christ. He is the answer.</p><p>"With God all things are possible." (Mat 19:26b). All you need to do is ask Him for it by faith, and be sure you have forgiven anyone whom you are holding anything against. And ask the Lord to forgive all your sins for Christ's sake, because He paid the penalty for you already on the cross, where He died for you, and then rose again three days later. Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (Mar 11:24-25)</p><div><i>Attribution Notice</i>: All Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission.</div><div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span><span>Some changes were made to the wording of Grace's testimony with his permission, in order to add clarity or for easier reading without changing the meaning. </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read brother Grace's other testimonies called <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-body-parts-storehouse-in-heaven.html" target="_blank">The Body Parts Storehouse in Heaven</a> and <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-night-lord-came-into-my-hut.html" target="_blank">The Night the Lord Came into My Hut</a>. You are also invited to read the testimony of Elisabeth from Indonesia that he referred to call <a href="https://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2021/09/40-days-in-heaven-and-hell.html" target="_blank">Forty Days in Heaven and Hell</a>. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. </div><p><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p></div>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-73760200138552839942022-01-08T21:00:00.089-08:002022-02-11T16:18:08.697-08:00A Message from our Lord by Sister Catherine<p>On Sunday, 9th January 2022, I received the following email from one of the students in our <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Doulos Training School (DTS)</a>, sister Catherine, who is in the United Kingdom. </p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Testimony of Sister Catherine</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoOUPlaeiT5xlTwXTU319HzvIf5shpX0FzPZyoWlPe4yYjxF1SfTd2DJ--TRNLidNqjztKhY-JAbltYuRgoSp45nZzAc94Owc4rUDixGanWaGJTX96AY49tIh-F2s2bUkE1vmHw2mRH7l6nuOdkgTPMpcd2TrF0fCvvhxC9XgzANTyrLg6xugeQ1NiwA=s1644" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1644" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoOUPlaeiT5xlTwXTU319HzvIf5shpX0FzPZyoWlPe4yYjxF1SfTd2DJ--TRNLidNqjztKhY-JAbltYuRgoSp45nZzAc94Owc4rUDixGanWaGJTX96AY49tIh-F2s2bUkE1vmHw2mRH7l6nuOdkgTPMpcd2TrF0fCvvhxC9XgzANTyrLg6xugeQ1NiwA=w200-h187" width="200" /></a></div>"Dear brother Len and sister Jennifer.<p></p><p>This morning at around 6:00 AM, I had a vision of being in heaven, and our Lord showed me the setting sun. </p><p>I met Jesus face-to-face and He said, 'As much as I would love to give more time to save souls, I cannot, because our Father the Almighty has set the sun in place and His plans in place, and they cannot be changed. Time is running out for saving souls, please tell our Church. I am always with you'</p><p>It was crystal clear, and a very vivid message and very powerful.</p><p>This message has really got me thinking of the urgency of witnessing praying more.</p><p>I felt it is very urgent to share this message with you.</p><p>I feel such a stronger urgency to witness more and pray more for salvation of lost souls and pray for more people to join the <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Doulos studies</a> and for some churches to wake up before it's too late.</p><p>Praying for you all. </p><p>Bless you all. </p><p>With love in Jesus our Lord. </p><p>Sister Catherine."</p><p>[END OF TESTIMONY FROM SISTER CATHERINE].</p><p>---------------------------------------------</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Closing Words</span></p><p>Dear friends, I have no doubt that what sister Catherine has shared actually happened to her, and that the Lord did speak to her in heaven. I know her and she would not make anything like this up. </p><p>This message from our Lord agrees with what we have been hearing from Him through many other servants of His. Time is up. The end has come. He is coming back very very soon (Rev 22:7). There is no time to waste. The Father has determined it. As the Lord said at the end of the Revelation given to John the apostle:</p><p>"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (Rev 22:12-16)</p><div>Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Come! </div><div><br /></div><div>May the Lord help us all to be found ready when He comes. May He help us to be found faithful and obedient to all that He has commanded us to do, including the Great Commission to go and make disciples. May He help us to be faithful in prayer, especially for souls.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read my other post about sister Catherine called <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/11/supernatural-encounter-while-striving.html" target="_blank">Supernatural Encounter While Striving to Draw Closer to God</a>. You may also read <a href="http://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2015/08/rescue-souls.html" target="_blank">Rescue Souls</a>, <a href="https://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2019/03/share-jesus-without-fear.html" target="_blank">Share Jesus Without Fear</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/11/a-spirit-led-strategy-for-evangelism.html" target="_blank">A Spirit Led Strategy for Evangelism</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-night-lord-came-into-my-hut.html" target="_blank">The Night the Lord Came into My Hut</a>. If you are interested in learning more about our three-year discipleship training school (DTS), please <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">see here</a>. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. </div><p><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p></div>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-81437662772531920972021-12-23T14:02:00.072-08:002021-12-30T09:00:21.438-08:00The Body Parts Storehouse in Heaven<p>One of our graduates from our three-year Doulos Training School, Grace, who is a pastor in Uganda and staff member with our school, shared the following testimony with me. In it he gives God all the praise for what He is doing in his healing and deliverance ministry there in his country. He writes:</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Testimony of Brother Grace</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6I92mqMK4S68PMNit5L-RCn1031ZV_NIf2Jwp2DYN5vZLar9Qet-cxg_eqpaCHj9aCNcv_eQcn1EjiP98c9v6Zs6cGC8bM9YC1ZJa8k1CddEOP3UolwgVKKM5J3nMhtWDuxWDIhAz7IpLHyc6dA9Ut-e41NGF7zvV1xHz_6bWxT8Z0n6EnmvsvIZ6Cw=s480" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="480" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6I92mqMK4S68PMNit5L-RCn1031ZV_NIf2Jwp2DYN5vZLar9Qet-cxg_eqpaCHj9aCNcv_eQcn1EjiP98c9v6Zs6cGC8bM9YC1ZJa8k1CddEOP3UolwgVKKM5J3nMhtWDuxWDIhAz7IpLHyc6dA9Ut-e41NGF7zvV1xHz_6bWxT8Z0n6EnmvsvIZ6Cw=w200-h191" width="200" /></a></div>Hi dear brother Len,<p></p><p>Once again, reading the <a href="https://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2021/09/40-days-in-heaven-and-hell.html" target="_blank">testimony of Sister Elisabeth from Indonesia</a> is so inspiring; it reminds me of what God showed me years ago in a dream, which I am moved to share with you. I saw a store in Heaven of all body spare parts. If any part of the body of a human being got any problems, the Lord told me we can ask in prayer for a replacement and it will be so. I thank God! </p><p>Brother Len, this short time, during which I have been involved in the ministry of healing and deliverance, I have witnessed the Lord do amazing things. Here are some examples:</p><p>1. A lady called Ketty had suffered for more than ten years, and was supposed to go for an operation to remove her uterus. But upon receiving prayer, the Lord instantly healed her!</p><p>2. Florence A. had an issue of blood flow (filling buckets) since her adolescence. She was also unable to become pregnant. The gynecologist doctors recommended an operation. After prayer she went to bathe, and something came out of her private part, which is the size of a human finger. Since then she has been well, and is now 3 months pregnant. She is grateful to the Lord!</p><p>3. A man called Enoch made a phone call to me at 3:00 AM; his child had been in the hospital for one month with a severe blood deficiency (anemia). The child couldn't eat, drink, sit, or talk. After prayer, the doctors and the father were puzzled, because the child recovered immediately with proper blood (hemoglobin) levels, Glory to Him!</p><p>4. A woman named Norah had ulcers for over ten years until the Lord instantly healed her when she received prayer!</p><p>5. A man named Stephen was astonished when the Lord delivered and healed his wife Betty through a night phone call. She had fallen too sick and fainted. [In addition to that], three days ago the same lady was involved in motor accident. While she was in a state of unconsciousness in the hospital, Stephen called. When I was praying for her, there were spirits of death manifesting. The Lord led me to rebuke the spirit of death and claim her life back. After one to two days, the husband called, and I was able to talk to Betty herself. This man Stephen works with radio Uganda and is inviting me to be ministering on radio; the Lord is great!</p><p>6. Sister Angela's daughter, Belinda was healed from short sightedness, because of which she had hard time to see and read for a long time. Praise the Lord!</p><p>7.Personally years ago, I used to experience kidney pain for [a long time]. In a dream, a doctor appeared and [drew] fluid from my kidney using a syringe. From then my kidneys are perfect. No more pain. Glory to Him!</p><p>Brother Len, there are many more amazing testimonies; these few are given for the confirmation of <a href="https://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2021/09/40-days-in-heaven-and-hell.html" target="_blank">sister Elisabeth's testimony of the "spare body parts in heaven's storehouse</a>," and also to encourage ourselves to claim our [own] healing. But also I have learnt that sometimes there are healings that take [a long time] for reasons known to God. We give God all the glory for His works!! To Him alone belongs the glory and the honour.</p><p>I read and have experienced God doing much more through many other servants of the Lord and He wants His vessels to surrender to Him for use.</p><p>Your humble brother, </p><p>Grace.</p><p>[END OF TESTIMONY]</p><p>-----------------------------------------</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Closing Words</span></p><p>Are you in need of healing in your body? If there is some part of your body or some organ that has become damaged or diseased, God has spare parts ready for you in His heavenly storehouse. "With God all things are possible." (Mat 19:26b). All you need to do is ask Him for it by faith, and be sure you have forgiven anyone whom you are holding anything against. And ask the Lord to forgive all your sins for Christ's sake, because He paid the penalty for you already on the cross, where He died for you, and then rose again three days later. Jesus said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (Mar 11:24-25)</p><div><i>Attribution Notice</i>: All Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission.</div><div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span><span>Some changes were made to the wording of Grace's testimony with his permission, in order to add clarity or for easier reading without changing the meaning. </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read brother Grace's other testimony called <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-night-lord-came-into-my-hut.html" target="_blank">The Night the Lord Came into My Hut</a>. You are also invited to read the testimony of Elisabeth from Indonesia that he referred to call <a href="https://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2021/09/40-days-in-heaven-and-hell.html" target="_blank">Forty Days in Heaven and Hell</a>. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. </div><p><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p></div>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-24410011875801637542021-11-22T13:21:00.313-08:002021-12-08T16:20:57.306-08:00Supernatural Encounter While Striving to Draw Closer to God<p>This past weekend I was exchanging emails with Catherine, one of the first-year students in our <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Doulos Training School</a> (DTS), regarding my article called <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2013/04/striving-to-enter-kingdom-of-god.html" target="_blank">Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God</a>, which I wrote several years ago. She was expressing her appreciation for the article, which was a new teaching for her, since she had never heard it taught in any of the churches in the UK where she lives. She initially said, "I have always believed and lived a relationship with our Lord, but not by striving before."</p><p>However, a couple days later, she remembered a supernatural experience she once had while striving to be closer to the Lord, when she was just a teen. It's such a remarkable experience, and such a great example of biblical striving, that I felt I should post it here, so that everyone could benefit from it. Here is the testimony in her words:</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Catherine's Testimony</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0U1Xd19P8TIknmy8C0ri9PttQE4Q4RotrCntOoW9Xx2fwPJfX09Ux6nPQEzGIY-WrKEfYB2s0GsdNpfFpvuWGuzIcnHsljcUGDQmoy9gzd74RkMOK6UbjqeW0WTk5NOs3DwzTpVsqKYs/s1644/Catherine+Atherton+%2528croped+3%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1644" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0U1Xd19P8TIknmy8C0ri9PttQE4Q4RotrCntOoW9Xx2fwPJfX09Ux6nPQEzGIY-WrKEfYB2s0GsdNpfFpvuWGuzIcnHsljcUGDQmoy9gzd74RkMOK6UbjqeW0WTk5NOs3DwzTpVsqKYs/w200-h187/Catherine+Atherton+%2528croped+3%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The Lord brought back to remembrance, the true short story of what happened when I was fourteen, I hope you don't mind me sharing this with you.<p></p><p>I was at a Butlins holiday camp in Minehead, UK, with my foster parents and they went to their son's wedding, they didn't want me with them so after breakfast she gave me a green, 1-pound (£1) British banknote for lunch, I felt more rejection.</p><p>There is a big hill nearby so I made my way to this hill and walked up to the top, determined to strive and seek and find God. I had nothing to eat or drink all day (after only a light breakfast), as I was determined to meet with God. I spent all day at the top of this hill and found God and His love and peace. I felt so loved and happy, and no more pain of rejection. But as I came down to the bottom of the hill, I realised that I was lost, and I couldn't remember the Chalet number at the holiday camp either.</p><p>I asked Jesus for His help, then I met a man called Paul (he had a beard, and he looked Jewish, like I had seen in books at school). He Said, "You are lost aren't you?" </p><p>I said, "Yes," </p><p>He had a green jeep, so I accepted a lift from him. He told me about my foster parents and about my vision that I had received from the Lord a month earlier, which I thought I had only told my school friend Sandra about. I wondered, "How does Paul know so much about me?" He took me to the right chalet, and I turned to say thank you and wave goodbye, but Paul and his jeep had just disappeared.</p><p>My foster mother said, "Where have you been, it's 7:00 pm?" </p><p>I said, "I got lost, and your friend Paul found me and brought me home." </p><p>She said, "We don't have a friend called Paul, You must have been with a stranger, and what have I told you about not talking with strangers."</p><p>I went to bed and read in the Bible, the Scripture that says, "You will entertain angels and not know it." (paraphrase from Hebrews 13:2). So I knew God had sent His angel to save me.</p><p>So our Lord told me, "This is what I am teaching you to do every day to diligently seek Me and strive to come closer all the time and I will bless you."</p><p>So thank you so much for your amazing article, it has been such a revelation and a blessing to me, and I feel closer to the Lord already.</p><p>I only wish I could teach others, I will pray about other people joining the (<a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">DTS</a>) studies as it is so important for the church.</p><p>Praying for you all.</p><p>Bless you all.</p><p>Sister Catherine</p><p>[END OF TESTIMONY]</p><p>-----------------</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Closing Words</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQEI-WwwUkMYUEdi72cTlGpHKBL7pEcCv0dSn0uDnc_VFFlIaOAm2dCSU0tXMfECEy9lZuTmx4m3bHdxJY27fnEVGTPofh5NSc02wbS2maQt7am0ZsuRMWNtLdusVLhyphenhyphenNe7CxxUjrE81J/s1272/Paul+the+Apostle+as+Catherine+Hughes+saw+him.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1272" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQEI-WwwUkMYUEdi72cTlGpHKBL7pEcCv0dSn0uDnc_VFFlIaOAm2dCSU0tXMfECEy9lZuTmx4m3bHdxJY27fnEVGTPofh5NSc02wbS2maQt7am0ZsuRMWNtLdusVLhyphenhyphenNe7CxxUjrE81J/w200-h149/Paul+the+Apostle+as+Catherine+Hughes+saw+him.png" width="200" /></a></div>What an amazing testimony! Let me just comment regarding the Jewish man named Paul, who met Catherine at the bottom of the hill, told her all about her life, and then disappeared after he dropped her off at the chalet where her parents were staying--even though she didn't know which chalet it was. She told me that the picture to the left most closely resembles him. While it could have been an angel, since the Bible clearly tells us we may encounter angels without being aware of it, it is my belief that this was the apostle Paul. It is just as easy for God to have one of the living saints in glory appear and help us in some way, as it is for Him to send an angel or another earth-dwelling human being. <p></p><p>When I told Catherine that I and my family all believe it was the apostle Paul, she replied, "Yes I agree with you, I do believe it was St Paul that was sent to me. He had so much love and compassion just as he does in his letters to the churches in the New Testament, and his love and passion for Jesus our Lord is awesome. When I read his letters in the New Testament, it's like I know him in Spirit and I remember my encounter with him."</p><p>She continued, "As our Lord has shown me, this is such an important teaching. I have had so much joy being closer to our Lord since I learned this teaching and remembering my encounter with St Paul. Striving to be closer to our Lord brings a stronger faith and blessings."</p><p>Why should any of you consider it incredible that God could do this? He is the Sovereign Lord and nothing is too difficult for Him. Just as Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36), so the Lord can permit anyone He so wishes to have this sort of experience. </p><p>This is all part of <a href="http://thapostlescreed.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-communion-of-saints.html" target="_blank">the communion of the saints</a> that is spoken of in Scripture and in the Apostles' Creed. We believe in the communion of the saints. According to the apostle John, "...if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin." (1Jn 1:7). Those who walk in the light in this way not only have fellowship with the Lord, but with the saints here on earth. And if God chooses to allow it, they also have fellowship with the saints in glory. </p><div>However, we are not to seek to initiate direct contact with them. Such encounters come to those who diligently seek the Lord Himself, like John did on the Isle of Patmos. While he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, he had an amazing revelation from God that he wrote down in the book of Revelation. Not only did he see the Lord Jesus Christ and the heavenly Father, he also saw angels and saints in glory, including the twenty-four elders. In fact, he spoke with one of the twenty-four elders (Rev 7:13). And many believe that the particular angel who spoke with him and showed him things in heaven was actually the prophet Daniel. John wrote:</div><div><br /></div><div><div>"At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, 'Don't do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.'" (Rev 19:10)</div></div><div><br /></div><div>The reason many believe this was the prophet Daniel is that he told John that he is a fellow servant with him and his brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. A fellow servant (Gr. sumdoulos) of John and other disciples of Christ signifies being one of them and coequal with them. And the reason he is believed to be the prophet Daniel is that God gave Daniel an apocalyptic revelation of the end times, too, as written in the book of the Bible that bears his name. The books of Daniel and Revelation fit together like a lock and a key. How fitting it would be for Daniel to speak with John during his heavenly encounter and show him the things he showed him.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dear friend, I hope this brief testimony from Catherine has encouraged you to diligently seek the Lord and strive to draw closer to Him all the time. Press in to know Him more. Ask Him to draw you close to Himself. And may the Lord give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him more.</div><div><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Epilogue</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlqWZvQtdSuiwKlQURPAFfxz51hRMA0kYYJdNqtUD_SWd9__XotGdZYRF1W_CRqNCXum8BtPHy9fChIWC5oDa9KYriWKIaqvPBt4_L_YESjouwT80kODWPzU09C-T5HO-xgZK5pAuO_ah/s807/Mary+as+Catherine+Hughes+saw+her.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="695" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlqWZvQtdSuiwKlQURPAFfxz51hRMA0kYYJdNqtUD_SWd9__XotGdZYRF1W_CRqNCXum8BtPHy9fChIWC5oDa9KYriWKIaqvPBt4_L_YESjouwT80kODWPzU09C-T5HO-xgZK5pAuO_ah/w173-h200/Mary+as+Catherine+Hughes+saw+her.jpg" width="173" /></a></div>After I posted this article with Catherine's testimony, we exchanged more emails about it, and she explained that a month before this trip to the holiday camp with her foster parents, she had received a vision from the Lord, in which he sent Mary to her. She wrote:</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus gave me vision, in which He sent His mother, to say to me, "You are a child of God, " Then I heard Jesus' voice saying, "Do not fear for I am always with you." </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Mary had dark hair and brown eyes, and looked like a young Jewish girl (closely resembling woman in photo to left). The Catholic Church portrays her as English with fair hair and blue eyes. She doesn't look like they portray; they have her wrong. She spoke with great authority, and a strong voice. She spoke the same English as I do, with the South London accent, as I was brought up in South London. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Then a month later, when I sat in Paul's Jeep with him, he said, "Jesus sent you a vision of his mother to tell you that you are a child of God and Jesus told you not to be afraid, as He is with you always." </div><div><br /></div><div>And I said, "Yes, you are right." It was then I thought he must be an angel, as he knew everything about me and I had only told my school friend Sandra about the vision, no one else knew about it. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Holy Spirit later told me that Jesus sent his mother to me, to help heal the trauma of having an abusive foster mother, and never having a loving mother. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I tell people about this vision, I always point out that Jesus sent his mother to me so that I would know who I belong to -- 'Jesus' -- and not to become a Catholic as some people have said. For although I didn't see Jesus that night, He was still there, because I heard his voice loud and clear, which is a witness to Catholics that Jesus is our Saviour, and they must not pray to or worship Mary. </div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://thapostlescreed.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-communion-of-saints.html" target="_blank">The Communion of the Saints</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2013/04/striving-to-enter-kingdom-of-god.html" target="_blank">Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God</a>, <a href="http://wordistrue.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-truth-about-roman-catholic-church.html" target="_blank">The Truth About the Roman Catholic Church</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-night-lord-came-into-my-hut.html" target="_blank">The Night the Lord Came into My Hut</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-overflowing-joy-in-knowing-jesus.html" target="_blank">My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus</a>, and <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/p/lifted-out-of-slimy-pit.html">Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit</a>, which are the testimonies of myself and two of my other children. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. </div><p><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-43872695075739019732021-11-22T12:56:00.317-08:002021-12-09T11:25:28.508-08:00A Spirit Led Strategy for Evangelism<p>This is an amazing, true testimony of Spirit-led soul winning. Brother Max in Uganda, one of our First-Year students in our <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/2015/08/doulos-training-school.html" target="_blank">Doulos Training School (DTS)</a> of discipleship, formed a <a href="http://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2015/08/life-transformation-groups.html" target="_blank">Life Transformation Group (LTG)</a>, which is one of the requirements for our DTS students. Max formed the LTG with his two friends Jimmy and Pascal. Max (pictured left below) states:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR5_mGCpzSB_vH3jWxlMHEDK9S4i_noW2rlcgREtFX4dN-cXyMv_LhPWB-_V20aXJpetGVe9e6rohCqf3gDeGP4wNBmBFPeQZOo6Z5IYCsVF2iNDP9-REzEcE_RKqU-CwU1GbI-cNxueG/s480/James+Maxwell+%2528cropped%2529+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="436" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR5_mGCpzSB_vH3jWxlMHEDK9S4i_noW2rlcgREtFX4dN-cXyMv_LhPWB-_V20aXJpetGVe9e6rohCqf3gDeGP4wNBmBFPeQZOo6Z5IYCsVF2iNDP9-REzEcE_RKqU-CwU1GbI-cNxueG/w182-h200/James+Maxwell+%2528cropped%2529+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="182" /></a></div>"Both Jimmy and Pascal were my friends before they became my LTG group members, but brother Jimmy was first, who indeed had been an opium smoker. Before I joined the DTS, we built a team in 2013 to share the gospel, and the Holy Spirit led us to share from John 3 the story of Jesus and Nicodemus. We kept praying and reaching out to share the love of God and win souls one-on-one.<p></p><p>The first person by the name of Mugisha, gave his life to Jesus through a brother named Eric, who went to be with the Lord in 2017. Mugisha went to his other friends and started to share his testimony. He shared the same message, and told those friends some people met him with that message. He told them that as he prayed he felt different and he didn't want to go back to the old life. Then he asked those who would pray like him to receive Jesus, and out of those who prayed, Jimmy was among them. This was 2014, and when we were told we got a hold of Jimmy, we started training Jimmy to learn the Word and start to obey God. Graciously he did so, until he could then share the story too, and win souls. </p><p>Now Jimmy shared the gospel with Pascal and his friends three years ago, and among them Pascal became teachable along the years. He is from a Catholic background, but now he is a born-again soul winner, serving in his local church. </p><p>When I learnt of DTS, I was hungry to know the Word and continue to raise true disciples to the Lord Jesus. I started an LTG group together with Jimmy and Pascal, as I learned to do through the DTS training. Also the Lord would add to our knowledge and make us better disciples for Him, so that we can help many. And through DTS, we are just learning new things that continue to bless us more. </p><p>I began to observe that throughout the season that I have just described, the Holy Spirit made it simple for the hearers of our message to re-tell the message they heard from the conveyers, which are members of our team, because we engaged home-to-home, door-to-door, and market-to-market everywhere we went. I can't say why we were led to evangelize that way, but I believe that only God's Spirit could have put it in our minds for that season, for we all wondered at it, too."</p><p>Praise the Lord for the way He led brother Max and his team to evangelize this way. Now here are the testimonies of his two LTG partners, brothers Jimmy and Pascal. Let's begin with the testimony of Jimmy (pictured left below):</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRldAZcI6NGAD4s83aV0yoxMqmCOrcIp7EGvRXZVHfY0X9ZF4YNt05O7VyFe1qg6QvIr2NkutAO9szm7fkpV7mMdZWHng6Fl_8S957_3sVkYVwS45p1rjQM6oWaBOGNuxRD9-7NrBkiWp/s480/Jimmy+Orombi+tree+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="436" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRldAZcI6NGAD4s83aV0yoxMqmCOrcIp7EGvRXZVHfY0X9ZF4YNt05O7VyFe1qg6QvIr2NkutAO9szm7fkpV7mMdZWHng6Fl_8S957_3sVkYVwS45p1rjQM6oWaBOGNuxRD9-7NrBkiWp/w182-h200/Jimmy+Orombi+tree+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="182" /></a></div>"I grew up in Protestant family and was a religious person, but I involved myself in the use of drugs like opium, and drank alcohol for ten years. But one day someone shared with me in the Bible book of John 3:1-21, and I prayed the prayer of confession and welcomed Jesus into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior, and my life is changed. By God's grace, I am doing the work of evangelism, and I have a ministry, of which I am the vision bearer, called the Revival Cross Network Ministry. Our purpose is mainly to make people know that religion is a barrier to salvation. Many people are getting saved, and we are establishing churches and training youths for missionary work."<p></p><p>Here is Pascal's testimony:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIodqdWV5N6mEnqt20JqcvK04YCRlOAr-CMKE9NKCZKNZhurOh-hgEvMrkAamfr0Bk8MgJXYOVZMjMi967b8mmEhI09Pu3ybxPO3Jmi4OR_xrbIi8yBgpT4qzH4NiK-gZCKjYvqaU6znf3/s480/Pascal+C+w+background+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="480" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIodqdWV5N6mEnqt20JqcvK04YCRlOAr-CMKE9NKCZKNZhurOh-hgEvMrkAamfr0Bk8MgJXYOVZMjMi967b8mmEhI09Pu3ybxPO3Jmi4OR_xrbIi8yBgpT4qzH4NiK-gZCKjYvqaU6znf3/w200-h184/Pascal+C+w+background+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>"I am from strong Catholic background. Before I got saved, l was a drug addict, smoking marijuana and cigarettes, eating Marungi, and deep into alcohol. I would go to nightclubs, but then on Sundays I was in the Church. On December 3, 2019, a brother called Jimmy came to our home, sharing the gospel of John 3:1-21. <p></p><p>I realised that I was a sinner and that what I had been doing was not right before God, so I gave my life to Christ. He took me and baptized me by immersion in water. After baptism, I started going out to share my testimony with my friends. Everything about my life changed, I stopped drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, cigarettes, and other things. My life is changed, and I am running with the message that has changed my life."</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Closing Words</span></p><p>Dear friend, I hope that this testimony has encouraged you to reach out and evangelize those who don't know Jesus. They are lost without Him and in need of the Savior. Without Him, they will perish. You have seen how the Lord guided brother Max by giving him a wonderful and effective strategy for evangelism. And he carried out that strategy well, going from door to door and market to market, reaching them one at a time. It may not seem very effective to some people, because of the slow progress. </p><p>But just consider how the Lord multiplied disciples this way. Max got together with Eric to discuss the leading of the Holy Spirit, and they often went out to share the gospel together, covering different areas, and holding each other accountable, as they followed up with those who were serious, and they prayed for God to multiply disciples through them. Together they focused on the ones who gave themselves to hear the Lord through them, and they watched over those who did so, giving more time to them, so they could be trained. Max guided the team, focusing on those who were faithful, available, and teachable (FAT). </p><p>Eric, before he died and went to be with the Lord, led Mugisha to Christ. Mugisha in turn shared his testimony with his friends, and some of them, one of which was Jimmy, accepted the Lord Jesus into their hearts. The Lord set Jimmy free from all the bondages to the things he was addicted to, and his life was forever changed. Then he, too, obediently shared his testimony with others, as he was taught to do. He shared from John 3 about Jesus and Nicodemus and the fact that you must be born again. And the Lord used him, too. One of the people who came into the kingdom through Jimmy was Pascal, who was also set free from bondage like Jimmy was, and Pascal's life was forever changed by the Lord. Now Pascal, too, is sharing his testimony with others, as he follows Jesus on his journey.</p><p>Most importantly Jimmy and Pascal are both in a <a href="http://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2015/08/life-transformation-groups.html" target="_blank">Life Transformation Group</a> (LTG) together with Max, growing together in Christ, as they read the Bible each week, pray for the lost, and hold each other accountable, as they seek to be a witness for Christ through their words and actions. Moreover, they are all in the Doulos Training School (DTS), where they are now learning to be disciples of Christ, so they can get closer to Him and help even more people. Lastly, since their testimony is now posted online, it is reaching even more people than ever, all over the world. All that began with the obedience of brother Max. Just think what the Lord could do through you, if you let Him. Below I will provide you with some tools to do that and also invite you to pray about applying for enrollment in our DTS.</p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, as well as <a href="http://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2015/08/life-transformation-groups.html" target="_blank">Life Transformation Groups</a>, <a href="http://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-start-ltg.html" target="_blank">How to Start an LTG</a>, <a href="http://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2015/08/rescue-souls.html" target="_blank">Rescue Souls!</a>, <a href="https://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2019/03/share-jesus-without-fear.html" target="_blank">Share Jesus Without Fear</a>, and <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/2015/08/doulos-training-school.html" target="_blank">Doulos Training School</a> (DTS). Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>.</p><p><span style="font-size: xx-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span></p><p>If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-46801732340103032242021-07-30T19:16:00.038-07:002021-08-29T20:01:16.635-07:00Former Child Soldier Delivered from Alcohol<p>This is the amazing story of a man named Martin, who was forever changed by the saving power of Jesus Christ in the year 2000.<br/><br/>
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">Martin's Testimony</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX4Teci0XSfFB_F_-okZ2Do9jHyPXMMDVT3NU8VwDuU4n28HjCQOz4cX9Rkl1SGR9ndO7MMz595raJqWNXF78PrMLWhd4uaV0rQHK6__d_1uAa_mejxAdafK4cq88nOVw0q2vYM5ie6gB/s480/Martin+Kuku+W+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="480" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX4Teci0XSfFB_F_-okZ2Do9jHyPXMMDVT3NU8VwDuU4n28HjCQOz4cX9Rkl1SGR9ndO7MMz595raJqWNXF78PrMLWhd4uaV0rQHK6__d_1uAa_mejxAdafK4cq88nOVw0q2vYM5ie6gB/w200-h197/Martin+Kuku+W+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I grew up in South Sudan (at the time, Sudan). Just after I was born, my father left. Four years later, I lost my mother. When the war in South Sudan broke out, my older brother and sister died, and the government forced me to become a child soldier. I spent two years on the frontlines before I escaped to Egypt. There, a Canadian church (MCC) led me to Christ.<p></p><p>It was just another day, or so I thought. Little did I know my entire life as I knew it was about to change forever. Let me explain…</p><p>It was that time of year of 2000 when the Easter Fest came in Cairo Egypt. As I was not yet a born again Christian, it was a time of enjoying music, food, and most of all…beer. I could drink all I wanted, and had a “good” reason for it. My friends had come up for the weekend, so we could go to a disco place together.</p><p>Then I had left just before noon on Saturday to go down to the party, and I began drinking as soon as we got there. We returned home hours later to get everyone else to go back down to the disco hall. I never missed a beat – I just kept on drinking. Later that night, I was so drunk that I did something in which I really embarrassed myself. Everyone I was with began to laugh at me. They thought it was funny, but I was overcome. It was at that moment I knew something had to change; I couldn’t continue to live this way.</p><p>I HATED what I had become—a drunk. On the following day, which was Easter Sunday, some students from VBI reached out to us in our area of Maadi Arab Cairo. One of them was preaching, and he said, “The Bible tells us in Proverbs 23:29-30, 'Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine.'"</p><p>It was at that moment I knew something had to change; I couldn’t continue to live this way.</p><p>That entire week, I prayed that God would show me whether or not I was truly saved.</p><p>I was invited by the youths who reach out to our area to their college. During my visit, there was fellowship. However, as the pastor preached, it was as if no one else was in the church except me. It seemed as if the whole message was pointed at me.</p><p>God began to show me my sin and to show me that I was not saved. God had answered my prayers! Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”</p><p>When the invitation was given at the end of the service, I wanted to jump over the pews to get to the altar. That was 2000; I surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I repented of all my sin and put my faith in Jesus and what He had done for me, taking my place on the cross. It was indeed “the day of salvation” for me and the beginning of a new life.</p><p>Everything began to change, from the inside out. It wasn’t a reformation; it was a life-transformation. My drinking—the thing I had struggled with for so many years—stopped. I no longer had a desire for it. In fact, I haven’t touched a drop since that day. Without me even trying, I noticed my foul language changed. I have a love for the Lord and a desire to share Christ with everyone I know. I now have peace and assurance of my salvation.</p><div>After the Canadian church in Egypt led me to Christ, they awarded me a scholarship to Victory Bible Institute. I met my wife, Rita, in Cairo. She shared my calling, which is to serve displaced and abused South Sudanese women and children.</div><p>When Egypt became unsafe for refugees, we fled to Israel. In 2010, I and my wife Rita returned to South Sudan to begin the Children of Light Mission. But when war broke out again, we moved our work, ministry, and family to Uganda. </p><p>Right now we offer spiritual care for women and child refugees in the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement and in Kampala. Our vision is for people of different tribes to live in peaceful coexistence through the example of Christ. </p><p>END OF MARTIN'S TESTIMONY</p><p>--------------</p><p>Praise the Lord for that amazing testimony!</p><p>Perhaps you are bound by alcohol and you would like to be free. Jesus Christ can set you free, if you will give your life to Him. He said, "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed." (Joh 8:36). He can not only set you free, but give you an abundant life that is full of love, joy, and peace, such that it will overflow into other people's lives. Like He did for Martin, He can use your life to touch countless others with His love. I invite you to repent and give your whole heart and life to Him today.</p>
<p></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-overflowing-joy-in-knowing-jesus.html" target="_blank">My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus</a>, and <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/p/lifted-out-of-slimy-pit.html">Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit</a>, which are the testimonies of myself and two of my other children. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-12459353689815452192021-07-15T16:42:00.055-07:002022-07-29T12:43:45.013-07:00Boy Raised from the Dead After One Day<p>I received the following testimony from brother Justus (pictured below with blue jacket and red tie), one of our <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Doulos Training School</a> (DTS) students, who is a pastor in Uganda. The Lord recently used him through the power of Jesus' Name to raise from the dead a boy who had been deceased for a day. He wrote:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYNLjbH-ac_Ve2Hxhsue4bRzIBeMR6YiuLcWLVM5KvarqRyUapFMhY-4Uo0i2okVLvfiRb0gCzjaomiJTBLxF60BFh_Y7bf3lu6JoInGLNwIIwuzC1_kRJxFpLTImXnhxDBZLhnjkUVkO67aGaphs4ZM_zN_FQcJ_pWxJc-AhIq3-U-7LGqxsMQWDbg/s480/Justus%20Ogura%20(cropped)%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="480" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJYNLjbH-ac_Ve2Hxhsue4bRzIBeMR6YiuLcWLVM5KvarqRyUapFMhY-4Uo0i2okVLvfiRb0gCzjaomiJTBLxF60BFh_Y7bf3lu6JoInGLNwIIwuzC1_kRJxFpLTImXnhxDBZLhnjkUVkO67aGaphs4ZM_zN_FQcJ_pWxJc-AhIq3-U-7LGqxsMQWDbg/w200-h192/Justus%20Ogura%20(cropped)%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>"GOD is good and worthy of praise. Last week, June 13, 2021, l was called for a family deliverance in Boke Lira City, Uganda. There was a son born in this family named Odongo Hosman, thirteen years old. The boy was paralyzed, could not walk, sit, or turn off to the other side of the bed...<p></p><p>The condition [grew] worse and unbelievable. His parents tried their best caring for and taking Odongo to Hospital, but there was no improvement, to the point where the boy died.</p><p>As l ministered to the family from Rev.5:5 the boy began to sweat. Life came back [into him], when I was holding up the boy in my chest.</p><p>[A week later] on June 20, 2021, the father gave a testimony through the phone call saying [that] because of the lock down they have gone to the village; and he continued saying that the boy is walking, running, eating and completely healed.</p><p>We give God the glory and honor. For in Christ, life is complete with all the fullness thereof.....(Col.2:9-10).</p><p>Thanks.</p><p>Justus"</p><p>He later clarified that the parents could not continue taking the boy to Mbale Regional hospital, to which he had been referred by the local doctors in Lira, who had been puzzled at the boy's condition. As the boy was brought home on June 12th, around 9:00 pm, he stopped breathing, his body became very cold, his eyes turned white, and the elders pronounced him dead. The report went to the village where the father comes from, and they were waiting for the body in the village. The following day (June 13th) was when brother Justus was called in to minister to the family, and the boy was brought back to life.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Corroborating Testimony of Nelson Ociti</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlC3xsrNqNPoiH-FVfjqn0C73WYZoLTbzQ-sa6rXZxqko-Qcbr_kWUHgCXyXiSrpTtGuudhQNQoPmbTT_zg2zzCvNnws_4gVkjq9njly8rUkILcMrynhm9AkT1nEiry70hNCnf1djuXjn86tVnia1mnsyF9fgd4CuKdoSe4ZiMRMV9Z55Xf3kNZOYubA/s480/Nelson%20Ociti%20with%20Odongo%20Hosman%201%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlC3xsrNqNPoiH-FVfjqn0C73WYZoLTbzQ-sa6rXZxqko-Qcbr_kWUHgCXyXiSrpTtGuudhQNQoPmbTT_zg2zzCvNnws_4gVkjq9njly8rUkILcMrynhm9AkT1nEiry70hNCnf1djuXjn86tVnia1mnsyF9fgd4CuKdoSe4ZiMRMV9Z55Xf3kNZOYubA/s320/Nelson%20Ociti%20with%20Odongo%20Hosman%201%20Medium%20Web%20view.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>On July 23, 2022, a year after the incident, I finally called and spoke to a brother named Nelson Ociti (pictured left), who witnessed this miracle firsthand. This man is a pastor, who is now raising the boy himself, since the boy is a relative of his without anyone to raise him.<p></p><p>You see, the boy's father is Nelson's nephew, the son of Nelson's sister. And the relationship between Nelson and the boy's father was so close that Nelson called him "my son". But at the time that the boy died, the boy's father had already passed away, and his mother had remarried someone else in another place, leaving the boy effectively without any parents. </p><p>The boy was from a very poor family, and when he became very sick, the mother came and took him to the health center. But when his condition worsened, she brought him back to brother Nelson (his great uncle) and then she went away again. </p><p>Finally the boy was pronounced dead. The next day they had the dead boy in a sitting room, and brother Nelson asked brother Justus to join him in praying to God for the boy to be revived. This attracted many neighbors from the local area, who had gathered around to witness it, and women were screaming, because the boy was dead. As these two brothers prayed for the boy, they saw him begin to breath, so they covered him with a blanket and a papyrus mat. </p><p>The boy woke up sweating all over. He looked tired and miserable, and he was unable to speak. He was looking around at all the people who were watching, but he did not know what had happened to him. At that point, brother Justus put the boy up high on his shoulders, and the boy was so light that Justus could barely feel his weight. At that point all the people were rejoicing, because they were so grateful that the boy was alive again.</p><p>Then they had the boy bathed and afterward they organized to get him some porridge to drink, since he hadn't eaten in days. He was able to consume the drink, and after a few hours he was able to walk with some help from others, although he struggled to do so, since he still had poor balance. But within a few days he was able to regain his strength and walk on his own once again. However, as I mentioned already, the boy was not aware that he had been brought back from the dead, and he had no experience to report about with regard to the period when he was dead. In other words, he had no memory of any supernatural experiences that may have occurred.</p><p>Since that time, brother Nelson has gotten married and is raising the boy with his new wife as their adopted son (pictured altogether above). His marriage to this woman was organized so that they could raise the boy and brother Nelson's children together, because Nelson's first wife had died of diabetes five years earlier, and he had been a single parent during that time. Brother Nelson says the boy has a good disposition and goes around smiling all the time, but he needs the Lord to heal him from the emotional trauma caused by his fellow classmates at school and others, who know about what happened to him and persecute him.</p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">Closing Words</span></p><p>Hallelujah! Praise the Lord for what He has done for this boy and his family. Some people don't believe this is even possible. But Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (Jn 14:12, NIV). Why should anyone consider it incredible that God raises the dead?</p><div><i>Attribution Notice</i>: All Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission.</div><div><div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span><span>Some changes were made to the wording of Grace's testimony with his permission, in order to add clarity or for easier reading without changing the meaning. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>If you still have any doubt as to whether this testimony is true, please read <a href="https://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.com/2022/07/have-spiritual-gifts-ceased.html" target="_blank">Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read these other testimonies called <a href="http://plovdivtestimonies.blogspot.com/2012/05/raised-from-dead.html" target="_blank">Pastor Raised from the Dead</a>, <a href="http://romaniatestimonies.blogspot.com/2012/09/testimonies-from-voila.html" target="_blank">Testimonies from Voila</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2022/02/amazing-healing-and-deliverance-in.html" target="_blank">Amazing Healing and Deliverance in Uganda</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-body-parts-storehouse-in-heaven.html" target="_blank">The Body Parts Storehouse in Heaven</a> and <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-night-lord-came-into-my-hut.html" target="_blank">The Night the Lord Came into My Hut</a>. You are also invited to read the testimony of Elisabeth from Indonesia that he referred to call <a href="https://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2021/09/40-days-in-heaven-and-hell.html" target="_blank">Forty Days in Heaven and Hell</a>. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. </div><p><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p></div>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-68367289517041324402020-09-17T21:57:00.011-07:002024-02-22T20:16:39.327-08:00Given a New Heart and Sweet Peace<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd like to share with you the testimony of my daughter Hope, who is now twenty-three years old (in 2024). This is her own personal account of how she came to know the Lord, and how He gave her a new heart with sweet peace. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: xx-large;">Hope's Testimony</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="480" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGbn1kWLdAaGghY0U5bB-ASwS6BScoleYsSV2B7O7RGQRXDscUsxFB0zMVYv254639VwOt2JN4w37crGZirU_h-DNe69MJYUO0YABCeJPZfG_dxbRXvRHfJN2_GnxOLg4_0mA7gF-CEWJ/w200-h195/Hope+2+yo+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="200" /></div>I grew up as the second oldest of five children in a strong Christian household, where we studied the Bible and prayed together and were brought up in the ways of the Lord from a very young age. We were also encouraged to pray and to have a personal relationship with the Lord. From a very young age it was evident that I had already come to know the Lord. When I was just barely two, I liked to pray for people. I also went around our house saying, "We don't worship idols. We worship Jesus." When I was a tender three years of age, I said, "I love Jesus" and He put "a new heart inside my heart.” At this same age, my dad saw a lot of good things growing out of my heart. During the day, I talked about Jesus, expressing my love for him, and had a joyful spirit about me. One time when I was four, I said, "The blood of Jesus is on the door of our hearts." <br /><br />Not only did I have a personal knowledge of the Lord, but when I was almost five, I suddenly asked my mom without any prompting, "Mommy? Can we go tell the neighbors about God? I'll tell the neighbors, 'You don't want to love the devil, because he wears black and there's fire in hell.'" I don’t think we actually went to talk to them, but there was that desire in me to evangelize to our neighbors. There were several times as a little girl when my father prayed with me to receive Jesus into my heart. One of those times was on August 3, 2006, when I was five years old. In addition to praying to receive Jesus, my dad laid his hands on me and prayed that I would be baptized in the Holy Spirit. When he did so, I told him that I felt happy. <br /><br />Almost a year later, on July 15, 2007, my family and I visited a church were my dad preached. During the message, he asked if there was anyone there who had not yet given his life to Jesus. Although I raised my hand, my dad I didn't see it. When my mom brought it up after we had returned home, I acknowledged that I had raised my hand. My answer when my parents asked me the reason why was, "Because I wanted to give my life to Jesus." My parents then prayed with me to invite Jesus into my heart and give my life to Him. A week later, I was baptized in Jesus’ name in the presence of friends and family. That moment marked the most significant change that had happened up until that point in my life.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="472" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDO6eX7-ClQvlrudZStkTMOcWqYYpKqlIZHrTX4fbav3n3TlBHhp-jZIJqjrzWqR0dHjZGI-GJpGfTfj0oaiOn8ggNtaGVg7juJgUrm8tKIwShI8FuoDWqu8bNTFP3SCXVNEAPIh9oG2L/w197-h200/Hope+7+cropped+2.jpg" width="197" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faith (L) and Hope (R)</td></tr></tbody></table>A couple months later, my sister already noticed a difference in me after our dad had taught us on praise, and I lifted my hands in worship. She related to my dad later, “I saw right through her hands and her arms that the Holy Spirit was all over her. For the first time I saw that Hope had freedom to lift her hands and praise God that I had never seen before she knew the Lord. But now she has that freedom.” The following year, my family and I watched a program which highlighted a revival in which young people were being set on fire for God. My sisters and I were inspired by this to hold our own revival meeting in our living room, which I led. As we played on drums we sang, “Baptize us in the Holy Spirit, baptize us in fire!" During this session, we also were praying for each other. <br /><br />Three and a half years later, when I was eleven, my family and I watched a video about two young ladies, one who had gone to hell and another who had seen Jesus. This video brought conviction to us, and we all repented and asked the Lord for forgiveness for our sins. We also asked the Lord to fill us with His Holy Spirit, and He did so. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues. This experience was the beginning of the Lord burning away the dross in my life. A week later, on New Year’s Eve, my family and I listened to a book by a South Korean pastor called “Baptized by Blazing Fire.” Through this book we all were encouraged to seek the Lord in prayer. My dad then prayed for me and both of my sisters. I repented of the darkness I had allowed in my heart and was set free. I also received the baptism with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. My family and I knelt down and prayed earnestly for quite some time. During this time that we spent seeking the Lord, I felt that God had set me free! <br /><br />After this time we spent in prayer, my family could all see the evidence of this new freedom on my face and in my eyes. They could see a peace in my countenance, and there was a gentleness they could see on me that they had not seen before. My face was aglow with a light upon it. It looked as though scales had been taken from my eyes, and they were now clear and glowing with light. In the period of my life leading up to that point, I had allowed a lot of demons into my life. I had a lot of self-hatred and even entertained suicidal thoughts. But the Lord had begun a work in my life to bring me out of that darkness into the Light. I was still far from perfect, but the Lord was working to purify me from the things in my life that were not of Him. One morning, six months later, my older sister heard me awaken speaking in tongues. I had no idea that just a while before, my younger sister had also awoken speaking in tongues.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>In the years that followed, I still had sins in my life that I needed to deal with, and there were times when I wondered if I was even saved. During this time, one of my sisters went through a process of thinking for herself about God, and recommitting her life to Him. When she was going through that experience, my dad had told us that sometimes it is a good idea for young people, even if they have already given their lives to Jesus when they were little children, to renew that commitment to Him when they are older and have gone through a process where they have really thought for themselves about God, and independently made that decision to serve Him. Sometime after that, when I was almost fifteen years old, I decided that now was the time for me to recommit my life to the Lord. On October 10, 2015, I surrendered my life anew to Christ during my personal prayer time. <br /><br />Just a few weeks later, on November first, my mother had a word of prophecy for me during our family church meeting, which she spoke over me with tears. The word was, “This coming year of your life, the Lord wants to open your mind to greater understanding, greater revelation, greater knowledge of God, greater love for God, and for others. He wants to unfold your spirit like a flower bud opening up to the light of God.” She then prayed for these words to be fulfilled in my life. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfrVT5wOOsSb4TVn8etOe3woxrC7HEow5JiheEdNwtSsyyDOS4ej4yg96h7VCE2Y8pv7BjiSmV6F6SJPL_oqimS2Pb3iPDv27RjGHnRk6D6fkd-b-WOBnWf3yWapvjywh_oDBb2KFxSr6/s480/Hope+%2528cropped%2529+2014+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="480" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfrVT5wOOsSb4TVn8etOe3woxrC7HEow5JiheEdNwtSsyyDOS4ej4yg96h7VCE2Y8pv7BjiSmV6F6SJPL_oqimS2Pb3iPDv27RjGHnRk6D6fkd-b-WOBnWf3yWapvjywh_oDBb2KFxSr6/w200-h187/Hope+%2528cropped%2529+2014+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In the weeks that followed, I forgot about this word for me that the Lord had given through my mother. However, just months later, early the following year, the Lord began to bring these words to pass. I believe it started with the Lord bringing to my remembrance past sins in my life that I had not repented for. As I repented of those sins, the Lord kept bringing more to the surface. I also began to take even the small sins I committed in my everyday life seriously, crying and repenting for them. I was so aware of my sin that, there were times that I spent basically my entire personal prayer time repenting, sometimes crying from the depths of my heart over my sin. However, I needed to learn to accept God’s forgiveness and grace and not keep on beating myself up even after I had repented. During this time of refining, my dad told me that he had been noticing a change in me, which He believed the Lord was bringing me through so that I could have a breakthrough in the end. <br /><br />However, even though the Lord was bringing about this work in my life, the devil was also working to bring doubts into my mind. I started to wonder if God really existed and if Jesus had really come to earth and died for me on the Cross and risen again. There also were times when I didn’t feel that God heard me when I prayed. I went through days where I felt down, and didn’t feel like praying at times because of these doubts in my heart. I wanted to believe, and I kept on repenting of my unbelief. There were moments when I was alone when I cried my heart out in total despair because of these thoughts.<br /><br />During this time, my parents encouraged and counseled me. I remember one particular night where I had been praying alone, and I started to enter into this despair and to cry uncontrollably because of these doubts. My mom heard me, and came into the room where I was. Among other things she told me something like, as the hymn “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” says, darkness sometimes hides the Lord’s face, but we just need to trust that He is still there, even when we don’t feel His nearness. My dad came in at some point, and they told me to go lie down and rest, and just “be still and know that He is God.” As I was lying there and resting in the fact that He is God, I felt the Lord’s peace, and I believe it felt as if there was literally a supernatural peace in my chest.<br /><br />During this period of struggling with doubt, there was one time when I was listening to a replay of a Christian radio program, which had been from the previous Resurrection Sunday weekend. The focus of the program was about Thomas doubting when Jesus rose again from the dead. One of the passages quoted during the program was John 20:27 where Jesus said “Stop doubting and believe.” I felt that God was speaking to me through this to stop doubting. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>A little over a week later, during my personal prayer time I asked God to strengthen me and my family’s feeble hands and to strengthen our feeble knees that give way. After I had finished my regular Bible reading, I felt led to read an extra chapter in the Bible. I ended up reading Isaiah 35. Unbeknownst to me before I started reading, verse three of that passage says, “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way.” I had “coincidentally” stumbled upon the very verse I had just prayed! I don’t believe I had ever prayed this verse before so it was definitely the Lord’s doing that I chose to read this passage. I felt that through this divine coincidence that God may have been trying to show me that He hears my prayers, since I had been having doubts that He did. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrVWSmUeA05RznJdX4pmsx2HwCAgdvf1YpfK8Ru3EPVzJMmaJmqiYKBagp9jS3oJWzBB0rri-nHsg7QaZhGZv7KOkBq9vPXp4nXddv6dhTFiQ8dNP1aBw6oItRY8m5OWnHvuw6qdK7akH/s480/Hope+age+20+cropped+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="480" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrVWSmUeA05RznJdX4pmsx2HwCAgdvf1YpfK8Ru3EPVzJMmaJmqiYKBagp9jS3oJWzBB0rri-nHsg7QaZhGZv7KOkBq9vPXp4nXddv6dhTFiQ8dNP1aBw6oItRY8m5OWnHvuw6qdK7akH/w200-h199/Hope+age+20+cropped+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>During this time of struggling with unbelief, my dad also gave me articles of his to read to help strengthen my faith, such as one about Muslims who had been saved after Jesus appeared to them. Those were indeed faith-building. God eventually gave me victory and helped me to overcome these doubts. I give God all the glory for what He has brought about in me. Even though I am still far from perfect, I’m not the same person I used to be, and I believe that He Who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. <br /><br />Each and every one of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, no matter how good we may consider ourselves, even if we were raised in a Christian family and never went the way of the world. We all deserve eternal hellfire and torment. However, God loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus Christ into this dark world to die on the cross and take the punishment we deserve. Jesus rose again from the grave, victorious over death, and now reigns at God’s right hand. Jesus is longing for you to forsake your sins, and come follow Him for the rest of your days. If you have never made this decision, I invite you to do so today. Now is the time of God’s favor; now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2). No matter how young you may be, none of us is promised tomorrow, so this may be your last chance. <br /><br />Repent of every sin you’ve ever committed, and ask Jesus to forgive you and cleanse your heart as white as snow with His blood. Believe in your heart that Jesus took the penalty for your sins on the cross, and that He rose again. Surrender your whole life to Him, and make Him your Lord and Savior. If you are having doubts about God, I challenge you to cry out sincerely to Him and ask Him to reveal himself to you and help you overcome your unbelief, and He will surely do just that. He will bring you from darkness in his glorious light. I pray I will one day meet you at the throne of God when we reach heaven someday. <p></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-overflowing-joy-in-knowing-jesus.html" target="_blank">My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus</a>, and <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/p/lifted-out-of-slimy-pit.html">Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit</a>, which are the testimonies of myself and two of my other children. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br /><br />“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br /><br />Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">________________________________________________</div><p>Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> </p></div>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-44762951421053143272020-09-16T21:59:00.003-07:002024-02-22T20:17:09.659-08:00My Overflowing Joy in Knowing JesusI'd like to share with you the testimony of my youngest daughter Faith, who is now twenty-one years old (in 2024). This is her own personal account of how she came to know the Lord, based on her memory, as well as her own journal and the journal I have kept for all my children since they were born. This will bless your heart!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Faith's Testimony</span><br />
I was very blessed to be born as the third oldest child into a family with a father and mother who were Christians. They loved me and my siblings, taught us from the Bible, and prayed with us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four years old</td></tr>
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When I was three, my parents could see that I had faith in God when I thanked him for answering my prayers as though it had already happened. I would also sometimes sing along with the songs at church while clapping or lifting my hands in worship.<br />
<br />
At the age of four, I once prayed and heard the Lord telling me, “Be kind to your neighbors and bring peace.”<br />
<br />
A few months prior to my praying to receive Jesus, I already knew that He was the one true God, and this was shown when at one time I called over to our unsaved next-door neighbor, and said things like, “Love Jesus and serve Him”, and, “Love the Lord! He's the only true God that will answer your prayers! You will praise Him and He will love you and you will adore Him.”<br />
<br />
Then, one night when I was four years old, on August 3, 2006, we as a family were preparing to have our evening devotional. My father prayed and asked the Lord what passage to read from and was shown John 3. Just as that happened and before he said so, I announced, "The Lord said we're gonna read from John." Afterward I prayed to receive Jesus and be born again. Then my father laid hands on me and prayed for me to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God divinely orchestrated this event so that we read John 3 which is the passage that has the verses, “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again,’” (John 3:3) and, “Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.’” (John 3:5)<br />
<br />
About a month after this incident, I was outside and I yelled across the street to some of our neighbors saying, “Love Jesus! And love your neighbor as yourself!” In response, they closed their window.<br />
<br />
Sometime after this, my father got a word for me which was that I would move in the gifts of faith, miracles, and powerful healing. I would be a fisher of men and lead people to Jesus. I would get words of knowledge for people and speak into their lives and break the power of darkness off of them.<br />
<br />
On another occasion, I asked my aunt if she knew that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. I would even ask strangers if they knew and loved Jesus. And when I found out from some of them that they did, I got very excited. When I was five years old, I declared to my father that when I grew up I wanted to “go everywhere and tell people about Jesus” and that I would “go all over the planet and look for people who want to love Jesus”.<br />
<br />
At this age, I even dictated to my older sister the following declaration that I wanted her to record in my journal: “I love Jesus more than anyone else. And I want to serve Him for the rest of my life. And also I want to follow Him even when I am playing. God will comfort everyone in this family. And I will read the Bible every day. I want to praise Him in church. And I want to help other people when they are sad. I love Jesus, and I want to help my family. And I want Jesus to heal me.”<br />
<br />
There was one period of time in my fifth year where every night I would have night terrors and would scream in fright. When I woke up, I would not even remember what I had dreamt. My father finally cast out the spirit of fear that he discerned was causing these terrors. And when I rejected the evil spirits and prohibited them from returning to me, they didn’t come back. Praise the Lord!<br />
<br />
At the age of six, I told my father, "Daddy, I think part of what God wants me to do in life is to share Jesus with people."<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcmT_4uNtCSgSOpmTJEtPCfQV-0dLgSejfux7EllnRiMqoJWIxMpayIpzAAZRUyeJNyxMbLPT7hCIT_sjpWZm9m0JchGt7pyRBUrj_sOqZ5cgP2hsEnPx8KbfmtmMbgIyJW3J590SMU1Q/s1600/Faith+at+age+9+yrs+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="375" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcmT_4uNtCSgSOpmTJEtPCfQV-0dLgSejfux7EllnRiMqoJWIxMpayIpzAAZRUyeJNyxMbLPT7hCIT_sjpWZm9m0JchGt7pyRBUrj_sOqZ5cgP2hsEnPx8KbfmtmMbgIyJW3J590SMU1Q/s200/Faith+at+age+9+yrs+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nine years old</td></tr>
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When I was nine, my family and I watched a video about two girls—one who saw Jesus and another one who went to hell and came back to tell of her experience. Afterward, we all repented to the Lord of our sins. After asking the Lord to fill me with His Holy Spirit, I received this with the evidence of speaking in tongues.<br />
<br />
A few weeks later, we were again listening to testimonies, and we were all encouraged to seek the Lord. This was another point at which I was filled with the Holy Spirit, and at this time, I prayed fervently to the Lord for about an hour, repenting and confessing my sins to the Lord, dedicating myself to him, praising Him, and breaking any curses off of our family that the devil would try to put on us. (For more about this wonderful experience, please see <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2012/01/outpouring-of-spirit.html" target="_blank">Outpouring of the Spirit</a>.)<br />
<br />
There were other times later on when I received the Holy Fire and felt it on my body or in my hands as balls of fire. As the Scripture says, “He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11)<br />
<br />
One night, following these experiences, I dreamt that I was standing in a room with angels walking around. Whenever they would walk in front of or beside me, this wonderful weight would come upon me, and I would fall backwards because of it.<br />
<br />
A few days later, while I was in prayer, I asked the Lord to speak to me. So I waited and then heard, “Go out and minister.” I asked, “How, Lord?” And he impressed upon me Psalm 82. I didn’t know what this passage said, so in my Bible reading time, I looked it up. The verses that I believe God was answering my question with were verses 3 and 4. They say, “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” I was amazed at how clearly God had spoken to me.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FgHm091AsvNietzC8280J5fVZR_fVKgeEQQLpwfJFK2QGJxYyvmB-AMf34fWO3RWBgtkQ3mw_UuOBcsyiGCvtFQOq5B5M31hllYehyphenhyphenlFDG3EgHeQsa1i85E9eFa_g7jHNJW-p1RM99Uj/s1600/Faith+at+age+15+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="415" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FgHm091AsvNietzC8280J5fVZR_fVKgeEQQLpwfJFK2QGJxYyvmB-AMf34fWO3RWBgtkQ3mw_UuOBcsyiGCvtFQOq5B5M31hllYehyphenhyphenlFDG3EgHeQsa1i85E9eFa_g7jHNJW-p1RM99Uj/s200/Faith+at+age+15+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="172" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fifteen years old</td></tr>
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In May of 2018, at the age of fifteen, in my time with the Lord, I recommitted and surrendered my life to the Lord. I cried out for love, joy and peace, and as I told the Lord, “Thy loving-kindness is better than life,” I felt joy surging up within me.<br />
<br />
I praise the Lord for all that He has done in my life, and I know that God still has great things in store for me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">My Invitation to You</span><br />
But now it is your turn to make a decision. Maybe you, like me, were born into a Christian family, and you’ve gone to church all your life; maybe you even believe you’re a “good” person. But that is not enough. You must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. You need to recognize your sinfulness and repent, asking the Lord to forgive you and make you clean. He is waiting and more than willing, if you will ask Him to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life.<br />
<br />
Or maybe you’ve never heard the gospel before; let me tell you, Jesus is the only way to heaven. He doesn’t want you to perish in Hell. He loved you so much that He came to earth and took your sin upon Himself and died on the cross for you. He rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of God. He is knocking at the door of your heart wanting to come in and give you life, love, joy, and peace like you’ve never known before. Will you accept Him and the gift He has to offer you?<br />
<br />
Do it now; the time is short. No matter what you’ve done, God will receive you. Repent of your sins, ask Him for forgiveness, invite Him into your heart, take Him as your Lord and Savior, and surrender your life to Him to serve Him whole-heartedly. The Bible says, “That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.’” (Ro 10:9-11)<br />
<br />
I hope that my testimony has been an encouragement to you, and that it has touched your life in some way, whether you were saved already, or not, and you have just now started your heavenward journey. I look forward to seeing you some day at those pearly gates in glory.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Attribution notice</i>: Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. </div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/p/given-new-heart-with-sweet-peace.html">Given a New Heart and Sweet Peace</a>, and <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/p/lifted-out-of-slimy-pit.html" target="_blank">Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit</a>, which are the testimonies of myself and two of my other children. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-32026663099712440312020-04-29T11:13:00.003-07:002024-02-22T20:17:27.174-08:00Lifted Out of a Slimy Pit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fVDh-0XYw_yDyhpWhahCcEUagibM-wPwz1lNLnQ-TD-r-Cg-dgqpFgY7YOAALTuNlfF2367q_I-iAEcWeBsHmoSaRFVK4HF8kIHFVgwTo8BKDU88b9C4xgzWvVDox6sRJhQLyj0skxQV/s1600/Charity+L+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fVDh-0XYw_yDyhpWhahCcEUagibM-wPwz1lNLnQ-TD-r-Cg-dgqpFgY7YOAALTuNlfF2367q_I-iAEcWeBsHmoSaRFVK4HF8kIHFVgwTo8BKDU88b9C4xgzWvVDox6sRJhQLyj0skxQV/s320/Charity+L+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
I'd like to share with you the testimony of my oldest daughter Charity, who is now twenty-five years old (in 2024). This is her own personal account of how she came to know the Lord, and how the Lord brought her back to him later after she drifted away from him. This will bless your heart!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Charity's Testimony</span><br />
My relationship with God began at an early age. I grew up in a solid Christian family, where each family member was encouraged to have their own personal walk with Jesus. I believe that back then, I had started off at a very young age, really knowing God in a personal way and having a sincere love for Him, bubbling with joy and possessing childlike innocence. Yet I had a rebellious streak in me. And as we know, the enemy will exploit any opportunity he can.<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the way, I opened a door and allowed the enemy to take over part of my life. I became disconnected from God and for a season, I lost that precious relationship from earlier years. At one point, I even stopped reading my Bible and spending time with God in prayer, yet I never realized the indispensable gift slipping from grasp--my salvation. I became vulnerable to the voices of demons and began to succumb to the lure of sin. At the time, it never occurred to me that my sins were even sins, since my eyes were blinded over. Being unfamiliar with God’s Word, I failed to realize the Bible clearly states in 1 Co 6:9-11 that no unrighteous person will enter the Kingdom of God.<br />
<br />
It was between the ages of 8-10 that I got involved in secret sin. I had no idea that it was even sin, but the devil had me hooked like a fish to the bait. All along, I kept it under wraps so that my parents would never know. But sin will find you out! The illusion that you can keep it hidden is a hellish deception to keep you in bondage and eventually, you reason within that you’ll never escape it’s hold. You can’t hide from God. He sees everything in our lives, whether good or bad.<br />
<br />
As the years progressed and I kept my sin hidden, it snowballed. I was self-deceived as my ever-present curiosity got the best of me. <br />
<br />
Beginning in 2008, I made some very foolish mistakes. The open door I had neglected to close only enabled the enemy to gain a bigger stronghold in my life. Before long, I was even lying and stealing, all within my own family. Not even twelve years old yet, I also took advantage of my father’s computer to view adult content on the Internet. I would usually arise early in the morning to do this, so that I would not be discovered. But as the story often goes, I was eventually found out, and I recall the grief this inflicted. I was disciplined, but I don’t believe that I was truly repentant. I believe I was more remorseful that I had been found out than I was really sorry for what I had done.<br />
<br />
About two years later, we moved. There, my sin continued. The youthful lusts of my past and my intense curiosity grew like a weed. I brought much disgrace upon my head through the dishonoring of my parents, among other sins. Meanwhile, I thought I was a Christian, when in reality, I had drifted far from God. The lying and cover-ups continued. I was really convinced that I would get away with it. It amazes me that at the same time, God had been granting me so many dreams in which I was overcoming demons and I would see Jesus and heaven, but I never lived a life worthy of my calling as a Christian. I wrote a number of poems that spoke of God and how we need to live a holy life, but I wasn’t starting with myself!<br />
<br />
In December 2012, revival was brought to my family through <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2012/01/baptized-by-blazing-fire.html" target="_blank">Pastor Kim’s holy fire books</a>. I received <a href="http://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.com/2011/06/baptized-with-spirit.html" target="_blank">the baptism with the Holy Spirit</a>, with the evidence of speaking with new tongues, and there was deep repentance. I believe that the initial experience was absolutely of God, but I don’t recall ever repenting for the sins I was currently involved in. It shocks me that I never even gave a second thought to that. The truth is, I was a hypocrite. I wasn’t really changed. I might’ve thought I was, but I was fooled. Granted, God did some wonderful things in my life, but I had not yet turned from my wicked ways. I continued in the pattern of my strong will and disobedience. Did I ever stop to think that I was only hurting myself? I’m sure that thought crossed my mind more than once. But I kept on in the pleasures of sin, which as we know, are only promised for a short time (Heb 11:25)<br />
<br />
About five years prior to this spiritual awakening, I, along with my two younger sisters, had begun a <a href="http://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2015/08/life-transformation-groups.html" target="_blank">Life Transformation Group</a>\ (LTG) where we were assigned a specific amount of Bible reading and a list of lost souls to pray for daily. I was ten or eleven at the time. We would meet weekly to discuss each other's lives, and answer certain questions, which included the confession of sin. Although there were sins that I was confessing, I kept many other things hidden. If I recall correctly, there were times that I lied about having completed the assigned Scripture reading. And, like I said, I wasn't coming clean with any secret issues.<br />
<br />
There were so many dreams I had where God gave me victory over demonic creatures, but in reality, I was in bondage. I did what they told me to do and never gave it a second thought. Heaven and Jesus were also revealed to me through dreams during my childhood. I had so many heavenly experiences with God throughout my life. Occasionally I would receive words of encouragement for others. I also received inspired poems from the Lord. In addition to this, I was blessed with artistic talents.<br />
<br />
Regardless of how much He did through me, I was in a dangerous place when I was caught in the web of sin. As long as it was hidden, I was bound. So the cycle continued.<br />
<br />
I eventually stopped committing these sins around age 15 or 16. Gradually, every sin from the past faded from memory, as I pushed them aside and under the rug, until I really paid no consideration to the need for repentance<br />
<br />
After returning from Eastern Europe, by the time we had settled in North Carolina, I thought my relationship with God was actually going well. I was hearing from God, had re-established my daily prayer and Bible reading, and I felt that now, I was really starting to lead my life in a way that was pleasing to the Lord. I didn’t necessarily feel like I was a sinner, or that I was presently practicing sin. I was even starting to think differently. My perspective of everything, both spiritual and physical, seemed very different. Now, I was so careful about being honest to my parents and not lying about the smallest thing. God seemed to be at work in my heart. I was under the impression that He was “changing my thinking”, as I recall telling my dad one evening. And He was beginning to do a deep work in me. This was only the start of a cleansing that would take place over a period of weeks. I had no idea the transformation that was on the verge of happening.<br />
<br />
The true start of this transformation was the night my dad and I were having our customary one-on-one together, quality dad-and-daughter time. I was telling him all about how God was changing my thinking and how personal He was becoming to me. During that flow of thought, my dad suggested I recommit my life to God. He explained that often, people know God at an early age, but as the years progress, the need to refresh their commitment becomes necessary. The same could be applied to me. I had known God from an early age, but I hadn’t been faithful in my walk.<br />
<br />
As my dad was discussing this with me and even after we talked, the idea of recommitment was still a consideration in my mind. As it turns out, the very next day, February 15, 2014, at the age of 15, I took this vital step. Following this, everything changed.<br />
<br />
Two days transpired until one morning before school, I was simply going about my normal routine when it struck me out of literally nowhere: I came under the powerful conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. It overtook my thoughts. I was overcome with mixed feelings, such as fear, guilt, shame, and remorse. I thought to myself with a lump in my throat, I could never confess these sins to my parents. They’d never understand! All this time they were so convinced I was a godly girl. I had their trust. And besides, I can’t bear the shame this will bring.<br />
<br />
All throughout the first few hours of school, the conviction of the Holy Spirit weighed so heavily upon me that I could think of nothing else. I tried to get my mind off of it, but it overpowered me. I felt like my heart was sinking beneath the ground. I wanted to run and hide. But we cannot run from the Holy Spirit, The Spirit of God is everywhere.<br />
<br />
The same day, out of desperation, I brought the issue up with my mom while avoiding specific detail. All the while, tears were welling up in my eyes. I couldn’t help but cry. Could I have been so blind? For so long, it had somehow sufficed to sweep it all under the rug and “forget”. It never ceases to amaze me that God would chose to reveal my sins to me at such an unlikely time! I had become the object of His abundant mercy. “What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—“ (Rom 9:23)<br />
<br />
Later that day I went straight to a closet, shut the door, and poured out my heart to God in repentance with so many tears. I must’ve cried for at least a half hour or more. I earnestly repented to God for everything I could think of that the Holy Spirit had brought to my remembrance. With everything in me, I repented as hard as I could, and I believe it was there that He granted me sorrow unto repentance.<br />
<br />
However, even after I stepped out of the closet, the reassuring peace I longed for was lacking. I felt a pressing obligation to go reconcile with my mom or dad, but fear held me captive. I just couldn’t! I took my Bible and searched the Scriptures for verses or passages that referred to sin and confession of sin. Part of me wanted to find an excuse, a way out of having to confess. The other part of me sensed that I really ought to confess to my parents, that I could not hide it from them. Then I came across 1 John 1:9, which says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” I realized there are two different ways to confess -- to God and other people.<br />
<br />
As hard as it was, I began the painful process of confession. Yes, it was heart-wrenching. Yes, there was a sea of tears shed. But after that period of confession, peace came into my heart at last, peace that passes all understanding. I knew that God had forgiven me. Joy came and I was able to sing with a freedom in my heart once again. I have now begun to experience a certain degree of intimacy with God. Thank God for new beginnings! He allowed me to start over again. What a gift! In his great mercy, He delivered my feet from the snare. He has truly changed my life, and I am eternally grateful.<br />
<br />
It’s truly an act of God’s mercy that He brought my past sins to my attention. Praise God! However, the cleansing still had a long ways to go. As the Lord brought more things back to my remembrance, I would confess those, too. There were so many things I had forgotten about! I tried my best to be as honest and transparent as I could. Slowly but faithfully, the Lord dealt with my heart. I recall this time of my life as a trail of tears, if you will. Many tears, but much joy in the Holy Spirit! It’s in those darkest times of my life—the deepest valleys—that I’ve found He has been the closest to me. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Ps 34:18)<br />
<br />
As with any process, He continues to drive the foolishness and disobedience out of my heart. He continues to purge me and cleanse me in this purifying process, which is what I’ve been seeking anyway. I am so grateful that God delivered me from what once bound and held me captive. The “old me” has been swallowed up in life!<br />
<br />
I urge you today, if you find yourself reading this testimony and know you’re life isn’t right, that you seek the Lord for His forgiveness. He is willing and ready to receive you back. Don’t believe the lie that you’ve gone too far! There is no one who’s sunk too deep that His mercy can’t reach. He is pursuing you with passionate love, hoping you’ll hear His voice. Even if He has to leave the ninety-nine just to go after you, He’ll do whatever it takes. Please don’t forfeit the indescribable gift that can be readily yours.<br />
<br />
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy put, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God…” (Ps 40:1-3)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Attribution notice</i>: Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. </div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-overflowing-joy-in-knowing-jesus.html">My Overflowing Joy in Knowing Jesus</a>, and <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2020/09/given-new-heart-and-sweet-peace.html">Given a New Heart and Sweet Peace</a>, which are the testimonies of myself and three of my other children. Also see the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog for more testimonies. You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-12783912674341856472018-03-02T18:35:00.001-08:002021-12-27T22:27:27.746-08:00The Night the Lord Came Into My Hut<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyO8TsUKIaMRJ4eFxFjh5E-oNfAXtENN581XhcIEPpsEj7LrKj5hW823HhLB1dcmM-fI97coc_M4fC1HMPMGHTgkqTtf9uPCL4USpurJPGJdOAkByeSu85o55VbokAeOWU8Cq_C1C9EWo/s1600/Grace+Okurut+cropped+Medium+Web+view.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="480" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyO8TsUKIaMRJ4eFxFjh5E-oNfAXtENN581XhcIEPpsEj7LrKj5hW823HhLB1dcmM-fI97coc_M4fC1HMPMGHTgkqTtf9uPCL4USpurJPGJdOAkByeSu85o55VbokAeOWU8Cq_C1C9EWo/s200/Grace+Okurut+cropped+Medium+Web+view.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace and his wife</td></tr>
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I'd like to share with you the testimony of a pastor in Uganda named Grace, a friend of mine, who is enrolled in our <a href="http://doulostrainingschool.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Doulos Training School</a>. He has an amazing testimony of how the Lord saved him in 1989. It reminds us once again of the terrible oppression the Ugandan people suffered under Idi Amin's brutal regime and crimes against humanity. He states:<br />
<br />
"In 1989, during years of turmoil in our country, I felt a strong need for security and a solution to the endless problems we were going through in our country. As a young boy, [I] went through harassment from people and hostilities; by then even my father, who was a county chief, was helpless and needed help too."<br />
<br />
"On several occasions I looked for ways to die, but found none. I tried to join [the military] forces, but couldn't, as I longed for peace and security. One night while in my hut, it came to my mind that I have a Creator who cares. I cried tears as I asked the Lord to forgive me from my sins. One night again I had an experience when the Lord came into my hut with lightning, thundering, and much smoke; I nearly died."<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">"I had an experience when the Lord came into my hut with lightning, thundering, and much smoke; I nearly died. Afterward, I came out and found there was no rain.</span><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></blockquote>
<br />
"Afterward, I came out and found there was no rain. I prayed to the Lord to forgive me and went to my Protestant church on Sunday. I requested to say something which turned [out] to be a preaching, and for the first time in that church people got saved. We started what we called 'Light Christian Fellowship' before my joining a Pentecostal church."<br />
<br />
Praise the Lord for that amazing testimony! He now says, "I have a mission to accomplish in Jesus' Name." Praise the Lord for what He has done in our brother Grace's life!<br />
<br />
Perhaps you are feeling a bit like him right now. You may feel a strong need for security and a solution to the endless problems you are going through. You might be experiencing hostilities and harassment from people. You may be longing for peace and security, but you just can't seem to find it. You may be so desperate that you are even longing to die. If that's you, let me remind you that you have a Creator who cares. He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ into this world to die on the cross for you, so that you could be forgiven of your sins and spend eternity with Him in heaven. He has an <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2018/02/gods-amazing-plan-for-your-life.html" target="_blank">amazing plan for your life</a>, and you have a mission to accomplish for Him. Cry out to Him and ask Him to forgive your sins.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Rom 10:9-10)</span></blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
Ask Him to come and live inside your heart and take control of your life. Even if you do not experience lightning, thunder, and smoke inside your home, your experience will be just as real, genuine, and meaningful as what happened to Grace. The moment that Jesus Christ comes to live inside your heart will be one you will never forget. Believe in Jesus Christ that God raised Him from the dead, and confess Him as your Lord and Savior, so that you may be saved. He will transform your life, and you will never be the same. Old things will pass away and all things will become new.<br />
<br />
<em>Attribution notice</em>: Most <a href="http://www.lockman.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #336699;">Scripture quotations taken from the NASB</span></a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read brother Grace's testimonies of healing and deliverance called <a href="https://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-body-parts-storehouse-in-heaven.html" target="_blank">The Body Parts Storehouse in Heaven</a>. You are also invited to read <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2012/04/gems-from-heaven.html" target="_blank">Gems from Heaven</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2018/02/gods-amazing-plan-for-your-life.html" target="_blank">God's Amazing Plan for Your Life</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/03/born-again-to-new-life-omolade-moses.html" target="_blank">Saved By a Vision of Second Coming - O. Moses Alabi</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2012/04/gems-from-heaven.html" target="_blank">An Atheist Turns to Christ</a>, <a href="http://plovdivtestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/05/raised-from-dead.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #336699;">Pastor Raised from the Dead</span></a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2015/02/life-after-death.html" target="_blank">Life After Death</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2014/01/ezekiel-moses-testimony-of-heaven-and.html" target="_blank">Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2015/01/james-agboola-revelation-of-heaven-and.html" target="_blank">James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell</a>, and <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-have-theophobia.html" target="_blank">Should you fear the Lord?</a>. You may access more testimonies like this on the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home</a> page of this blog. You are also invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-43494721680961649572016-08-17T11:00:00.001-07:002021-03-04T19:13:35.702-08:00The Voice That Changed Everything -- the Testimony of Dr. Stenhouse<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Andrew Stenhouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today I would like to share with you the testimony of a dear friend of mine, whom I have known for about twenty-four years, who received his call to be a medical doctor when God spoke to him in an audible voice. What follows is a transcript from my interview with him on our <a href="http://preparingthewayradio.blogspot.com/2016/09/home.html" target="_blank">Preparing the Way radio program</a> on January 22, 2014. I have also inserted into the middle of the interview the transcript of my subsequent interview with him today on August 17, 2016, in order to get more specific details about his testimony. If you choose to listen to <a href="https://youtu.be/AvsY8Vsj8-g" target="_blank">the audio recording of his testimony</a>, please note that it will playback as two separate interviews, so the order of the discussion will not match the following transcript.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's Testimony</span><br />
<i>Len:</i> Welcome to Preparing the Way, where we’re preparing the way for the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ in repentance -- preaching holiness, righteousness, and truth. My name is Len Lacroix, and I’m your host for this broadcast. I’m a preacher and missionary to Eastern Europe with Doulos Missions International. And joining me today as my guest is Dr. Andrew Stenhouse, the president of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>. He’s a teacher of God’s Word and has been a medical doctor for over fifty years, having lived in England, Scotland, New Zealand, Fiji, Afghanistan, and has been in the US for the last thirty years. I’ve known him since around 1992 when we met in Virginia. And he’s been the president of our ministry for about the last five years. <br />
<br />
Dr. Andrew Stenhouse, welcome!<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Thank you so much, Len! I appreciate the opportunity to be with you on this program today. It’s a joy. It’s a pleasure. And anytime you have the opportunity to introduce anybody to the Lord Jesus, it’s such a pleasure.<br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> Absolutely. I wanted to take a moment to ask you to share a little bit about yourself—just anything you want to say about yourself to the listeners on the program.<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Well, the first thing is that, as Len stated, I am not a pastor; I’m not an evangelist; I’m not a preacher. I’m a doctor and have the pleasure of introducing people to the Lord daily, on a daily basis, really, as I take care of them. And they respond at those times, particularly the times when they’re going through serious problems, such as in hospice and terminal illnesses. So they get the opportunity to hear the gospel, hear the Good News of the Lord Jesus and how He became the bridge from this earth to the Father. And, as far as myself, I was saved when I was a child, and since then have been trying to listen to the Father. And it was the Father that told me that I needed to be a doctor. I was wanting to be a geologist, but my Father said no, He wanted me to be a doctor. So I argued with Him a little bit with Him, but it was no good. And so that was kind of the story, and I said, “Yes, Father, I will be a doctor.” So, that’s where we are, Len. <br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> I wanted to ask you, Andrew, if you could please tell me that part about -- go back to the beginning where you first received your call. You had been a geology student, but then a female friend invited you to church, and while you were sitting there in church with her, you told me one time that you heard God speak to you in an audible voice and called you to be a doctor. So pick it up with the friend inviting you and go from there with that piece where you were in the church and how you heard from God. <br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Well, this was a worship service. And I loved that and loved to go. And then during the preaching part, I heard the audible voice of God speak to me on the right side of my body. And I said to the young lady Ruth, “Did you hear somebody talk?” <br />
<br />
She said, “Shush, Andrew. You don’t talk in church.” <br />
<br />
I said, “I know.” <br />
<br />
And then the next thing that happened was, it was the audible voice of God telling me I was going to be a doctor. And then nothing happened for a few minutes, and then suddenly, my whole body started to shake like a rag doll and it interfered with the service. And I suddenly said, “This is my Creator doing this,” and I started talking to God and telling Him how I hated the War in London during World War II and the bombs and blood and guts and people not coming back to school. And the one thing I didn’t want to do was be a doctor. So I kept on talking and the shaking got worse and worse. So I had to stop, thinking I might physically die. And so the next thing that happened was that I stopped talking, the shaking stopped, and then the voice spoke to me, not from my right side, but from the lower left side of my body. <br />
<br />
And it’s as though the Holy Spirit or God was surrounding me, and said, “You will be a doctor.” It was a command. <br />
<br />
And I said, “Yes, Lord, I will be a doctor.” <br />
<br />
And that was how I got in, and from then on nothing else mattered in my life. My interests -- I immediately resigned from geology courses and also the Geological Survey where I was working. I was about seventeen at that time. <br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> Wow!<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> And I changed islands, went to the south island, and took up pre-med at that time. None of the courses had I taken in the past. I had taken languages and geology mainly, and mathematics. And here I was doing courses that people have been trained for all their lives.<br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> Wow! Now you said the south island…what country was that?<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> That’s New Zealand. <br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> Okay, so this all happened in New Zealand. And it was a lady named Ruth, a sister in Christ named Ruth that invited you to church. <br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Yes.<br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> Now when you were in that service, two things I want to know about it, if you can tell me. Do you remember what the -- when God first told you to be a doctor, how He said it to you? Not that it really matters, but do you remember what words He used when He said it the first time on your right side?<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Yes, as far as I remember, “You are to be a doctor.” “You are going to be a doctor,” or something like that.<br />
<br />
<i>Len: </i>Yeah. Now the other thing I wanted to know was, when you say it disrupted the service, did you have pretty much a lot of people now with their attention focused on you?<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Yes, and everybody was moving away, as far as I know. And I left the service at that point after the whole thing was over. I didn’t stay in the service, because I couldn’t focus on anything else.<br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> Yeah, so people probably thought you were kind of strange.<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Yes, very strange. And I had actually been brought up very strictly and didn’t realize that God would do that. <br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> Yeah, I mean, you would never have done anything like that on your own. <br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Oh, no! Absolutely not! And everybody that I would tell it to thought I was nuts, you know.<br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> That’s a big difference between geology and medical practice.<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Yes. <br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> The Lord redirected you. And now it’s been, what, over thirty years…practicing medicine?<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Yes, I’ve been practicing medicine over fifty-five years. I’ll be going on fifty-five years, and loving it and loving the people. And it has been such a joy, and God has really, through His voice—I never thought, I never was taught that God still spoke. But He really still speaks if we have our ears listening for Him. So I just encourage everybody that’s on this program, just to look forward to hearing the voice of the Lord. And look forward to receiving Him into their hearts so as they will have the peace that passes all understanding.<br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> Yes, absolutely. And one of things I appreciate about you is, the way that, you know, with your patients, that you don’t just treat them through medical science, but you pray for them, you know, with laying on of hands when they allow you to, and trust the Lord to heal them. And I think that’s a really unusual thing for a medical doctor to do, because there are plenty of Christian doctors out there, but I don’t know many that do that.<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Yes, that’s right. And you just ask them first, “May I bless you? May I just bless you?” And there’s not many people who will turn down a blessing. And then as I’m blessing them, I say, “Can I pray for God to touch you and to heal you?” And they say, “Yes.” And there’s so many people have been touched over the years by the Lord. And particularly when you hear His voice speaking.<br />
<br />
<i>Len:</i> Yeah, that’s awesome. Praise God. And did I get it right that you’ve been in the US now for the last thirty years?<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Yes, that’s correct. I’ve been here back in the United States. I was born in Detroit, but lived overseas for quite a long time. And I’ve been back here since about 1972, ’73. Yes. That’s right.<br />
<br />
<i>Len: </i>Wow. Praise God. Okay, well thanks very much for introducing yourself, and what I’d like to do is just go on to the next segment of the program, if that’s okay.<br />
<br />
<i>Andrew:</i> Absolutely.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/AvsY8Vsj8-g" target="_blank">Listen to Interview Online</a> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Editor's Comments</span><br />
This is truly an amazing testimony of how God called a man to serve Him as a medical doctor. One thing you need to learn from this is that you need to listen to the Lord's voice. It's extremely important. The voice of the Lord changes your outlook, especially when He shakes you like a rag doll like He did with Dr. Stenhouse. In order to hear the Lord's voice, you need to be less involved in distractions. You need to remove them from your life, such as texting.<br />
<br />
Only eternity will tell all that the Lord actually did through this humble servant of His during those fifty-five years of medical practice. I know that there were miraculous healings that took place, the gospel was proclaimed to the sick and dying, and people were introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
<br />
Dr. Stenhouse served in many different capacities over those five decades. That included working for the US Navy in a medical school that he helped to establish in Afghanistan. It also included having his own Family Medical practice in Texas in the United States for a number of years, later serving as a Professor of Medicine for Texas Tech in Amarillo, Texas, as well as working at the Veterans' Administration Hospital there. Toward the end of his career, he spent a great deal of time working in a hospice caring for those who were dying, which was something he thoroughly enjoyed.<br />
<br />
He is a model for other Christians who practice medicine, demonstrating how to serve patients not only from a physical and medical perspective, but also from a supernatural and spiritual one, so that their bodies might be healed and their souls saved.<br />
<br />
Andrew loves the Lord with all His heart, and I have always known him to be a kind, loving, compassionate, generous person, who cares about people. When I asked him around 2007 to serve as the president for our ministry, <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>, he humbly accepted it, feeling he was unworthy for such a task. Yet he served in that role for seven years, until he officially resigned in August 2014. He had actually tried to resign one year before that, due to his health, but agreed at my request to serve longer to help fulfill the need we had at that time. That was after he had retired from medicine, which he would not have done if it had not been for his health issues. He loved his profession, and put his heart into it. His resignation from our ministry's board of directors occurred one year after we had returned from the mission field of Eastern Europe to the United States.<br />
<br />
During the time that he served as our ministry's president and chairman of the board, he was a tremendous blessing to us. Countless times he has been for us a source of godly counsel and wisdom from the Lord. He has upheld us in prayer, too. He always has and still does maintain his practice of asking the Father and hearing the Lord's voice, even though it may be the still small voice of the Holy Spirit in his heart, and not the audible voice of God like he heard so long ago in that church. Now in his 80's, he still continues to have two-way conversations with the Father.<br />
<br />
If you are a Christian medical doctor, I hope that this testimony has encouraged you, as well as edified and guided you to serve the Lord with such honor, integrity, love, and compassion for people. I hope it has encouraged you to be bold and pray for the sick, trusting the Lord to heal them, as well as share the gospel with your patients and lead them to the Savior. You have a tremendous platform and a position of influence, so use it for the Lord.<br />
<br />
If you are a Christian medical student or someone who is considering the medical profession, may this testimony be an encouragement to you, too, to hear the Lord's voice, whether audible or in your heart. Being a medical doctor is a calling, so you need to be sure it is your calling from God before you proceed down that path. Seek Him diligently in prayer and He will direct you. As the proverbs say:<br />
<br />
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Pr 3:5-6, NASB).<br />
<br />
"In a man's heart he plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Pr 16:9).<br />
<br />
God has had a plan for everyone since before the foundation of the world. Your life is foreordained. God has included you in His wonderful unfolding plan, but He will not violate your own free will. You can either choose to partner with Him by doing His will, as brother Stenhouse did, and experience the joy and excitement of doing so, or you can do your own will and forfeit all that, as well as eternal life. It's your choice.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>
You may listen to the interview <a href="https://youtu.be/AvsY8Vsj8-g" target="_blank">here at this link</a>. If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-holy-spirit-speaks.html" target="_blank">The Holy Spirit Speaks</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2011/06/hearing-lords-voice.html" target="_blank">Hearing the Lord's Voice</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2011/06/inquiring-of-lord.html" target="_blank">Inquiring of the Lord</a>, <a href="http://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.com/2011/06/baptized-with-spirit.html" target="_blank">Baptized with the Spirit</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2013/08/walking-in-perfect-will-of-god.html" target="_blank">Walking in the Perfect Will of God</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2012/05/obedience-by-spirit.html" target="_blank">Obedience by the Spirit</a>, <a href="http://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.hu/2012/07/discerning-things-of-spirit.html" target="_blank">Discerning the Things of the Spirit</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-forgotten-sin-of-worldliness.html" target="_blank">The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness</a>, <a href="http://wordistrue.blogspot.com/2013/09/whats-wrong-with-prosperity-gospel.html">What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2012/03/cost-of-discipleship.html" target="_blank">The Cost of Discipleship</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2012/04/god-chooses-weak-things.html" target="_blank">God Chooses the Weak Things</a>, <a href="http://be-fruitful-multiply.blogspot.com/2016/06/what-is-that-in-your-hand.html" target="_blank">What is That in Your Hand?</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2015/06/slaves-of-christ.html" target="_blank">Having a Servant's Heart</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2012/07/avoid-becoming-corrupted-christian.html" target="_blank">Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian</a>, , <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-have-theophobia.html" target="_blank">Should you fear the Lord?</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2011/11/holy-living-in-perverted-world.html" target="_blank">Holy Living in a Perverted World</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/01/an-open-mind-that-loves-truth.html" target="_blank">An Open Mind that Loves the Truth</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/12/sins-that-will-keep-you-from-heaven.html" target="_blank">Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/11/ask-for-ancient-paths.html" target="_blank">Ask for the Ancient Paths</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2015/09/living-life-worthy-of-lord.html" target="_blank">Living a Life Worthy of the Lord</a>, <a href="http://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.com/2011/12/supernatural-power-for-all-disciples.html" target="_blank">Supernatural Power for All Disciples</a>, <a href="http://workinggodsway.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-ways-of-life.html" target="_blank">The Ways of Life</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-way-will-and-word-of-god.html" target="_blank">The Way, Will, and Word of God</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2015/02/life-after-death.html" target="_blank">Life After Death</a>, <a href="http://biblicalwellness.blogspot.com/2011/11/power-of-god-to-heal.html" target="_blank">The Power of God to Heal</a>, <a href="http://biblicalwellness.blogspot.com/2013/09/healing-is-in-atonement.html">Healing is in the Atonement</a>, <a href="http://biblicalwellness.blogspot.com/2011/11/cause-of-disease.html" target="_blank">The Cause of Disease</a>, <a href="http://biblicalwellness.blogspot.com/2013/08/scriptural-guidance-about-blood.html">Scriptural Guidance About Blood Transfusions</a>, and <a href="http://biblicalwellness.blogspot.com/2015/03/is-it-sin-to-take-medicine.html" target="_blank">Is it a Sin to Take Medicine?</a> You may access more testimonies like this on the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home</a> page of this blog. You are also invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-49289612485306919252016-08-01T12:53:00.000-07:002016-10-24T19:54:52.901-07:00Muslim Woman Now Follows Christ<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK9BkTwaV2hbt7lA4qEyHP4FD2LxFMA4SR71MD0F-YRH4jcVPAmYBL3yl4pr86DEKnYfizGx6RWZCeVvWY9VM29Yq-q9lF51H6BqgbXGoaCwzbBDjZSIm9B4xQ2RW4pvzfj3VmUNNZ_g/s1600/Rachael+praying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtK9BkTwaV2hbt7lA4qEyHP4FD2LxFMA4SR71MD0F-YRH4jcVPAmYBL3yl4pr86DEKnYfizGx6RWZCeVvWY9VM29Yq-q9lF51H6BqgbXGoaCwzbBDjZSIm9B4xQ2RW4pvzfj3VmUNNZ_g/s200/Rachael+praying.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
A former Muslim lady named "Momina" in a North African Muslim country, where there is restricted access to the gospel, wrote to me in
early August to tell me how she has recently become a follower of Christ. Here is her testimony:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Momina's Testimony</span><br />
Hi, brother Len. How are you? You don't know me, but I've become an avid reader of your blog <a href="http://eternaldestinations.info/" target="_blank">Eternal Destinations</a> since I've discovered it a few weeks ago.<br />
<br />
I
have come to the conclusion that I wanted to follow Christ about two
months ago. You see, I
used to be a Muslim. Although I never continually practiced the five
prayers a day, called “salat”, I still considered myself a Muslim at heart, and strongly
believed it to be the ultimate truth and that everything else was
corrupt.<br />
<br />
It all started at the beginning of the month of Ramadan on June 5, 2016. Muslims consider this a sacred month when people fast and try to get closer to God. I was very motivated and genuinely decided that starting that month I'd do every thing a good Muslim would do. I had to start praying my five prayers a day, and commit to spending my time reading the Quran. But for that to happen I promised myself to get rid of all distractions just at least for that special month, because I had decided that if I was going to seek God, then I had to give Him my full attention, my 100%.<br />
<br />
So overnight I stopped watching secular music, soap operas and reality shows. It was actually quite a spiritual fast. I was very addicted to music and television programs and had to watch them every single day. It was truly my guilty pleasure. I thought I was a good, godly person, yet I enjoyed watching vain and rich, dolled-up women scream and back stab each other constantly. Now that I look back at this, I thank God for inspiring me to quit watching these things. In fact, I can't bear looking at them anymore.<br />
<br />
The first week of Ramadan went great, I prayed and felt tremendous joy, especially during my early prayers at dawn. I'd do my "official prayer" then sit still and just have a talk with the Creator. I'd cry tears of joy and tell Him how wonderful it would be to be with Him and be worshiping and praising Him all day long, because He's so glorious and worthy of all praise. I knew that it was my heart talking. I also believe I was better able to hear what it was saying, because I wasn't under the influence of external factors like music and TV.<br />
<br />
But my faith was shaken a few days later, ironically by a fellow Muslim, who corrected me when I started talking about how I couldn't wait to worship God in the after-life. The person told me that there would be no more worshiping God in "paradise", and that worshiping is only something that will be done on earth. I was told that once we are there, the only goal is to enjoy yourself and fulfill all your earthly desires. I won't go into details of the description of paradise, but I went and confirmed what that person told me. I was so sad and disappointed, because it sounded so worldly, and yet here I was inexplicably seeking and craving for holiness and purity.<br />
<br />
That day I stumbled upon the testimony of a man who converted to Christianity named Mario Joseph. His testimony intrigued me and his arguments made sense, so I went and looked for the description of heaven by Jesus Christ. I was so touched and immediately knew in my heart that I had finally found the truth, the missing piece of the puzzle. That's the heaven that I want to belong to, where everyone is humble and simple like children (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18%3A3&version=NASB" target="_blank">Matthew 18:3</a>), and people will neither marry nor be given in marriage, because they will be like the angels and pure like angels (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A30&version=NASB" target="_blank">Matthew 22:30</a>). Hallelujah!<br />
<br />
Since then I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior; strangely I don't feel that different. In fact I'm praying to the God of Abraham, the one, true God, as Muslims believe we should. But this time I'm also accepting His ultimate gift: the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to save us, and I'm eternally grateful for it. Hallelujah!<br />
<br />
Becoming a
Christian has made me a better person. I've finally let go of myself and submitted to the will of
God, which actually fulfills the definition of the Arabic word "Muslim" -- "one who submits to God". Hallelujah! <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">A Final Word to Muslims </span><br />
I would like to say a final word to my Muslim friends. My friends, how come we accept the Holy Spirit and don't consider it blasphemy? Muslims believe the "Ruh al qudus" (Holy Spirit) is distinct from God and yet God at the same time. If the Holy Spirit wasn't distinct, we wouldn't even have such a name, but this is not heresy because He is from God and is God and must be respected. Well, if that's the case, then why doesn't the same apply to the Word of God, which is known to Muslims as "Kalimatu Allah"? Why are we denying Him for making a sacrifice that the human mind cannot even comprehend in its entirety? His sacrifice was to come to earth as a human, to live a perfect life, die for us, and rise again, becoming the ultimate, sacrificial Lamb, the bridge between the Holy Almighty God of Abraham and us mere little worms, drenched in sin and unworthy of His presence. Please really ask yourself, since you sin every single day, how will you be able to stand in the day of the judgement shaking in fear of being rightly judged? Who will vouch for you? I personally choose the holiest, most perfect Being that ever walked the earth: the Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
<br />
I pray for whoever reads this to find the truth, no matter who you are, no matter what religion you belong to. I'm not here to convince you of anything, because this is an adventure you must go on your own. But my only suggestion would be that if you want to seek God, then seek Him in truth. But you've got to REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to know Him with ALL your might!!! And you shall find Him, because God is a faithful God, and He will see and answer your call. He promises that "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Hallelujah! God bless you all!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Changes Christ Has Made in My Life</span><br />
Brother Len, I wanted to personally thank you for your wonderful
blog, <a href="http://eternaldestinations.info/" target="_blank">Eternal Destinations</a>. Thanks to you I was able to find all the resources gathered in one
blog and take in all the information I could get. It was very scary
and overwhelming at first, but with the Grace of God I have started
repenting and applying those advices in my life one by one, and it's not
as bad as I thought it'd be.<br />
<br />
I went and threw away all my
dolls, figurines, decorative statues, etc., which I didn't realize were
idols. Even if we didn't pray to them, they still had no business being
in our house.<br />
<br />
I was never a fan of jewelry nor makeup, so that wasn't
hard to give up, but pants!!! It was the unthinkable and hearing that
they were an abomination to God was heartbreaking! I simply loved pants,
I loved having a boyish look in order to look less vulnerable, but I
want to please God more than anything. So I began wearing long skirts, and
although it was awkward at first, I now have fully adapted! Hallelujah!<br />
<br />
God bless you and your family!<br />
<br />
---<br />
[END OF TESTIMONY]<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Editor's Comments</span><br />
We praise the Lord for this sister's testimony. Hallelujah! We give all the glory to God for what He has done in her life.<br />
<br />
It is my hope that her testimony will help other Muslims like her, who are really searching for God, to find the truth and have a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. Hers is not an isolated incident. Many Muslims are meeting Him personally in dreams and visions, as I have mentioned in my article <a href="http://sun-of-righteousness.blogspot.com/2011/12/ongoing-earthly-ministry-of-jesus.html" target="_blank">Ongoing Earthly Ministry of Jesus</a>. Near the end of that article, I featured the amazing testimonies of two former Muslim men who had supernatural encounters with the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, I have also written about two other former Muslims who have seen the Lord face-to-face in my articles, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2015/01/james-agboola-revelation-of-heaven-and.html" target="_blank">James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell</a> and <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.hu/2012/12/ibrahim-experience-in-hell.html" target="_blank">Ibrahim's Experience in Hell</a>. Don't miss these testimonies!<br />
<br />
In the fifth chapter of Brother Ibrahim's book, <a href="https://unveilingjesus.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/walking-in-gods-perfect-will-including-an-end-time-vision-of-the-rapture-and-experience-in-hell/" target="_blank">Walking in God's Perfect Will</a>, he states: "Immediately after the Lord Jesus delivered me from the control of Mohammed (Islam), He taught me how to pray and to depend on Him to preach the gospel to my Muslim brothers and sisters. Also to challenge my fellow Christians who were weak to awake." In the eighth chapter of his book, he says that while he was in a place of prayer, after a forty-day fast that the Lord led him through, he suddenly saw light around him and then heard the audible voice of the Lord speaking to him. Suddenly he saw an open vision. The first person he saw in the vision was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, whom he claims he had seen on several occasions previously. I highly recommend reading his book.<br />
<br />
In the author's note below, I have provide several resources for Muslims who are searching for truth, including articles I have written on who God is, the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, the Holy Trinity, the final judgment, and sins that will keep you from heaven. I have also provided articles for anyone, including weak Christians, who would like to know God's holy requirements for His children. I have also provided a link for those who want to know Jesus.<br />
<br />
Finally, more than eighty percent of Muslims have never heard the Gospel, and less than one percent of all Christian missionaries are laboring among Muslims. God loves them! Jesus died for them. There is a great need, but you can help meet that need. Please pray for "Momina" and other Christian minorities like her in the Islamic world. Pray that God may open up the Muslim world for the Gospel. Pray for specific Muslims that Jesus Christ would come to them and reveal Himself to them. Share this article with your Muslim friends. And we will see a great harvest of souls among the followers of Mohammed.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>This is not a hate site. There is no hatred here. Truth is hate to those who hate the truth!<br />
<br />
If you would like to see some amazing, true testimonies of Muslims who
gave their lives to Jesus Christ after seeing Him in a dream or vision,
then I want to encourage you to visit "<a href="http://www.morethandreams.org/" target="_blank">More Than Dreams: From Dreams to Reality</a>."
There you will find video dramatizations of five Muslims from the
nations of Turkey, Iran, Nigeria, Egypt, and Indonesia, who each had
such a supernatural encounter with Christ. <br />
<br />
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-judgment-seat-of-christ.html" target="_blank">The Judgment Seat of Christ</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2015/08/who-is-god.html" target="_blank">Who is God? -- Part I</a>, <a href="http://sun-of-righteousness.blogspot.com/2011/05/is-jesus-god.html" target="_blank">Is Jesus God?</a>, <a href="http://sun-of-righteousness.blogspot.com/2013/10/jesus-is-yahweh.html" target="_blank">Jesus is Yehova</a>, <a href="http://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.hu/2013/05/the-holy-trinity.html" target="_blank">The Holy Trinity</a>, <a href="http://christsbirth.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-son-of-man.html" target="_blank">The Son of Man</a>, <a href="http://christsbirth.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-virgin-birth-of-jesus-christ.html" target="_blank">The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ</a>,
<a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2012/06/garments-of-godliness.html" target="_blank">Garments of Godliness</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.hu/2013/05/godly-attire-and-adornment-seven-divine.html" target="_blank">Godly Attire & Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/01/carrying-your-cross-or-cross-dressing.html" target="_blank">Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/01/keeping-your-body-pure-and-holy.html" target="_blank">Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2011/11/holy-living-in-perverted-world.html" target="_blank">Holy Living in a Perverted World</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/01/an-open-mind-that-loves-truth.html" target="_blank">An Open Mind that Loves the Truth</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/12/sins-that-will-keep-you-from-heaven.html" target="_blank">Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/11/ask-for-ancient-paths.html" target="_blank">Ask for the Ancient Paths</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-forgotten-sin-of-worldliness.html" target="_blank">The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness</a>, <a href="http://sun-of-righteousness.blogspot.com/2011/12/ongoing-earthly-ministry-of-jesus.html" target="_blank">Ongoing Earthly Ministry of Jesus</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2013/12/zipora-bitrus-testimony-of-heaven-and.html">Zipora Bitrus Testimony of Heaven and Hell</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2013/12/linda-ngaujah-revelation-of-heaven-and.html" target="_blank">Linda Ngaujah Revelation of Heaven and Hell</a>, and <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2016/07/who-is-god-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Who is God - Part II</a>. You may access more testimonies like this on the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home</a> page of this blog. You are also invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-63895718804107771562015-10-14T19:46:00.000-07:002018-03-03T19:04:47.648-08:00The Spiritual Awakening of Richmond King<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR85AyQXexb89u4UAhNPQjI428_vVM_K-oIyKMKQkxeQozvwijleLdbwxLEJ9gPVsmpVwCUWZxOJCCMIDPLvxI3f-mQdVYYqPKeMj85l1Vd5NW1wqEeZXe97E-iEv6S4GwIkwDgRI-BREE/s1600/Richmond+King%252C+evangelist.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR85AyQXexb89u4UAhNPQjI428_vVM_K-oIyKMKQkxeQozvwijleLdbwxLEJ9gPVsmpVwCUWZxOJCCMIDPLvxI3f-mQdVYYqPKeMj85l1Vd5NW1wqEeZXe97E-iEv6S4GwIkwDgRI-BREE/s1600/Richmond+King%252C+evangelist.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richmond, King, evangelist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I would like to share with you the testimony of a twenty-nine year old man from Liberia, named Richmond King. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Richmond's Testimony </span><br />
I got saved at the age of fifteen and was trying my best to serve the Lord. Unfortunately, I backslid at the age of sixteen, and fell back into sin and lustful desires. After approximately ten years, I started cohabiting with a girl without fear of any punishment from the Lord. During this ten years period, I heard some salvation messages, but my heart was still filled with the lust of the world.<br />
<br />
In March 2013, my girlfriend and I decided to visit her mother. When we arrived at the house, her mother told us that there was a testimony of a girl whom Jesus took to heaven and hell (<a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2013/12/linda-ngaujah-revelation-of-heaven-and.html" target="_blank">Testimony of Linda from Sierra Leone</a>). After witnessing the video, my girl friend and I wept bitterly for our sins that night and decided to rededicate our lives to Christ. After that, we started making plans to get married, and we got married December 27, 2014. We did not get married with rings, because of my research on jewelry from the Bible. Our families persecuted us, yet we stood strong and for the truth. <br />
<br />
There were two encounters that I had with the Lord. One was the next day after we rededicated our lives to Christ and the other was few months later. These experiences brought a tremendous change in my life. The first one happened the next day after we rededicated our lives to Christ. I decided to take a fast that day and while going through the fast, I decided to take a little rest. But before taking my rest, I made a statement and I said Lord what will you want me to do in the future. And after making this statement, I when to sleep. It happen between sleep and wake, I hear a voice speaking to me but I did not see anybody. The Bible I was reading before going to sleep was right over my head. In the vision, a small book was attached to the Bible and the voice told me to eat the book and I ate the book and swallowed it. After that, I awoke from sleep.<br />
<br />
From that time until now, Scriptures can just be coming to my mind any time I am teaching the Bible. And when people ask questions, I can answer them directly from the Scriptures.<br />
<br />
The second experience was between sleep and wake. During this encounter, I heard my name announced on a huge stage, and the people were speaking about healing happening to them, but I did not see anything. However, I heard the noise of the crowd. In this encounter, I was announced as an evangelist. After this experience, I knew my calling in the five-fold ministry.<br />
<br />
Thank God I did not die in my stubbornness against God and perish in hell. By the grace of God, I will stand for Jesus in this generation.<br />
<br />
-- Richmond King<br />
<br />
[END OF RICHMOND'S TESTIMONY]<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Richmond's Wake Up Call</span><br />
Praise the Lord for making Richmond to be a testimony of the saving power of Jesus Christ! He could have died in his stubbornness against God and perished in hell like so many others do every day. But instead, when the Lord awakened him to his true spiritual condition, he repented with all his heart. He and his girl friend wept bitterly for their sins and rededicated their lives to Christ. <br />
<br />
Look at what God can do! He can do the same for you or someone you love. But when they determined with God's help to live godly lives, then their families began to persecute them. "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Tim 3:12). The devil was satisfied, as long as they remained asleep spiritually. But as soon as they woke up and began to follow the Lord according to the Bible, then the persecution came. As soon as they determined to embrace the Scriptural requirement of inward and outward holiness, then they were persecuted by their own loved ones. But they stood firm in the truth.<br />
<br />
Let me encourage you that if you desire to live a godly life in Christ, you will be persecuted. Count on it! But stand firm, and rejoice that you are counted worthy to suffer. Endure to the end. Those who endure to the end will be saved.<br />
<br />
And not only did the Lord rescue Richmond from a life of sin that was taking him down to hell, but He called him to preach. That call was on his life since before he was born. The Scripture says, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Eph 2:10). Now we can see why the devil deceived him away from the Lord after he got saved and wanted to keep him from serving the Lord. The devil knew that any preacher who fulfills his God-given calling is going to do serious damage to the kingdom of darkness by the power of God.<br />
<br />
The experience Richmond had when the Lord called him to preach was not unlike what happened to the prophet Ezekiel, who wrote:<br />
<br />
"Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in it. When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe. Then He said to me, 'Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.' So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, 'Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.' Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth." (Eze 2:9-10 - 3:1-3)<br />
<br />
Richmond asked, "Lord, what will you want me to do in the future," and God directly answered him. That was nothing less than a supernatural encounter with the living God. Praise the Lord!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">My Personal Invitation to You</span><br />
In closing, please let me say that if you are backslidden -- you were
once saved, but are now away from Jesus Christ, He is calling to you
today to return to Him. He leaves the ninety-nine other sheep in the
flock to pursue you -- that one lost sheep. Wake up from your spiritual slumber! Return to Him with
repentance and weeping. "Take words with you and return to the LORD.
Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity And receive us graciously, That we
may present the fruit of our lips.'" (Hos 14:2). He will forgive you, and
heal you. If God could do it for Richmond, who was away from God for ten years, He can do it for you. <br />
<br />
There is nobody on earth more miserable than a backslidden Christian.
It's a terrible place to be. You might fool yourself into believing that
your having fun, but the truth is that deep down inside your soul is
aching. You have no peace. The only answer is to cry out to the Lord
for mercy and turn your back on sin. Stop sinning. Don't ever go back that way again! Separate yourself from the world
and consecrate yourself to the Lord once again. Pour out your heart to
God in a <a href="http://len-prayerpromises.blogspot.hu/2012/03/covenant-prayer.html" target="_blank">covenant prayer something like this one</a>.<br />
<br />
And when you return to Him, find out what the Lord wants you to do for Him. Then serve Him with wholehearted devotion. "For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." (2Ch 16:9). Work hard for the Lord and you will have a great reward in heaven. Live your life in holiness, righteousness, and truth, and strive to enter the kingdom of God through the narrow gate.<br />
<br />
<i>Attribution notice</i>: <a href="http://www.lockman.org/" target="_blank">Scripture quotation taken from the NASB</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2014/01/ezekiel-moses-testimony-of-heaven-and.html" target="_blank">Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell</a>, <a href="http://marriage-covenant.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-not-live-together-rather-than-marry.html" target="_blank">Why Not Live Together Rather Than Marry</a><a href="http://marriage-covenant.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-not-live-together-rather-than-marry.html">?</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2011/11/holy-living-in-perverted-world.html" target="_blank">Holy Living in a Perverted World</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2011/07/drifting-away.html" target="_blank">Drifting Away</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/12/the-lord-healed-my-backsliding_26.html" target="_blank">The Lord Healed My Backsliding</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2013/04/striving-to-enter-kingdom-of-god.html">Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2014/01/rock-rap-and-reggae-music-two-divine.html" target="_blank">Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Five Divine Revelations</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2015/06/tattoos-and-body-piercing.html" target="_blank">Tattoos and Body Piercing</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2014/10/alcohol-and-cigarettes-ten-divine.html" target="_blank">Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations</a>, <a href="http://fromevildeliverus.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-evil-spirit-of-alcohol.html" target="_blank">The Evil Spirit of Alcohol</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-forgotten-sin-of-worldliness.html" target="_blank">The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/12/sins-that-will-keep-you-from-heaven.html" target="_blank">Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-straight-and-narrow-path.html" target="_blank">The Straight and Narrow Path</a>, <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2014/11/ask-for-ancient-paths.html" target="_blank">Ask for the Ancient Paths</a>, <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/2015/01/james-agboola-revelation-of-heaven-and.html" target="_blank">James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell</a>, and <a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.com/2013/09/aim-for-perfection.html" target="_blank">Aim for Perfection</a>. You are also invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a> Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-34822409314905595162015-07-15T18:45:00.000-07:002015-08-27T18:49:08.986-07:00Prodigal Restored to God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4SNk7Huh7xjLYu8RFo8vAFQoVgkSM9AhtYhOytq_c4RnH7R8_x-ySvV-oeo7QotxJi0B5KT5VMZEJTVXywQIZBl5MS8cYE3lU9e68cxW3T_Myv98sIzsqB2gNCGTrWujNiDCzA1B0ufI/s1600/Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Return_of_the_Prodigal_Son_%2528Le_retour_de_l%2527enfant_prodigue%2529_-_James_Tissot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4SNk7Huh7xjLYu8RFo8vAFQoVgkSM9AhtYhOytq_c4RnH7R8_x-ySvV-oeo7QotxJi0B5KT5VMZEJTVXywQIZBl5MS8cYE3lU9e68cxW3T_Myv98sIzsqB2gNCGTrWujNiDCzA1B0ufI/s320/Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Return_of_the_Prodigal_Son_%2528Le_retour_de_l%2527enfant_prodigue%2529_-_James_Tissot.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
Today I would like to share a testimony from a brother in South Africa, named Lusindiso, who was away from the Lord. But God used the testimonies of His mighty deeds in the lives of other believers to bring Lusindiso back to Himself. Here is his personal testimony:<br />
<br />
I grew up in a Baptist Church. In my early teens, I then stopped attending church for worldly things like football. In my late teens, I realized I had a spiritual problem. I went from one witchdoctor to another looking for solutions until one day someone in one of the prosperity churches invited me. After a long time there, with no breakthrough in my spiritual problem, my finances were drying up, as they really ask for money there. Everything is about money. They have campaigns whereby you have to come with all your salary plus bonus and sell your things, and put it all in an envelope with a request, which they say they will pray over in Israel for God to answer your problems.<br />
<br />
I then stopped going to any church. One day while browsing through the Internet, I came to a website, where I read a story of a certain ex-satanist from DRC, another African country about three hours flight from South Africa. I then began thinking seriously about my salvation more than my spiritual problem. Then while browsing through the Internet, I came to <a href="http://eternal-destinations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">EternalDestinations.info</a>, from which I read a lot of heaven and hell testimonies that really shook me. My uncle has been inviting me to his church. I then decided to go there. Ever since that time, I have been attending there. However, I have been giving them the testimonies from your website, as they are not a holiness church.<br />
<br />
Their leader (the Bishop) has been introducing these testimonies to different groups (youth, mothers, fathers, etc). He has even given me the task of compiling these testimonies, and the corresponding videos, to give to these different groups, so that they may read and start letting go of certain things that the church wasn’t aware were sins before God.<br />
<br />
In short, I am in a church that is still striving for holiness through the testimonies found from your site. We thank God for that. It’s not easy, as some are resisting what comes out of these testimonies. Perhaps they feel they cannot be told what to do by a ‘new congregant’ such as me. But I believe with time, God will help us, though we may not have time.<br />
<br />
Lusindiso Mfidi<br />
<br />
[END OF BROTHER LUSINDISO'S TESTIMONY]<br />
<br />
Praise the Lord for bringing brother Lusindiso back to Himself by the saving power of Jesus Christ, through the testimonies of what He has done in the lives of others! Likewise I pray the Lord will also use Lusindiso's testimony to bring more prodigals home.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">My Personal Invitation to You</span><br />
In closing, please let me say that if you are backslidden -- you were
once saved, but are now away from Jesus Christ, He is calling to you
today to return to Him. He leaves the ninety-nine other sheep in the
flock to pursue you -- that one lost sheep. Return to Him with
repentance and weeping. "Take words with you and return to the LORD.
Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity And receive us graciously, That we
may present the fruit of our lips.'" (Hos 14:2) He will forgive you, and
heal you. But don't ever go back that way again!<br />
<br />
There is nobody on earth more miserable than a backslidden Christian.
It's a terrible place to be. You might fool yourself into believing that
your having fun, but the truth is that deep down inside your soul is
aching. You have no peace. The only answer is to cry out to the Lord
for mercy and turn your back on sin. Separate yourself from the world
and consecrate yourself to the Lord once again in holiness. Pour out your heart to
God in a <a href="http://len-prayerpromises.blogspot.hu/2012/03/covenant-prayer.html" target="_blank">covenant prayer something like this one</a>.<br />
<br />
It all begins with giving your life back to Him. Won't you do that today?
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Attribution notice</i>: Most <a href="http://www.lockman.org/" target="_blank">Scripture quotations taken from the NASB</a>.The prodigal son image was uploaded to Wikimedia as a donation by the Brooklyn Museum, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum.</div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read "<a href="http://len-prayerpromises.blogspot.hu/2012/03/covenant-prayer.html" target="_blank">Covenant Prayer</a>," "<a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2011/07/drifting-away.html" target="_blank">Drifting Away</a>," "<a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>," <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/12/the-lord-healed-my-backsliding_26.html" target="_blank">The Lord Healed My Backsliding</a>, "<a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2011/11/holy-living-in-perverted-world.html" target="_blank">Holy Living in a Perverted World</a>," and a poem by my daughter called "<a href="http://verses-to-the-king.blogspot.hu/2012/12/good-shepherd.html" target="_blank">The Good Shepherd</a>." You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-45270700265211243372015-07-02T11:43:00.000-07:002015-07-04T11:44:06.856-07:00You Give and Take Away<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxuyJhBIdzaznPzB3Dj5ethrDDsAEwcRsq0tr5VxeVAi3ZRgXeVJUYZwgbZqIT5gB_50TaQ8r3NRjelSI8aTlX0JH12gyhcMWK8tx6C3RnF1EkuCXdENzVHLDD0bx5YiHrsYPYqW1_xE/s1600/Gold+bars2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524652311012351554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxuyJhBIdzaznPzB3Dj5ethrDDsAEwcRsq0tr5VxeVAi3ZRgXeVJUYZwgbZqIT5gB_50TaQ8r3NRjelSI8aTlX0JH12gyhcMWK8tx6C3RnF1EkuCXdENzVHLDD0bx5YiHrsYPYqW1_xE/s200/Gold+bars2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 152px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a>One of my Russian friends from Ukraine has an amazing story of God’s miraculous provision and protection that I would like to share with you. Due to the fact that he is still a refugee who has found asylum from persecution, I will just call him Viktor. He has a wife and three children. Here is Viktor’s story.<br />
<br />
“We lived in a large city in Ukraine where I was born and raised under communism. In the late 1980’s, I worked for the communist party as the third Secretary of Education for my region. My wife Irena also worked and cared for our three small children, Vitaliy, Oleg, and Lubov.”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">I Know What it Means to Be Poor</span><br />
“We were so poor that I had to search for a few small coins called kopiyka, worth only a few pennies, so that I could ride the tram to work. I remember one day saying to Irena, ‘Where are the fifteen kopiyka we had?’ and she replied, ‘I gave those to you yesterday so you could take the tram.’ So I know what it means to be poor.”<br />
<br />
“President <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Gorbachev">Mikhail Gorbachev</a> brought about radical reforms in the Soviet Union, beginning in 1985 with perestroika, which was ‘reconstruction’ aimed at ending the economic stagnation. In 1986 he began glasnost, which allowed greater openness and freedom, including freedom of speech. And in 1987, he enacted a law that allowed for the private ownership of businesses. So I saw the opportunity to get out of poverty and decided to try my hand at being an entrepreneur. I tried many different small businesses, but one after another they failed. I tried selling roses and then artwork, but neither of these was successful. I also got certified in doing home exterior siding, which was a type of stucco. I got the third degree certification and did this for a while, but I could not earn a living at it.”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">Successful Business Venture</span><br />
“Eventually in 1989, after a few years of failed attempts, I struck out on a new venture to start a company that produced cement. The venture capital I received was in the form of a small loan for only 3,000 rubles (roughly US$20 at that time) from a fellow neighbor. During the first year, my company experienced a $10,000 return on investment. By the second year the return was $1,000,000 and by the end of the third year, we had a $50,000,000 return on investment. The success was not due to my great business wisdom and abilities. I knew that God was blessing my efforts. There were just too many instances where I struggled in vain to reach business deals and then something would happen where all the pieces would come together perfectly in a way that could only be explained by the involvement of God’s hand. I was not necessarily a mature Christian, but I considered myself a believer in Jesus Christ and I prayed to Him often inside my heart.”<br />
<br />
“The business grew to a level that was beyond my wildest dreams. We reached the point where my company was producing four million tonnes of cement per year. And the company had become a conglomerate with many different businesses inside of it, including a bank. I had a fleet of cars, trucks, and even some planes and ships. Since the company had 160 cars, I could drive a different car to work each day, and they were Audis, Mercedes, BMWs. What a change from the days of searching for fifteen kopiyka to ride the tram to work! I gave each of my 300 employees a free car, an apartment, and a free trip on my plane to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for vacation each year. I was on the Board of many companies I either founded or participated in creating, and in some case I was the Chairman of the Board. I was traveling all over the world on business, including the United States, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China. I worked with the biggest investment banks and insurance companies in the States and had an American corporation with an actual address in New York City. In fact, I was the first private Russian businessman to go to China and reach a business deal. This was such an important event, that the Chinese did a photo op with me and businessmen from other countries in front of the memorial for Mao Tse-tung in Tsiananmen Square.”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">Relocating Displaced Germans</span><br />
“Of course, the Soviet Union as we knew it collapsed in 1991. At one point in 1992, on a trip to one of the southern states of the former Soviet Union, I discovered that some of the people living there were Germans who had been displaced from their own country during the Second World War. So I decided to help them. I began a project to relocate them back to Germany at my own expense. I was having them shuttled back to Germany in my vehicles. When the German government found out, they wanted to fund my project. About that same time, a Ukrainian media company asked for permission to come and film a documentary about my project that would be aired on television, and I agreed to it.”<br />
<br />
“When the documentary was produced, they did not even interview me or the displaced Germans. Instead what they aired on TV was a skewed story that did not tell the truth. It was a disinformation program made to look like the Ukrainian government was leading this project. This was seen on TV in Germany and when the government found out, they directed the funds to the Ukrainian government’s bank account. So even though all of this was being done at my own expense, the corrupt Ukrainian government was getting all the money for it that was supposed to be transferred to my bank account. This incident, along with the other things that were happening, put me in a very high profile position. I was targeted by corrupt government leaders, because I was one of very few wealthy private businessmen in the former Soviet Union at that time.”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">Becoming a Target</span><br />
“One day, I was called into a meeting with some Ukrainian government officials. I sat in a meeting room at a table surrounded by several key individuals. They passed a document to me and asked me to sign it, turning over to them all my assets. They said that if I did not sign it, they would kill my whole family. Even when I signed it, they immediately locked me in a dungeon under guard. While I was in the dungeon, I made a deal with the guard that if he would help me escape, I would help him get out of the country. He was eager to flee the country for a better life, so he agreed to the deal. I escaped and fled to Vienna, Austria. But unfortunately they considered the guard responsible for my escape and killed him, so I was never able to help him get out of Ukraine.”<br />
<br />
“While I was hiding in Vienna, I knew I could not call my wife to tell her where I was or what had happened. Surely our phone was bugged and the government was monitoring all calls. So one day my wife Irena received a phone call at our home from a man who said, ‘Come to Vienna and visit your grandmother.’ She knew that something had happened to me, because I had been gone for so long and she had not heard from me. And she understood this call was an encrypted message from me. So she arranged for a car to take her and the children to Vienna. On the night before she was to leave, she was up late in our home, preparing some food for the long trip. She was in the kitchen with the window open to let the steam out and she heard a loud crash against the front door of the home. Upstairs in their bedrooms, even our children Vitaliy, Oleg, and Lubov heard this dreadful sound. Irena went to the front door and opened it. Because the kitchen window was opened, it created a strong draft when she opened the door and flames immediately rushed into the home. Someone had thrown a Molotov cocktail at our front door. In case you don’t know what that is, it is a bottle filled with gasoline and a rag stuck in the top. They light the rag on fire and throw the bottle. When it crashes into pieces, the fuel splashes all over and immediately sets the area on fire.”<br />
<br />
“So Irena gathered the children together and they got out of the house without being harmed. It was a miracle. And they stood there outside the home during the middle of the night watching it burn as the fire department came and fought the inferno. Irena took the children and fled to Vienna. As they approached the customs border on a foggy night, the car in front of them was stopped and checked. But when her driver pulled the car up to the checkpoint, the guard simply waved them on to pass without being checked. This was another of many great miracles that happened. She and the children met up with me in Vienna, and this was the beginning of a new journey in which we became refugees fleeing for our lives for the next eighteen years. We had to move about from one country to another, only staying for short periods in each one. We lived in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Egypt and other countries during this time. But our Soviet Union passports soon expired and we could not go back home to renew them. So we were a family without a country. And we had no money either.”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">Our Lives as Refugees</span><br />
“Often times I was completely out of money and we had to collect all of our coins together just to buy a loaf of bread to eat! I recall making many calls to friends around the world, asking if they could help us financially. And we were so grateful for the many times they did wire money to us to get us through another month. I recall one time I scraped up enough money from the whole family so I could buy a phone card to call a friend and former business associate in the United States. He had helped us many times before and I was once again calling him to see if he could wire us some more money. There I was in the middle of the night in a phone booth with limited time on the card, asking him if he could help us. He said, ‘Viktor, you know I care about you and your family. And I’ve helped you as much as I can. But I have a family, too. And I need to take care of them first. I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to help you this time, buddy.’ As I hung up the phone, I was so discouraged. I wondered where I would get the money to feed my family. Just then the phone in the phone booth rang and I picked it up. A voice of someone I did not know on the other end said, ‘May I speak to Viktor?’ I said, ‘Yes, this is Viktor! Who is this?’ He said, ‘Never mind. Three thousand dollars is being wired to your name via Western Union today.’ So in this way we saw God provide miraculously over and over again, too many times to recount.”<br />
<br />
“We eventually took refuge in a major European city. From one year to the next, we continued to survive there. But we were always under short notice from the Immigration Department to leave the country. We had to obtain an attorney to fight for us. God sent us to a lawyer who had recently graduated from law school and worked for us pro bono, meaning at no expense to us. Our time expired so many times, and we got letters telling us we must leave. This created so much stress in our lives, because we knew that if we returned to Ukraine, we would be killed. We knew they would probably be waiting for us in the airport. But somehow God allowed for us to get one extension after another while our case was being adjudicated in the courts. And this went on year after year for sixteen years! Much prayer went into this, and our lawyer was not a believer. But when he saw the amazing things that were happening, he knew we had the favor of God upon us. For example, in one court hearing, we had the harshest judge we could have gotten and she somehow ruled in our favor to grant us a stay for another brief period. Our lawyer said afterward, ‘I don’t know what church you go to, but whatever you are doing, it must be working. This is incredible!’”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">Thrown into Prison</span><br />
“So it continued like this for many years, always wondering if this was our last month in the country. And many incidents happened that terrified us, causing us to call out to God. I had to make trips outside the country to try and get help, but I had to do so with fake passports that were made for me, since I did not have a valid one. This worked for many years, but as technology got better, it caught up to me. One day as I was trying to leave the country, I was passing through customs at the airport and they questioned the validity of my passport. They pulled me aside, causing me to miss my flight and they interrogated me. I figured I had better come clean, so I showed them all of the fake passports I had and told them I was a refugee. They did not believe me and threw me in jail. I was there for three months and grew my beard out long during this time. I was so depressed. They called Irena and the children in for interrogation and questioned each of them separately to try and check the accuracy of my story. Eventually our lawyer got me out of prison miraculously when it seemed so hopeless to us.”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">Many Friends and Loved Ones Killed</span><br />
“But there were many more trials to endure. During this period, back in our home country that we had fled from, representatives of the Ukrainian government kept trying to determine my whereabouts. They interrogated many of my former business associates. When my former associates did not produce the desired information, they were tortured to the point of permanent physical paralysis and even death. Three quarters of our family was killed in an attempt to destroy us. For example, we received news at one point that my mother had been killed in a mysterious car accident. It was an obvious attempt to get us to return home for her funeral. But we didn’t fall for this. At other times, the gangsters who were after me sent rebels from Chechnya to try and hunt me down and kill me. But God protected me and did not allow them to succeed. There are just too many miracles to tell. I would have to write an entire book to do that. But God was clearly with us.”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">The Final Decision</span><br />
“In 2009 we got the final letter from the Immigration Department telling us that all of our appeals had been denied and this was the final decision. They told us that there would be no more appeals allowed and that we had thirty days to get out of the country. Once again, we prayed and asked our church to pray. Somehow we got permission to remain in the country for thirty more days. And we continued to receive thirty days at a time each month after that for nearly a year. Finally we had our court date in the summer of 2010 for the judge’s final decision. As usual, friends from our church were there to support us in prayer. They anointed the doorposts of the building with oil and prayed for a miracle. When the judge gave her decision, it surprised the courtroom, as she actually criticized the Immigration Department. She announced that we would be granted the status of Internationally Recognized Refugees and be allowed to remain legally in the country. When the judge announced her verdict, a wave of the Holy Spirit went through the courtroom. We felt the presence of the Lord and all began to weep for joy. Then our weeping turned to laughter as we shouted ‘Hallelujah!’ to the Lord who saved us from destruction and gave us refuge. My health and my entire family’s health has been adversely affected by the stress all these years, but we trust the Lord will even heal that.”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">Free at Last</span><br />
“After we received our official citizenship documents, we traveled as a family back to Vienna for a holiday together where it all began eighteen years ago. What a joy it was to legally be out of the country for the first time in all those years. As we crossed the border into Austria, we stopped and celebrated with praise to Jesus Christ. As the psalmist wrote: ‘Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; The snare is broken and we have escaped.’ (Psa 124:7). It feels strange to feel normal once again.”<br />
<br />
“Since then we have traveled together to France and Italy on holiday and that was also wonderful. Then I even went by myself to Israel on a holiday that was the fulfillment of a dream. As I traveled about in that country, I sensed the wonderful presence of the Lord. There was such peace and joy throughout that whole trip. And my driver who was a Muslim testified that he too sensed this peace and joy like never before. He gave his life to Jesus and later told me that his wife also gave her life to the Lord. Praise God!”<br />
<br />
“So you can see that God has been good to us. He brought me from rags to riches. And He seemed to do so in order to show me that He could also take it all away. He did take it all away. We lost all of our worldly wealth. These gangsters took it from us, but we have forgiven them completely and we are free. We have the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit and no one can take that from us. Now we have our legal freedom, too! And right after we we obtained our new legal freedom, God provided the venture capital for my new business project, so we became free financially too! And we rejoice over all the Lord has done for us.”<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;">What About You?</span><br />
As you can see, the Lord has done amazing miracles for Viktor and his family. Jesus loves them so much and heard all of their prayers these many years as they fled from persecution. I asked him why he believes the Lord so blessed his business and he said, “I think He wanted to show me that He could give it all to me and take it all away, too.” Like Job who said, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away,” Viktor has learned to praise God no matter the situation – in times of plenty and times without. I want to encourage you today that no matter what your situation, if you cry out to him to save you, He will hear and answer.<br />
<br />
I’m reminded of a song by Matt Redman called <i>Blessed Be Your Name</i>. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NL3NFhmxQxs" width="420"></iframe> <br />
<br />
It goes like this:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
“Blessed be your name<br />
When the sun’s shining down on me<br />
When the world’s all as it should be<br />
Blessed be your name<br />
Blessed be your name<br />
On the road marked with suffering<br />
Though there’s pain in the offering<br />
Blessed be your name<br />
You give and take away<br />
You give and take away<br />
My heart will choose to say<br />
Lord, Blessed be your name.”</div>
<br />
If you have not yet put your faith in Christ, I urge you to do that today. He loves you and wants you to know Him personally.<br />
<br />
<i>Attribution notice</i>: Most <a href="http://www.lockman.org/" target="_blank">Scripture quotations taken from the NASB</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Author's note:</i> If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar. You may also access my complete blog directory at "<a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html" target="_blank">Writing for the Master</a>."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a><a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank"></a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-71901255206961265062015-03-02T16:50:00.000-08:002015-05-28T11:33:28.286-07:00Saved By a Vision of Second Coming - O. Moses Alabi <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaDDfW3pOd41t43hkJN5bOwoa1NTgY-2Nx0lD7WrWNp84vYnj8MvPfcQ-L0kJ8pW3u-3DpGOz9GAd7oHu01Q-t1g7OVddfaup2AXOcpWXLL6m34cB-q7WyX_dcc0iXNFISvquut_52V2F/s1600/Omolade+Moses+Alabi+Kiev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuaDDfW3pOd41t43hkJN5bOwoa1NTgY-2Nx0lD7WrWNp84vYnj8MvPfcQ-L0kJ8pW3u-3DpGOz9GAd7oHu01Q-t1g7OVddfaup2AXOcpWXLL6m34cB-q7WyX_dcc0iXNFISvquut_52V2F/s1600/Omolade+Moses+Alabi+Kiev.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omolade Moses Alabi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is the testimony of my friend, brother Omolade Moses Alabi, a Nigerian man living in the United Kingdom. He has been married for twenty years to his wife, Celestina. Together they have four children, three boys and a girl. He is currently 48 years old and was born again in 1988.<br />
<br />
Here is his testimony:<br />
<br />
“I was born in the United Kingdom but had my early life in Nigeria, and came from a nominal Christian family. We seldom went to church on a regular basis, and when I did, it is just to go and 'eye' and 'spy' the ladies! I was 22 years old; I was not ready to be born again. I had a few girlfriends and I wanted to enjoy life, which included lots of fornication. Fornication was the only sin I knew. I hated beer, since it's not that sweet; I hated cigarettes, because my Dad didn't smoke. I somehow planned out my life, ‘Maybe when I’m forty or fifty years old I will get religious, But not now.’<br />
<br />
One night I was asleep, and in the middle of the night, and I saw the sky parted. Jesus Christ descended on a white horse. Out of fear and shock, I woke up trembling. Fear gripped me. If there was anything I knew about Jesus, it was about His second coming, which I was totally unprepared for.<br />
<br />
As I was about to go down on my knees to repent, I heard a voice say, ‘Don’t do it now. Remember your girlfriends.’(for the first time, I recognized satan's voice!) As I thought about those words, then I heard another voice in my right hear say, ‘This may be your last opportunity.’ I knew that was the Lord, so I got on my knees and repented right there.<br />
<br />
I went back to sleep. When I awoke the next morning, the sky was so brand new! I felt light! I felt clean, holy. I felt like a new baby. When I looked at the sky it was like heaven on earth.<br />
<br />
I began to read the Bible at that time and it came alive like never before. I had read the Bible previously, but now I began to understand it for the first time. Initially I did not want to tell my mother, because I knew she would want to bring me to church right away, and my conversion had not really sunk in yet! Yet I had no doubt already received the peace and joy of the Lord.<br />
<br />
A few days afterward, I was sitting on my front porch. I used to like wearing a lot of jewelry. So I had my rings and my gold necklace. And as I sat there, I heard the Voice of The Holy Spirit calling my name. I turned here and there, wondering where the voice was coming from as I saw no one! The voice continued saying ‘Lade, look at yourself.’ I looked at myself and it seemed strange for the first time, although I had never heard anyone preach about jewelry. So I went inside and took off all my jewelry. I put it into an envelope and later buried it. Some time later I heard a sermon against wearing jewelry, and also read it from The Word of God.<br />
<br />
One or two months after I was born again, during one of the church services, when the preacher gave an altar call invitation. I thought within myself, ‘Oh, that's not for me. I have accepted the Lord genuinely in my bedroom.’ But the Lord said, ‘Go forward and give your life to Me publicly.’ So I did.<br />
<br />
After we said the sinner’s prayer, the pastor instructed us to go to one side where a counselor would speak with us. But the Lord said to me, ‘You go sit down'. (I had already become a regular member and known by the small group leaders)<br />
<br />
Then when I moved to England twenty-five years ago, I had the opportunity to go to school, but the Lord said, ‘Don’t go to school.’ I thought, ‘What? What will people say?’ I did my best to apply to colleges two consecutive years, but they could not trace nor find my application details that were duly submitted.<br />
<br />
So I chose a day to sit before The Lord to hear right and not hear amiss! So I prayed, ‘Show me, Lord. Where is that in the Bible?’<br />
<br />
Then something amazing happened. I didn't know where to start reading or scroll to in the word, so I just flipped open the Bible to Acts 4 and read verse 13, which says, ‘Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.’ (Act 4:13). Although the apostles were uneducated and untrained men, the rulers and elders recognized that they had been with Jesus.<br />
<br />
So I prayed another prayer which came into my heart that the Lord will remove from me any spirit of fear, so that I may be able to stand before wise, learned and unlearned people of the world with complete boldness, with no inferiority, or inadequacy complex. He did it instantly and I arose from prayer with full confidence and assurance that all is well.<br />
<br />
The Lord also laid upon my heart that I will be his signboard or signpost. This meant that I would be the one to raise banners for him throughout my nation, as it says in Psalm 60:4-5.<br />
<br />
So I have learned that if you want to receive direction from the Lord, He can direct you so easily. It’s very simple for Him to do that, if you ask Him to. The problem is that we are so deaf when He does speak to us. Just listen to His voice and obey Him. He will lead you.”<br />
<br />
<i>Attribution notice</i>: <a href="http://www.lockman.org/" target="_blank">Scripture quotation taken from the NASB</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's note: </span>If you enjoyed
this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog, such as <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free!</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/11/the-joy-ive-come-to-know.html" target="_blank">The Joy I've Come to Know</a>, and <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/12/the-lord-healed-my-backsliding_26.html" target="_blank">The Lord Healed My Backsliding</a>. There are more testimonies on the <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2015/01/home.html" target="_blank">Home page</a> of this blog as well. You may also access my complete blog
directory at "<a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html" style="color: #3333ff;">Writing for the Master</a>." <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a><a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/"></a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-62371449110762854102014-06-10T15:13:00.005-07:002023-04-08T19:23:54.739-07:00My Journey from Buddhism to New Life in ChristAs we are currently back in the States on furlough, away from the mission field of Eastern Europe, I noticed that one of my articles had been posted on another website called <a href="http://vnsalvation.com/content/view/2338/1/" target="_blank">VN Salvation</a>. So I contacted the President of that ministry, Hai Chuong, to introduce myself and get acquainted. I was interested in knowing if he was in Vietnam or the States, and was surprised to find out that he is only two hour's drive from me here in North Carolina, USA! So we had a great chat on the phone, during which he shared with me how he came to the States from Vietnam and how he came to know Christ. Here is his amazing testimony of his search for truth, his harrowing journey as a boat person, and his miraculous conversion to Christ.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Testimony of Hai Chuong</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
At the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, after twenty years of conflict and thousands of bombs being dropped, there were two million South Vietnamese dead, fifty-eight thousand American soldiers dead, and 504 Australians dead. Since the communist Viet Cong had won, they began to round up anybody that had fought against them during the war and put them in prison. The South Vietnamese people were scared; therefore, hundreds of thousands of them fled their homeland as refugees. In 1979, I was one of those people who fled from Vietnam with my family as a refugee at the age of eighteen years old. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9brQeO4gBAEF5ydqjso9F5AqoHpNc6qGoh9lwsEY8mEspGRbP9iAdck_gQbDi0NLCaeJLFNBr3zzmKzlM5dG7x3XU7DBgIxw65NrPDPQ_j9FxdUhcfP8Je7FCion4ZJagJXcbhSSpDre/s1600/Vietnamese_boat_people_2.JPEG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9brQeO4gBAEF5ydqjso9F5AqoHpNc6qGoh9lwsEY8mEspGRbP9iAdck_gQbDi0NLCaeJLFNBr3zzmKzlM5dG7x3XU7DBgIxw65NrPDPQ_j9FxdUhcfP8Je7FCion4ZJagJXcbhSSpDre/s1600/Vietnamese_boat_people_2.JPEG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat people, courtesy Wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We were known as boat people since that was the best way to escape. Families had to sell all their valuables in order to buy a boat or pay a fisherman money to get out. Some of these boats were only three by ten yards in size and made of wood. And then we had to secretly gather together in small groups of three to five, so that we would not be noticed, because if they caught us they would either shoot us or put us in prison. And then once we escaped, we knew we would never see our families again, whom we had left behind. We were on the Pacific Ocean in this small wooden boat, packed in like sardines, which was a terrifying experience. There were many dangers and hardships to endure. As people became sea sick, they would vomit right on the boat where they were, and they would also relieve themselves right where they were. There were Thai pirates that could come on board and plunder our belongings or capture young women to rape or be sold. There was the threat of thunderstorms, shipwreck, or running out of supplies and starving to death. That is why one million South Vietnamese people died trying to escape the post-war horrors of communism.<br />
<br />
My family has total eight brothers and sisters. We left Vietnam at three different times within a year, and ended up in three different countries as refugees – Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia – none of which we were welcomed in. We had some relatives in the United States, so we got in contact with them and managed to emigrate to Wisconsin, USA. <br />
<br />
We were Buddhists from a Buddhist country, but a Lutheran church sponsored us. We attended the church services, but did not understand what they were saying. Although they were very kind to us, we declined their offer to get saved or become a Christian.<br />
<br />
However, I had been looking for Truth since I was a child. As a child, I had seen so much death, including my father’s death in 1974, so I determined that I would look for the Truth when I grew up. I knew that whomever could conquer death had the Truth. After five years in the U.S., we received a letter about some of our relatives passing away. I was so shocked by that terrible news. I still wanted as much as ever to know Truth.<br />
<br />
Although I was a Buddhist, I didn’t really know much about Buddhism. My parents told me, “You’re a Buddhist, so live a good life.” But they did not really give me much of the teachings of our religion. So as an adult in the States, I tried to learn Buddhist teaching. The more I read, I realized that Buddha cannot save you. Buddha said you must save yourself! And he himself died, so how could he save anyone?<br />
<br />
Nobody ever told me about Jesus. As a young person I had watched a movie about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. But they only showed Him die on the cross, and did not explain why He died or show Him rise from the dead. I was scared of the blood there on the cross. So I didn’t like to think about that. I even had Catholic friends in Vietnam, who could have told me the Truth, but nobody told me Jesus Christ rose from the dead. In Vietnam, some Buddhists had black magic power like voodoo, but the Catholics had no power in their lives, and I wanted to know who had the power to overcome death. I thought, “What good is it to worship a man like Jesus if He has no power?”<br />
<br />
In the U.S., I did not feel I could find the answer I was looking for. Death had so much power! I thought that nobody could overcome it. <br />
<br />
Then a friend of my oldest sister in Houston, urged my sister to open a Chinese restaurant, since he knew how to cook. My sister listened to him. I lived with my sister's family at that time in Houston, and my sister opened a Chinese restaurant in Arkansas. Since there was a military base there, a refugee camp was set up, where there were many Vietnamese refugees.<br />
<br />
Then my sister decided to close her restaurant, and she began to look for someone to buy it from her. But she could not find a buyer. She began asking $63,000 and even though she lowered her price to $30,000, she could not sell it! She made trips back and forth between Texas and Arkansas, which was very difficult for her, because of the travel and staying in motels. So the process of trying to sell the restaurant was hard for her. While working at the restaurant, my sister had met a Vietnamese Christian woman, who really liked my sister. Then one day that Vietnamese Christian woman invited my sister to stay with her at her house, whenever she was in Arkansas.<br />
<br />
One day that woman told my sister, “Can you listen to me this time? Let us go to church, and ask the Lord to sell your restaurant. If He does, then you will become a Christian. If not, you don’t have to do anything.” So my sister did so. Even though Christianity seemed to us like just an American religion, my sister did not want to displease the woman, because she was so kind to her.<br />
<br />
At the Vietnamese Church in Arkansas, they had worship and then a time for prayer requests. My sister’s Christian hostess stood up and asked everybody to pray that the Lord would help her sell the restaurant. Miraculously some Chinese businessmen came and bought the restaurant that same day! So the Christian woman said to my sister, “You remember your promise!” So my sister became the first Christian in our family. <br />
<br />
I was single at that time, living in Houston with my sister and her family, still searching for the Truth of overcoming death. My sister did not even believe in Jesus, but she did not want to displease the lady, so she went through the motions of becoming a Christian. But when she returned to Houston to her own place, she figured the lady would not know if she did not attend church or follow the Lord. However, the lady knew Christians in Houston. So she arranged to get my sister connected with a Vietnamese church there, and my sister began to go to church in Houston, since she didn't want to show the Vietnamese Christian woman she was fake. I was upset with my sister. I said, “Why did you become a Christian? You didn't ask us!” I confronted her. Then she told her story about the miracle God did in selling her restaurant and how she became a Christian. Of course, after hearing that, I could say nothing more, but I was still against it, since it was just an American religion to me. <br />
<br />
At my sister’s place in Houston, where I lived with her as a single man, eventually her husband became a Christian. People from their church would come to the house for Bible study. I always avoided them, since I did not want to get into confrontation or conflict. One day the Vietnamese pastor knocked on the front door. I would not have answered the door, if I knew it was the pastor. But I didn’t know, so I answered and he came in for an unannounced visit. <br />
<br />
During the visit, he talked with me, and I tried to be polite. He talked and it seemed like he just kept on talking. I wanted to get out of there so badly. Finally the pastor stopped talking and said, “Before I leave, did you know Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead?” At that moment, it was like the lights went on inside of me. <br />
<br />
I asked, “What did you say?”<br />
<br />
He replied, “Did you know Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead?”<br />
<br />
I said, “No. How did it happen?”<br />
<br />
He said, “He died and rose from the dead in three days.”<br />
<br />
I said, “That's real! That's true!” It was the Truth I had been searching for all my life!<br />
<br />
Then I recalled how my grandfather had died, while my grandmother was sleeping close to him and heard him call out that he was thirsty. I recalled how my grandmother had given him water, and he lived a couple more years. I wondered if Jesus was weak like that after He returned to life.<br />
<br />
The pastor said, “No, He was strong and fully alive.”<br />
<br />
I asked, “Did He die again after that?”<br />
<br />
“No. He conquered death. He never died again. He appeared to His disciples for forty days, and then ascended into heaven where He lives forever at the right hand of God.”<br />
<br />
I told the pastor, “If that's the Truth, I will become a Christian.”<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtLpP0-uUv2lZK5nUV9imUehMtO8NMZn4ymE6aLtSQIgYc8adpIHNzoPlUunBcwWYoRcib6LwKpV-Kk57sOmEbQ6q2AfzwsE_m35ldmiQI8pUlEAvi_sl11U_ZjQzfezdS_9A2ancHN8Z/s1600/haichuong+family.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtLpP0-uUv2lZK5nUV9imUehMtO8NMZn4ymE6aLtSQIgYc8adpIHNzoPlUunBcwWYoRcib6LwKpV-Kk57sOmEbQ6q2AfzwsE_m35ldmiQI8pUlEAvi_sl11U_ZjQzfezdS_9A2ancHN8Z/s1600/haichuong+family.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hai Chuong</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And once I became convinced of it, I said, “That's the Truth.” Then I became a Christian. <br />
<br />
Like I said already, I had always thought, “What good is it to worship a man like Jesus if He has no power? If you cannot overcome death yourself, how can you save others? If you are drowning, how can you rescue anyone else who is drowning? But if you can overcome death, then you can save others.” <br />
<br />
My friend, Buddha cannot save you. He died and his bones are in the grave. He has no power, and he even said that you must save yourself. But Jesus Christ is the only One who has conquered death. He died on the cross two thousand years ago for your sins and mine, and He rose from the dead three days later. He lives forever and He is able to save you, if you will repent of your sin and ask Him to forgive you. When you invite Him into your heart, He will give you new life, abundant life, and eternal life, so that you can live forever. <br />
<br />
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (Joh 14:6)<br />
<br />
He also said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" (Joh 11:25-26)<br />
<br />
-- Hai Chuong<br />
<br />
<i>Attribution notice</i>: Most <a href="http://www.lockman.org/" target="_blank">Scripture quotations taken from the NASB</a>. Photo of boat people courtesy Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's note: </span>Please see <a href="http://spiritofthelordgod.blogspot.com/2013/12/opportunities-to-serve-body-of-christ.html">Opportunities to Serve the Body of Christ</a>. If you enjoyed
this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog, such as <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.com/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free!</a>, <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/11/the-joy-ive-come-to-know.html" target="_blank">The Joy I've Come to Know</a>, and <a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2012/12/the-lord-healed-my-backsliding_26.html" target="_blank">The Lord Healed My Backsliding</a>. You may also access my complete blog
directory at "<a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html" style="color: #3333ff;">Writing for the Master</a>." <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a><a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/"></a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2768863968743442130.post-70312186256624393222012-12-26T12:42:00.008-08:002022-05-08T18:34:21.799-07:00The Lord Healed My Backsliding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsdf4eW6BS276b9LlmaC9yxRwZTx8wtqUzWE6ibudvBoJ-uzfwqEtCztoizuNkVvfS5dSALn6I3aiXRuNivnac-EgublIObFs2Lz43HB8Md89eAl3wk2OyJMa4hQtjY8fkysSqQoMZ3Nf/s1600/washed.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsdf4eW6BS276b9LlmaC9yxRwZTx8wtqUzWE6ibudvBoJ-uzfwqEtCztoizuNkVvfS5dSALn6I3aiXRuNivnac-EgublIObFs2Lz43HB8Md89eAl3wk2OyJMa4hQtjY8fkysSqQoMZ3Nf/s320/washed.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
I’d like to share with you about the unlimited grace and mercy of Jesus Christ in the life of my nephew, Denis. I had the privilege of leading him to the Lord twenty-six years ago, and was so blessed to see him recommit his life to Christ not too long ago. He states in his testimony below:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">How I Came to Know Christ Initially</span> <br />
I was raised a Catholic, so I knew some information about the Lord Jesus, but I didn’t know Him personally. I had never heard the gospel message of salvation or how to be saved. I was a typical youth in high school, into the party scene and living for myself. I was not seeking the Lord at all.<br />
<br />
Then in May of 1986, my uncle Len, who was serving in the military, returned home to NH on leave for 30 days before being deployed overseas. He had recently given his life to Jesus, and as he began to share his newfound faith with me, I could easily see he was a changed person. You can read his testimony on “<a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>.”<br />
<br />
The Lord convicted me of my sin, and my need for Jesus, so I repented and gave my life to Him. During Len’s 30-day leave period, I spent a lot of time in the Word with him, learning about the Lord and what He expects of us. I joined a local church, where I attended regularly for worship. I was baptized in water, baptized with the Holy Spirit, and I began to attend the youth group, where I eventually became a leader. At first, I was full of joy and willing to lay it all down for the Lord. After graduating from high school, I even got married to a young lady from the church, and we went to Bible school, where I began preparing myself for full time ministry as a youth pastor.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">I Had No Roots</span><br />
But things fell apart there in Bible school. My wife had different goals and the marriage didn’t work out. I was crushed when she left me. The hurt from that experience was overwhelming to me. <br />
<br />
Jesus described the seeds of the gospel being cast upon four different kinds of soil. And you could say I was like the seed planted on rocky soil. Jesus said, "Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. "But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.” (Mat 13:5-6). That may be the best way to describe me. I was full of joy and quickly sprang right up, running ahead with my plans to serve God. But I had no roots, and the trials I encountered in life were more than I could handle. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Drifting Away from the Lord</span><br />
That’s when I began on a long journey that would take me away from the Lord for over two decades. In fact, for me it was a period of significant rebellion against the Lord and backsliding. After a while, I didn’t want to hear anything about the Lord. I lived for myself and did whatever I wanted. <br />
<br />
I won’t go into the ugly details of all that I did during that time. But I stopped praying and reading my Bible. I caved in to all media temptations excessively (secular music, television, and Internet), and had absolutely no regard for financial spending. I stopped attending church and tithing. With no more joy or peace in my life, I turned to heavy drinking and drug use (prescription and illegal). I became more of a sinner than I had been before I ever knew the Lord!<br />
<br />
I then attempted marriage again, this time to a non-believer, and that didn’t work out. It only caused more hurt and bitterness inside of me. I didn’t realize that the problem I was running from was inside of me, not primarily with someone else. <br />
<br />
I began living together with another non-believer, whom I later married, and she is still my wife today. Needless to say, all of this sowing of bad seed in my life began to bring in quite a harvest. I really began to reap what I’d sown all those years. As the Scripture says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Gal 6:7-8)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">How the Lord Got Me Back</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2QXpai3uWPQV9BhQwHvGF2GlP3u_jpJPi_sCbAJJ52nAalsO85Zp5SfkVSbpEDnItManujcWPWJgbcIbS0vkRtgxIN91hed91yqunI3kfh52-DfbIj0PIRxUnRpRVpnCoiwsWB15q3is/s1600/Denis.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2QXpai3uWPQV9BhQwHvGF2GlP3u_jpJPi_sCbAJJ52nAalsO85Zp5SfkVSbpEDnItManujcWPWJgbcIbS0vkRtgxIN91hed91yqunI3kfh52-DfbIj0PIRxUnRpRVpnCoiwsWB15q3is/s200/Denis.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denis Lacroix</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I thank the Lord that He didn’t give up on me. Like the good shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep to seek after the one lost sheep, I can see clearly now how He was seeking me out in so many ways that simply cannot be dismissed as mere coincidences. For example, He provided me with a job as a dispatcher at a small trucking company, which was owned and operated by an older, married couple. They were very precious, born again believers, who cared for me and prayed for me. And so did Len, who always treated me with love, even when I was away from the Lord. I may not have liked it when he tried to tell me that I needed to return to the Lord, but I knew it was true. <br />
<br />
There were a few times when the Lord allowed me to “coincidentally” run into Len at Walmart, and we would stop to chat briefly together. On another occasion, when I decided to go to church one Sunday, Len just happened to be led to visit that same church that morning with his family, rather than attending his home church as usual. I recall how he and his family sat right behind us in church that day. He would also phone me from time to time, and remind me that the Lord still loved me, and that He was waiting for me to return to Him. <br />
<br />
Looking back, I can see God’s grace in my life. Even while I was away from Him, in my state of rebellion, He delivered me from an unplanned suicide attempt I made while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Had I succeeded in killing myself, I would have perished eternally. And then after He rescued me from death, He healed me from my injuries. What a loving Savior! He was calling out to me, as the Scripture says, “Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings.” (Jer 3:22a)<br />
<br />
I guess I just felt like I had fallen so far away that even if God was willing to forgive me, I couldn’t forgive myself. I knew I deserved hell for my rebellion against the Lord. I was just waiting to die and face my certain judgment. I came to understand first-hand what the verse to the Hebrews means that says, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” (Heb 10:26-27). Let me assure you that you don’t ever want to experience that like I did. <br />
<br />
There were a couple times over the years, when I did attempt to return to the Lord. Aside from that time I attended church one Sunday, I also repented and prayed to give my life back to the Lord. I was finally crying out, “Indeed we do come to You, For You are the Lord our God." (Jer 3:22b). But the strongholds were so entrenched in my life that I was never able to follow through on my commitment. <br />
<br />
Len recommended a couple churches for me, and I said I would check them out. But for years I kept putting that off for another day, until recently. Finally in 2011, on Easter Sunday, I finally decided to attend a church, where Len was preaching. I asked the Lord to cleanse me by the blood of Jesus Christ, and forgive me from the darkness and sin that I allowed to bind me in chains. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">He's Healed My Backsliding</span><br />
Since then I have continued to serve in a local church, and watched the Lord heal my backslidings. As the prophet Hosea says, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him." (Hos 14:4). He has loved me freely and turned away His anger from me. I am so grateful for His love and mercy toward me.<br />
<br />
Just to show you how He has healed my backsliding, here are some of the areas that God has delivered me from, and continues to work in my life through the Holy Spirit. I have joined a home group through the church. He’s also been using the weekly Bible studies and Sunday morning services to restore all that the worms have eaten in my life. He has restored my communion with Him, and I once again enjoy an active, daily prayer life, as well as daily time spent in His living Word. He has set me free from alcohol and illegal drugs completely! He has broken my addiction to video games, which once consumed over fifteen hours of my time each week. He also set me free from my addiction to Facebook games, although I continue to pray for complete deliverance from this as well. He has delivered me from two of the prescription meds I have taken for over 10 yrs.<br />
<br />
He has also healed me of the anger and bitterness inside my heart, as a result of all the evil in my past. The change in my behavior has been like night and day. Though I still fall sometimes, He has really been faithful in this area of my life. He has helped me to put Him first in my finances. He has given me spiritual boldness to share the Gospel of Christ with my immediate family, and given me a burden to pray for my unsaved extended family and friends. And He has put within me a desire to do more, in terms of sharing Jesus with those I don’t know. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Sharing Jesus with My Loved Ones</span><br />
As a way of helping my friends and family to focus on the real meaning of Easter, and to invite the un-churched ones to worship with me at my home church for Easter services, I sent out a shortened version of this testimony back in the spring of 2012. I sent it as an email, which I believe went to nearly all 250 people on my distribution list. Though I probably lost a few people on the list, who didn’t appreciate it, there were a few who thanked me for being so open about my life as it was both before and after I was saved. And of course, as a result of the Holy Spirit moving through what I shared, my mother, two sisters, and brother-in-law, as well as my nephew and niece attended the services. The Lord has been working in their lives since then, drawing them to himself.<br />
<br />
My mother got water baptized at my church, and so did my younger sister, along with her significant other, who have since just recently been married. My other sister shows an interest in the Lord and openness to the gospel.<br />
<br />
The Lord has allowed other changes to occur in my life that I may not have listed here. And I also realize that these changes are not because of who I am or what I have done, but because of who Jesus is, and what He has done for me. I truly believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and if it were not for His birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and intercession on my behalf before God, I would be damned to Hell for my sins. I repent daily for any darkness that I have allowed into my heart through my eyes or ears. I ask God that He would allow the Holy Spirit to purge me from the things that He detests and hates, so that I too would detest and hate them as well. I know that I am nothing but dust that the Lord has chosen to breath life into, and all I have comes from Him. I pray this testimony will be a blessing to you, and those who may be facing the same deceptions and evil traps from the enemy.<br />
<br />
<b>Denis Lacroix</b> <br />
<br />
[END OF DENIS'S TESTIMONY]<br />
<br />
Praise the Lord for making Denis to be a testimony of the saving power of Jesus Christ!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">My Personal Invitation to You</span><br />
In closing, please let me say that if you are backslidden -- you were once saved, but are now away from Jesus Christ, He is calling to you today to return to Him. He leaves the ninety-nine other sheep in the flock to pursue you -- that one lost sheep. Return to Him with repentance and weeping. "Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity And receive us graciously, That we may present the fruit of our lips.'" (Hos 14:2) He will forgive you, and heal you. But don't ever go back that way again!<br />
<br />
There is nobody on earth more miserable than a backslidden Christian. It's a terrible place to be. You might fool yourself into believing that your having fun, but the truth is that deep down inside your soul is aching. You have no peace. The only answer is to cry out to the Lord for mercy and turn your back on sin. Separate yourself from the world and consecrate yourself to the Lord once again. Pour out your heart to God in a <a href="http://len-prayerpromises.blogspot.hu/2012/03/covenant-prayer.html" target="_blank">covenant prayer something like this one</a>.<br />
<br />
And if you know a Christian, who is backslidden, don't give up on them. Keep praying and loving them. Keep telling them, "You will not miss your destiny. You will be a mighty man (or woman) of God. You will be a testimony of the saving power of Jesus Christ." Keep telling them that they need to return to the Lord. The Lord will hear your prayers, and send His angels to move them out of that dangerous place into a place of safety where they can find a door to God.<br />
<br />
Lastly, if you are contemplating suicide, I need to warn you that it's a trap of the devil. Suicide will not solve any of your problems. I don't know any other way to say this more kindly, except to say that suicide will only assure you an eternity in hell. Your life is valuable to God, who made you, and you do not have permission to kill yourself. What you need right now is to cry out to the Lord Jesus, and ask Him to save you. If you're desperate enough to consider taking your life, then you have nothing to lose. And you can be sure that He will answer your sincere prayer. The new life He gives will be unimaginably better than the one you're now seeking to end. He has a purpose for your life! And when He's finished fulfilling His purpose for you, then He'll take you up into glory to be with Him forever in heaven.<br />
<br />
It all begins with giving your life to Him. Won't you do that today?<br />
<br />
<b>Len Lacroix</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Shepherd loves His sheep
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
He’s sad when they get lost</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
At times they choose to stray</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Once saved at such a cost</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
He takes the time to train them</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To listen to His voice</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To follow His commands</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But still, they have a choice</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
-- excerpt from "<a href="http://verses-to-the-king.blogspot.hu/2012/12/good-shepherd.html" target="_blank">Good Shepherd</a>"<br />
by Charity V. Lacroix<br />
<br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Epilogue</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">On August 16, 2020, Denis Lacroix went home to be with the Lord at age 50. He had served the Lord faithfully in many different ways: as an usher in his church, as a worker in the church food pantry, as a Bookkeeper and Office Coordinator for our ministry Doulos Missions International, as a counselor to others, as an intercessor, as a caring friend doing favors for people, and in many other ways. He is dearly missed by all who knew him. He was my best friend and right hand man in our ministry.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is by the grace of God that he came back to Christ nine years before he died, because he would have perished eternally if he had not done so, since he had been away from the Lord for two decades.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I had the privilege of sharing a few words at his Memorial Service. If you would like to watch that service and hear what I shared, you can see the <a href="https://youtu.be/2NdEm1apVEU" target="_blank">video here</a>. He fought the good fight. He kept the faith. Now he has gone to his eternal reward in heaven.</div><div style="text-align: left;">.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Attribution notice</i>: Most <a href="http://www.lockman.org/" target="_blank">Scripture quotations taken from the NASB</a>. The "Washed by the Blood" painting © 2012 is by <a href="http://www.inspired-art.com" target="_blank">Danny Hahlbohm</a>, all rights reserved by the artist. </div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Author's Note: </span>If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to read "<a href="http://len-prayerpromises.blogspot.hu/2012/03/covenant-prayer.html" target="_blank">Covenant Prayer</a>," "<a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2011/07/drifting-away.html" target="_blank">Drifting Away</a>," "<a href="http://budapesttestimonies.blogspot.hu/2011/02/truth-set-me-free.html" target="_blank">The Truth Set Me Free</a>," "<a href="http://len-seekingthelord.blogspot.hu/2011/11/holy-living-in-perverted-world.html" target="_blank">Holy Living in a Perverted World</a>," "<a href="http://fromevildeliverus.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-evil-spirit-of-alcohol.html" target="_blank">The Evil Spirit of Alcohol</a>", and a poem by my daughter called "<a href="http://verses-to-the-king.blogspot.hu/2012/12/good-shepherd.html" target="_blank">The Good Shepherd</a>." You are invited to view my collection of blogs at <a href="http://writingforthemaster.blogspot.com/2011/06/collection-of-my-blogs.html">Writing for the Master</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Do You Want to Know Him?</span><br />
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?<br />
<br />
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe. <br />
<br />
Please see my explanation of this in my post called "<a href="http://enterthekog.blogspot.hu/2012/11/do-you-want-to-know-jesus.html" target="_blank">Do You Want to Know Jesus?</a>"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________________________________________________</div>
<br />
Len Lacroix is the founder of <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">Doulos Missions International</a>.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. <a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/" target="_blank">www.dmiworld.org.</a><a href="http://www.dmiworld.org/"></a>Lenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499007462067501353noreply@blogger.com0