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he inistry:
lay ikes:
I was the first-born child and grandchild birthed on my grandfather's birthday, March 31st, 1948. Most of my first 34 years were spent gratifying myself with whatever I wanted. I was able to use the World's System with great success; hence, from my late teens to my early thirties I found what the world would call success in virtually every area of life, especially in social, financial, and political arenas.
Without notice, my world suddenly turned upside down in late 1982. On
January 3rd, 1983 I asked the Lord to come into my life. I was filled with
the Spirit of God immediately with the initial evidence of speaking in other
tongues. I knew so little about what had happened that I researched the
local Christian bookstore for information. On the second day of my
salvation, the Lord told me that I would be like a cowcatcher on the front
of a train. A cowcatcher is the V-shaped guard mounted on the front of most
trains that passed through rural areas. Its purpose was to dislodge any
object, including cows, from the track, hence preventing the train's
derailment. For many years, I wondered if I had heard the Lord correctly,
but noticed that I seemed to be the first to hit whatever was out there,
good or bad.
The first in a series of major objects slammed into the front of the train in the early 1990s with the prosperity message. I became so engrossed in this message, which greased the skids of my own selfish ambitions, that I was able to give away hundreds of thousands of dollars, much of it to one large prosperity teacher. I was the only secular board member in this ministry, rubbing elbows with some of the nation's most recognized ministers. My mind told me that I had finally found God and the truth, but my heart was speaking otherwise. I knew in my heart of hearts that something was dreadfully wrong and eventually resigned from my board seat. By now we were in the mid to later 1990s, and the empire (Ishmael) I had created began to crumble. By November of 1997 I was forced to close my businesses staring millions of dollars of debt straight in the face.
God spoke during this hour of destruction and chaos and said, "Your giant tree has been chopped down and all that remains is a stump, but take heart for the root is still intact."
From late 1997 until the end of 2001 I struggled, I was tested facing trial after trial, until finally I felt that I had come to the end of myself. I simply didn't care anymore. Continuously the Holy Spirit directed me to John 12:24. I knew that God was calling me to make the great exchange; my life for His, and this required my complete surrender, my death to myself. It was during this time, late 2001 early 2002 that God clearly said to me, "If you take care of my business, I will take care of yours." This was confirmed when I heard 91-year-old Arthur Burt speak the following profound words, "The greater (taking care of God's business) always includes the lesser (your needs being met)."
It is my daily quest to be obedient to the Spirit of God, to take time to be with Him, and during this process I am getting to know Him better. In getting to know Him, I am learning to trust Him, especially for guidance and instruction. I am learning to trust Him with all my heart and learning the pleasure of worshiping Him through obedience. I know there is more, much more, and I will use the time left to me on this earth to go deeper with Him.
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