One of the first things that Dad taught me by the Spirit of God was I could hear God's voice. I am not the only one who has received this teaching. Our children have not only heard this in church, but Terry and I have always encouraged them to seek God, and they could hear his voice. In John 10:1-5 Jesus is speaking about entering into the sheepfold and hearing the voice of the Lord. Look in verses 3-5: To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. I have also shared with you in a previous overcoming how God ministered to me about He Hears Me Always. So if we believe we can hear the voice of God, and he hears our prayers, we have got cell phones beat, right?
I just want to share with you two or three practical applications of these very things working in our house. A few years back, Candace was working in a corporate office over in North Dallas. She had asked me to come and have lunch with her one day, and I had agreed. I was running behind that day and had forgotten I needed to take something to one of the other girls at school. In the meantime, Terry had come home to record an audio for the internet, and Candace called to see if I was on the way. Well, Terry thought I must be. I was not at home. A while later, I walked in the front door, and Terry said, "I told Candace you were on the way!" I said, "No problem, I'll just call her office and let her know I'm a little late." Well, by the time I called, Candace had already left her desk and gone down to the lobby to wait for me. The department where she was working was high security, and I couldn't go up and get her. Anyway, I tried several times to no avail. I told Terry, "I'm going on. I'll just be praying." I got in my car and headed out for my thirty minutes of car time. I began to pray, and I said, "Jesus, she can hear your voice. Tell her to check her voice mail at her desk." I had left a message on her office phone. Candace said she was waiting in the lobby, and she just felt prompted to go back upstairs and check the voice mail. Thank God, she heard his voice. Not only that, but Jesus heard my prayer as well. Needless to say, Candace could see me coming, and we went to lunch rejoicing that she heard his voice.
One Sunday morning all of us were headed in different directions after the morning service. We had told Candace we were just going to pick up something for lunch and eat at the house. Well, through a series of events, we ended up changing our plans. I knew where Candace was, and I also knew this person she was with did not always check her voice mail. So, I tried to get through on Candace's cell phone(which, I might add, she has been instructed not to use while driving). Anyway, I was trying to use a pay phone at the restaurant where we were eating. The operator told me to deposit an amount of money, so I did, and the call still wouldn't go through. I tried to get operator's assistance, you name it, and I still could not get through to Candace. I thought, "No problem, I'll ask the manager to use the restaurant phone." Well, I did so, and he said, "Tell her I'll be right there, and five minutes later I was still waiting for him." I finally told the waitress, "Tell him never mind, I've already missed the party I was trying to reach." I walked off and said, "Jesus, it's up to you, she hears you; you tell her somehow." I went back to the table told Terry the details, and as we sat there discussing the events of the telephone fiasco, in walked Candace. The person who never checks her voice mail just happened to check it before Candace left that location. Just happened my foot, I knew in my heart who had caused that person to check her messages. Jesus of Nazareth, the one who raised from the dead. This has gone on for years in our home, when I was trying to reach one of the kids and couldn't find them or also when they have been looking for Terry and me.
Then there was a time the kids were out of school for a teacher in-service day. Terry and Candace were working. Ashley had plans with friends, and Rachel and I were running mom to do some errands. I left Ashley at a friends house, talked to the mother, and went on to pick up mom. We had run in to a little store, and mom had made some purchases. We decided to take them back to her house before we continued to do the rest of her errands. As we were getting things unloaded, and I was taking some measurements for mom, the phone rang, and it was Terry. Ashley's plans had fallen through, and she was sitting at home looking for me. Did I ever appreciate God. Those set of circumstances had sent us back to my mom's house. In the meanwhile, prayers were being offered up by Ashley, Candace, and Terry that they could find me. I didn't have any kind of phone, and no one really knew where all we were going. I told Terry I would call Ash. I called her, told her where I was, and she said, "Good, I have been praying." I appreciate God for the things that he has done in our lives. These may seem like simple minute things to you, but to a twelve year old who could only invision sitting home while everyone else was out, it was major. This ministered to Ashley's heart. You see folks, Jesus takes care of the children just like he does the adults. He is no respecter of age. I encourage you to teach your children that they can hear God and believe it yourself.
Something else just came into my spirit as I was sharing these things with you. Years ago, Candace had gone to a slumber party one night. We have shared with our girls, if they ever knew they were in a situation they knew was wrong, call us no matter what time of day or night. Well, this particular night, we didn't have a problem with where Candace was because we knew all the girls but a couple. They were all level headed and had never been weird on any other outing. This night, Terry and I kept praying, and it was like we couldn't get peaceful. We didn't really understand it, but we continued to pray until we overcame, and the peace of God filled our hearts. We went on to bed, and about 1:30 am the phone rang, and it was Candace. She said, "Dad, will you come and get me?' Terry asked her a few questions, and she said, "Dad, I don't belong here." We have learned over the years that the spirit of God in the kids can discern when situations could be harmful and when they will pay attention, he will let them know. I was so grateful to God, because she actually heard what we said about calling day or night. Not only that, she knew in her heart this was not a healthy situation. I appreciate the strength to walk away and not compromise and have God on her case. I know this ministered to Ashley, because she too has called and said, "Will you come and get me." I thank God on a regular basis that we can hear his voice, and a stranger's voice we will not follow.. It has been proven in all our lives.
Our girls have learned that when they believe and ask God, they too, can hear his voice. Don't forget to believe this gospel. Maybe someone out there needs to believe they can hear the voice of God. When you hear it, obey it. God bless you and I will see you soon.
Back in the late nineties, there was a bomb threat at a school in Plano, Texas. When I heard of this threat, something went off in my heart to begin to resist the devil. I did not understand at the time, but shortly after a wave of threats began in our fair city of Allen. I kept resisting this with my faith, and I told the devil, "You will not come to my(Ashley and Rachel's) school. I resist you with my faith!!!" I only can thank God for the prayer that he put in my heart, because I know that it was his spirit that put it there. When God puts a prayer in your heart, you had better know he will perform it. The scripture reveals to us that God will put his desires in our hearts.
At the same time this was occurring, the Lord led Dad to start all of us worshipping and praising collectively on a daily basis. In Psalms 57:7 it states; My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise. The word fixed in the Hebrew means to be prepared or established. A heart that is established in this gospel will sing and give praise. The psalmist says we triumph in the praises of our God. We are also told that perfect praise stills the enemy, and all of you who have read my overcomings know I am a firm believer in receiving from God through worship. He inhabits the praises of his people. I cannot tell you the countless times we have overcome here in our home and in this ministry worshipping God. When the Persian Gulf War was taking place, the Lord led us to worship on a daily basis, and the only time we lost any planes was the time we were not meeting and worshipping God. You might think me to sound prideful, but it is a fact. Psalms 149 tells us what happens when we praise God, and in verses 6-9 it states; Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord. When we praise and worship God believing the power of God, this will definitely take place in our lives and around us. This took, and takes place in our fair city, and I rejoice. I not only rejoice that the spirit of God was and still is moving in Allen, but I also rejoice that he put the prayer in my heart because he knew what was going to take place. Praise God! Psalm 91:1 states: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. In verses 7 and 8 it states: A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. We know that the scripture promises things will come on the earth, but the righteous are also promised it will be well with us. (Isaiah 3:10)
When Terry and I moved back to Allen in August of l998, we were delighted to be back home. We had lived here when we first married and really didn't want to leave, but it was the will of God for a season. We moved in on Saturday, and our children started school the next Thursday. Needless to say, it was quick, but like I have shared with you before, it was a very easy transition for our daughters. They all knew we were in the will of God, and that obedience brings blessings. We all know the kind of forms that are sent out with the first days of school. You almost sign your life away before school gets into swing. Well, the spirit of God had told me to sign up to be room mom in Ashley's class. This was not something that I wanted to do, and I have to tell you, I did not hearken at first, but God has a way of getting your attention, and I obeyed. Right away it was a real blessing. I will add here, there were years when God told me not to do anything at school, but there have been years where there were major things happening in our schools, and I always seemed to be where I needed to be.(because of obedience to God.) When we lived in Plano, we had people who would call Terry and I to pray about situations. We didn't mind being known as people who got their prayers answered. Why? Because Jesus was always glorified in these situations. Anyway, there have been times in the past that all I did was wrestle with Jezebels all year, but it was for my perfection, and for that I am grateful. That year had not been too bad at all. I had a delightful group of parents as far as the flesh is concerned. The most rewarding thing to me was being being able to share the gospel and what God has done in my heart with some of them. As far as being the new kid on the block, that did not seem to matter to God. He took a hold in the spirit immediately and ruled. It became very clear to Terry and me why God had put me where I was in the school. When the threats began to become more frequent, some of our plans that had been finalized for our children were altered and then canceled. Well, the spirit of God began to rise up in my heart and in Terry's, and we began to resist these spirits in faith. We had both talked with our principal and teachers about not being oppressed by fear, but standing up against the fear that is trying to take over our city. This is a spirit, and it is real. I have been on both sides of this spirit, and I will tell you now, believing the gospel is the side to remain on. Luke 1:73-75 states: The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. We do not have to live in fear, and God has taken so much of this out of my life. I refuse to allow fear to rule my life or my children's. There are many testimonies that we can share that God caused us to overcome in the public schools and as God directs I will share them. I am talking about overcoming by the spirit of God and ruling the situation in the spirit. There is a difference which I will not get into at this time. I have seen God intervene in our situations with the schools since Candace was a small child. A lot of times, we have not even had to open our mouth except to make our request be made known unto God. Other times we have had to speak up and confront the spirits openly. This all has come by being led by the spirit of God. In this particular situation in Allen, Terry talked to our school board members, he wrote and called those in authority in Austin, and we kept resisiting the Spirit that was behind all this. The Lord led me to call our Superintendent about a situation concerning a field trip planned for our children. I had some valid questions and answers that needed to be answered and not just passed down the chain of command. God saw to it that we conversed one on one. I appreciate the mercy of God in my life. I could care less to be in this situation, but I also want to be in position to obey what he tells me to do. Again, in the course of this conversation, I encouraged her to take a strong stand against this and not to give in to fear. I also encouraged her that we as taxpayers and parents had a right to say what we expected from our school administrators. Later that morning, Terry and I had been invited by our principal to a meeting, and we both believed it was right to attend. We sat there and listened to various aspects of the meeting, getting the facts, etc. I knew there were things in people's hearts sitting there trying to resist Terry, and I just continued to pray in my heart. All of the sudden, you could sense those witchcraft spirits beginning to bow. I knew what Terry was doing too. He was sitting there overcoming those spirits himself. When he spoke, a spirit went crazy in one of the women. Later, I had a few people tell me, "I don't understand what was going on with that woman." Well, we did. The spirit that rules this community (fear) was being challenged openly, and Jezebel was trying to have one of her little fits. When Terry and I looked at her and said, "We understand.", that spirit she was yielding to backed off and didn't comment again at what was being said out of our mouths. We saw God move in our midst. I can honestly say that I sat in that room with all of those people, primarily female, and was not affected by their opinion of me. Later that afternoon, I got in my car and headed out on the road. As I was driving I began to thank God, because that could have been me on the other side of the table. I began to even see a greater magnitude of mercy that has been placed on my life. I had a certain amount of compassion on the people in that room, because I too have been ruled by fear. I will add that the compassion was to see them overcome, not bow to the fear they were walking in. I could absolutely see the change in my heart, and there is nothing but gratitude in my heart toward the Lord. You see, he could have just let me go to hell, but he intervened in my life, began to change my heart, and I am no longer the same person. I am always grateful when God puts me in places where I can see the strength that he has established in my heart. I don't think this is of my own ability. In fact, I know it is not. I will tell you, however, the change has taken place in my heart and in my life because I desired to be different. Psalm 55:19 states: Because they have no changes therefore they fear not God. I have been willing to humble myself and let God deal with my life, and he has greatly honored me for it. There are no words to express the gratitude in my heart to Jesus for doing what he did for me on the cross, in hell, and when he rose from the dead. I will not even try to say anything except "Thank you Jesus", because I have learned over the years that is enough.
It is a good day to know the Lord Jesus Christ and believe this gospel. I think we will all be surprised at things that surround us, but one thing I have assurance in my heart is that God is able to make his servant stand. It is a good time to set our affections on things above and not on the things of the earth. The things above are eternal, and they will never pass away. It is a good time to be in the city of Allen, because God is calling us all to stand up for what we believe. Isaiah 3:8-12 states ( Because the tongues and the doings of the men are against the Lord, children will oppress and women will rule them.) We had a woman in authority that was full of fear, and God removed her and replaced her with another one, who had a humble spirit. She has now retired and we have a man as Superintendent of our schools. Our community has been quiet and peaceable for all these years. I give all the glory to God. God bless you and seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. You will never be sorry.
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