In Psalm 78:70-72 it states: He chose David also his servant and took him from the sheepfolds: From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance, So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. A few days ago, the Lord put this in my heart, and told me to write about my Dad. I was prompted to look up the word "integrity" in Young's Analytical Concordance. In this particular section of scripture it means perfection, integrity, or simplicity. I will say that these traits have been evident in Dad's life ever since I met him, which I might add, was fifty-six years ago. They were just not all directed in obedience to the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I do know that God gave him the heart that he did because he ordained him before the foundation of the earth for this day and hour. When the spirit of God took a hold of my Dad's life, he absolutely changed and completed his heart in this fashion. For those of you who are joining me for the first time, my Dad is Doyle Davidson. There has been a lot of resistance to this writing, part of which I am sure is my own heart, but I will obey God. I know Jezebel's don't want this out, because some of their deeds will be exposed. This is in no way to exalt Dad or defend him. I just want to share some things about him. I will have to tell you that I feel very fortunate to have been raised by a man that is a man. Furthermore, he was raised by a man that believed God to a degree himself, and his mother was one of the nicest, most gracious, gentle women I have ever met. I loved them both. Dad was a strong man in the flesh, and he has definitely become a man of God in the spirit.
I did not see my Dad until I was around seven months old. Dad was in the Navy and was on a ship headed for Japan when I made my entrance into this world. Mother and I joined him and lived there until I was two. At that time, we moved back to the states. Dad entered the University of Missouri sometime later to study Veterinary Medicine. All of you who are familiar with this ministry know the story about the Spirit of the Lord visiting Dad and telling him He wanted him to preach the gospel. Dad proceeded on into Vet Medicine. I was raised the only daughter to Doyle and Patti Davidson. I have always considered myself to be very fortunate to have them as parents. I saw my Dad work very hard to pay his way through school and provide for Mother and me. We never wanted for anything. He was respected among his classmates and his professors. Although I was young, I remember the people he was close to in his class. We were like a big family. I had plenty of kids my age, and I have fond memories of the days in Columbia, Missouri while Dad attended school. I especially loved the summers because I would go and spend two weeks or so on my Dad's parent's farm. I was closer to Dad's side of the family than I was my Mom's. There was and still is with those living a humility and fear of God that Mom's family doesn't have. That is not in any way to criticize anyone. It is just true. God was so gracious to give me a heart more toward him.
Shortly after Dad graduated from Vet School, we moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee where he started his own practice. Dad was doing very well there and was well liked among the horse people. My mother developed some health problems, and he was faced with some strong decisions. My Dad opted to move so my mother would not have to live with those problems. So for those of you out there who think my mother has been abused, you might reconsider your way of thinking. We lived in Sarcoxie, Missouri for a short time and ended up moving to McKinney, Texas. I was eleven years old when we moved to Texas. Upon our arrival in McKinney, my Dad was told that he would have to get to know two prominent men in the county if he wanted to get any where. Dad's response was, "Then those are two men I don't care to know." No man got my Dad where he was in the flesh. He wasn't a man that could be bought or controlled and still isn't. Dad started out working for Drs. Derryberry-King and within a short time, opened his own business. Dad's practice flourished! He was primarily an equine man and had certain skills in which he was well-known. I know there were times when clients would not appreciate him because of his honesty and his unwillingness to compromise what he believed to be right. I am only sharing these things with you because I don't think some of you in the body of Christ have any idea where we came from. My Dad was not a person who was barely making it in the world, and then decided to preach Jesus one day. He worked hard in the flesh, and we did very well financially. It was nothing for him to buy two cars a year and pay cash for them. Plus we owned farms, plenty of horses, and he had his hand in business deals as well. He had not failed in the business world, and he was not at the end of his rope. The truth is he had enough honesty within himself to realize he needed something to fill the void in his heart, that being the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a well-respected business man in Collin County and still is respected by those people in the flesh. In fact, he still sees some of those friends, and they'll say, "Hey Doc, we see you on TV. Keep it up." You don't hear much of that in the body of Christ, because no one wants to hear the truth. If my Dad had not told Mother and me the truth, we would be on our way to hell. Have I always liked what he told me? No, but I had enough sense to humble myself and ask God to grant me the grace to understand. Do you know what? Dad has never told me anything that has not worked. I remember one time I said to Dad, "You don't know everything." His response was, "True, but I'm right this time." Guess what!?! He was.
Dad has shared openly how he was not looking for this job, but an angel of the Lord rode in his car and kept saying, "I want you to preach the gospel." Finally, in l969, my Dad sold his practice to his partner, and we moved to Springfield, Missouri. I will have to say I did not understand what was taking place in our lives at the time. I wish I could tell you I went along willingly and full of great joy, but I am not a liar. I kicked against the pricks for a good two years. Thank God, he has forgiven me for those days, and I know that Dad forgave me a long time ago. He told us one time he knew we didn't understand, but that was okay because he didn't either. He just knew he was doing what God told him to do. So, at age 37 at the height of his career, my Dad sold out and began to follow God.
My Dad put forth every effort to obey God, just as he had done in his practice. He told me one day that he knew when he started serving God, he was going to have to change. My Dad was born again as a child, but he did not make Jesus Lord until he was around 37 years of age. I saw God take all that Dad had done in the flesh, sell it, and have him give it up, etc. You know what though? My Dad saw a pearl of great price, and he was willing to give up all those little pearls to obtain that one.(Matthew 13:45-46) The Lord spent all that Dad had accomplished in the flesh, and he has absolutely restored that and more by the spirit in his life and in mine. I truly know that I am a partaker of the grace of God upon my Dad's life.
When Dad sold his practice, he spent every spare moment reading his bible. We spent a summer in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and he and Mom received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. They were both baptized in water here also. At the end of that summer we loaded up and headed back to Texas so I could finish my senior year in high school. Through a series of events which I will let them share, we had to turn around and go back to Murfreesboro. As my Dad was praying, the Lord said, "I want you to return to the land of your fathers." We loaded up and headed for Sarcoxie, Missouri. I was still in my rebellious state and was not a happy camper. Frankly though, this was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Dad continued to hunger and thirst after the things of God, and I was still dragging my feet. We went to several different meetings and listened to several different ministers. Dad has always been a very sober clear thinker. After listening to these people talk, he would go and look it up in the bible they believed every word of. I have to admit I saw and heard some things I had never been around before. I didn't understand this at first, but thank God I came to understand it a couple years later. I have come to see over the years that not everything I saw and experienced was the Spirit of God. The Lord began to lead our family down some strange paths. Thank God, my Dad listened to what God was telling him to do and not to Mother and me. Everyone told him he was crazy, but thank God he stayed with what he believed God had told him. He believed what he heard by the spirit. The Lord sent us to Florida after a year of living in Sarcoxie, Missouri. I went there with them just long enough for Dad to fulfil something he had promised me years before. That being, that when I graduated from high school, he would buy me a sports car. He did not go back on his word. My Dad has always done what he said he would do unless he didn't think it was God. Then he had enough humility to say so. As soon as he bought me the car, I was out of there. I didn't want any part of this Jesus he was sharing with me. I just wanted to run. I want to add right here he didn't preach to me and beat me over the head with the bible. He would just tell me that Jesus loved me, that he died, was buried, and rose again, and I might need to consider making him Lord of my life. Then he would go off and pray and break the power of the devil over my life. Thank God, Dad did not give up on me. He believed God for me and would walk the golf course across the street from their house praying for me. While he and Mom were in Florida, they met Derek Prince, Bob Mumford, Charles Simpson, and Don Basham. Derek and Lydia were personal friends of our family. Dad had his boat parked a Derek's house. This was all before the discipleship movement began. The spirit of God led my Dad through various different so-called charismatic camps to reveal the spirits and to also overcome them. After a year in Florida while I was in Missouri attending Joplin Beauty College, Dad and Mom moved back to Texas. I ended up back in Texas with them, and we moved to Argyle, Texas. Here is where I received the Lord Jesus and began to get an understanding of where my folks were walking. Also, here is where I saw a side of so-called Christianity that I could not believe. The truth is these people were not walking in the right spirit. My Dad would simply share what the scripture said, and people got stirred up every where. They even came after Dad for sharing the gospel in our home. These so called men of God started telling Dad what he could and could not do in his own home. I thought to myself, "We are not in communist China. Is not this the good old USA?" You know though that the religious leaders are the ones that killed Jesus, and these were religious spirits that came against Dad and still do. In those days they came out of the mouths of Howard Canatser, Larry Lea, John Lee and Orlando Rheas. Those spirits knew what God had called Dad to do in the body of Christ. I saw the spirit of God sustain my Dad through all of these lies, and he just kept on walking. I just praise God for his mercy and grace and Dad's perseverance to believe the gospel. A combination of all these is what delivered us out of Argyle and the persecution we received from the religious community. We were delighted to get out of that place. When we moved back to McKinney, the people from the First United Methodist Church received us with open arms. Dad even ended up teaching the adult Sunday School Class and teaching a weekly bible study. They even made him a lay speaker in the Methodist Church, where he was encouraged to keep preaching the gospel. He was given the liberty to speak whatever he believed was right. He was better received by the Methodists than the so-called Charismatic leaders. I thank God for the people of that church. It was like a breath of fresh air compared to what we had just overcome. We actually felt like human beings again and not some aliens from another planet.
I never cease to be amazed at the wickedness of the hearts of people. I always want to laugh when my Dad just reads what the scripture says, and people accuse him of being a woman hater! You know what that makes him? A man of love that would tell us the truth. Those are not his words he is speaking to us. Those words are written in the Holy Bible that we all believe cover to cover. I will tell you I don't know any other man that would spend the hours praying for the women he has. You might like to talk to some of us here at Water of Life. Dad has spent literally hours praying with several of us to set us free so we could walk and believe this gospel. Do we think that we can escape the judgment of God? Do we think that when the scripture says that a woman should not teach nor usurp authority over a man, that is for everyone but us?(I Timothy 2:12) Do you know what type of woman or man has a problem with someone speaking the truth? One with an evil heart of unbelief!! I have been in unbelief myself, but by the grace of God, I am overcoming more and more doubt and unbelief in my own life. God is God!! Some of us might want to check out what spirit we are. I can tell you as his daughter, and I think my mother would agree, he is and always has been fair. We have never had to walk ten steps behind and say, "Yes master." Some of you people out there amaze me. I was raised in a wonderful atmosphere as far as the flesh is concerned. It has only gotten better as I have gotten to know Jesus. Dad just believes what the Word of God says, and he expects the same from everyone of us around him.
I will say this to you without any reservations. My Dad has always been known for his honesty and his perfection. He ran his business with integrity, and he runs this ministry in the same way. He expects nothing less than perfection, and he watches over the ministry that God has given him. He knows everything that is going on in the ministry. We are not all his little lieutenants. He runs this place and rules the spirits in prayer. We have all learned how to be good stewards by the example that we have to follow. I am confident, he could handle things without any of us because he is the one who has taught us how to run a lemonade stand. Some of you will understand what I am saying.
My Dad only had to spank me twice in my life, and I will tell you I deserved both of them. Dad will tell you he didn't have a hard time getting me to behave. Frankly, I believe that is because I knew he meant what he said. If he told me something, that is the way it was going to be. So for the most part, I was a child that you could talk to, and I would change my direction. I am still the same today. I just pray, "Lord tell me, and I will humble myself in whatever I need to." I learned this from my Dad. I have seen that he is always willing to humble himself and let God be the judge. I have seen Romans 12:19(Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord) take place in several situations concerning his life. It is best to not mess with a servant of God. I have shared with you before, how I haven't always understood, but God has always granted me much grace. The reason is I have tried not to interfere with God's plan for Dad's life, nor does Dad try to control anything to do with our lives. One of the things that Dad has taught use by the spirit is humility and fear of the Lord. Phil 2:8 tells us that Jesus humbled himself and became obedient unto the death of the cross. Humility is not a shiny face and a sad countenance. Humility is submitting ourselves to the will of God, and I can say without reservation I have seen my Dad do this for almost 40 years. He has gone against all odds, and the Lord Jesus is the one who made him stand. I remember years ago when Dad was trying to find anyone that could help him. One day the Lord said to him about a certain minister, "He can't help you, because he can't help himself." Dad believed what he heard and began walking it on his own, looking to Jesus the author and finisher of his faith. He has taught all of us that we can hear God and to look unto Jesus believing the gospel, that being Jesus died, was buried, and rose on the third day.
I know one of the things I respect most about Dad is that he is not a respecter of persons. He doesn't treat his family above anyone else nor has he abused us or treated us any less than our neighbor. After all, we are supposed to be the family of God. I know that God gave me the heart that I have, because frankly, I have never had a problem sharing. During the time that my mother came under attack of the devil, I appreciate how Dad took care of her and made sure she had what she needed. He also told her the truth, which I am not sure that most women could handle. You see, when we are not believing, Dad doesn't just pet us and say, "It will be okay, honey." He tells us, "You are not believing God, you're not believing the gospel." He didn't take a vacation during this but continued to do his duties in the ministry as well as care for mother. Then one day our daughter Candace took over the household duties. There is not enough space to share what I have seen Dad walk through in his life time, so I won't even try. I know that Dad wants all of us to exalt the one raised from the dead. I trust that is what I have done, shone you Christ, the hope of glory in him. I realize that it is God that made him. I want to encourage you to listen to the spirit of God out of his mouth. Those of us who have, have been greatly blessed. I just thank God we are closer and closer to seeing the manifestation of the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God bless you and don't forget to believe the gospel. That is the power of God unto your salvation. Dad if you read this, thank you for loving me enough to tell me the truth. Yes, even when it hurts.
Several years ago, I awoke one morning and could not bend my arms. It was as though I had a cast on both arms, and I could not bend them at all. I was trying to get ready to go into work, and Terry literally had to help me dress and get myself presentable. It was not a good situation to be in quite frankly. I had walked in the things of the Kingdom of God long enough to know that there was something I obviously was getting ready to overcome. There was a temptation to be afraid, but I knew that if I could just keep my heart on the gospel and press in, I would be delivered. I also knew that I needed some help on this one. There had been many times before this, when the Spirit of God was taking something out of my life, that I had experienced some kind of physical manifestation. So I had a clue this was what was happening now. We went on into the church, and Dad said, "What's going on?" It was obvious that there was a problem. We sat in his office and talked a while, and he and Terry began to pray for me. If I remember correctly, at one point he told me to read for a while. I knew that he was trying to get the mind of the Spirit as to what was going on with me. After a while, we went back into the office, and Terry and Dad began to pray for me again. After a period of time, Dad by the Spirit of God began to loose me from rebellion. Rebellious spirits oppose the Spirit of God. Now if you had ask me at the time, I would have said, "I am not trying to oppose God", but this is what was being addressed and brought results. When they finished praying and that spirit of rebellion was gone, I could move my arms like normal. I understand that you may not be able to comprehend the drastic change that took place. I experienced it, Dad and Terry saw it, and this is why we believe this gospel. This power works for us on a daily basis. This is not a hit and miss gospel. Jesus said, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible." When Dad and Terry finished praying for me, my dad said, "I knew that was there, I could see it in your eyes. I've just been waiting for the Spirit of God to put his finger on that rebellion." You see, we can know there is something in our lives, or in other individuals lives, but until the Spirit of God deals with it, we would do well to just keeping praying. There was a group of people in Matthew 7:22 that said, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, cast out devils in thy name, done many wonderful works in thy name?" The Lords reply to them was I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. If you will look back in verse 21 of Matthew 7 you will see those that enter into the kingdom of heaven are those that do the will of the Father in heaven. People who take their faith and use the name of Jesus to do what they want are walking in rebellion. Those that do the will of the Father are led by his Spirit, and the Spirit of God will direct what needs to be taking place in each situation. That is what happened in my life. The Spirit of God exposed that rebellion in my heart, the devil came out, and my arms were made whole.
You know when a person has a desire to be free, the Spirit of God will do just that. At the time this happened, I was really pressing in to the things of the Kingdom of God. I had a desire to see God work in my life and in others as well. When you have experienced God's power on a regular basis, you become dependent upon that power. You will look unto the power of God in all your situations and not to the flesh. This was a process for me and is for most everyone, because a lot of us were raised to trust in the flesh. That is why I thank God that our girls have been raised to trust in the power of God. In most cases, they didn't have to choose one or the other. They have a Dad that believes the gospel and has raised them to trust God. Oh, they have been taught if our faith can not get it, we will get some help. Fortunately, that has not been too often. Trust me, we are tempted just like everyone else, but we pray until we move past the temptation. You know, Jesus said that we should pray that we enter not into temptation. The farther I go in this walk with God, the more I have understanding of what he was talking about. If you don't continue to pray, I mean pray believing, you will fall right into temptation. You know what the temptation is? We are tempted not to believe. Tempted not to believe God, not to believe this gospel, tempted not to believe what God has spoken to us or about us. I speak this from experience. If you do fall into temptation, thank God, repent and believe the gospel. I thank God for what Jesus accomplished for each and every one of us when he rose from the dead. We all have hope, because his Spirit lives in us. God bless you.
I don't know about most of you, but
patience was not something I was familiar with or frankly, wanted any part of. When
I began walking with the Lord, that was one of the first areas of my heart in which he
started dealing. I would venture to say that most of us never realized what
committing our life to the Lord Jesus would entail. I am talking about Jesus being
Lord of our life, not just accepting Jesus once, and going our merry way. When we
make Jesus Lord, that means we will do what he tells us to do, not our own thing.
That is not the way the world teaches us for sure, but thank God he intervened in my life
and has caused me to obey him. I have to admit I have not always gone willingly, but
Jesus has a way of making things very plain. "You will obey!" At
this time in my life, I am very grateful for the things the Lord has done in my heart as a
result of believing the gospel. I will say I have had some painful moments over the
past years only because the flesh does not like to die. One little nugget I will
share with you is this, I probably have looked at this walk a little differently than
some. I don't always look at things as being hard. I look at it from the
perspective, "This is God." I think if we can dwell on the fact that God
is God, and it will be his way, things may be a little easier for us. You might say,
"Kathy, you have no idea what I have been through." You are right, but you
have made it, haven't you? When we go around dwelling on "this is too
hard", or "I can't make this", we actually are saying Jesus is a liar,
because Phil. 4:13 says that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us.
Romans 8:37 also says, we
are more than conquerors in him who loved us
and I John 4:4 says, greater
is he that is in us, than he that is in the world. I
know there are people out there who will hate hearing this, because you would rather
murmur and complain. Well go ahead, you are only hurting yourself, and you are the
one keeping the power of God from moving in your life, because you complain all the time
instead of giving thanks. This is where patience comes into play. One
scripture that has really helped me over the years when I was tempted to murmur at
pressure is Romans 5:3-5: And not only so, but we glory
in tribulations also knowing that tribulation(pressures
or afflictions) worketh patience(continuance or endurance); And patience,
experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is
shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Years ago,
when the Lord started telling me such things as Luke 21:19, In your patience, possess ye your soul,
and out of Hebrews 6:12, Be not slothful, but be
followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. That was one of the last things that I wanted to hear. I wanted
instant tea!! My Dad has a favorite saying he tells us, "You all got in this
wanting welfare, and what you got is warfare." Nothing could be closer to the
the truth. My flesh didn't want to fight, but God has taught me how to take
possession of, "I don't want to", and I speak to my soul saying, "You will
believe this gospel, and you will fight the good fight of faith!" Sometimes we
just have to speak to our souls.
One of the
first ways that God started dealing with me in the area of patience was in the work
place. He put me in job situations where I would have to wait on other people
constantly. This was totally against my flesh. I had to learn to give thanks
in these situations and take possession of my anxious soul. One of the jobs that the
Lord gave me was in a collections office in McKinney, Texas. I shared this office
with another girl, and she and I took turns coming in early and working late. One of
our duties was to remain in the office until every patient was seen. No problem
right? WRONG!!! One of the main physicians in this place was a surgeon as
well. He would begin scheduling patients at ll:00am and sometimes would not get to
the clinic until well into the afternoon. I spent many evenings there until 9:00 or
longer. All I could do was just sit in this office and enter charge tickets or look
up problems with people's bills. If I was caught up, I just had to sit there and
look pleasant. Ha!! My flesh was anything but pleasant. I wanted to go,
so I could do my own thing.!!! Needless to say, I shed a few tears here, but I tell
you I am grateful for the paths the Lord has led me down. I have seen a restoration
of my soul that is undeniable.(Psalms 23:3) I learned to give thanks in this
situation, and God began changing things around me. When we learn to give thanks in
situations, there is a change in our hearts, and then, that situation changes.
I wish I could tell you that things
just come overnight, but this is a continual walk, or as Paul puts it in I Cor. 9:24:
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one
receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth
for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I ,
not as one the beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be
a castaway. We all are
running a race, and I might add, it is not against our neighbor. I have learned over
the years not to compare myself to anyone else. If I do, I might miss it. The
Spirit of God deals with each individual heart. He knows what needs to be overcome
in each and every one of us. What might be a righteous path of obedience for me
might be sin for you. That is why it is so important for each of us to work out our
own salvation. This is where the importance of believing the gospel comes.
Romans 1:16 tells us the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believeth. I want to add right here, when the light of that glorious gospel shines
on the darkness in our hearts, rest assured there will be things pop up in your heart and
out of your mouth that will shock you. Don't let the devil condemn you, just thank
God he is exposing your heart and walk on.(Romans 8:1) There's that giving of thanks
again. Jesus, are you telling me I need to be giving thanks more? Listen, I
never mind being corrected or encouraged in situations which I am believing God.
There is no question that our flesh gets weary in these situations, but if we will yield
to the spirit of God, we can overcome that weariness. I know in my own life, there
are situations I am believing God. One day years ago, I was putting sheets on one of
the girl's beds; I was thinking in my heart, and heard the Spirit of God say to me Gal.
6:9, Be not weary in well doing. I appreciate the Spirit of
God. He knew what I was going to say before I even got it out of my mouth.
That is scriptural you know. It was just enough to encourage me to keep believing in
this particular situation. Not only that, but Jesus encouraged me that I was in well
doing. That probably ministered to my heart more than anything else. Sometimes
our hearts want to faint and wonder if we are doing any good. That is where we
continue to believe. Wonder is doubt. We have to continue to believe the
gospel. Did you know that one of the meanings of patience is continuance. I
know this is where I have missed it before in my own life. I would almost have the
victory, and my soul would want to faint. Don't give in
here folks, victory is around the corner. There was a situation around me that I
have known for several years that did not happen the way it was presented. I just
committed it to the Lord because no one really wanted to know what I knew. It
involved me, so I was not being a busy-body. One day, the Spirit of God exposed it
openly. I realized that it doesn't matter how many years it might take.
God does not forget when someone has accused you of something that is not true.
I just want to encourage you to
continue to run your race with patience. It doesn't matter how long it might take us
to believe for a situation. The fact is we just need to keep setting our heart upon
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, that is where salvation comes
from. If God has promised you something in your life, continue to believe the
gospel, because the power of God is what will bring that promise to pass in your
life. I shared with you all in a previous testimony (Rule Your Spirit) of the ways
that God has taught me to possess my vessel through prayer and reading the word of God out
loud. I used to pray in tongues, and my spirit would try to run away with me.
There was no faith apparent. What did I do? I continued to pray, but I began
to pray very slowly and deliberately, mixing faith with the gospel. Also, the
Spirit of God began to teach me to rule my spirit by worshipping God in song.
Whenever my heart begins to try and run away, I will purposely begin to worship God with
singing in other tongues or in English. I can bring my soul into possession every
time. I know people out there who are saying, "I'm not a singer!" Neither
was I, but God made me one. Worship and praise is a type of prayer. Besides,
you can worship and praise God without uttering a note. I am just sharing with you,
what has worked for me as far as possessing my soul. You will have to work out your
salvation in this area, but I will guarantee you that prayer will be part of it.
Your spirit will have to overcome your flesh, and this is definitely an area God will
teach you to run with patience. We didn't get in bondage overnight, and we
definitely don't come out overnight!!!
This is not something that is an
impossibility to obtain in our lives. I am a perfect example of a woman who has been
changed by the power of God. I look at myself now, and frankly, I consider that
maybe I am too relaxed because this stuff does not rule my life like it once did. I
rule and reign now by the power of God working in my heart and not the Gentile spirit
running over everyone around me. This is a continual race folks, so continue to
fight the good fight of faith. Oh yes, it takes more
effort than you could even imagine you have, but there is nothing more gratifying than
believing God for something no one else even knows about and seeing him come
through. God has proven himself to me and proven me to him. For that I am
deeply grateful, because none of us knows how we will respond in a situation until faced
with it. One thing I do know is that all of us have the ability within us to yield
our members to righteousness or unrighteousness.(Romans 6:13) That being, I will
yield to believing the gospel and not to, "I can't do this".
I will leave you with Hebrews
12:1: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth
so easily beset us, and let us run with PATIENCE the race that is set before us, looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him
endured that cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself,
lest ye be wearied in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving
against sin. So, continue to believe this
gospel. It will bring the power of God into your situation. None of us have
resisted unto blood, and Jesus has told us All things are possible to him that
believeth. God bless you and continue to run your race with patience.
Salvation is promised to those that continue to believe the gospel.
I have never tried to comprehend the mercy and grace that God has placed on my life, but I
am well aware that it is present. In the early 1970's, the Lord took my life and
began to separate me unto himself. It was not easy being a teenager that was used to
walking in the ways of the world, and all of a sudden, everything about your life was
being changed. I know now that it is but the mercies of God that I was not consumed
and that he intervened in my life and caused to obey him to the degree that I have.
I am not saying that I have walked perfectly, but I do have a desire for the purposes of
God in my life. He put that desire in my heart. That is why I take up my cross
daily and walk in the things of the Kingdom of God. This is a way of life, not just
something you do every now and then. I appreciate that he has also put a certain
degree of the fear of the Lord in my heart. Anything that is lacking in this area,
he is perfecting. The scripture tells us that the
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.(Proverbs
9:10) One thing I know, I do not want God on my case. So, I make every effort
to obey Him.
All of you who follow this
ministry know that God has led us to worship Him live via the internet on a daily
basis. This has truly been a blessing and also has built more endurance in my heart
in the area of praise and worship. I am a living testimony of what God can do
through an individual. I am fifty four years old, and the Spirit of God continues to
strengthen me in my inner man. Why? Because I believe he will. I don't
think about going down hill. I am a young woman and I am going from faith to faith,
strength to strength, and glory to glory!!!! Not only that, but I believe that
God has made me for this purpose. The scripture says there is a generation that will
praise the Lord, and I believe I am part of that generation. We are in this world,
but we are not of this world. You know the scripture tells us that Sarah was still
fair to look at when she was older. (I believe she was around 65). Does that sound
like someone who was over the hill? Not only that, she had the strength to deliver
Isaac at 90.(Hebrews 11:11) I can honestly say that I don't even consider
age. My hope is in the Lord, and therefore in my weakness his strength is made
perfect. Now, do I ever encounter any physical adversity? Are you
kidding?! The thing is, I don't look at the adversity. I keep pressing into
the Kingdom of God until I over come!!! I don't care, if it is in me, out of me, or around
me. I keep pressing through until I get the victory. I thank God for my Dad,
because I have watched him over the years, and he just keeps trucking. Why?
Because God is in the man, and he is an example of what God will do in a person that will
believe the gospel and be led by the Spirit of God. One of the first things that God
granted me a revelation of was the strength of the Spirit of the Lord Jesus. He that
is joined to the Lord is one Spirit.(1 Cor. 6-17) If I believe and trust in that
Spirit that is in me, I can endure pressures, afflictions, persecutions, etc. You
know enduring hardness as a good soldier means to bear up under the suffering of
evil. The Spirit of God ministered that to me in 1998. That made a difference
in my life. When Jesus was on the cross, his Spirit sustained him over all
evil. That Spirit lives in you and me and will sustain us, if we believe the
gospel. So, as we worship God live all over the world, and when I can't leap, or it
is hard to breathe, or the times that I can barely make it around the floor because of the
pressure on my Spirit, I begin to meditate on who it is that lives in me and push it
off.
When I first
started dancing again a few months back, I went through a period that I thought my feet
would absolutely fall off. There were times I could barely walk much less dance
around the floor, but I didn't consider anything except overcoming. I knew this
obedience in my life would become a blessing, and that it has. One day during this
period as I began to overcome, without even thinking, I leaped into the air,
and I went "Whoa, I am not coming down?!!!." I knew at that moment I
had begun to put Satan under my feet. Up until then, he was on them!!! Monday
night we came out of worship and headed home. Terry said he wanted to make a video,
so Can came by, and she and I headed up the road to pray. We were plowing and really
zeroing in on some things. We came back home and about an hour later as I was
getting ready for bed I began to chill, my head was wanting to hurt, and I felt
nauseated. I didn't get excited, but I didn't think no problem either. I began
to resist the devil, and it got somewhat better, but not totally. When I laid down
at about midnight, Terry made a comment to me, and I expressed to him, "My bones are
cold." He kind of chuckled, because I rarely am cold, much less have cold
bones. He leaned over and began to pray. God was very gracious, and I fell
asleep at about 12:30 am. At 4:30 I woke up in a pool of water, the fever had
broken. I was so thankful. This is why I trust in the power of God. You
don't have to wait three days to overcome the devil. It doesn't matter if it is
something God is dealing with in your heart, or simply an attack of the devil. If a
person can set their heart on the power of God, they can overcome. He has been
working in my life for thirty six years, and this is why I serve him.
I share these things
with you to encourage you that all of us are tempted not to believe, but it is not sin to
be tempted. The sin comes when we quit believing and fall into the
temptation. I encourage all of you, keep pressing in to the things of the Kingdom of
God. The Lord is the strength of our life. (Psalm 27) Be strong in
the Lord and the power of his might. God bless you.
She Humbled Her Soul With Fasting
This is a testimony of the power of God, working in my mother (Patti Davidson's) life as she humbled her soul with fasting to obey the living God. I consider it a great honor to share with you the things God did in her life.
In Psalm 35:13, David writes, "I humbled my soul with fasting." Isaiah 58:6 says, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen, to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"
Things were not easy for mom and me when Dad sold his practice in 1969, and began to let the Spirit of God lead his life. My mom had known my Dad since she was sixteen. She had been with him through the Navy, through Vet School, and through a successful Veterinary practice in North Texas. When God told Dad to sell out, things began to change in our household very rapidly. In other words, Jesus became Lord of Dad's life. Neither one of us (mom or myself) came too willingly, but after a while, things began to change somewhat. I thank God that Dad did not let mother or me affect what he believed God was directing for his life.
I watched mom struggle and resist the things of God in dad's life, as well as others. Mom had a hard time keeping her mouth off of dad. It was not uncommon for her to tell you just what she thought. She once said that a woman has a right to speak her mind and also has the right to change it! She did not fear God. Things in her heart led her to yield to a "false anointing" in l984, and a great division came between my parents. Romans 6:13 says Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For many years, God put off dealing with mom's disobedience and her reluctance to humble herself. One day the Lord said, "That's enough," and things began to happen to her. I began to take note that when mom would resist my dad, when he was in obedience to God, she began to have troubles. I'm not talking about minor things, I mean major problems. She went through many health issues that I am convinced she would not have had to go through.
Then I watched the Spirit of God direct my mom to go on a 40 day fast. I mean 40 days straight with liquids only, and an occasional milkshake. My dad offered to eat his meals out, but she would not have that. She said, "No, I will cook your meals." She went to that degree of humility. I thank God for her obedience and the example she was to me and others during this time. You never knew she was fasting. She was not of a sad countenance or saying, "look at me!" Only a few of us even knew she was fasting. She obeyed God, because she knew she needed some changes, and that's what happened. God began to change her heart, and she began to bridle her tongue. There were evident changes, evident humility came into mom's life. The things that used to rise up in her heart and come out her mouth were not there anymore. As she humbled her soul with fasting, she got out of God's way in my Dad's life, and he was able to move on and obey God. I learned a valuable lesson for myself watching God deliver her. God showed me through the years it is not wise to resist a person that is following God. If you don't understand, just do the best you can to humble yourself and stay out of God's way. You also do well to keep your mouth off of God's servants.
One day the kids and I were up at my parents house swimming. I just happened to turn around to see my mom leaning against her car. I could tell she was in distress. I jumped up and got her back in the house, as I was going after the devil. She was struggling to breathe. I remember thinking, "We need some help, Lord!!" I didn't have time to go to the phone, all I could do was pray. Not long after, my Dad walked in the back door and said, "What's going on?" He said he was at the church, and the Lord said, "Go home!" Mom was not in the distress she had been, but she had not overcome by any means. My Dad began to pray, and loose my mom from pride, rejection, and rebellion. When those spirits came out of mom, she overcame the physical affects she was experiencing, and also, we could see the difference in her actions. You see, that is what the power of God does in a person who will humble themselves. He grants them grace... I saw God deliver my mom from many things. It was a real blessing to experience, because I knew where mom had been, and how her heart was changed.
I knew only the Lord could lead my mother to fast like this and accomplish it. Not only did she fast these forty days, but about six weeks after finishing that fast, she believed the Lord was leading her to fast another forty days. I have to say, it got to me at first, but I didn't want to resist the purposes of God in her life. Again, she humbled her soul with fasting and cooked dad's meals, and once again we could see evidence of his power working in her heart and ours. She came to a place before the Lord took her to heaven that she grabbed my dad around the neck and said, "Thank God for you Doyle. If it hadn't been for you, we would have all gone to hell!" My mom was raised in a family that did not know God, but I thank God for each and every one of them. Her mother took her and mom's sisters to fortune tellers. She inquired of the devil concerning their lives! As a result of this, there were plagues and curses that were spoken on this family and Dad set her and me free from many of these. People have no clue about the things of the supernatural, and neither did I, but God has shown great mercy upon this family. He told my Dad that his mercies would never depart from this house, and they never have. The Father had great mercy upon my mother to set her free and deliver her to heaven.
Not only did I see the effectual changes, my girls could see Nanny was different. I know these two fasts were "chosen of the Lord," and I saw the things in Isaiah 58:6 take place in her heart. My mother went to be with the Lord in February of 2003. I can also tell you that mom had obtained the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which I Peter 3:4 states in the sight of God is a great price. That's what all of us women should desire.
I hope this testimony will encourage others what effect humbling our souls with fasting can have on an individual's life. I also pray that what he did through my mom's life can be an example to others in the Body of Christ. God has required me to do quite a bit of fasting to humble my soul as well. I will share as the Spirit of God directs. I thank God for my parents, Patti and Doyle Davidson. If God had not put them together, I would not be here to serve the Lord.
God bless you!
Becoming An Help Meet
As you noticed I have titled this "Becoming An Help meet." You know that I share honestly, and openly, how the Spirit of God is making a woman of God out of me. This a process in my life, and I didn't just jump out one day and become Terry's perfect little help meet, nor a woman of God. It has taken time of believing this gospel, believing the word of God, and also believing God's prophets speaking by the Spirit of God. In Genesis 2 it states that the man was created first and God saw that it was not good that man live alone, and in verse 21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
I have encouraged women over the years to study about the women in the Bible. Those of you who have had ears to hear what the Spirit of God was saying through me, have seen their humility, their faith, their shortcomings, their courage, their strength, and their fear of God. Only God can lead you by his Spirit to become a woman that is pleasing unto him. One thing I will encourage you is that faith is the only thing that pleases him. We all know that faith comes from hearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you desire to be a woman of faith and one that is a help meet unto your husband, you believe this gospel and the Lord will begin to make you one. He will begin to lead you by his Spirit, and His power will begin to change your heart. There will be times you will wonder if you could humble yourself anymore. The answer is yes you can. Jesus is our example, and he humbled himself and became obedient even unto the death of the cross. Don't worry girls, we don't have to hang on the cross, but we are instructed to take up our cross daily and follow him, and as we do this, some of the flesh will die. We have His spirit within us, and we too, can humble ourselves and submit unto our own husbands.
I had an excellent relationship with my Dad, and I know this has helped me in my relationship with Terry. You might say, "Kathy, I did not have that privilege." Well, it does not matter. God will heal that up, so you can walk with the man you live with. I have also shared on many occasions how my mother taught me to respect my Dad. She treated him with respect in my presence and demanded that of me also. I in turn have instructed my girls, that in no uncertain terms should they disrespect their own Dad. The girls know in our home, ultimately when their are major decisions to be made, they fall on their Dad. Terry and I discuss allot of things, but ultimately he is responsible before God as to what takes place. Now, when Terry and I first married, God allowed a period of time where my faith, Dad's faith, some of Terry's or a combination of all three carried us through things. There came a day though, and it is still clear in my heart and mind, when Terry and I were walking outside one afternoon. As we were pressing pretty hard, I noticed that Terry had gone some distance before me, and as I looked up, I heard the Spirit of God say to me, "Terry has taken over as head of this family. Now he will lead you." Initially, I thought "Great!!!", but there was much humility to follow. There were many times of closing my mouth and walking off to pray.
All of you who follow this ministry know that Terry was a professional singer, and the Spirit of God led him into the paint business. Terry too, had to humble himself and submit to the will of the father. I learned how to be a help meet to Terry in that business, before God put us in spiritual things. One of the places that he painted was in apartments after people moved out. I would go with him, and was appalled at how some people lived and left the places. I watched Terry humble himself and give thanks, and I too humbled myself and gave thanks. Terry would sometimes find me outside of those apartments, because I could not stand the filth inside. Not one time, did he say to me, "Woman, get back in here and help me.!!" He would keep working in the filth, the fleas, and the roaches. I have to admit, sometimes it took me a while to work out my heart to go back in, and he would just say, "You doing okay?" 1 Peter 3:7 states Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. Terry seemed to know what I was fighting, and he didn't condemn me for it. Terry was working for another man during this period, and then the Lord blessed him with his own business. He got into doing custom homes in the 80's. The first house that he did was somewhere between 2000 to 2400 square feet. He, another girl, and myself did that house. The other girl and I helped dap holes, paint, sand, what ever he needed us to do, we did. We were greatly blessed in that business. It was obedience to God, and he blessed it, exceedingly, abundantly, above all either of us could think or ask. Eventually, Terry hired a helper or two help in the business. I grew up playing outdoors, playing in the barn yards, riding horses, and all that good stuff, but this was a different kind of dirty. I know women who have trudged behind their husbands in the fields, worn hard hats, been on roofs. I also know God delivered them because of their humility to submit to their own husbands. I have learned over the years that God truly does grant grace to the humble, and will most definitely resist the proud. God looks on the heart, and he knows the thoughts and intents of each and every one of us. Therefore it is wise to be honest with yourself and God.