Terry Mai
Water of Life Ministries
Now thanks
be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ
II Corin. 2:14
In October of 1979
I experienced a typical attack of the devil in an effort to discourage me from
trusting in God! Doyle had begun laying the foundation of Jesus Christ and him
crucified in my heart, and now I was going to get an opportunity to put it to work.
God had spoken Matthew 6:33 to me, Seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
I was working for a paint contractor, and primarily, we were refurbishing vacant
apartments for several apartment complexes. As a so-called vendor, we were to be
paid 30 days after an invoice was presented upon completion of an apartment. I had
worked with this paint contractor for nearly a year by now, and we had always been paid
regularly. Then ownership of the apartments changed over the summer from Dallas, Tx.
to Los Angeles, California, obviously several hundred miles away. What had been
regular 30-day payment soon became 45 days, and then 60 days. The contractor called
and complained, but there was little he could do since the ownership was so far
away. During this period, God was very gracious to us! On paper and in our
checkbook, there was no way we should have been able to survive by what we could
see. However, all of our bills were paid, food was on the table, and a roof was over
our head. In short, all of our needs were met. I'm not telling you that I
didn't shake during this time because I had never experienced anything like this
before. However, I truly wanted to believe God would do what he had promised, and I
wanted him to prove it to me! Oh, yes, I could have asked others for assistance or
gone to the bank for a loan, and I was not too proud to do so. I just knew it was
not the will of God to ask anyone else and say I was trusting God! I later learned
Philippians 4:6 states, Be careful for nothing; but in
every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
unto God. Also verse 19, But
my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus. Well, about the time I would be ready to faint, God
would say, "Stand fast, and see my salvation!" I would stand and say,
"Okay, but this better be you!" The contractor told us that he had
threatened to go to a lawyer and file suit for non-payment. That sounded like a good
idea to me, but God said to me, "He won't have to do that!" I asked,
"What did you say?" God repeated, "He won't have to do that! Go
tell him!" So I went and told him that he didn't need a lawyer, but I didn't
have the courage to tell him that God had told me! You see, I wasn't totally sure it
was God myself, but I wanted to believe. God continued to strengthen and encourage
Kathy and me. Finally, the length of non-payment grew to 90 days, we are still
painting more apartments, and our non-payment invoices are growing to a large stack worth
several thousand dollars. Shortly after the first of the year, 1980, on Thursday of
the week, the contractor said, "I have scheduled an appointment with a lawyer on
Monday if they do not pay us tomorrow!" By now, I had gotten a little bolder,
and I told him that God said he didn't need a lawyer. He said, "That's fine,
and I hope your right, but I still have the appointment!" He was polite, but it
was obvious that he didn't believe, and the devil tormented me with this thought,
"You're nuts! It will never happen! You'll never see that
money!" I put off those thoughts, thank God, and my heart remained
strong! That night, Kathy and I ate the last food in our house, and no one else
knew. We then began to pray and worship God, and after about an hour, the power of
God filled the room, and up out of my heart, I began to pray the blessings listed in
Deuteronomy 28 for obeying God. It was the Spirit of God that gave me that prayer,
because I didn't know those verses by memory. In fact, after praying, I looked them
up in the bible to make sure what I had prayed. It was very encouraging. On
Friday, I went to work, and there was no change in the response from the apartment
owners. The contractor said he was filing suit with a lawyer on Monday, and I still
stood and said, "You don't have to!" God encouraged us that night as
someone asked us out to eat, which was good since we had no food in the cupboard! On
Saturday we received enough money to give on Sunday, but not enough to pay several hundred
dollars worth of bills due the next week. God had taught me Matt.6:34, Take no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall
take thought for the things of itself. I told
Kathy, "We're going to give to God just like always!" Someone called us,
told us they had made a big pot of stew, and wondered if we would like some. We said
sure, thanked them, and then thanked God, because he was encouraging us, "I'm with
you!" Praise God! On Sunday morning, the phone rang before church, and a
man asked if we were going to be at church. I told him that we would, and he asked
me to see him after church. At the conclusion of the service, I talked with the man,
and he said that God woke him up at 2:00 a.m. and said to give you this. He handed
me an envelope and went his way. When I got to the car, I opened it and found enough
money to pay bills and supply food for the week. Nothing had ever happened to me
like this before, but I was learning to like it. Praise God! The next morning
(Monday), I went to work, and the contractor said, "Well, I called California, and
the secretary said the checks were not written, so I'm on my way to the lawyer at
11:00!" It was 9:30, and I thought,"Lord, you said he didn't need a
lawyer!" It still seemed right. I know he told me to stand fast and see
his salvation. I didn't say any thing to anyone. I just prayed to
myself. The contractor left about 10:00 to go to lawyer's office. He returned
about 45 minutes later with a huge grin on his face. I said, "I thought you
were going to see the lawyer!" He gleefully replied, "I was, but called my
wife on the way, and she went to the mailbox at 10:30, and all of the checks from
California were there!" I yelled, "Glory to God!" I didn't care
if anyone else believed! I knew God had come through, and I believed!
Actually, God was beginning to establish the gospel of the kingdom in my heart, and not
trust in man or any thing I could see, but trust in the power of God unto salvation!
Someone may ask, "How did those checks arrive that had not been written?"
My answer is, "Have you not heard of angels?" If I had not believed in
angels before, after that experience, I sure did!
E-mail: terrym@terrymai.com
When I received the Holy Spirit in June, l978, God immediately began to do a work in my heart by his Spirit and power. I was 30 years of age then, and I had no knowledge the power of God existed in the earth at all. I do remember, when I was about 10 years old, there was a tent revival on TV, and some man appeared to be doing something(I know now it was praying) with people in wheelchairs, on crutches, and on cots. It seemed like they were getting healed, but the adults watching said, "I wonder how much they paid those people(to act their healing)?" So, I dismissed it as being fake and never thought about it until I really came in contact with the power of God myself! After I received the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, the people in the room continued to pray. Soon, I felt two hands like hot branding irons on my back, and a voice(Doyle Davidson) say, "Come out, sorcery! Come out witchcraft!" Before I could say, "I don't have sorcery or witchcraft!", I felt in my chest like flesh was literally tearing away from my ribs. It was as if someone was ripping my ribcage inside-out . At the same time, I knew that I was okay, but I did feel something leave my body. It was devils! I asked myself, "How could I have devils?" I had heard about witches and such, but I never inquired or believed in them. However, I could not deny what took place inside of me. I never knew walking in the world system is after the flesh, and one work of the flesh is witchcraft.(Galatians 5:20) Also Rev. 18:23 states, "thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." That doesn't leave many of us out, does it? Doyle, asked "Did you feel anything?' I explained to him what happened. He then told me while his hands were on my back, it felt like someone with a sledge hammer on a rock pile. When he would call out the evil spirit by the Spirit of God, a piece of rock would fly out of my back. The power of God was beginning to set me free! In Mark 16, Jesus said one of the signs of believing the gospel is to cast out devils. Obviously, the gospel began to literally operate in my heart that day. Although dramatic to me, this was only the beginning of God's power working in me. He has continued to work in me for the past 20 years to build the foundation of Jesus Christ through the apostle-prophet ministry.
E-mail: terrym@terrymai.com
Top Home
Although I could share a personal testimony about each vehicle God has led us to purchase over the past twenty-five years, the first auto purchase gave me encouragement and confidence toward God, not only to buy a vehicle, but also to purchase other things. I have stated the first scripture God wrote in my heart was Matthew 6:33, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these "things" will be added unto you. After that, he began to demonstrate these words to me actively, and one of these actions was the purchase of a car. Please understand, this was a new way of life for me. Although I had been raised in church, I never knew to ask God for anything, especially something material like a car. Well, so much for religion, huh? Philippians 4:19 states, my God shall supply "all" your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. So, I came to realize God was telling me to get a new car. I prayed and looked for the next three weeks to settle my heart, first, to know I was hearing God, and to make sure what make and model I was to buy. Some may think I was being too methodical , but I wanted to be completely positive this action was God working in my life and not just a lust of my own heart. Once I was settled, I went to the dealership and met the sales manager. I told him that I wanted to purchase a new white Pontiac Catalina with red interior. Initially, although nice, he was negative about locating one, but he agreed to try. He proceeded to call four other dealerships to no avail. He then tried to convince me to consider a couple of Catalinas on the lot, which were other colors. I saw that as a temptation to compromise what I believe God told me to do. Well, I said, "No, thank you. I want a white one!" He again was negative about locating a white one, but he agreed to call one more place. As he called, I began to pray within myself, "Lord, I believe you sent me here, and I believe you gave me the desire for this particular car! Where is it?" I could hear the sales manager say on the phone, "So, you don't have a white one?" All of a sudden, he reversed and said, "Wait a minute!" He related they weren't sure, but remembered a Catalina that had not been seen for several weeks. They returned to report of a white Pontiac Catalina covered with dust hidden in the far corner of a back warehouse. Needless to say, by now, my heart was literally in my throat. They began to describe it as white, red interior, 2-door coupe, landau roof, rally wheels, am-fm stereo radio, red pin stripe down the side, etc., etc. (exceeding my expectations). My heart was nearly overwhelmed by the goodness of God. The manager could not believe it, but finally, I did. Actually, the dealership was upset, because they had already agreed to discount the vehicle I purchased. God had gotten me a great deal and out of this experience with the addition of more experiences has continued to establish my heart in faith toward the Gospel of the kingdom of God. "Faith" is defined in Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance (ground or confidence) of things hoped for, the evidence(proof or proving) of things not seen. Through this experience and others, God has given me confidence of his work and proven to me even if I don't see it with my eyes, if I continue to obey God in action and believe the Gospel in my heart, he will bring all things to pass.
E-mail: terrym@terrymai.com
Top Home
In September, 1979, I had
been endeavoring to enter into the kingdom of God for nearly fifteen months, and God had
blessed me graciously in all things. I was being nurtured and established in the
gospel, and God was revealing new scripture in my heart literally at work everyday.
I had been taught about God's healing power, but since I was healthy at this point, I had
not experienced this need. Well, one morning on my way to work, I noticed a sharp
twinge of pain in the lower part of my back. I shrugged it off as nothing and went
about my work. As I continued to work, the pain got stronger, and what started like
a pin in my back, soon grew to feeling like a knife in my back. My minimal concern
turned to fear, which only intensified the pain. By now, I knew I needed some
help. I wanted to believe God, but obviously, I wasn't. I had never
experienced anything like this, nor did I want it. I now know the devil attacked me
to discourage me from continuing in the kingdom of God. Here was an opportunity to
prove God would work in my life. I left work and headed for Doyle Davidson's
office. He had been teaching me about the things of the kingdom of God, and I had
come to trust he had some faith even if I didn't. As I was flying down the freeway
toward his office, I passed by a hospital, and I was tempted to take the exit. I
thought, "No, I want to prove God heals me!" Thank God, I made that
decision, because I was traveling too fast to make the exit. When I reached Doyle's
office, I was soaking wet with perspiration from the fear and the pain. The pain
began in my kidneys, and it had progressed like a wide band completely across my
back. There were continuous sharp pains like someone with a long wide-bladed barbed
knife stabbing and twisting it into my kidneys. Doyle said, "Go home, and I'll
be right there!" He called Jack Turquette, a brother in the Lord, and they and
Kathy, my wife, prayed with me. Doyle broke 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation curses over
my life, which I didn't understand, but frankly, I didn't care. By now, I just
wanted relieved of the pain! In Exodus 20:5 when God delivered the law to Moses, it
states, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the 3rd and 4th generation of them that hate me.
After nearly two hours, I reluctantly told Doyle, "I can't take anymore of
this!" He said, "It's okay. Call the hospital." I was
disappointed, because I wanted to experience God's power heal my body. However, I
didn't know God was working in my heart even then. On our way to the hospital, God's
mercy and power came upon me, and he delivered me two blocks before we got there.
No, the pain was not completely gone, but I knew God had delivered me. We continued
to the hospital, and the preliminary tests showed kidney stones. However, the x-rays
were completely negative. There were no stones to be found. The doctor was
totally baffled, but we knew what had occurred. By the next morning, I went back to
work with no pain. Praise God! God had taken generation curses of witchcraft out of
my life. It was confirmed several months later as the pain tried to return, but I
resisted according to Luke 10:19, Behold, I give you
power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing by any means shall hurt you.
I bound the works of devil against my life in Jesus' name, and the devil
fled.(James 4:7)
In continuance, I'll share with you how my disobedience brought
recurrence of this attack. I Samuel 15:22-23 says, Behold,
to obey is better than sacrifice, to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is
witchcraft, and stubbornness is iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word
of the Lord, he hath rejected thee. God had been dealing with me for
several months about obeying him in a minimal task, and I foolishly ignored many
warnings. Thank God, he was longsuffering with me, which is his nature.
However God does have an end. For your welfare as one speaking from experience,
"Don't wait that long! It's not profitable!" Finally, God turned his back
on my rebellion and stubbornness, and I was opened to attack of the devil! The pain
returned even worse than before, which I could not have imagined. By now, I had
learned to humble myself and pray for God's mercy, and he brought my heart to repentance
to obey him. When I obeyed his voice and did what he asked me, the pain subsided,
and I was completely healed. Praise God! I have experienced this recurrence of
the devil since then several times(not because of disobedience, just attacks of the devil)
in myself and in others with triumphant success every time. Each time, God reminded
me of the previous success, which established hope to always overcome.(Romans 5:1-5)
Thank God for the gospel! It's the power of God unto salvation.
E-mail: terrym@terrymai.com
Top Home