During October 4-9, 1998, Jim
and I went to Tulsa Oklahoma for a Prayer and Power conference at the Family Prayer Center
with Pastor Dave Roberson. This is the home church of Sue Schumacher, lead monitor with
ChurchUSA. We were priviledged to be invited, because normally it is only for ordained
ministers. We really didn't know what to expect, except we were led of the Holy Spirit to
attend.After the first teaching, I was so stirred and
disturbed, that I wanted to leave. I couldn't understand what was happening, why I was so
resistant. But I prayed about it and discussed it with Jim, who advised for us to return.
And then I knew why there was so much resistance - the Lord had prepared a blessing for us
beyond any we had ever known, and the devil was trying to influence my flesh to run from
it.
The theme of the conference was about being born again, which
seems to be a strange thing to teach a bunch of ministers. But Pastor Dave went into it in
a depth I've never heard before, and made me more sure of my salvation and victorious life
in Jesus than I've ever been.
A couple of things that really stuck with me:
Before we are born again, we are spiritually dead, with an
infinite capacity for evil. Think about Hitler and the depths of depravity and horror he
brought upon the earth. The only restraining factor in a spiritually dead human life is an
"artificial" conscience pounded in them by their parents. Without this we all
could become a Hitler, or worse.
Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions
and sins
But the good news is, when we are born again, we become
spiritually alive, we receive a recreated human spirit. We walk in newness of life. And we
have an infinite capacity to grow and become like Jesus. We have power NOT to sin. We now
have the awesome ability to talk and commune with God like Adam and Eve before the Fall.
And as we yield to the Holy Spirit, our human spirits, alive in Christ, can continue to
grow and develop.
Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the
uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all
our sins
But If you blame others for your faults, shortcomings and
problems, you take away the very material that the Holy Spirit needs to do the work in you
that needs to be done to conform you to the image of Christ:
James 4:7-12 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands,
you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change
your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he
will lift you up.
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against
his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law,
you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and
Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your
neighbor?
We received a Word of Knowledge from Pastor Dave Roberson
on10/7/98:
I can tell right
now, there's praying people in your family. You have praying people in your history line.
Some doesn't understand. It's okay, just because your calling is not like theirs. Not many
places you'll be able to go and learn about what He's beginning to teach you, so you'll
have to hug tight to the Holy Spirit, let Him finish what He's begun. "Because I have
gifts, I have operations of My healing, My miracles, I have gifts and I'll teach you how
to operate in a way that I have called you to minister." Lift your hands, this is
glorious. I don't know what's in store for you, but I do know that your training is
certainly going to be different than mine.
After this, we were slain in the spirit. I haven't shared with
anyone at ChurchUSA, or at this conference about my holy heritage. That is, on my mother's
side of the family, I come from a long line of Christians who not only served the Lord in
their lifetimes, but prayed for their descendants to serve the Lord. My great grandfather,
Flournoy Gustavius Yates, was a Methodist teaching elder. When age came upon him, he came
to live with my grandmother and had many visions. No body wrote them down and many aren't
remembered, which I believe is sad.
My grandmother, Ethel Yates Radford, was a also real prayer
warrior, and no matter what the problem, she would simply say, "Let's pray". And
we'd kneel, usually at the couch, and she would lift up her slender hands to the Lord and
"make it a matter of prayer". Hallelujah! Only Heaven knows how many faithful
prayers that little lady lifted up to God, but I know that her prayers saved me and those
I love from destruction many times. And my mom, Atheline Evans, also is a believer and a
prayer warrior and has been an example to me of extreme love as long as I've known her.
I've always felt like Paul's word to Timothy fits my life:
2 Timothy 1:5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which
first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now
lives in you also.
I also have an aunt that is a prayer warrior and a minister's
wife, and other Christians in my family and family line. As for the unbelivers, by faith,
we are believing for all of them to be saved!
The anointing in that tabernacle of God's Spirit was intense, and
we could feel God's presence continually there. We witnessed many miracles of healing and
deliverance. And physically were totally exhausted. We didn't even make all the services.
I told Jim that I understood now why God just doesn't drop everything we need to know into
our bodies at once - it would kill us. The human body has to become acclimated to the
workings of the spirit - and it is a gradual process.
So on the morning of 10/9/98, we were running late to the morning
service, but praise God not too late! We got there about 9:15 am, about 15 minutes before
they usually take a break. During this whole conference, I had been speaking health and
healing to my body and asking the Lord to cleanse me. I have severe immune system
problems, and felt that I needed to be cleansed of toxins. So the whole conference, I had
to frequently go to the bathroom.
Well, we'd only been in the service about 10 minutes, and really
hadn't caught up to what Pastor Dave was teaching, when he invited us to come up to the
front to receive a special anointing, which I wasn't even sure at the time what he meant.
But he said that it wasn't for everyone, but if it was for you that the Holy Spirit would
speak to you and let you know. Well, it was as if my inner man was pulling me up out of my
seat, and I felt such a yearning inside, I couldn't refuse. So I told Jim, "I know
we've only been here 10 minutes, but I've got to go".
Well, he thought I meant "go to the bathroom"! So he
was very surprised to see me at the altar. So he hurried up to join me, and Pastor Dave
said that we might feel a spirit of weeping come upon us, and we did, something from very
deep inside. And I began praying in the spirit, very loudly as it turned out, because you
can hear me on the tape of the service! And went down under the spirit before Pastor Dave
touched me. And later, Jim felt it flow over him "like heat" and went down too.
How can I explain it? We received an anointing of peace so strong
that we could hardly sit up for days. Such a peace, a higher level than I knew existed.
It's really hard to put in words, but I wouldn't exchange it for anything.
Of course the devil has tried to rob us of it - but no, it's a
permanent change in our spirits and we will not lose it. It's like a shield of peace
permanently around us, a wall or fortress of peace.
As Paul said in Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The Greek word for guard here is phroureo {froo-reh'-o} which
means to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to
keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight; to protect by guarding, to keep by
watching and guarding to preserve one for the attainment of something.
Praise the Lord! This anointing of peace is protecting our hearts
and minds from hostile invasion, is watching and guarding to perserve our spirits as we
strive to attain the high calling in Christ Jesus!
Peace is eirene {i-ray'-nay} signifying, rest, quietness,
tranquillity, exemption from the rage and havoc of war; harmony, concord; security,
safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and
prosperous). Specifically of the Messiah's peace: the way that leads to peace (salvation)
of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and
so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.
If you are not at peace today, why not start by making peace with
God? Confess your sins to Him, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be born again
- receive a recreated human spirit, be adopted as God's son, be forgiven of all your sins,
be bought back from the rule of the devil, and live an abundant life forever!
If you are a believer, but are still struggling with
doubt, fear, anxiety, depression, etc. , you too can receive an anointing of peace. Yield
yourself to the Holy Spirit and allow His peace to guard your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus.