Welcome to Celebrating Life In Recovery. 00:00:11.13\00:00:12.54 I'm Cheri your host and today we are going to look at all 00:00:12.57\00:00:16.07 the incredible promises God has given to us, His kids. 00:00:16.10\00:00:19.74 It is absolutely amazing, come join us in the café. 00:00:19.77\00:00:22.87 In another show we talked about the process of healing. 00:00:50.38\00:00:52.80 I found those in the book 'Search for Significance' by 00:00:52.83\00:00:55.56 Robert S. McGee, so we're going to cover some of that. 00:00:55.59\00:00:58.79 I first want to introduce you to everybody at the café. 00:00:58.82\00:01:00.82 Especially our guest, Pastor Mike you are our special 00:01:00.85\00:01:04.26 guest for the day. 00:01:04.29\00:01:06.02 I'm glad to be here Cheri. 00:01:06.05\00:01:07.68 We try to do this a thousand times. - 2000 times. 00:01:07.71\00:01:11.39 I know how and what happened each time? 00:01:11.42\00:01:13.49 Each time there are technical difficulties. 00:01:13.52\00:01:16.58 - the devil steps in and says you are not doing this. 00:01:16.61\00:01:19.19 Murphy is doing his job. - that's right, exactly! 00:01:19.22\00:01:22.90 I want to introduce you, there are a number people at the 00:01:22.93\00:01:24.90 Café visiting and we are going to meet a lot of you and 00:01:24.93\00:01:29.53 hear your testimony, so when we get to that point it will 00:01:29.56\00:01:32.31 be amazing and you will be blessed, absolutely blessed. 00:01:32.34\00:01:35.88 Mike I want to go through a little bit of what we have 00:01:35.91\00:01:39.42 covered in previous shows. 00:01:39.45\00:01:41.27 We are coming to the into this season, right. - yes. 00:01:41.30\00:01:44.35 So you as a Pastor, not only as a Pastor the man of God and 00:01:44.38\00:01:47.78 the things I know you have been through, 00:01:47.81\00:01:49.39 you can help us to understand this. 00:01:49.42\00:01:52.25 The first part of recovery, that we found, is to honestly 00:01:52.28\00:01:56.59 look at your stuff, to honestly say, exactly where I am at, 00:01:56.62\00:02:00.22 what do I need to know about God, and to the point where 00:02:00.25\00:02:03.65 sometimes I look at myself and think oh man! 00:02:03.68\00:02:06.42 I'm in such trouble because I am a mess, absolutely a mess. 00:02:06.45\00:02:10.94 I hear the Holy Spirit saying, Cheri that's okay, I know 00:02:10.97\00:02:14.55 that and I will help you in recovery. 00:02:14.58\00:02:16.39 So to be able to honestly look at that. 00:02:16.42\00:02:19.06 We are going to go through some of those things. 00:02:19.09\00:02:21.38 First of all I want to know, I know but I want the viewers 00:02:21.41\00:02:25.66 and the people at the café to get an idea of who you are, 00:02:25.69\00:02:28.83 And why I chose you to do the show with us. 00:02:28.86\00:02:33.20 To really make a long story short, basically my daughter, 00:02:33.23\00:02:37.97 my 3 and 1/2-year-old daughter, came down with 00:02:38.00\00:02:40.16 brain cancer in 1999. 00:02:40.19\00:02:42.25 I was two weeks away from going to India to do an 00:02:42.28\00:02:45.12 evangelistic series, I have been an Adventist 00:02:45.15\00:02:46.79 for a 1 and 1/2 years. 00:02:46.82\00:02:48.15 And being an Adventist for a 1 and 1/2, you had not only been 00:02:48.18\00:02:52.75 running from God, but kind of a bad guy? 00:02:52.78\00:02:55.09 When I look at you and I think who's going to believe that? 00:02:55.12\00:02:58.83 But it is true. 00:02:58.86\00:03:00.11 You know I was very disrespectful to my wife. 00:03:00.14\00:03:02.63 I thought my wife and my son, at the time, before my 00:03:02.66\00:03:05.43 daughter came around, a chain and ball to me. 00:03:05.46\00:03:07.53 They are ruining my life, I had things to do and you 00:03:07.56\00:03:09.98 are getting in the way? 00:03:10.01\00:03:11.17 I had an 'I' problem, I couldn't see past myself. 00:03:11.20\00:03:13.53 Here God had given me a beautiful wife, a beautiful son, 00:03:13.56\00:03:17.16 and my daughter came along and I saw that my dreams 00:03:17.19\00:03:20.38 couldn't be accomplished and I was chafing 00:03:20.41\00:03:22.54 under my responsibilities. 00:03:22.57\00:03:24.25 You know when Satan is the puppet master in your life, 00:03:24.28\00:03:28.83 and you are the puppet, you move, that's it, as he moves 00:03:28.86\00:03:33.21 his finger tips, so to speak, you follow his lead. 00:03:33.24\00:03:35.83 That's what I did, I followed his lead until finally my 00:03:35.86\00:03:38.29 wife began to really pray for me. 00:03:38.32\00:03:41.29 After a six-month period, I know it takes some people 00:03:41.32\00:03:45.54 a lot longer, I didn't do anything of myself, but the 00:03:45.57\00:03:48.01 Holy Spirit began to woo me and show me things in the 00:03:48.04\00:03:50.30 world and I gave my heart to Jesus. 00:03:50.33\00:03:52.03 You know what cracks me up? Is that I just got this 00:03:52.06\00:03:54.85 impression, I think, from the Holy Spirit. 00:03:54.88\00:03:56.73 The Holy Spirit is like six months eke, eke, I've been 00:03:56.76\00:04:00.47 following you forever, from the womb I've been working 00:04:00.50\00:04:03.24 with you and you think it took Me six months. 00:04:03.27\00:04:05.26 It took me a lifetime to even get you to look at God. 00:04:05.29\00:04:07.67 Some of us think, oh, it is just when we start sensing it. 00:04:07.70\00:04:11.14 But the Holy Spirit has been wooing us forever, 00:04:11.17\00:04:14.43 and when we start sensing it, He's kicked up the fire. 00:04:14.46\00:04:18.07 That is a great point, He has been there my whole life, 00:04:18.10\00:04:23.04 and most of the time we do not acknowledge, or know that 00:04:23.07\00:04:25.43 He is working in our lives until we have the opportunity 00:04:25.46\00:04:27.57 to look back in hindsight. 00:04:27.60\00:04:29.17 That 6-month period was especially unique for the mere 00:04:29.20\00:04:32.63 fact that I began to see spiritual things that are 00:04:32.66\00:04:36.38 spiritually discerned. 00:04:36.41\00:04:37.59 - Explain that for somebody that doesn't know. 00:04:37.62\00:04:40.74 We have people watching this show that has never been 00:04:40.77\00:04:42.94 baptized, they don't know what you are saying by that. 00:04:42.97\00:04:45.69 Okay that is a good point. 00:04:45.73\00:04:46.91 A lot times what takes place is people have a hard time 00:04:46.94\00:04:49.76 struggling with the word of God, concepts or principles. 00:04:49.79\00:04:52.26 They are really struggling, as they struggle they don't, 00:04:52.29\00:04:58.08 how can I say this, God says that you will know what 00:04:58.11\00:05:01.88 My will is, and you will know of Him when you submit 00:05:01.91\00:05:04.91 your self to Him. - actually know His voice. 00:05:04.94\00:05:08.15 You will intimately be able to understand what He is 00:05:08.18\00:05:12.22 calling for you to be able to do when your heart is 00:05:12.25\00:05:15.17 emptied out of all the garbage that literally you have 00:05:15.20\00:05:18.77 put in there, and others have affected in your life. 00:05:18.80\00:05:21.74 You can empty that out and all of your broken dreams, 00:05:21.77\00:05:24.17 all of the issues that - all the addictions, 00:05:24.20\00:05:27.07 - all the addictions and the bondage that comes with the 00:05:27.10\00:05:29.97 addictions, the physical bondage, the mental bondage, the 00:05:30.00\00:05:33.59 spiritual bondage, when you take these to Christ and 00:05:33.62\00:05:36.32 you just open the door per se, 00:05:36.35\00:05:38.51 He stands there knocking, when you take it to Him and 00:05:38.54\00:05:42.06 you say okay I can't do this anymore. 00:05:42.09\00:05:44.77 Then what you have done, because I believe the way of the 00:05:44.80\00:05:49.48 great controversy is structured per se, you will allow 00:05:49.51\00:05:54.96 Him to do things that otherwise would be, because of the 00:05:54.99\00:05:59.23 structure, very difficult to do. 00:05:59.26\00:06:00.95 When you say the great controversy, that's the battle 00:06:00.98\00:06:04.23 with the lies that the devil has said to us, 00:06:04.26\00:06:07.86 the things that we struggle with, and what God is saying 00:06:07.89\00:06:11.71 about who He is. 00:06:11.74\00:06:13.21 For this show particular, I would say, because we are 00:06:13.24\00:06:15.52 dealing with overcoming addiction, the great controversy 00:06:15.55\00:06:18.49 We are talking about addiction from my perspective is here 00:06:18.52\00:06:23.16 you have Satan telling people you will find happiness 00:06:23.19\00:06:27.17 in this area, be it competition, be it drugs. 00:06:27.20\00:06:30.84 - The area of competition. 00:06:30.87\00:06:32.81 - and everybody else is weighing you down, everybody 00:06:32.84\00:06:38.08 else is getting in your way, I cannot get my dreams met 00:06:38.11\00:06:40.71 with you a my way. 00:06:40.74\00:06:41.90 In the other side is of the great controversy is? 00:06:41.93\00:06:44.88 The great controversy is that you have this perspective 00:06:44.91\00:06:47.69 where Satan is trying to get this field in your life, 00:06:47.72\00:06:50.19 and the other side is Mike come to Me, Cheri come to Me. 00:06:50.22\00:06:53.86 I'll know the desires of your heart and I will give you them. 00:06:53.89\00:06:56.24 - I love you, do you know how much I have given. 00:06:56.27\00:06:59.93 I have poured out the treasury of heaven for you and 00:06:59.96\00:07:02.96 you are searching in a bass tournament, in a bass boat 00:07:02.99\00:07:06.86 try to find out who you are Mike? - exactly! 00:07:06.89\00:07:09.12 I have traveled the world and I was a homeless kid. 00:07:09.15\00:07:11.20 I have traveled the world because God wants to fill us up. 00:07:11.23\00:07:14.98 The devil says He doesn't, He wants to rob you, 00:07:15.01\00:07:17.89 it's like stop, He wants to pour out heaven. 00:07:17.92\00:07:20.40 So as your wife is praying for you, you're having this 00:07:20.43\00:07:23.70 struggle, this great controversy is so in your life. 00:07:23.74\00:07:26.97 She starts committing herself to prayer. 00:07:27.00\00:07:29.45 She commits to prayer, at the time I did not know it, 00:07:29.48\00:07:33.01 and another lady was praying at her job. 00:07:33.05\00:07:35.38 She wanted to leave her job, she was a massage therapist 00:07:35.41\00:07:38.93 at a gym and two people are praying for me that I have no 00:07:38.96\00:07:42.44 idea they are praying for me. 00:07:42.47\00:07:43.98 All I can say, prayer, I can't underscore the point, 00:07:44.02\00:07:47.70 when we pray the windows of heaven open up. 00:07:47.74\00:07:52.20 Because of my wife and her prayers with this other ladies, 00:07:52.23\00:07:55.77 the windows of heaven opened up. 00:07:55.80\00:07:57.31 After watching a couple things on TV, they blew me away, 00:07:57.34\00:08:00.83 I watched a girl in high school who went to her high school 00:08:00.86\00:08:03.60 dance pregnant, and gave birth to her baby, and put it in 00:08:03.63\00:08:06.33 the trash bin and went and finished her dance. 00:08:06.37\00:08:08.31 I saw that and the Holy Spirit said to me, Mike this world 00:08:08.35\00:08:12.59 is coming to an end, it's winding down. 00:08:12.63\00:08:15.19 I had never, I had seen it before and thought like every 00:08:15.23\00:08:18.17 one else, these things happen. 00:08:18.21\00:08:20.56 Yes they do happen, but look at the intensity of how these 00:08:20.60\00:08:24.25 things are happening daily, every 12 hours, every 3 hours, 00:08:24.29\00:08:27.90 as I saw that I came to a place where I watched 00:08:27.94\00:08:31.03 a prophecy show one evening. 00:08:31.06\00:08:32.66 An individual basically said, the preacher basically said, 00:08:32.69\00:08:35.78 if you die, do you know where you would go? 00:08:35.82\00:08:37.92 You know what? I knew exactly where I was going. 00:08:37.95\00:08:39.98 You know what? I realized I stood under the black banner 00:08:40.01\00:08:44.41 of the powers of darkness and basically gave my heart that 00:08:44.45\00:08:48.81 night to Jesus. - Amen, Amen! 00:08:48.85\00:08:51.29 What is your wife just shocked? Did she believe you even? 00:08:51.33\00:08:54.28 She thought I was crazy. 00:08:54.32\00:08:55.60 The next day I woke up, now you have to remember for 29 00:08:55.64\00:08:58.84 years at that time I had been claiming to be a Christian. 00:08:58.88\00:09:02.25 So when you profess and don't possess the Holy Spirit, 00:09:02.28\00:09:06.33 you can understand why sometimes people look at you. 00:09:06.37\00:09:10.39 - they don't believe you anymore! 00:09:10.42\00:09:12.30 They don't believe you so the next day I woke up, 00:09:12.33\00:09:13.93 the shame and the guilt I had been carrying my whole life 00:09:13.97\00:09:17.21 was lifted up and I cannot explain, everyone knows 00:09:17.25\00:09:20.04 the born-again experience, we do not understand how it 00:09:20.08\00:09:22.84 takes place, we can only see the affects. 00:09:22.87\00:09:24.86 I woke up that morning and went into the kitchen where 00:09:24.89\00:09:28.64 my wife was feeding the kids and I said, honey. 00:09:28.67\00:09:30.56 I said it exactly, I go honey I gave my heart to Jesus. 00:09:30.60\00:09:34.40 She looks at me and goes, that's nice. 00:09:34.44\00:09:39.25 It was like someone just poured the lemon juice in an 00:09:40.90\00:09:45.80 open wound, you know what? 00:09:45.83\00:09:47.58 As I walked away the Holy Spirit said to me, Mike what do 00:09:47.62\00:09:51.93 you expect her to think, you have treated her terribly. 00:09:51.97\00:09:55.57 You watch terrible things, you speak terrible things, 00:09:55.60\00:09:59.16 what she is basically telling you is, show me. 00:09:59.20\00:10:02.18 What is amazing to me, even with the Holy Spirit with you, 00:10:03.76\00:10:06.33 is that He is that nice and gentle to us. 00:10:06.36\00:10:09.34 He will not lie to us, when He says it, 00:10:09.38\00:10:12.36 you so know it is the truth, alright. 00:10:12.39\00:10:15.33 - so gentle. - exactly! 00:10:15.37\00:10:17.30 You know what? He says even the rebuke as Christ said in 00:10:17.34\00:10:21.79 His ministry with tears in His voice, I think we cannot 00:10:21.82\00:10:25.63 understand that concept because we carry so much baggage, 00:10:25.67\00:10:28.81 when we deal with people we think we are going to go to 00:10:28.84\00:10:31.40 our brother or sister and say a rebuke, and think we are 00:10:31.43\00:10:33.92 doing it in a very humble way. We have our fingers pointed out. 00:10:33.96\00:10:36.77 We're just exploding, what we need is more of Christ. 00:10:36.80\00:10:41.34 That is hard, even when I talk to addicts, when I tell somebody 00:10:41.38\00:10:46.19 I have put the worst of the worst words on the table and 00:10:46.22\00:10:50.53 I have never felt shamed by God. 00:10:50.56\00:10:52.47 I have never felt like He looked at me in disgust, 00:10:52.51\00:10:55.92 or He looked at me and was angry, I have never felt that. 00:10:55.96\00:10:59.58 I've always felt that He looked at me in truth and said, 00:10:59.61\00:11:03.19 think this way, walk this Way. 00:11:03.23\00:11:05.42 That, I think, is the beauty of God, is that He is able 00:11:05.46\00:11:09.97 to see Mike, or Cheri at a distance and to see that they 00:11:10.01\00:11:14.49 are coming back and they are marred. 00:11:14.52\00:11:17.13 Instead of running, instead of allowing us coming onto 00:11:17.17\00:11:21.37 the property and making justification of what we did, 00:11:21.40\00:11:25.27 He meets us there, the same way He came to Adam and Eve. 00:11:25.30\00:11:29.37 The same way He went out to Cain, He comes to us and says, 00:11:29.40\00:11:33.92 I love you, because He knows before we are even at the edge 00:11:33.96\00:11:38.44 of His property, He says I know why you're back. 00:11:38.47\00:11:40.79 He is not going to condemn us because right there, 00:11:40.83\00:11:43.54 the condemner is right next was saying, don't go back 00:11:43.58\00:11:46.26 because He doesn't want you. 00:11:46.29\00:11:47.92 God is sitting back and is saying, I've been searching 00:11:47.95\00:11:50.74 for you for years. 00:11:50.77\00:11:52.85 I want to pour into you, I want to kiss you on the face 00:11:52.88\00:11:56.79 every morning when you wake up. 00:11:56.82\00:11:58.18 I want to show you a life where you will laugh out loud 00:11:58.22\00:12:00.95 and be filled with joy. - Amen! 00:12:00.98\00:12:02.98 Out of bondage, how cool is that? 00:12:03.01\00:12:04.94 So in your walk, you said now you are turning around, 00:12:04.97\00:12:09.72 being the father that your wife has always knew you were. 00:12:09.76\00:12:14.47 being the husband, being the father, and things are 00:12:14.51\00:12:18.31 beginning to turn around for us. 00:12:18.35\00:12:20.47 We are baptized soon after, husband-and-wife together. 00:12:20.50\00:12:24.39 - got into the Ministry right away? 00:12:24.43\00:12:27.00 Not too long after, I was only a four-year Adventist and 00:12:27.04\00:12:31.94 I was pastoring, I was pastoring for Adventist. 00:12:31.97\00:12:35.94 A big responsibility and sometimes people come to me and 00:12:35.98\00:12:39.18 say, Mike you don't look worried, what is going on here? 00:12:39.22\00:12:42.39 I know God's going to do it. 00:12:42.43\00:12:45.21 I have come to the place where I realize you can be 1 year, 00:12:45.24\00:12:48.42 you can be 50 years knowing God, but bottom-line is that 00:12:48.45\00:12:52.11 if you become comfortable with how long for or become to 00:12:52.14\00:12:55.77 insecure on how short, you are limiting God, 00:12:55.80\00:12:57.94 and I don't want to limit God. 00:12:57.97\00:12:59.31 The Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit, 00:12:59.34\00:13:02.40 whether you have known God for 1 day or 100 days, 00:13:02.44\00:13:05.19 it is the same thing that is poured into you. 00:13:05.22\00:13:07.94 He will lead us in all truth - exactly. 00:13:07.97\00:13:10.97 Not myself, not you, not others, He will lead us. 00:13:11.00\00:13:13.83 If He is leading me in truth at the speed that He desires, 00:13:13.86\00:13:17.12 Jesus is walking before me like a shepherd. 00:13:17.16\00:13:20.59 He is taking me at the pace that I need to go, 00:13:20.62\00:13:23.30 I don't have to worry about where I am at. 00:13:23.34\00:13:25.98 How cool is that? How cool is that! 00:13:26.02\00:13:28.47 So now as that is turning, you said earlier that you are 00:13:28.50\00:13:31.91 going to India and find out your daughter has brain cancer. 00:13:31.95\00:13:35.32 I can't imagine that. 00:13:35.36\00:13:36.78 The first time I heard you say that, it was on a show and 00:13:36.82\00:13:39.84 we were dealing with something else and I remember it felt 00:13:39.87\00:13:42.75 like somebody had hit me in the chest because I thought 00:13:42.78\00:13:45.62 how do you accept and deal with that? 00:13:45.66\00:13:48.76 We were devastated for the first three days, there was 00:13:48.79\00:13:51.57 a lot of sadness, and friends and family and church members 00:13:51.61\00:13:54.35 came to the hospital. 00:13:54.39\00:13:56.14 The doctors began to notice that my daughter was 00:13:56.18\00:13:58.75 withdrawing because of the atmosphere in the room. 00:13:58.79\00:14:01.30 So I went to her and said honey, we are going to take 00:14:01.34\00:14:03.82 you for your birthday to Disneyland. 00:14:03.85\00:14:06.06 Her birthday was coming up in April, 00:14:06.10\00:14:08.27 and this was in January. 00:14:08.30\00:14:09.67 She looked at me with this real despairing look and said, 00:14:09.71\00:14:12.50 daddy I don't want to go to Disneyland. 00:14:12.54\00:14:15.17 That night my wife and I got on our hands and knees and 00:14:15.20\00:14:18.93 realize that we needed God in a special portion to be 00:14:18.97\00:14:22.67 able to walk through this trial. 00:14:22.70\00:14:25.48 We got on hands and knees and prayed for God to give us 00:14:25.52\00:14:28.58 the strength, and you know what? 00:14:28.61\00:14:29.58 He answered that prayer, the following week when we were 00:14:29.59\00:14:32.43 getting ready to be released to start her therapy. 00:14:32.46\00:14:34.55 - she had a brain cancer that was very rare? 00:14:34.59\00:14:40.08 Pontine Glioma, it's a cancer on the brainstem, 00:14:40.12\00:14:45.54 a brain tip tumor that was pushing on her ex-cranial nerve 00:14:45.57\00:14:48.69 and her eyes crossed. 00:14:48.72\00:14:50.42 They had put her on steroids to reduce the swelling in the 00:14:50.46\00:14:52.73 brain, from my understanding there are no children, 00:14:52.76\00:14:57.10 no known survivors from this specific cancer. 00:14:57.14\00:15:00.29 They usually, children who get this cancer, usually have 00:15:00.33\00:15:05.15 a lifespan after diagnosis of about 1 year. 00:15:05.19\00:15:08.64 Being a sports person I call it, the Michael Jordan 00:15:10.17\00:15:12.74 of brain cancers. 00:15:12.78\00:15:15.06 As you are getting this information to you, you are also 00:15:15.10\00:15:20.78 asking God to give us strength, we don't even know, 00:15:20.82\00:15:23.41 give us strength. 00:15:23.44\00:15:25.27 I was very fortunate to be able to be a born again 00:15:25.31\00:15:29.00 Christian for a year and a half, a born again Seventh-day 00:15:29.04\00:15:31.67 Adventist at this time. 00:15:31.71\00:15:33.15 I understood God's character, and as I was studying the 00:15:33.18\00:15:36.01 word of God when, I know some people have issues when they 00:15:36.05\00:15:39.41 study the Bible, and a look at the doctrines, and people 00:15:39.45\00:15:42.21 say I don't want to know about doctrines or these issues. 00:15:42.25\00:15:45.07 As I begin studying and I looked at the stories of the 00:15:45.11\00:15:48.18 Bible, I began to look at the teachings of what God has 00:15:48.21\00:15:51.25 shown through His church. 00:15:51.29\00:15:52.83 Again I see that Christ is the center of all these things, 00:15:52.86\00:15:56.03 did it help me to understand His character. 00:15:56.07\00:15:58.11 The more I can understand of His character, 00:15:58.15\00:16:00.13 not that I would raise my hand and say, yeah take all of 00:16:00.16\00:16:02.44 my kids to brain cancer, but that I would sit back and be 00:16:02.47\00:16:04.71 able to say, you know what, I trust You. 00:16:04.75\00:16:06.28 I trust You because I know Your true. 00:16:06.32\00:16:07.98 That does not mean that you don't cry. 00:16:08.01\00:16:09.60 That doesn't mean you're not sad, at times you might not 00:16:09.64\00:16:13.20 have a little anger, but you can say, 00:16:13.23\00:16:14.87 I can't understand these things. 00:16:14.91\00:16:16.57 I think a lot of times what takes place in addictions, 00:16:16.61\00:16:19.89 in grieving and healing, and a lot of times we try to 00:16:19.93\00:16:23.83 find cute answers of why these things are taking place. 00:16:23.86\00:16:27.64 To me ultimately, I had to come to a place, as I was 00:16:27.68\00:16:31.74 sharing with my brother earlier, that God formed this 00:16:31.77\00:16:35.80 earth, I wasn't even around the foundations 00:16:35.83\00:16:39.65 of this world when they were created. 00:16:39.68\00:16:41.70 How can I distrust the God who knows all and can do all? 00:16:41.73\00:16:46.37 I have to place my trust in Him and be able to say, 00:16:46.40\00:16:48.86 you know I know what You have done for me in the past. 00:16:48.89\00:16:51.31 I know Your love for me for the past. 00:16:51.35\00:16:52.69 I know that my daughter, who is really Your daughter, 00:16:52.72\00:16:56.79 You love her more than I love her, and because You love 00:16:56.82\00:16:59.94 her more than I love her, I need to be able to let go. 00:16:59.98\00:17:03.30 When I first gave my heart, I came to a place where 00:17:03.33\00:17:06.62 I said God I give you my children. 00:17:06.65\00:17:08.61 I said that in a prayer, I give You my children. 00:17:08.64\00:17:10.88 You know what, I thought I did. 00:17:10.91\00:17:12.37 Until you begin to have your children being pulled 00:17:12.41\00:17:14.81 from you, you realize the percentage you have given. 00:17:14.84\00:17:17.21 I had maybe given 70%, God was teaching me, 00:17:17.25\00:17:20.36 Mike, she is My daughter, My daughter. 00:17:20.40\00:17:23.45 A lot of people they think as Christians we escape all 00:17:23.49\00:17:28.70 the damage in this world, the genetic damage. 00:17:28.74\00:17:31.18 The cancers that hit us and all that, we don't. 00:17:31.22\00:17:34.45 We just have a hope that this isn't it and that 00:17:34.48\00:17:37.68 I have a God that is coming back for me. 00:17:37.72\00:17:40.90 We have that hope and we have to figure out, 00:17:40.94\00:17:44.05 when something like this happens, how much do we actually 00:17:44.09\00:17:46.41 believe of all that stuff. 00:17:46.44\00:17:48.22 Isaiah 41:13 says, "for I am the Lord thy God who said 00:17:48.25\00:17:52.02 "unto thee fear not for I am with thee. " 00:17:52.06\00:17:54.26 I think what needs to take place, regardless if it's at 00:17:54.29\00:17:58.52 work, in the home life, where ever we need to realize 00:17:58.55\00:18:02.56 that we do not serve a God who is just up on His throne. 00:18:02.60\00:18:05.83 When you read the stories in the Bible of how many times 00:18:05.86\00:18:09.06 God has come, and who was in the fiery furnace with 00:18:09.10\00:18:13.92 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? 00:18:13.96\00:18:15.91 When you look at all the stories, who wept outside of 00:18:15.95\00:18:19.25 Lazarus tomb, you begin to see that our God is such an intimate 00:18:19.28\00:18:24.21 loving God, at times though He may not be with us tangibly 00:18:24.25\00:18:28.39 were we can touch Him, He has left His Spirit, which 00:18:28.42\00:18:32.10 I know I have tangibly felt in my heart and in my mind. 00:18:32.13\00:18:37.14 And saw in your child, tell me again what her favorite 00:18:37.18\00:18:42.15 story in the Bible was during this time? 00:18:42.19\00:18:44.75 When I heard that, I just wanted to weep. 00:18:44.78\00:18:47.21 I may weep if I tell it to you again. 00:18:47.25\00:18:49.61 What took place is when they let us go from a hospital 00:18:49.65\00:18:53.27 to begin and start her therapy, she looked at my wife, 00:18:53.31\00:18:56.90 Reagan and said, mommy, I think I'm going to die. 00:18:56.93\00:19:00.78 What do you do when a 3 and 1/2-year-old says that? 00:19:00.82\00:19:05.10 She was really shocked, she said, honey Jesus is there 00:19:05.14\00:19:09.47 for you, Jesus is going to be good and be here with us. 00:19:09.50\00:19:14.20 So that night my wife, the Holy Spirit spoke to her Cheri, 00:19:14.23\00:19:18.90 not only for my conversion, can I say praise God for 00:19:18.93\00:19:22.84 great wives, praise God for great wives. 00:19:22.88\00:19:25.95 You can say that a number of times. 00:19:25.98\00:19:27.23 Hallelujah, praise God, praise God for good wives. 00:19:27.27\00:19:29.99 She went on her hands and knees that night and said, 00:19:30.02\00:19:34.01 Father, Mike and I don't have the strength to get 00:19:34.04\00:19:37.99 our daughter through this. 00:19:38.03\00:19:39.48 She needs an adult sized portion of Your Holy Spirit. 00:19:39.51\00:19:41.94 Now watch the miracles that take place now. 00:19:41.98\00:19:44.20 Here is the domino effect, God says because you have 00:19:44.23\00:19:47.84 asked, I'm flicking over the dominoes and as she asked, 00:19:47.87\00:19:50.96 a couple days later my daughter out of nowhere said, 00:19:50.99\00:19:54.04 mommy, why did Jesus have to die for us? 00:19:54.08\00:19:57.36 Reagan opened up the Bible and began to read Matthew 26, 00:19:57.39\00:20:01.84 27, and 28 and explaining the closing scenes of Jesus' 00:20:01.88\00:20:06.84 life, and as she heard it, it was as if the Holy Spirit 00:20:06.88\00:20:11.41 would comfort and blanket her and she would be okay. 00:20:11.44\00:20:14.71 As you could tell us, because some people don't know, 00:20:14.74\00:20:17.98 do you know what I mean? 00:20:18.01\00:20:19.36 We are assuming that everybody watching this knows the, 00:20:19.40\00:20:22.01 closing scenes, so I know. 00:20:22.05\00:20:25.05 As Reagan began to share how God came to earth clothed 00:20:25.08\00:20:29.69 Himself with humanity was improperly taken in the trial 00:20:29.73\00:20:34.30 that never should have been at that time it was. 00:20:34.34\00:20:36.10 Was beaten, was spit on, thorns were stuck in His head, 00:20:36.13\00:20:40.45 finally taken out and put in the most horrible type of 00:20:40.48\00:20:44.77 torture, being pinned on the cross. 00:20:44.80\00:20:47.36 He did it while I was yet the most vilest of people, and as 00:20:47.40\00:20:53.83 He died and took upon the sins, the grief's, 00:20:53.87\00:20:57.95 the addictions, the pains of the world, 00:20:57.99\00:21:01.56 the whole time of Earth's history, sometimes we think 00:21:01.60\00:21:05.42 He died at that time, He took the addictions, 00:21:05.45\00:21:07.90 the pains of everything that humanity has gone through 00:21:07.94\00:21:11.80 upon the cross and His heart just bursted for humanity. 00:21:11.84\00:21:15.84 What took place was after, when you see that kind of love, 00:21:15.88\00:21:19.85 the love that streams through the cross of Calvary, 00:21:19.89\00:21:22.51 you are drawn to Him. 00:21:22.55\00:21:23.87 Then you realize that not only was He dying on the cross, 00:21:23.91\00:21:26.21 but He resurrected, He resurrected and made Himself 00:21:26.24\00:21:29.52 available to His disciples for a period of time afterwards. 00:21:29.55\00:21:33.19 Now He's in the heavenly sanctuary interceding and giving 00:21:33.23\00:21:37.19 His power for us, that is a type of, that is an assurance 00:21:37.22\00:21:41.15 to me that I don't server a dead God. 00:21:41.18\00:21:43.31 I serve a living God. 00:21:43.34\00:21:44.94 So now, with your daughter, she is listening to the story 00:21:44.97\00:21:49.09 in her response to the story is what? 00:21:49.13\00:21:51.29 What takes place is that as my wife tells her the story, 00:21:51.33\00:21:54.15 my daughter goes, okay, thank you mommy. 00:21:54.18\00:21:58.65 After that time, about three or four days a week, Arianna 00:21:58.69\00:22:03.04 would turn to mommy and say, will you read to me 00:22:03.08\00:22:05.95 Jesus on the cross? 00:22:05.98\00:22:07.69 What took place is a 3 and 1/2 year-old daughter found 00:22:07.72\00:22:13.33 comfort in a crucified King. - Amen! 00:22:13.36\00:22:17.20 Here she realized that, here is a King that will give 00:22:17.23\00:22:22.66 a free gift to a 3 and 1/2 year old, and here I was struggling 00:22:22.70\00:22:26.80 as a 29-year-old man, searching this pitiful world, 00:22:26.84\00:22:29.68 to fill the holes. 00:22:29.72\00:22:31.45 She found the whole as a 3 and 1/2-year-old. 00:22:31.49\00:22:33.40 And comfort in the resurrection, 00:22:33.43\00:22:36.68 God is going to raise you. 00:22:36.71\00:22:38.69 God is with you always, low I will be with you until the 00:22:38.73\00:22:42.35 end of this age, she found comfort 00:22:42.38\00:22:44.35 in it was very important. 00:22:44.39\00:22:46.13 As we put her in her treatments she began losing her hair. 00:22:46.17\00:22:49.04 She began putting an extraordinary amount of weight 00:22:49.08\00:22:52.75 - on because of the medication it was called the Cushing. 00:22:52.79\00:22:55.98 - Her eyes are crossing. - eyes are crossing. 00:22:56.02\00:22:58.45 People began looking at my daughter a little differently. 00:22:58.49\00:23:01.19 The medical term is called Cushing look that she had. 00:23:01.23\00:23:03.87 When we would go to church she began to notice that people 00:23:03.90\00:23:07.23 were looking at her differently. 00:23:07.27\00:23:08.91 They were saddened for her, she would no longer go up for 00:23:08.95\00:23:11.48 the children's story, she would watch her brother 00:23:11.51\00:23:13.01 and her friends go up. 00:23:13.05\00:23:14.17 I would say Arlie do you want to go up to children's story? 00:23:14.20\00:23:16.62 She would say no daddy, and to sit and watch her in the pew, 00:23:16.66\00:23:18.71 I would look over at her and she would be giggling as 00:23:18.74\00:23:22.32 she watched her brother and friends, it was like to some 00:23:22.36\00:23:26.69 degree she was weaning us as a family, just saying you 00:23:26.73\00:23:31.03 know what, I'm okay with Jesus. 00:23:31.06\00:23:34.02 What took place is really profound, two things that are 00:23:34.06\00:23:38.82 really huge, after Sabbath we went to a church potluck. 00:23:38.86\00:23:43.36 As we went to potluck, we were all eating, and at the park 00:23:43.39\00:23:47.04 you would have a play area in a place where you can eat. 00:23:47.08\00:23:50.63 The adults were sitting and eating, one of my friends was 00:23:50.66\00:23:54.17 watching the kids, and a child from a local neighborhood 00:23:54.20\00:23:56.67 had came with her father, and she was sitting at the bottom 00:23:56.71\00:23:59.45 and of the slide in the sandy area watching the kids play. 00:23:59.49\00:24:02.19 She couldn't run anymore because your equilibrium 00:24:02.23\00:24:04.62 was off because the cancer. 00:24:04.65\00:24:06.57 So she was sitting at the slide, her eyes are crossed, 00:24:06.61\00:24:10.08 she is heavy, and the child came in and went and saw my 00:24:10.11\00:24:13.55 daughter and goes, daddy what is wrong with her? 00:24:13.58\00:24:17.32 He didn't say this to be mean, she looks like an anomaly, 00:24:17.35\00:24:20.92 looked very different, and the father 00:24:20.95\00:24:24.01 didn't know how to respond. 00:24:24.05\00:24:25.11 The friend that was there didn't know how to respond. 00:24:25.15\00:24:29.56 Then my daughter looked at this boy and said, I'm in love 00:24:29.59\00:24:36.14 with God and that story was not told to me until later on. 00:24:36.18\00:24:42.27 When she said I'm in love with God, God did give her an 00:24:42.31\00:24:47.29 adult sized portion of the Holy Spirit because she had 00:24:47.33\00:24:52.28 fallen in love with Him. 00:24:52.31\00:24:53.99 - It comforted her. - her comfort came from her God. 00:24:54.02\00:24:58.07 So many times we have issues in our lives and we can't 00:24:58.11\00:25:02.13 find comfort and I look and say, you know what? 00:25:02.16\00:25:04.86 This three-year-old found comfort in her Savior. 00:25:04.90\00:25:08.82 Sometimes when I reflect on that it warms my heart, 00:25:08.85\00:25:12.73 it gives me strength. 00:25:12.77\00:25:14.76 I love your testimony, I can't wait to meet your daughter. 00:25:14.79\00:25:21.65 After you get done holding her, and kissing her face, 00:25:21.68\00:25:26.02 looking at her and knowing that she no longer is going to 00:25:26.06\00:25:29.61 be swollen, no longer going to have her eyes crossed, 00:25:29.64\00:25:32.69 not be able to stand up and play, but she's going to run 00:25:32.73\00:25:35.75 and be doing back flips so glad that you are there. 00:25:35.78\00:25:39.56 That she will actually get to sit with Jesus for the first 00:25:39.60\00:25:43.41 time in a physical way, because she has set with Him 00:25:43.45\00:25:46.04 during that time, I just can't wait. 00:25:46.07\00:25:49.50 We are going to go ahead and take a break. 00:25:49.53\00:25:51.84 I want to say we are going to come back and meet some of 00:25:51.87\00:25:55.09 the folks here, and then we will have you back up to tell 00:25:55.12\00:25:58.31 us how God has even blessed you, and you comforting 00:25:58.34\00:26:03.12 the parents that are going through this. 00:26:03.16\00:26:05.01 It is amazing that He says not only will I get you 00:26:05.04\00:26:07.38 through this, I love your family and will raise your 00:26:07.41\00:26:11.35 daughter because she died shortly after that. - yeah! 00:26:11.39\00:26:15.29 We are going to come back and talk about that. 00:26:15.32\00:26:16.86 Please stay with us, and if you are struggling with any 00:26:16.90\00:26:21.03 of this, I know that it is tough. 00:26:21.07\00:26:23.64 We are not making light of this, but we have a Savior 00:26:23.67\00:26:25.98 that says, I will help you through it. 00:26:26.02\00:26:28.12 I will get you through it and I will pour into you, 00:26:28.15\00:26:31.52 I don't care what age, whether you are 3 or 300, 00:26:31.55\00:26:34.85 God says I will pour My Spirit into you and I will get 00:26:34.89\00:26:37.08 you through this and I will give you joy. 00:26:37.11\00:26:40.21 Joy comes in the morning and that is something believable 00:26:40.25\00:26:42.97 to me, but I have felt that and I know that 00:26:43.01\00:26:44.75 Pastor Mike has felt it. 00:26:44.78\00:26:46.27 We will be right back, stay with us! 00:26:46.30\00:26:48.39 Think you've seen it all? Think again. 00:26:54.18\00:26:57.17 Cheri Peters is back for a second season of 00:26:57.20\00:27:00.94 Celebrating Life In Recovery, with more lives 00:27:00.98\00:27:04.68 more stories and more miracles. 00:27:04.71\00:27:07.56 Watch the shocking, the inspiring, and the incredible. 00:27:07.60\00:27:11.26 Check your local listings to find out when 00:27:11.29\00:27:13.84 Celebrating Life In Recovery comes to you, and get 00:27:13.88\00:27:17.62 ready for another dose of reality, Cheri style. 00:27:17.65\00:27:21.36 Ending the last segment was tough for me because hearing 00:27:35.55\00:27:39.91 this story before from Pastor Mike about your daughter, 00:27:39.95\00:27:45.35 I have never, I still can't get over my sense of that 00:27:45.38\00:27:50.75 must've been the hardest thing you have ever, 00:27:50.78\00:27:53.03 ever went through. 00:27:53.06\00:27:55.09 I can't believe that God could take that and turn it 00:27:55.12\00:27:58.73 around, but you had told me a story about your daughter 00:27:58.77\00:28:02.34 when she couldn't even make it to church. 00:28:02.37\00:28:05.02 Can you share that with us? 00:28:05.06\00:28:06.52 What happened is, we lived about 40 minutes from the 00:28:06.56\00:28:10.05 church and so one Sabbath morning we were all in the car 00:28:10.09\00:28:13.55 getting ready to go down, and this time 00:28:13.59\00:28:14.95 the doctors had told us the cancer had been reduced 00:28:14.99\00:28:17.08 by 30% and we were excited. 00:28:17.11\00:28:19.25 The same God that created the heavens and the earth can 00:28:19.28\00:28:22.67 take away cancer, we just don't know what takes place. 00:28:22.71\00:28:26.07 So getting on the freeway she vomited on herself. 00:28:26.10\00:28:29.06 That is not a good sign when someone has brain cancer. 00:28:29.09\00:28:32.10 So we turn the car around and took her back to the house. 00:28:32.13\00:28:35.26 As we set her up in bed, my wife looked over and said, 00:28:35.30\00:28:38.39 Mike you need to take Luke to church. 00:28:38.43\00:28:40.72 Then Arianna goes daddy, daddy and stuck out her hand. 00:28:40.75\00:28:45.04 She said, daddy, daddy and I go what is it honey? 00:28:45.08\00:28:47.78 She says, daddy, daddy, daddy and I said what is it honey? 00:28:47.81\00:28:50.50 She opened up her hand and goes, she had her Sabbath school 00:28:50.53\00:28:54.71 money, daddy would you take this and give this to Jesus? 00:28:54.74\00:28:59.28 I sat there and took the quarter and said, yes honey. 00:28:59.32\00:29:03.82 I put the quarter in my pocket, I'm driving 00:29:03.85\00:29:06.20 down to the church weeping. 00:29:06.23\00:29:07.92 The reason I'm weeping is here is this girl dying and 00:29:07.96\00:29:10.89 the only thing on her mind is Jesus. 00:29:10.92\00:29:13.94 Here's sometimes I struggle to pray for an extra five 00:29:13.98\00:29:18.12 minutes, I struggle to read an extra line in the Bible. 00:29:18.15\00:29:22.26 Not a chapter, only a line. - exactly! 00:29:22.30\00:29:25.56 And here's this girl pouring out everything. 00:29:25.60\00:29:27.63 When you stand in the presence of God, you really see 00:29:27.67\00:29:30.36 yourself. - who you are! 00:29:30.39\00:29:33.68 You see exactly who you are. 00:29:33.71\00:29:36.93 I realize that, though I had given my heart to Jesus and 00:29:36.97\00:29:40.30 knew He was working in a very powerful way of my life, 00:29:40.33\00:29:43.63 I have not arrived. 00:29:43.67\00:29:45.91 Sometimes we need to realize that. 00:29:45.95\00:29:48.63 I think sometimes when we come into these situations, 00:29:48.66\00:29:52.27 when we come in contact with people that we see going 00:29:52.30\00:29:55.25 through these things it brings us to a place of humility 00:29:55.28\00:29:58.33 to realize not only is this place, the earth is not our 00:29:58.36\00:30:01.92 home, but it also gives us to refocus on our own lines. 00:30:01.96\00:30:06.40 I know that God has used you since your daughter's death. 00:30:06.43\00:30:10.65 God has used you a number of times working with people 00:30:10.68\00:30:14.86 that have children that are terminal, have to go 00:30:14.90\00:30:19.15 through that, and you have sat there and loved on them. 00:30:19.19\00:30:22.44 A story that you don't know, this is probably a God thing 00:30:22.47\00:30:25.55 for today, as you like to say, God thing. - I love those. 00:30:25.58\00:30:28.63 The church that voted me in after I graduated from 00:30:28.66\00:30:32.89 Pacific Union College, two churches. 00:30:32.92\00:30:35.61 There was the Shingle Spring and Rancho Cordova Seventh-day 00:30:35.64\00:30:38.77 Adventist churches and they voted me in April of that year. 00:30:38.81\00:30:42.38 Unknown to one of the churches, the Shingle Spring churches 00:30:42.41\00:30:45.95 one of their elders daughter would will come 00:30:45.99\00:30:47.70 down with brain cancer the next month. 00:30:47.74\00:30:49.76 God was already orchestrating me to go into this family, 00:30:49.79\00:30:53.79 into this district and to walk them through what 00:30:53.83\00:30:57.67 we have walked through, and literally my wife and I 00:30:57.70\00:31:01.81 really helped Tony and Linda Walker and prepped them with 00:31:01.85\00:31:05.93 everything we did. 00:31:05.96\00:31:07.34 People would say, was that hard on you going through this 00:31:07.37\00:31:09.13 and seeing it again? 00:31:09.16\00:31:10.96 To some degree, but when you are, you can't transfer grief 00:31:11.00\00:31:16.76 and pain, so to speak. 00:31:16.79\00:31:18.65 - and comfort, the comfort that you had, they so needed. 00:31:18.68\00:31:24.19 The assurance that God has not forgotten that. 00:31:24.22\00:31:27.28 I told them to call me up, when ever he called me at 00:31:27.31\00:31:29.41 3 o'clock in the morning, 4 o'clock in the morning, 00:31:29.44\00:31:31.50 we would be on our knees with my wife. 00:31:31.54\00:31:33.43 God took us to a place where people, what they were going 00:31:33.46\00:31:36.13 through, we were going through different type of cancer 00:31:36.17\00:31:39.99 with their daughter and she ended up, I ended up burying 00:31:40.02\00:31:43.81 her in West Virginia, Huntington West Virginia. 00:31:43.85\00:31:46.38 But I was there and had the opportunity to be able to be 00:31:46.42\00:31:50.16 God's servant to this family through the situation. 00:31:50.19\00:31:53.17 Each situation is different, a lot of people think a death 00:31:53.20\00:31:57.54 of a child is the death of a child, No! 00:31:57.57\00:31:59.30 Each one is completely different, so I cannot stand 00:31:59.34\00:32:02.94 here today and fully tell you I understood everything 00:32:02.97\00:32:06.53 they went through, that I felt everything. 00:32:06.57\00:32:08.07 But to some degree there were some commonalities that I was 00:32:08.11\00:32:11.74 able to help them through. - Amen! 00:32:11.77\00:32:13.91 What's interesting to me as a Christian, the more I get to 00:32:13.94\00:32:17.16 know God, the more I look around, the more I deal with 00:32:17.19\00:32:20.37 addictions, I realize that this is not our home. 00:32:20.41\00:32:23.11 If we make our home here we will always be faced with 00:32:23.14\00:32:26.21 death and struggling and all that stuff. 00:32:26.24\00:32:28.89 God said I really am coming back to get you. 00:32:28.93\00:32:31.51 This is not it, the devil himself is going to attack you 00:32:31.54\00:32:35.02 on every end, you have got cancerous stuff that is going 00:32:35.06\00:32:37.99 to be in your body, we don't eat right, we don't think right, 00:32:38.03\00:32:40.92 we don't do all this kind of stuff and it's going to affect 00:32:40.96\00:32:43.81 who you are. 00:32:43.85\00:32:44.82 But I promise you to the extent that you allow Me, 00:32:44.83\00:32:47.61 I will bring healing and comfort, and it may not be life, 00:32:47.65\00:32:52.88 but it will be healing and comfort. 00:32:52.92\00:32:55.62 We have a hole in our hearts when a loved one passes away, 00:32:55.66\00:32:58.89 I believe that that hole in our heart will be there until 00:32:58.92\00:33:02.11 this side of the grave, until that great day comes. 00:33:02.15\00:33:05.70 I believe the reason God allows that hole in our heart 00:33:05.73\00:33:08.90 is to realize that this is not our home, there is going to 00:33:08.93\00:33:12.24 be a better place, because there is going to be, you know 00:33:12.27\00:33:15.55 there is things here about this world that are nice. 00:33:15.58\00:33:18.69 I'd love to be here with you, spend time with my 3ABN 00:33:18.73\00:33:22.25 family when I come here, but I got kids in the family. 00:33:22.28\00:33:25.77 - that fantastic wife. - and no one wants to say, 00:33:25.80\00:33:28.15 I want to go, but sometimes we can become so comforted and 00:33:28.19\00:33:33.68 in all rut of what is going on, that we lose the eternal 00:33:33.72\00:33:38.25 perspective that someday there is going to be no more pain, 00:33:38.29\00:33:42.79 no more scars, no more hospitals Cheri. Hallelujah! 00:33:42.83\00:33:46.72 What I would like for you to do for us if you could? 00:33:46.76\00:33:50.31 I'm going to introduce, bring some other people from the 00:33:50.34\00:33:53.89 café up, but I would like for you to pray with us before 00:33:53.93\00:33:57.25 you sit down and then come back and rejoin us before the 00:33:57.29\00:34:00.58 end of the show. Okay so let's pray! 00:34:00.62\00:34:02.60 Father we come to Thee now and thank Thee for the 00:34:02.63\00:34:05.58 opportunity of being sons and daughters of God. 00:34:05.62\00:34:08.50 It is through the merits of Thy Son, that we can even 00:34:08.53\00:34:11.13 stand here and share what we are able to share. 00:34:11.17\00:34:15.86 We thank You for working in our lives in such a way that 00:34:15.89\00:34:18.93 we can take the pains and the scars and the baggage of our 00:34:18.97\00:34:21.97 lives and You can transform those experiences to Your 00:34:22.01\00:34:25.55 territory, to Your kingdom. 00:34:25.59\00:34:27.87 We asked that each person out there will be able to take 00:34:27.91\00:34:31.51 the pain and experience of their feelings and lay them 00:34:31.54\00:34:34.93 down at the foot of the cross and have their experience 00:34:34.96\00:34:38.31 transform, so they can go out as a missionary to 00:34:38.34\00:34:41.86 someone else and use that experience to bring 00:34:41.89\00:34:45.37 more into thy kingdom. 00:34:45.41\00:34:47.06 - I want to add that You fill them with Your Holy Spirit, 00:34:47.10\00:34:50.69 that You fill them with a sense of who You are, 00:34:50.72\00:34:54.44 the incredibleness of God, that You give us truth about 00:34:54.47\00:34:58.54 who You are, the truth about who we are, and the fact that 00:34:58.57\00:35:02.20 You are so close to us in our struggles that You fill us 00:35:02.23\00:35:05.83 with joy and let that be our strength. 00:35:05.86\00:35:07.65 Even through trials, through illnesses that hit us, that we 00:35:07.68\00:35:11.58 stand with those illnesses in the presence of God knowing 00:35:11.62\00:35:15.48 that this is not our home. 00:35:15.51\00:35:17.10 I pray that we have covered the Holy Spirit in a number 00:35:17.13\00:35:20.40 of shows this time. 00:35:20.43\00:35:21.40 I pray, don't let us forget every day to seek after the 00:35:21.43\00:35:24.82 baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we are filled up, 00:35:24.85\00:35:28.21 so that we are changed, and so that we walk 00:35:28.24\00:35:30.77 out in this world and see Your face and hear Your voice 00:35:30.81\00:35:33.33 everywhere, in Jesus name. Amen! 00:35:33.37\00:35:35.95 Okay I'm going to have you back up in a few moments, 00:35:35.98\00:35:37.92 so don't get too comfortable. 00:35:37.96\00:35:39.63 Okay, I want to bring up Lisa, come on up. 00:35:39.66\00:35:44.15 As bring up Lisa, I want you to really get a sense of, 00:35:44.19\00:35:48.88 is that we all have things that we deal with. 00:35:48.92\00:35:51.39 We all have struggles that we deal with and it's the same 00:35:51.43\00:35:54.70 God that works for somebody with grief and someone else 00:35:54.74\00:35:57.98 with a whole other issue. 00:35:58.01\00:36:00.10 Lisa, we just met, and already I feel like you're 00:36:00.13\00:36:03.82 definitely my sister. - I do too. - cool, cool! 00:36:03.86\00:36:07.51 So tell me a little bit about yourself. 00:36:07.54\00:36:08.85 What do you struggle with? 00:36:08.89\00:36:09.92 What do you think of what Michael was saying? 00:36:09.95\00:36:11.76 Oh wow, what an incredible story. 00:36:11.79\00:36:14.40 He is so strong in the Lord really took him from a real 00:36:14.44\00:36:18.47 hard time in his life and his work in his life and brought 00:36:18.50\00:36:22.50 into where he is now, it is just a wonderful thing. 00:36:22.53\00:36:24.96 I know he is going to be able to help other people that 00:36:25.00\00:36:27.40 are struggling with this, sadness and grief. 00:36:27.43\00:36:29.42 I'm sorry that he had to go through such a terrible time. 00:36:29.46\00:36:32.66 My heart was just wrenched to hear the story. 00:36:32.70\00:36:37.84 My heart was just crying. 00:36:37.88\00:36:39.27 It breaks my heart, but I know that the Lord is going to 00:36:39.30\00:36:42.62 carry him and his family through this and they will be 00:36:42.66\00:36:45.78 able to help others that are dealing with this pain. 00:36:45.82\00:36:48.91 So your struggle is way different? 00:36:48.94\00:36:51.64 - way different, but yet it's an addiction. 00:36:51.67\00:36:53.58 I have come to grips with that, actually fear is an 00:36:53.61\00:36:58.43 addiction in my life and I am still dealing with it now. 00:36:58.46\00:37:03.18 Ever since I was 13 years old I've had fear, Satan has 00:37:03.22\00:37:07.91 attacked me with fear, fear of everything. 00:37:07.94\00:37:11.19 Not even knowing where that came from, start having panic 00:37:11.22\00:37:14.22 attacks, being afraid. 00:37:14.25\00:37:15.93 Yes panic attacks, being afraid, afraid to leave my home, 00:37:15.97\00:37:18.89 afraid to drive, I became enclosed in my house. 00:37:18.93\00:37:22.56 Satan has basically taken my life away for me, the joy that 00:37:22.59\00:37:27.17 Jesus wants me to have has left because it has just been, 00:37:27.20\00:37:31.75 I feel like a cup that has been poured in with fear. 00:37:31.78\00:37:34.72 Your husband said that there were many times were you 00:37:34.75\00:37:37.23 couldn't even go to the mailbox and get your mail. 00:37:37.27\00:37:39.68 Right, right, You were so afraid yes. - the phone rings. 00:37:39.71\00:37:43.59 - you couldn't answer it. 00:37:43.62\00:37:44.72 Well I might answer it but if they wanted me to go 00:37:44.75\00:37:47.72 somewhere I had excuses and reasons why I couldn't go. 00:37:47.76\00:37:51.57 I believe that God has a tremendous plan for my life, 00:37:51.61\00:37:55.35 and Satan knows that, so he is trying to put me in bondage 00:37:55.39\00:38:01.14 of fear so that I cannot be what God wants me to be. 00:38:01.17\00:38:05.66 Fully, and so to be here at 3ABN has been an incredible 00:38:05.70\00:38:10.15 miracle in my life. 00:38:10.19\00:38:11.16 For you to leave your house, 00:38:11.17\00:38:12.14 your 8 hours away from your house. 00:38:12.15\00:38:13.79 Not only am I 8 hours from my house, but I drove through 00:38:13.82\00:38:17.19 St. Louis. - is that not scary? 00:38:17.22\00:38:20.92 It's a beautiful place and I love the arches, or the arch, 00:38:25.00\00:38:28.13 it was so pretty to see. 00:38:28.16\00:38:29.13 I just want to say that, I almost could feel the Lord 00:38:29.14\00:38:33.41 carrying me through as I was driving along and thinking, 00:38:33.44\00:38:37.71 don't think about this, how far you are from home, 00:38:37.74\00:38:41.03 because whenever God is with me, it is my home. 00:38:41.07\00:38:44.32 Whew, I love that. - I am home. 00:38:44.36\00:38:48.22 I know there are so many people that are struggling with 00:38:48.26\00:38:51.39 this, that will not come out in the open and they will not 00:38:51.42\00:38:54.52 say, this is what I'm experiencing. 00:38:54.55\00:38:57.12 We're ashamed to say that, because there is nothing I can 00:38:57.15\00:39:00.45 put my finger on, it is not that I was stabbed or robbed 00:39:00.48\00:39:03.74 or some horrible thing, I just feel afraid. 00:39:03.78\00:39:06.39 It's like all of a sudden, one day it happened. 00:39:06.42\00:39:09.21 I just felt this horrible fear run through me. 00:39:09.25\00:39:11.97 And how do I make it go away? I prayed and I prayed, 00:39:12.00\00:39:15.48 and I prayed more and read my Bible more and I don't feel 00:39:15.51\00:39:19.20 anything, I don't feel like anything is happening. 00:39:19.23\00:39:21.47 You know what my favorite story in the Bible is this. 00:39:21.50\00:39:25.26 I'm Peter in the boat, and God is out here and saying, 00:39:25.29\00:39:29.02 Lisa just put your toes in the water and 00:39:29.05\00:39:31.04 get out of the boat. 00:39:31.08\00:39:32.84 - and your like I can't, there's water all around me and 00:39:32.88\00:39:35.92 is raging. - it's like I'm praying and praying for Lord 00:39:35.96\00:39:38.97 to do all this for me, but you know what? 00:39:39.01\00:39:41.43 He's waiting for me to take the step. - yes! 00:39:41.47\00:39:43.83 He is waiting for me to get out of the boat and actually 00:39:43.86\00:39:46.25 step out on the water so He can show me that He will 00:39:46.29\00:39:48.64 carry me, as long as I stay in the boat 00:39:48.68\00:39:50.78 and I'm like Ahhhh! I can't do it, can't do it. 00:39:50.82\00:39:53.28 He's like, it's because you haven't gotten out of the boat 00:39:53.31\00:39:56.56 and I can't show you what I'm going to do for you. 00:39:56.60\00:39:58.50 What is interesting to me about this whole thing is I know 00:39:58.54\00:40:03.46 that this is a reach for you to be away from home. 00:40:03.50\00:40:05.73 To step out, but what I meant you I was so blessed that 00:40:05.77\00:40:08.48 I would have never met you had you not stepped out of the 00:40:08.52\00:40:11.19 boat, do you know what I mean? 00:40:11.23\00:40:12.84 I am grateful to meet you. 00:40:12.88\00:40:14.42 You know what I would love to say, on our show I love 00:40:14.46\00:40:17.96 doing interventions, if you ever want to do an 00:40:18.00\00:40:21.17 intervention, let's you and I hang out in a treatment 00:40:21.21\00:40:25.10 program looking at fear. 00:40:25.13\00:40:27.21 - I want to do that. - okay. - I do! 00:40:27.25\00:40:28.74 Won't that be fun, because I would do that with you. 00:40:28.77\00:40:31.97 That would be wonderful, so I'm going to pray for your 00:40:32.01\00:40:35.41 fear and I'm going to meet your mom, right? - yes. 00:40:35.44\00:40:38.17 Dear Father in Jesus name, I rebuke this spirit and 00:40:38.21\00:40:41.46 anybody that is listening that is stuck with this fear, 00:40:41.50\00:40:45.06 this lie that nothing is safe, I rebuke that and just 00:40:45.09\00:40:48.15 ask you Father to let us feel safe in Your presence. 00:40:48.18\00:40:51.19 Let us be so filled with the Holy Spirit, that fear just 00:40:51.22\00:40:54.97 starts fading away, and I know You are not going to make 00:40:55.01\00:40:57.98 us ashamed that we felt it, but You are going to make us 00:40:58.01\00:41:00.95 feel joy that it is gone in Jesus name Amen. 00:41:00.99\00:41:03.54 You know what? I so love meeting you, 00:41:03.57\00:41:06.96 so love meeting you. 00:41:06.99\00:41:08.70 Okay Gerri come on up. 00:41:08.73\00:41:10.37 Gerri Craddige, right? - Craddick - Craddick! 00:41:10.40\00:41:13.55 What is really fun about hearing Lisa's story, 00:41:15.92\00:41:20.43 yours is way different. -Yes! 00:41:20.46\00:41:22.46 Go ahead and tell us about your story. 00:41:22.50\00:41:25.50 And bless us with God's intervention. 00:41:25.53\00:41:28.46 Okay, well let's see it was probably a year ago March. 00:41:28.50\00:41:34.46 I completely lost my voice. - completely! 00:41:34.50\00:41:38.11 Completely. - unable to speak? - No speech! 00:41:38.15\00:41:41.73 Why is that? A breathless whisper. 00:41:41.76\00:41:43.68 I had an upper respiratory viral infection and it 00:41:43.72\00:41:49.36 affected my vocal chords. 00:41:49.40\00:41:51.42 I went to the Doctor and he said you're left vocal cord 00:41:51.46\00:41:55.35 is partially paralyzed. 00:41:55.38\00:41:57.37 I was in a breathless whisper like this. 00:41:57.40\00:42:01.22 You know I so want to make a joke because my husband 00:42:01.26\00:42:04.06 would be celebrating, Cheri can't speak, Yahoo. 00:42:04.10\00:42:08.48 No, my husband Jim was very understanding here 00:42:11.26\00:42:13.74 I went to the Doctor and he told me there was hope. 00:42:13.78\00:42:18.47 This particular Doctor I wasn't really comfortable with, 00:42:18.51\00:42:24.02 so I went to another ENT and he said I can do something to 00:42:24.05\00:42:28.58 help you, and he said this is my favorite kind of surgery 00:42:28.61\00:42:33.10 because the results are so cool. 00:42:33.13\00:42:35.40 How fun is that? 00:42:35.44\00:42:36.96 So he told me that they would give me 00:42:37.00\00:42:38.41 a Montgomery Thyroplasty. 00:42:38.45\00:42:41.20 And that is? I mean what is that? 00:42:41.24\00:42:43.96 I have never heard of it. 00:42:43.99\00:42:45.91 I had never heard of it either, but it is made out of 00:42:45.95\00:42:49.68 silicone and what they do is they make an incision. 00:42:49.71\00:42:54.52 They go in and you are awake, you know you are sedated 00:42:54.55\00:42:59.32 but you are awake. 00:42:59.36\00:43:01.01 They put the implant in and they have you speak. 00:43:01.05\00:43:04.25 You are awake and they are in your throat? - yes! 00:43:04.28\00:43:07.45 Could you just imagine that? 00:43:07.48\00:43:10.17 To me sometimes some of those things just crack me up 00:43:10.21\00:43:12.90 because I think I want to see a video of that. 00:43:12.93\00:43:15.05 So you were speaking while you were still open? - yes. 00:43:15.09\00:43:18.00 And you spoke for the first time? 00:43:18.03\00:43:20.04 He asked me to count to 10 and so I did. 00:43:20.08\00:43:23.68 He said well that is not quite perfect, 00:43:23.72\00:43:27.29 but he had never heard me speak. 00:43:27.32\00:43:29.31 So this is me, so he put a little larger implant in. 00:43:29.34\00:43:33.92 Then he is sad can you count to 10? 00:43:33.96\00:43:36.42 I did, if they can you count to 20? And I did. 00:43:36.45\00:43:41.34 Everyone in the room almost started applauding and the 00:43:41.38\00:43:46.88 little nurse that had wheeled me down to surgery, 00:43:46.92\00:43:49.26 she started crying, she was so happy for me. 00:43:49.29\00:43:53.58 So the implant works with the other vocal cord to actually 00:43:53.62\00:43:57.97 give you back speech? - that's right, that's right. 00:43:58.00\00:44:01.42 When we talk about recovery, during that 15 months were 00:44:01.46\00:44:04.85 you praying? Were you saying God what's up? 00:44:04.88\00:44:08.32 I was anointed, I was anointed in January. 00:44:08.36\00:44:11.72 Some people say that healing is, that all of a sudden 00:44:11.76\00:44:15.00 it is just gone how and sometimes that's it. 00:44:15.04\00:44:17.55 Or God directs us to where we are supposed to be in order 00:44:17.58\00:44:20.86 to get the intervention we need. 00:44:20.90\00:44:22.89 That's exactly right, and I believe God gives the doctors 00:44:22.92\00:44:26.30 wisdom to help us. - exactly, exactly! 00:44:26.34\00:44:29.64 I just got my hip replaced, by a guy, I live in Idaho and 00:44:29.67\00:44:32.98 got it replaced by a guy in Philadelphia. 00:44:33.02\00:44:35.11 I remember that I called him up and said, I need a new hip 00:44:35.15\00:44:39.27 and I've had a disease since a little girl. 00:44:39.31\00:44:41.00 I was having pain every time I walked, and he said fly up 00:44:41.03\00:44:44.64 and I will give it to you. 00:44:44.68\00:44:45.65 From the phone call to flying home with a new hip was two 00:44:45.66\00:44:48.87 weeks. - wow, amazing, praise God. 00:44:48.91\00:44:51.68 It was so fun, I flew up there on my own and my husband 00:44:51.71\00:44:55.29 says, are you going on your own? I said it's only a hip. 00:44:55.32\00:44:58.89 On the way back from the hospital, what was I thinking, 00:44:58.92\00:45:02.46 what was I thinking? 00:45:02.49\00:45:05.35 I can tell you this, I felt like it was in a little box. 00:45:05.39\00:45:09.41 I would go to church potluck and I couldn't speak. 00:45:09.44\00:45:14.70 I would whisper, I'd have to get up to your ear and talk 00:45:14.73\00:45:18.58 like this, and if I was at a church fellowship dinner, 00:45:18.61\00:45:22.42 I would just sit there. 00:45:22.46\00:45:24.08 Because everybody is talking and I can't be heard. 00:45:24.12\00:45:27.19 So I know God uses doctors, God and this Doctor brought 00:45:27.23\00:45:33.57 me back, gave me back my life. 00:45:33.60\00:45:36.26 Amen, give me a kiss. How fun is all this! 00:45:36.30\00:45:40.16 Go ahead, thank you so much Gerri. 00:45:42.20\00:45:44.29 So we're going to have Pastor might come back up. 00:45:44.33\00:45:47.45 Pastor Mike, can you bring my Bible with you? 00:45:47.49\00:45:50.58 What did you think about the two testimonies, 00:45:55.15\00:45:58.21 that were very different? - incredible! 00:45:58.25\00:46:00.08 The two testimonies, but one thing I really noticed that 00:46:00.11\00:46:03.17 in the Bible Satan is called the prince of this world. 00:46:03.21\00:46:07.46 He is running havoc, it shows the pain that people 00:46:07.50\00:46:11.72 are going through. 00:46:11.76\00:46:12.73 There is a war going on, but there is also a reason why 00:46:12.75\00:46:15.24 Jesus is called the King, and Satan is called the prince. 00:46:15.27\00:46:17.73 You know when we started off with the show, honestly 00:46:17.76\00:46:21.50 looking at our stuff. 00:46:21.54\00:46:22.88 I want to go through some of the stages. 00:46:22.92\00:46:25.37 I want you to first, not wrap up your story, because you 00:46:25.40\00:46:30.18 are still breathing, so your story is still going on. 00:46:30.22\00:46:36.16 Who you are as a Christian, who you are as God lead you 00:46:36.20\00:46:41.42 burying your daughter, I know that all of that was so 00:46:41.45\00:46:45.48 difficult, but I also know that God has so anointed 00:46:45.51\00:46:49.50 you as a man of God. 00:46:49.54\00:46:50.61 You are spending your life bringing the truth of 00:46:50.64\00:46:54.17 who God is to those of us in recovery. 00:46:54.21\00:46:57.18 On August 2 of 1999 we buried my daughter, and a part 00:46:57.21\00:47:01.28 of me, a part of my wife, and a part of my son was 00:47:01.32\00:47:05.35 buried with her, but a miracle took place. 00:47:05.39\00:47:08.60 A couple of them, but I want to share one in particular. 00:47:08.64\00:47:11.08 This shows the goodness of God. 00:47:11.12\00:47:13.09 When I went back to school my senior year, 00:47:13.12\00:47:15.60 my wife became pregnant, it was not planned. 00:47:15.63\00:47:18.04 But when you do husband-and-wife activities you have to 00:47:18.07\00:47:20.48 expect husband and wife results. 00:47:20.52\00:47:22.20 So what happened was she became pregnant and her due 00:47:22.23\00:47:26.05 date was July 9, but doctors due date was July 16. 00:47:26.09\00:47:29.65 God's due date was a completely different date. 00:47:29.68\00:47:33.21 God's due date was July 28 of 2001. 00:47:33.25\00:47:37.76 Our son Micah Emmanuel Luke Kontes was born 00:47:37.79\00:47:41.02 July 28, 2001 at 5 p. m.. 00:47:41.06\00:47:45.27 You're supposed to ask why is that significant. 00:47:45.31\00:47:47.24 Why is that significant, because I'm thinking, 00:47:47.27\00:47:49.16 what happened to August. 00:47:49.20\00:47:50.46 The reason that is so significant is because July 28 00:47:50.49\00:47:53.70 of 1999 at 12 p. m. my daughter passed away. 00:47:53.73\00:47:58.02 So two years to the day our son was born. 00:47:58.06\00:48:01.90 A day that should have been a day of grief. 00:48:01.93\00:48:05.71 And it still is, but what God was saying, 00:48:05.74\00:48:08.54 is I can never replace your daughter, 00:48:08.58\00:48:11.51 Mike if I was to give you 12 daughters 00:48:11.54\00:48:14.43 I could never replace Arianna. 00:48:14.47\00:48:16.56 So through that I look and realize that God, 00:48:16.59\00:48:21.37 His faithfulness, His goodness to me in just being able to 00:48:21.40\00:48:26.08 see what He has done and continues to do that gives me 00:48:26.11\00:48:30.76 the strength needed because I can test. 00:48:30.79\00:48:33.85 God says let us reason together, come, come with Me 00:48:33.88\00:48:38.06 Mike and I will help you, I can heal you in this situation. 00:48:38.09\00:48:41.26 But when we go back to what we started the show with, 00:48:41.29\00:48:43.75 even coming up to being honest with God with all our stuff, 00:48:43.79\00:48:49.29 with our grief, with our fear. 00:48:49.32\00:48:51.54 And with Arianna when you said, I don't even know how 00:48:51.57\00:48:54.41 to do this, God said, turn it over to Me. 00:48:54.44\00:48:56.92 The fact that He gave you, at that point, even your wife 00:48:56.95\00:49:00.27 the ability to pray for an adult portion of the Holy Spirit 00:49:00.31\00:49:03.60 during this time of her life. 00:49:03.63\00:49:05.11 I'm going to go from your story right now, to recap some 00:49:05.14\00:49:10.22 of the things about our recovery. 00:49:10.26\00:49:11.98 I want you from your perspective to speak on them for us. 00:49:12.02\00:49:15.56 So let me find them here, one of them was honesty. 00:49:15.59\00:49:20.04 Honestly looking at the situation 00:49:20.08\00:49:22.06 without lying to ourselves. 00:49:22.10\00:49:24.05 You're talking Lisa about panic disorders. 00:49:24.08\00:49:26.45 And when you lost your voice. 00:49:26.48\00:49:28.09 When I come in and have any social skills and am afraid 00:49:28.13\00:49:31.32 of everything in coming to God and honestly saying, God 00:49:31.35\00:49:35.60 please, please step in with your Holy Spirit and teach me. 00:49:35.63\00:49:39.84 The next one is affirming relationships, 00:49:39.87\00:49:42.03 surrounding yourself with folks. 00:49:42.06\00:49:43.76 My comment on the honesty is that we have to be honest, 00:49:43.79\00:49:46.72 the reason why is that when we come to that place of being 00:49:46.75\00:49:50.43 honest, opening up and allowing access for God to come in 00:49:50.46\00:49:54.11 and say, okay, I am going to do this. 00:49:54.14\00:49:55.39 When we are not being honest, what we are basically 00:49:55.43\00:49:58.47 doing is shutting the door down and saying, 00:49:58.50\00:50:00.48 I can handle this myself. 00:50:00.51\00:50:01.66 When you're being honest, the doors fly open and you're 00:50:01.70\00:50:04.62 basically saying, like Peter, I can't do this. 00:50:04.66\00:50:07.85 I need to keep my eyes on You. 00:50:07.88\00:50:09.21 If I step out of this boat, You are going to have to be 00:50:09.24\00:50:13.07 there and keep me, keep me safe. 00:50:13.11\00:50:15.21 Affirming relationships, does it matter when we surround 00:50:15.24\00:50:18.37 ourselves with people? 00:50:18.41\00:50:19.83 The prayers that I have learned through this grief 00:50:19.86\00:50:22.01 situation, I pray for people that are going through 00:50:22.04\00:50:24.84 any kind of addiction it is a very simple prayer, 00:50:24.87\00:50:27.63 but I believe it with all my heart. 00:50:27.67\00:50:29.43 Lord I pray that You bring the right people into this 00:50:29.47\00:50:32.64 persons life that will surround them, and give been the 00:50:32.68\00:50:35.77 encouragement, give them the happiness, give them the 00:50:35.80\00:50:38.86 atmosphere that is needed. 00:50:38.89\00:50:40.38 So many times in these situations, when you are already 00:50:40.42\00:50:43.87 despaired, Satan will bring a worker of iniquity into 00:50:43.91\00:50:47.34 your life that will say something to destroy you. 00:50:47.37\00:50:50.73 Now other times there are also good people, people who 00:50:50.77\00:50:53.76 have good intentions, that have not come into the 00:50:53.79\00:50:56.99 situation, did not know how to respond, and sometimes, 00:50:57.03\00:50:59.26 I don't know about you Cheri, but I can share this myself. 00:50:59.29\00:51:01.99 Sometimes I don't engage my brain, before I engage my 00:51:02.02\00:51:04.69 tongue and I had good intentions. 00:51:04.72\00:51:07.17 Sometimes by not thinking I say something. 00:51:07.21\00:51:11.14 So having people who are wise, people who are mature, 00:51:11.18\00:51:14.63 having people who are willing to be there by 00:51:14.67\00:51:17.83 the Ministry of presents. 00:51:17.86\00:51:19.79 When I talk about people surrounding themselves with 00:51:19.82\00:51:22.79 affirming relationships, find a Pastor like Pastor Mike. 00:51:22.82\00:51:25.62 One that has been there and is not going to come up to 00:51:25.65\00:51:28.69 you and do anything but give you comfort and try to 00:51:28.72\00:51:31.72 understand where you are from, coming from. 00:51:31.76\00:51:33.52 Whatever their addiction is, find the right Pastor, 00:51:33.55\00:51:36.59 find the right people, put yourself in a situation, 00:51:36.62\00:51:39.63 prayer groups and all kinds of stuff to 00:51:39.66\00:51:41.59 have people around you. 00:51:41.62\00:51:42.85 Right-thinking, I want to go to Hebrews 4:12 and 00:51:42.89\00:51:45.11 read this, because it is amazing, right-thinking. 00:51:45.15\00:51:47.30 "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than 00:51:47.33\00:51:50.95 "any two edge sword and piercing as far as division of soul 00:51:50.99\00:51:54.84 "from bone marrow, both joints and morrow and able to judge 00:51:54.87\00:51:58.69 "our thoughts and the intentions of our heart. " 00:51:58.72\00:52:01.06 So get in the word of God and figure how to think right. 00:52:01.09\00:52:04.57 In all situations you must be able to be in the word of 00:52:04.60\00:52:08.64 God because even when, once again Isaiah 41:13, "for I am 00:52:08.68\00:52:12.68 "the Lord thy God that says into the fear not, 00:52:12.71\00:52:14.49 "I will help thee. " 00:52:14.53\00:52:15.71 When you read it, you have to take it and apply it to 00:52:15.74\00:52:18.83 your life, like for me what we were going through these 00:52:18.87\00:52:21.95 addictions, people were going through something we know 00:52:21.99\00:52:24.37 that there is coming a time that were not going to have 00:52:24.40\00:52:26.74 addictions, there's eternity. 00:52:26.78\00:52:29.30 Wipe every tear away. - no more pain, no more sorrow, 00:52:29.34\00:52:32.23 no more death. - and even with Arianna before she left. 00:52:32.27\00:52:36.19 To understand the resurrection, for a 3 and 1/2-year-old to 00:52:36.23\00:52:40.12 understand the resurrection. 00:52:40.16\00:52:41.20 Getting to the word of God, but then we go to our 00:52:41.23\00:52:43.40 next point, and the next point is what you said, 00:52:43.43\00:52:45.68 spiritual things are spiritually discerned and the 00:52:45.72\00:52:47.94 presence of the Holy Spirit. 00:52:47.97\00:52:49.36 Let the Holy Spirit be your counselor. 00:52:49.39\00:52:52.22 I'm not saying don't get a counselor, don't talk to 00:52:52.25\00:52:55.17 a Pastor, but the Holy Spirit is the best counselor. 00:52:55.20\00:52:58.08 He knows me and knows God more importantly and 00:52:58.11\00:53:00.64 can reflect that to me. 00:53:00.68\00:53:02.50 You know what? As much as people come to pastors, 00:53:02.54\00:53:04.95 I would want to shared that not to rely on your 00:53:04.98\00:53:07.66 Pastor because your Pastor is an individual, 00:53:07.69\00:53:10.33 and the Pastor can make mistakes. 00:53:10.37\00:53:11.98 When you go to the Holy Spirit, who is the Comforter, 00:53:12.01\00:53:16.24 the Comforter, He will never take you or say anything 00:53:16.27\00:53:20.47 that is contradictory, or not bring you comfort. 00:53:20.50\00:53:23.71 And again the Holy Spirit, somebody says how to get 00:53:23.75\00:53:26.92 the Holy Spirit? How do I get the Holy Spirit? 00:53:26.95\00:53:29.62 Let's say you're watching these shows and you say, 00:53:29.65\00:53:32.28 how do I get it? You pray, it's that simple. 00:53:32.32\00:53:34.73 God I want the Holy Spirit to fill me up. 00:53:34.77\00:53:37.49 God says I long to give you the Holy Spirit 00:53:37.52\00:53:40.21 more then a parent longs to give good 00:53:40.24\00:53:42.25 gifts to their children. 00:53:42.28\00:53:43.41 I know that in this struggle, in this pain, 00:53:43.45\00:53:46.14 in these panic attacks, in these addictions, 00:53:46.17\00:53:48.82 you don't have it within you. 00:53:48.86\00:53:50.62 I'd know that the Holy Spirit will give you all power to 00:53:50.65\00:53:54.09 walk away from all this bondage and I will take up, 00:53:54.12\00:53:57.13 the Bible says, I will take up the yoke of this and 00:53:57.16\00:54:00.13 carry it for you. 00:54:00.17\00:54:01.90 I'm thinking, I'm so tired, carry it. 00:54:01.94\00:54:05.18 Carry it and carry me, that is the Holy Spirit. 00:54:05.22\00:54:08.70 The next one I know that you know all about, time. 00:54:08.74\00:54:12.15 Time is crucial, the reason why time is crucial is 00:54:12.18\00:54:15.56 because we have people, good people who do not understand 00:54:15.59\00:54:18.50 when you are going through an addiction, going through 00:54:18.54\00:54:22.23 grief, going through a recovery process, it takes time. 00:54:22.27\00:54:26.02 Sometimes what we do, is we feel Cheri, I know that 00:54:26.06\00:54:29.99 your brother passed away last week but I think you need 00:54:30.03\00:54:33.93 to get past it right now. 00:54:33.97\00:54:35.22 We have people who do not understand that you can't make 00:54:35.26\00:54:37.77 these kind of statements, we can't put a time on grief 00:54:37.81\00:54:40.51 because basically what you are doing, actually when 00:54:40.55\00:54:43.09 someone makes that statement, they are basically are 00:54:43.13\00:54:45.73 usurping the authority of the Holy Spirit. - exactly! 00:54:45.77\00:54:48.34 I know you have panic attacks, but I want you to stand up 00:54:48.38\00:54:50.92 anyway and get out of the house. 00:54:50.96\00:54:52.65 Lisa is like what? What did you just say? 00:54:52.68\00:54:55.80 Even saying Lisa, you don't trust enough in God to get up 00:54:55.84\00:54:58.87 and out of the house, that's not our place to go there. 00:54:58.91\00:55:01.91 That is not our place to say, we have to basically 00:55:01.94\00:55:04.90 realize, what does God want us to do? 00:55:04.93\00:55:07.85 We are out of time, I love you, I love you. 00:55:07.89\00:55:10.58 You know what, I was blessed, I was blessed. 00:55:10.62\00:55:13.25 We are going to be right back but I want you to know, 00:55:13.28\00:55:15.23 just get this show and watch it a billion times. 00:55:15.26\00:55:20.27 Because God wants you to get the fact that you can't do 00:55:20.31\00:55:23.51 it on your own, He has already done it, He wants to pour 00:55:23.55\00:55:26.99 into you and He wants to bring all that junk and give 00:55:27.03\00:55:30.43 you release, freedom from bondage. 00:55:30.47\00:55:32.63 Then He wants you to stand up full of joy, so sure that 00:55:32.67\00:55:36.87 God is God and that you are okay. 00:55:36.91\00:55:39.03 Your loved ones are okay. 00:55:39.07\00:55:40.88 We'll be right back, stayed tuned! 00:55:40.91\00:55:42.66 Cheri Peters uses the book, 'Coming Of The Comforter' 00:55:47.77\00:55:50.32 as a guide for the second season of Celebrating Life In 00:55:50.36\00:55:53.46 Recovery, written by LeeRoy E. Froom is a 320 page book 00:55:53.50\00:55:56.57 that offers every sinner the knowledge that the 00:55:56.60\00:55:58.61 Holy Spirit is available to all. 00:55:58.64\00:56:00.88 3ABN now offers this book to you for a suggested donation 00:56:00.92\00:56:04.21 of only $13 postpaid within the US. 00:56:04.24\00:56:07.30 Call 3ABN at 618-627-4651 or go online to 3ABN.org. 00:56:07.33\00:56:13.24 If we were computers, 00:56:29.13\00:56:30.58 we could solve problems in microseconds. 00:56:30.62\00:56:33.68 When I read that I can laugh because you know what? 00:56:33.72\00:56:37.30 I'd long to be a computer. 00:56:37.33\00:56:39.12 We all have to do it in time, but instead of focusing 00:56:39.16\00:56:42.38 on the garbage, learn how to trust God. 00:56:42.42\00:56:46.65 Learn about God, learn about Jesus, learn about the 00:56:46.68\00:56:49.62 Holy Spirit, make your commitments unto this search and 00:56:49.66\00:56:52.56 let the focus be on your recovery. 00:56:52.60\00:56:55.04 Not only on your recovery, but you know what? 00:56:55.08\00:56:57.67 Stop even looking at your junk, look to God, 00:56:57.71\00:57:00.23 look to Jesus Christ and let Him worry about your junk, 00:57:00.27\00:57:03.06 because He promised us that He will go ahead 00:57:03.09\00:57:05.52 and change everything. 00:57:05.55\00:57:07.07 God promises us that He who drew us from the very 00:57:07.10\00:57:11.13 beginning, who longs to heal us and knows us from the womb. 00:57:11.16\00:57:15.12 He will finish the work in us, so go ahead and just turn 00:57:15.16\00:57:19.08 it over, absolutely turn it over. 00:57:19.11\00:57:21.25 God has promised us the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide 00:57:21.28\00:57:23.64 us into recovery, more than that, into all truth. 00:57:23.67\00:57:26.81 The Holy Spirit will give you such a view of God, 00:57:26.84\00:57:29.85 that your Father you will learn how to behave, 00:57:29.89\00:57:32.97 you will learn how to walk away from stuff. 00:57:33.00\00:57:36.01 When Satan tells you lies, you'll see it from a mile off. 00:57:36.05\00:57:40.15 You absolutely will not be stuck, you absolutely will not 00:57:40.19\00:57:44.08 go back to your junk, you will not return to your stuff, 00:57:44.11\00:57:47.74 and the more and more you start focusing on God instead of 00:57:47.77\00:57:51.36 your junk, the more and more and more you will feel 00:57:51.40\00:57:54.06 the joy of the Lord. 00:57:54.09\00:57:55.60 I don't care what the junk is, I don't care if it's 00:57:55.63\00:57:57.79 health, and I don't care if it's grief, 00:57:57.83\00:57:59.89 I don't care if it's addiction, 00:57:59.93\00:58:01.14 I don't care if it's porn stuff, I don't care if it's 00:58:01.17\00:58:03.14 perfectionism, I don't care if it's a religious addiction, 00:58:03.17\00:58:06.04 and that is a tough one. 00:58:06.07\00:58:07.52 I don't care if it's workaholism, I don't care if you 00:58:07.55\00:58:10.48 have never learned to love in your life, God says turn 00:58:10.51\00:58:14.25 it over to me, focus on who I am and I will so teach you 00:58:14.28\00:58:17.99 how to live your life in a way that you will be 00:58:18.02\00:58:20.04 just blessed, blessed. 00:58:20.08\00:58:22.18 We have got to go, always remember that 00:58:22.22\00:58:24.43 God is crazy about you and me too! 00:58:24.46\00:58:26.65