Stay tuned to meet
man who felt hopeless
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but is now
sharing hope with others.
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My name is Yvonne Lewis,
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and you're
watching Urban Report.
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Hello and
welcome to Urban Report.
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My guest today is
Pastor Taj Pacleb,
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Evangelist and Director of
Revelation of Hope Ministries.
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I met Pastor Pacleb at ASI
and he had a great testimony,
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let's take a look.
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I am sitting here
at ASI with a young man
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that I'd just met and I
heard about his testimony,
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and you have to hear it,
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you know, how we
love to share testimonies
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with our Urban Report Viewers
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so I'm here with
Evangelist Taj Pacleb.
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Thank you so much,
Thank you so much Sister.
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it's so nice to
meet you. Likewise.
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And I have heard so
much about your testimony
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that every time I hear that
there's a really good testimony,
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I have to get it for
Urban Report Viewers.
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I appreciate the opportunity.
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Oh, thank you, thank you.
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So, where did you grow up?
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Originally from the
beautiful islands of Hawaii,
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I grew up in the islands.
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Man!
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Catching the waves
and swimming in the ocean.
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Eating the pineapple, oh!
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Yeah, you've got
some good Mangosteen.
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Oh... I was in
Hawaii, it was so long ago,
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like in the
'70s, it's so long ago,
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and I had pineapple
that tasted like sugar,
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I mean it was so
sweet, so fresh, so good,
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it was just... I think I'm
starting to salivate right now.
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Just like the Lord Jesus.
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Amen, oh taste and see
that the Lord is good, right?
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So, I haven't been
there in a long time
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but it's such a
beautiful place. Yeah.
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Did you grow up in affluence?
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You know, I was born
and raised in Hawaii,
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it wasn't always a pretty sight,
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I was brought up in
a very loving family
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but they were not churchgoers
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and they never brought me to
church or anything like that,
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so, growing up, we
grew up in paradise but
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as far as spiritually speaking,
it was like a dry desert,
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not knowing who is
God or what was God,
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my parents, they loved me but
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they didn't know
the Lord for themselves
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so, obviously they can't
give what they don't have,
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but it was
definitely a loving family.
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So you grew up in a
two-parent household?
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Well, most of my life my
parents were not together
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they were not
married when I was born
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and they were
separated for most of my life,
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so there was,
definitely, dysfunction,
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as far as that relationship,
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but I was secure
in their love for me
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but it wasn't
the ideal situation,
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it was brokenness,
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sometimes, go live with dad,
other times, go live with mom,
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and... kind of back and forth,
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in the midst of
a lot of fighting
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and sometimes
animosity between them,
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but the Lord worked all that out
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and praise God,
they're together today.
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Oh... Amen.
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When I was 16-years old they
got married for the first time,
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they got back together and
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I was the only
child for 19 years
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and now I have a
little baby brother
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just me and him and
we're 19 years apart,
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and so my mom is
bringing him to church
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so he has a much
better opportunity than I did
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growing up so,
I'm thankful for that.
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Amen, so who came to church
first, you or your parents?
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Well, it was
actually my mother and I
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at first, we were...
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I was living
with her at the time
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she was a single
mom, I was 14-years old,
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and she and I were
watching television one day
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when all of a sudden the
advertisement came on the screen
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talking about a Revelation
Bible Prophecy Seminar,
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and we'd never gone to
church, up to that point,
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and I started getting
into a lot of trouble,
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just hanging around
with the wrong crowd,
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got into a life
of drugs and whatnot,
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and she... as a
single parent was worried,
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she didn't know
what to do for me
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and... so when we
saw this advertisement,
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she thought that perhaps
this was the way to fix me
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and so,
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she asked me if I wanted to go
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and I wasn't
interested but, nonetheless,
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she forced me to go
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and so we ended up going to
those Bible Prophecy Seminars.
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And how old were you?
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I was 14 and I was
in Honolulu, Hawaii,
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Central Church, yeah.
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Yes, so let's go
back a little bit
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because you just said
you had gotten involved
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with the wrong people,
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like... you had
started doing some things,
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how did you...
how did that happen,
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how did you get on that path?
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Well, by not having a
strong spiritual foundation
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no spiritual
guidance in my life,
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it's just the
influence of the world,
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when I was in elementary school,
I hung out with the wrong people
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started making
terrible decisions,
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and I was introduced...
In elementary school?
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Yeah, as early as
elementary school,
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when I was in
fifth grade, in fact,
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that's when I
first started smoking,
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and am ashamed to say that...
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that I became a compulsive
thief and a compulsive liar
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and I ran away
from home, got arrested,
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when I was in fifth grade
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and it seemed like
God was nowhere in sight,
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and even though
I didn't know him,
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He knew me, He had
His eye on me and so...
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He still had a
purpose for my life.
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Yes. So He's protected me.
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And you know, you know...
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it's so interesting because
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it doesn't
matter where we've been,
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in fact, where we've been,
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when we've been
through some things,
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it makes it so much
sweeter when we find Jesus
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That's right, yeah.
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because when you've been on that
other side, on that dark path,
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like you just said,
you feel ashamed to say it
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but you know,
that's not who you are,
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that's that other guy,
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that's not who you are.
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I love what one preacher said,
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"Every saint has a past,
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thank God every
sinner has a future,"
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and it doesn't
matter where we came from
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but where we're going, and so...
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at that young age,
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my life was heading
down the wrong path,
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when I got into high
school, it just got worse,
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I went to high
school, simply to get "high"
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that's why they
call it high school,
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I don't know about that one...
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but I was just
burning up my brain cells,
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chasing the world,
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just looking for something
to fill the emptiness within,
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that void, Satan is out there,
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he offers so many
attractions and distractions
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but yeah, in
that lost condition,
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the Lord... He still
had a plan for my life,
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He had a purpose for
me, He still desired me
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even though I was
causing Him so much pain,
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and so we received
that invitation, and...
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Yes, we need to look
at too, this whole idea of
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when we're walking
down that dark path,
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God still sees us,
he has not abandoned us,
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because we're away from Him,
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it doesn't mean
that He's away from us,
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He saw you, He saw
who you were going to be,
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and so that whole path
that you were on, it only...
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we're not saying that
people should go down that path,
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but if you're on
that path right now,
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you need to know that
God has not abandoned you,
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that He hasn't
taken His hand off of you,
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that He has a plan for
you, but you have to give in
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and yield to Him,
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in order for your
life to turn around.
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Yeah, I love the illustration,
when you jump in your vehicle
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you have a large
windshield in front of you,
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and a very small
rear-view mirror,
00:07:57.24\00:07:59.57
and that rear-view mirror is
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very small
compared to that windshield
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for the simple reason that,
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what's behind you
is not as important
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as what's in
front of you and so...
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so we all have dark
pasts, but thank God
00:08:08.48\00:08:11.05
that in our
darkness, He is our light,
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He brings us out of it,
He has a plan and purpose,
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for me I had no idea
what my purpose in life was,
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I had no idea, I
was just existing,
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looking for stimulation
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and sin does stimulate,
but it never satisfies,
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and only when I
came to know Jesus,
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I found the satisfaction that...
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of the longings of my
heart, that was always there.
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You know, that's
a great statement,
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it stimulates,
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sin stimulates but
it doesn't satisfy,
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no one can fill that hole
in your soul but Jesus Christ,
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bottom line, end
of story... right?
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So you were fourteen,
00:08:49.69\00:08:51.96
you went to this
Revelation Seminar,
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and what happened,
when you were sitting there,
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were you bored, or
were you... where were you?
00:08:57.50\00:08:59.73
Well, that first Seminar
that my mother and I went to,
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and we had never really
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stepped our foot
in a church before,
00:09:07.61\00:09:08.94
it was at the Central
00:09:08.98\00:09:10.81
Seventh-day
Adventist Church in Honolulu,
00:09:10.85\00:09:13.45
and we'd never been
exposed to these things,
00:09:13.48\00:09:15.48
and we started
learning about the Sabbath,
00:09:15.52\00:09:17.42
we started learning about
what happens when a person dies,
00:09:17.45\00:09:21.12
second coming of Christ,
00:09:21.16\00:09:22.52
and all of these things were
intriguing to me as a young man
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and to make a long story short,
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at the end of those meetings,
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I realized that
this was the truth,
00:09:30.90\00:09:34.80
I mean, it was clear,
00:09:34.84\00:09:36.17
and my mother
and I were baptized
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at the end of those
meetings but at first,
00:09:38.01\00:09:41.04
when I was baptized, it
was just a "head experience"
00:09:41.08\00:09:45.38
I received the
information of truth,
00:09:45.41\00:09:47.95
I acknowledged that the
seventh day was the Sabbath,
00:09:47.98\00:09:50.69
I learned and realized
00:09:50.72\00:09:52.82
that there were things
that we shouldn't be eating,
00:09:52.85\00:09:54.92
I was baptized into
the knowledge of truth
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but not the person of truth,
00:09:57.63\00:09:58.96
and I didn't have
that deep-heart conviction
00:09:58.99\00:10:03.26
and understand what
true repentance really means,
00:10:03.30\00:10:05.90
and so we were
baptized, praise God,
00:10:05.93\00:10:08.60
we started going to church,
00:10:08.67\00:10:10.01
my mother had a
genuine experience,
00:10:10.04\00:10:12.87
she really loved the Lord
00:10:12.94\00:10:14.28
and for her, that
baptism was meaningful,
00:10:14.31\00:10:15.74
but for me,
00:10:15.78\00:10:17.11
I was coming into
it... into church,
00:10:17.15\00:10:20.55
but not fully converted. Why?
00:10:20.58\00:10:22.28
I was still holding on
to the things of the world
00:10:22.35\00:10:23.99
especially Marijuana,
00:10:24.02\00:10:25.35
I would say,
00:10:25.39\00:10:27.46
"I'm not going to
touch the chemical drugs,
00:10:27.49\00:10:29.52
just the natural stuff"
00:10:29.56\00:10:31.06
And make it seem
like that's okay right?
00:10:31.09\00:10:34.40
I'd rationalize it
00:10:34.43\00:10:35.76
and I would go to
my public high school
00:10:35.80\00:10:38.47
and they'd offer me
alcohol, I would say,
00:10:38.50\00:10:41.67
"No, I'm just going to
stick with the natural stuff,
00:10:41.70\00:10:43.74
stuff that God made"
00:10:43.77\00:10:45.11
and I tried to
witnessed to them,
00:10:45.14\00:10:47.01
and they would ask me,
"You're going to church now,
00:10:47.04\00:10:49.84
and you're spiritual, why
are you still smoking Weed?
00:10:49.88\00:10:52.65
and I'd tell them,
00:10:52.68\00:10:54.02
"Well the Bible tells us
that God has given to man,
00:10:54.05\00:10:56.65
every herb yielding seed"
00:10:56.69\00:10:58.05
and so I was basically
twisting the Scriptures
00:10:58.09\00:11:05.39
to do what I wanted to do,
00:11:05.43\00:11:06.76
thinking that... it helps
me to think deep thoughts,
00:11:06.80\00:11:09.06
it helps me to
spiritualize and philosophize,
00:11:09.10\00:11:11.73
but really, I was just
00:11:11.77\00:11:13.10
burning up my brain
cells and rationalizing
00:11:13.13\00:11:14.97
and trying to
serve God and myself
00:11:15.00\00:11:17.11
at the same time
but it wasn't working.
00:11:17.14\00:11:19.21
That Weed,
brother, I've got to say,
00:11:19.24\00:11:21.31
that Weed is such an enemy,
00:11:21.34\00:11:23.95
it's such a tool of the enemy,
00:11:24.01\00:11:27.05
because it has such a grip
on so many of our young people
00:11:27.12\00:11:31.75
that they can't see...
00:11:31.79\00:11:33.66
I've heard that argument
before, "but it's natural... "
00:11:33.72\00:11:36.12
but you know
what? it's really not...
00:11:36.16\00:11:37.53
because it's cut with
all these different chemicals
00:11:37.56\00:11:40.80
over 400 different chemicals,
00:11:40.83\00:11:42.66
can now being in Weed, so
that you're not getting...
00:11:42.70\00:11:45.70
people aren't getting
the Weed that they got
00:11:45.73\00:11:48.40
back in the '60s and '70s,
00:11:48.44\00:11:50.47
they're getting some new
"Frankenstein" kind of deal,
00:11:50.51\00:11:54.74
that... it's just
totally unhealthy,
00:11:54.81\00:11:58.25
not that it was back then,
but now it's way worse than that
00:11:58.31\00:12:02.42
so, we can find a way
00:12:02.45\00:12:06.32
to rationalize the
things we want to do.
00:12:06.35\00:12:09.22
Exactly. And
that's what you did.
00:12:09.26\00:12:10.66
That's human nature, you know,
00:12:10.73\00:12:12.06
I remember one
morning specifically,
00:12:12.09\00:12:13.60
and this was perhaps
00:12:13.63\00:12:15.96
one of the defining moments
00:12:16.00\00:12:17.73
where I understood that
I had to make a decision,
00:12:17.77\00:12:20.17
I was reading the
Bible, having devotions
00:12:20.20\00:12:23.00
because I learned that
that's something good to do
00:12:23.04\00:12:24.74
and so... I had the
Word of God in one hand
00:12:24.77\00:12:27.51
and I had the glass
pipe in the other hand,
00:12:27.54\00:12:30.25
I was reading the Bible and
getting high at the same time.
00:12:30.28\00:12:32.88
Do you smoke
Weed through a pipe?
00:12:32.91\00:12:35.48
Yeah. Oh, wow! is that like...
00:12:35.52\00:12:37.65
now this is my ignorance, right,
00:12:37.69\00:12:39.72
because I don't
know anything about it,
00:12:39.75\00:12:41.29
is it similar to Crack,
I mean the smoking of it?
00:12:41.32\00:12:45.03
No, no, you
just put it in a bowl
00:12:45.06\00:12:47.36
and light it up that way,
00:12:47.40\00:12:50.00
you smoke it
through a pipe and a bong,
00:12:50.03\00:12:52.77
there are a lot
of different ways
00:12:52.80\00:12:54.44
with a Marijuana
joint or a cigarette
00:12:54.47\00:12:56.00
I like to say, "The
Word of God in one hand,
00:12:56.04\00:12:59.87
the Word of Life,
00:12:59.91\00:13:01.24
and the Weed of
death on the other hand"
00:13:01.28\00:13:02.84
and I realized that
I was reading the Bible
00:13:02.88\00:13:05.48
but I wasn't understanding
what I was reading,
00:13:05.51\00:13:08.08
I was reading words,
but it wasn't hitting home
00:13:08.12\00:13:10.59
it was as if God was telling me,
00:13:10.62\00:13:13.32
"Who are you fooling,
00:13:13.36\00:13:14.79
what makes you
think you could have me
00:13:14.82\00:13:16.22
and the world at the same time"
00:13:16.26\00:13:18.33
it's either one or the other,
00:13:18.36\00:13:20.36
it's either the "Weed of
death or the Word of Life"
00:13:20.40\00:13:23.10
and I realized that
00:13:23.13\00:13:24.50
I was rationalizing
and burying my guilt
00:13:24.53\00:13:27.14
and the fact that
I was going to church
00:13:27.17\00:13:29.74
and the fact that I understood
"new" and believed the truth,
00:13:29.77\00:13:32.57
but I was just using that
00:13:32.61\00:13:34.91
to cover the
nakedness of my life,
00:13:34.94\00:13:37.05
the void of not really having
a relationship with Jesus.
00:13:37.08\00:13:41.58
This is good because
what you're saying is that
00:13:41.62\00:13:45.29
you let him come
close but not in...
00:13:45.32\00:13:48.59
Exactly. So he was close and
00:13:48.62\00:13:51.69
close enough for you to
have intellectual assent,
00:13:51.73\00:13:54.70
to say, "This is the truth,
this is the way I should go,"
00:13:54.73\00:13:58.57
but yet, you didn't let Him in,
00:13:58.60\00:14:02.17
I knew about Jesus
but I did not know Him.
00:14:02.20\00:14:05.11
Right... right...
00:14:05.17\00:14:06.81
I knew His
teachings but not the person.
00:14:06.84\00:14:09.18
Right.
00:14:09.21\00:14:10.55
And I didn't come to
that point of full surrender,
00:14:10.58\00:14:14.05
you know, it's
not... "head knowledge"
00:14:14.08\00:14:16.95
it is not
sufficient for salvation,
00:14:16.99\00:14:18.79
it's a heart
experience that we need,
00:14:18.82\00:14:20.36
many times our heads are
full but our hearts are empty.
00:14:20.39\00:14:23.19
Yes, yes.
00:14:23.22\00:14:25.03
And God wants us
to understand truth,
00:14:25.06\00:14:28.40
so that we can
experience Him in our lives,
00:14:28.43\00:14:30.67
and so I didn't take
it to that next step.
00:14:30.70\00:14:32.80
Yes, so you're sitting there
00:14:32.83\00:14:35.10
with the Word in one hand
and the Weed in the other,
00:14:35.14\00:14:38.37
and God speaks to your spirit,
00:14:38.41\00:14:40.61
and so it's time to choose.
00:14:40.64\00:14:42.78
Yes. What did you do?
00:14:42.81\00:14:44.48
So, for the next few weeks,
the conviction continued to grow
00:14:44.51\00:14:49.22
but I was a slave, this thing,
00:14:49.28\00:14:52.35
I had become addicted to it
I smoked it every single day,
00:14:52.39\00:14:55.66
multiple times a day,
00:14:55.69\00:14:57.03
when I didn't have it,
I'd scrape the glass pipe
00:14:57.06\00:14:59.89
and smoke the resin of it,
00:14:59.93\00:15:01.26
and it just...
00:15:01.30\00:15:02.63
its grip upon
my life was strong,
00:15:02.66\00:15:04.80
as well as other things,
00:15:04.83\00:15:06.37
and I didn't know
how to break loose,
00:15:06.40\00:15:08.60
I didn't know how
to be free, but then,
00:15:08.64\00:15:11.71
God brought another
Bible Prophecy Seminar,
00:15:11.77\00:15:14.54
an Evangelistic
Seminar to now our home church,
00:15:14.58\00:15:17.35
in Waianae there in Hawaii,
00:15:17.38\00:15:19.45
and I received
the invitation to that
00:15:19.48\00:15:22.58
and I went to those meetings
00:15:22.62\00:15:24.55
now with the realization
that I was lost in the church,
00:15:24.62\00:15:27.42
and that "head
knowledge" believing in God,
00:15:27.46\00:15:31.63
true belief is more
than an intellectual assent
00:15:31.66\00:15:35.83
to believe is to "be live"
00:15:35.86\00:15:37.67
to let Him take
control of our lives,
00:15:37.70\00:15:39.83
and so I went to those meetings
and as Jesus was lifted up,
00:15:39.87\00:15:44.01
in His prophetic Word,
00:15:44.04\00:15:45.67
my heart was
stirred with conviction,
00:15:45.71\00:15:48.38
and there was a theme
song that was sung every night,
00:15:48.41\00:15:50.91
entitled,
"Change my heart Oh God"
00:15:50.95\00:15:53.31
and I realized that
that's what I was missing,
00:15:53.35\00:15:55.78
I had the information
but my heart was not changed,
00:15:55.82\00:15:59.29
Yes.
00:15:59.32\00:16:00.82
And so I'd go to those
meetings night after night,
00:16:00.86\00:16:03.43
and finally one night,
the conviction was so strong,
00:16:03.46\00:16:05.96
God was calling me,
00:16:05.99\00:16:07.76
but the controversy
was raging in my mind,
00:16:07.80\00:16:10.43
the devil was
giving me every reason
00:16:10.47\00:16:13.00
why I shouldn't
surrender all to Christ.
00:16:13.03\00:16:14.74
Like, what was he saying?
00:16:14.77\00:16:16.10
He was saying, "If you
give your life to Jesus,
00:16:16.14\00:16:17.47
you life's
going to be so boring,
00:16:17.51\00:16:19.11
you can't do
this, you can't do that,
00:16:19.17\00:16:20.68
it's going to be mundane,
00:16:20.71\00:16:22.08
how are you going to stop
hanging out with your friends,
00:16:22.14\00:16:23.75
how are you going to
stop listening to this music,"
00:16:23.78\00:16:25.38
and just going down the list,
00:16:25.41\00:16:27.15
but all the
while, God was saying,
00:16:27.18\00:16:28.78
"I have a better
life for you, my son,
00:16:28.82\00:16:30.39
I'm the one that can
satisfy your longings,"
00:16:30.42\00:16:33.76
and so the controversy
was raging in my mind
00:16:33.82\00:16:37.39
and finally, that
Evangelist that gave the appeal,
00:16:37.43\00:16:40.70
the Spirit used
him in a mighty way,
00:16:40.73\00:16:42.80
I found myself at
the alter weeping,
00:16:42.83\00:16:44.83
crying out to God,
sincerely with all my heart
00:16:44.87\00:16:47.74
saying, "God, I
want you in my life,
00:16:47.77\00:16:49.54
but I realize I can't serve you
and serve this at the same time
00:16:49.57\00:16:53.71
and so I need you to do for me
00:16:53.74\00:16:55.08
what I cannot do for
myself, I need you to free me,
00:16:55.11\00:16:57.78
take away these
drugs and addictions,
00:16:57.81\00:17:00.02
and the desire for them,"
00:17:00.05\00:17:01.38
and when I prayed
that prayer sincerely,
00:17:01.42\00:17:02.92
with a willingness to
loosen my grip on those things,
00:17:02.95\00:17:06.29
God took it from me,
set me free, that moment,
00:17:06.32\00:17:10.53
and by God's grace
I never looked back,
00:17:10.59\00:17:13.06
that was about 16 years ago.
00:17:13.09\00:17:14.73
Look at... wow! there
are so many elements here
00:17:14.76\00:17:19.47
that are just so
beautiful, first of all...
00:17:19.50\00:17:23.51
first of all, you
were open to change
00:17:23.54\00:17:26.71
and you knew that
you couldn't do it,
00:17:26.74\00:17:29.88
we can't do it on our own
00:17:29.91\00:17:32.51
and God doesn't expect
us to do it on our own,
00:17:32.55\00:17:35.75
the only way to do it is
through surrender to Him,
00:17:35.78\00:17:38.99
He does the work,
00:17:39.02\00:17:40.39
He makes Himself
responsible for the work.
00:17:40.42\00:17:42.96
God doesn't need our
help, He needs our permission.
00:17:42.99\00:17:45.76
Yes. How can we help God?
00:17:45.79\00:17:47.80
Taj: We can't help
God. Yvonne: That's right.
00:17:47.83\00:17:49.20
He just needs our permission
to do the work for us,
00:17:49.23\00:17:53.77
I'd like to say it like this,
00:17:53.80\00:17:55.14
we don't have
the power to change,
00:17:55.17\00:17:56.71
the only power we
have is to choose,
00:17:56.74\00:17:58.37
God has all the power to change,
00:17:58.41\00:18:00.78
but He doesn't have
the power to choose,
00:18:00.81\00:18:02.84
so when we give Him our choice,
00:18:02.91\00:18:05.48
He gives us the
change. Come on now...
00:18:05.51\00:18:07.98
It's a divine transaction.
00:18:08.05\00:18:09.38
Yvonne: Come on now, wait a
minute, wait, wait, wait, wait,
00:18:09.42\00:18:10.75
you can choose and change,
00:18:10.79\00:18:12.12
okay give that again, I love
it, I love it, give it again.
00:18:12.15\00:18:15.62
When we give God our
choice, He gives us the change,
00:18:15.66\00:18:19.86
the transformation,
He doesn't need our help,
00:18:19.89\00:18:22.40
He just needs our permission,
00:18:22.43\00:18:24.20
for us to yield,
for us to surrender
00:18:24.23\00:18:26.40
for us to say it like this,
00:18:26.43\00:18:28.47
"In order to wrestle
with the devil and win,
00:18:28.50\00:18:31.27
we first must
wrestle with God and lose"
00:18:31.31\00:18:34.04
let God win in our lives,
00:18:34.08\00:18:36.14
and then we will win in
the wrestling against Satan
00:18:36.18\00:18:39.85
and all of his
attacks and temptations.
00:18:39.91\00:18:41.85
That is so beautiful,
when we get held by...
00:18:41.88\00:18:47.09
there is a sin that
doth so easily beset us,
00:18:47.12\00:18:51.56
everybody has their own
little "pet sins" or whatever,
00:18:51.59\00:18:55.90
and until we're ready to release
00:18:55.93\00:18:58.63
them to God and ask God
to take them away from us,
00:18:58.67\00:19:02.44
we will be held in
bondage, but you...
00:19:02.47\00:19:06.47
and the Lord brought you
to that point of repentance
00:19:06.54\00:19:10.75
because again, He
gets all the praise, right?
00:19:10.78\00:19:14.15
That's right.
00:19:14.18\00:19:15.88
He brought you to
that point of repentance
00:19:15.92\00:19:18.79
and then, you said,
"God, I can't do this,"
00:19:18.82\00:19:21.76
and you were
genuinely sorry and repentant.
00:19:21.79\00:19:24.66
I was willing to loosen my grip
and to let God take it from me,
00:19:24.69\00:19:29.43
and until we come
to that willingness,
00:19:29.46\00:19:32.47
we're always
going to be fighting.
00:19:32.50\00:19:35.44
Yes, yes, it's always
that tug-of-war isn't it?
00:19:35.50\00:19:39.57
Taj: Yeah.
Yvonne: You know always,
00:19:39.61\00:19:42.18
sometimes we don't
even want to let go,
00:19:42.24\00:19:44.75
I mean if we really look at it,
00:19:44.78\00:19:46.68
we don't want to let
go whether it's Weed,
00:19:46.72\00:19:48.85
whether it's
certain TV Programs,
00:19:48.88\00:19:50.89
certain music, whatever it is.
00:19:50.92\00:19:52.82
Because we're so comfortable,
I mean, that's our comfort zone,
00:19:52.85\00:19:55.99
and we're afraid,
00:19:56.02\00:19:57.36
we're insecure about living
life without those things,
00:19:57.39\00:20:00.20
but God... He
gives us the assurance
00:20:00.23\00:20:02.80
that He takes
away something from us
00:20:02.83\00:20:04.90
only to give us
something far better.
00:20:04.93\00:20:06.70
Yes, yes.
00:20:06.74\00:20:08.17
Taj: His security
and His satisfaction.
00:20:08.20\00:20:09.84
Yes, yes.
00:20:09.87\00:20:11.21
The Bible says
in Colossians 2:10
00:20:11.24\00:20:12.57
that in Him we are complete,
00:20:12.61\00:20:13.94
without Him, we're
always going to be incomplete.
00:20:13.98\00:20:16.61
That's right, in
Him we are complete,
00:20:16.64\00:20:19.71
that means, without
Him, we are incomplete.
00:20:19.75\00:20:22.58
Yeah, yeah.
00:20:22.62\00:20:23.95
And so the only
way to get the victory,
00:20:23.99\00:20:26.55
and I think people need
to... you need to know this,
00:20:26.59\00:20:30.26
because, you can't have
victory without Jesus Christ,
00:20:30.33\00:20:33.96
so it's going to be...
00:20:34.00\00:20:35.33
you might be able to temporarily
give something up or whatever,
00:20:35.36\00:20:39.23
but it's not
that "heart change,"
00:20:39.27\00:20:41.34
and the heart change
comes from Jesus Christ.
00:20:41.37\00:20:44.51
Amen. So, after that...
00:20:44.54\00:20:47.38
after that day,
00:20:47.41\00:20:48.74
were you then on
a path for ministry
00:20:48.78\00:20:52.55
or what did you do and how
old were you at this point?
00:20:52.61\00:20:54.45
I was 16 years old
00:20:54.48\00:20:55.82
and at the end of those
meetings I got re-baptized
00:20:55.85\00:20:57.82
and that second
baptism was the real deal.
00:20:57.85\00:20:59.55
That's the one
that "took" hmmm...
00:20:59.59\00:21:00.99
Yeah, the song that
kept going through my mind
00:21:01.02\00:21:03.16
when I was baptized was
the song, "I surrender all"
00:21:03.19\00:21:05.99
truly I let the Lord
strip me from all the things
00:21:06.03\00:21:08.80
that were distractions and
00:21:08.86\00:21:10.30
it was interesting
that during those meetings,
00:21:10.33\00:21:13.97
a few specific nights,
00:21:14.00\00:21:16.34
the Evangelist...
when he preached...
00:21:16.37\00:21:18.41
I remember one
night specifically that
00:21:18.44\00:21:20.94
his eyes would
scan the congregation,
00:21:20.98\00:21:23.08
but they seemed
to always fall on me.
00:21:23.11\00:21:25.15
I guess he could see
the conviction in my face,
00:21:25.18\00:21:27.58
and it seemed like...
like God was singling me out
00:21:27.62\00:21:31.15
in that crowd,
that's how I felt at least,
00:21:31.19\00:21:32.69
and looking back
on that experience
00:21:32.75\00:21:35.12
it was as if God
was saying to me,
00:21:35.16\00:21:37.26
"Taj, one day
you're going to stand
00:21:37.29\00:21:39.19
where that man is standing,
00:21:39.23\00:21:40.56
one day you're going to
be doing what he is doing"
00:21:40.60\00:21:43.70
and I never imagined or
dreamed, dared to dream that
00:21:43.73\00:21:46.63
that would actually take place
00:21:46.67\00:21:48.74
but today,
that's exactly the place
00:21:48.77\00:21:52.51
that God has brought
me to as an Evangelist,
00:21:52.54\00:21:54.74
it didn't happen
overnight obviously,
00:21:54.78\00:21:56.85
but when I was
converted, we just started...
00:21:56.88\00:21:59.75
I just started sharing
my testimony with others,
00:21:59.81\00:22:03.18
my local pastor gave me
an opportunity to preach
00:22:03.25\00:22:06.62
for the first time
when I was 16 years old,
00:22:06.65\00:22:08.66
went back to my
old public high school
00:22:08.69\00:22:10.96
and started passing
out "Steps to Christ"
00:22:10.99\00:22:12.89
to all my friends that I used
to do drugs with and party with,
00:22:12.93\00:22:15.73
and they were
shocked, they were surprised,
00:22:15.76\00:22:18.27
but they could see
the look in my eyes
00:22:18.30\00:22:20.34
and the conviction on my face
00:22:20.37\00:22:21.70
and they realized
that what I had was real,
00:22:21.74\00:22:23.74
so I had personal Bible Studies
00:22:23.77\00:22:25.74
every lunch
period during high school
00:22:25.77\00:22:27.28
and would invite the
whole school to come,
00:22:27.34\00:22:29.18
I didn't know much
but I knew the Lord
00:22:29.21\00:22:31.01
and I just simply shared
the little that I did know,
00:22:31.05\00:22:34.25
and as a result of
those Bible Studies
00:22:34.28\00:22:36.82
we held every day in
the public high school,
00:22:36.85\00:22:39.59
six of my friends and their
family members were baptized
00:22:39.62\00:22:42.02
and came into the truth and...
00:22:42.06\00:22:44.26
Wow! and you didn't
even really, at that point,
00:22:44.29\00:22:46.43
you didn't really know
the Lord like you do now,
00:22:46.46\00:22:48.60
you were just learning,
00:22:48.63\00:22:50.63
you were just
getting it yourself,
00:22:50.67\00:22:52.23
but you wanted to share it.
00:22:52.27\00:22:53.64
Yeah, the Bible Studies were
basically the notes that I took
00:22:53.67\00:22:56.40
at the
Evangelistic Seminar, Wow!
00:22:56.44\00:22:58.77
and so... I had a
little but God blessed that,
00:22:58.84\00:23:01.78
and He used that to make an
impact on other people's lives
00:23:01.81\00:23:05.58
and through that
experience God was confirming
00:23:05.61\00:23:08.28
that He had a call for my life
but, you know, to be honest,
00:23:08.32\00:23:11.29
I felt like I was the
least likely candidate,
00:23:11.32\00:23:13.02
I was slow of speech, very shy,
00:23:13.05\00:23:15.56
introverted, burnt
up a lot of brain cells,
00:23:15.59\00:23:18.66
socially awkward,
00:23:18.69\00:23:20.03
but yet, I've come to realize
00:23:20.06\00:23:23.20
that God is not dependent
upon our own abilities,
00:23:23.26\00:23:25.60
skill and wisdom,
00:23:25.63\00:23:27.04
He's only
dependent on our willingness
00:23:27.07\00:23:29.10
to be used by Him,
00:23:29.14\00:23:30.47
and He's not limited by
our lack of those things.
00:23:30.51\00:23:35.34
That is so true, it's
not about... you know...
00:23:35.41\00:23:40.22
God takes whoever we
are, if we are willing,
00:23:40.25\00:23:45.02
if we are
available to be used by Him,
00:23:45.05\00:23:48.96
He'll fill in the
blanks, just be willing,
00:23:48.99\00:23:52.03
just be available
and that's what you did.
00:23:52.06\00:23:55.03
That's such a beautiful
thing so you were in high school
00:23:55.06\00:23:59.03
and your friends are probably
like, "What is up with him,
00:23:59.07\00:24:02.14
he's a different guy,
00:24:02.17\00:24:03.64
this is not the same Taj
that we were in school with,
00:24:03.71\00:24:07.21
it's a different guy"
00:24:07.24\00:24:09.01
It was
tremendous, it was an honor
00:24:09.04\00:24:10.78
to be able to
share with my friends
00:24:10.85\00:24:12.48
who I had
influenced in a negative way,
00:24:12.51\00:24:14.12
I was able to redeem a
lot of that negative influence
00:24:14.15\00:24:17.32
by showing them the
right way to my own life,
00:24:17.35\00:24:20.09
in my own story,
in my own testimony,
00:24:20.12\00:24:22.56
and many of them
were listening, all ears,
00:24:22.59\00:24:24.96
because they not only
were hearing what I was saying,
00:24:24.99\00:24:27.86
but saw a change in my life.
00:24:27.90\00:24:29.73
Were they trying to get
you to come back in like...
00:24:29.76\00:24:32.53
trying to offer you free
drugs and all that stuff?
00:24:32.57\00:24:34.47
Yeah, I'd tell them
that I found a better high,
00:24:34.50\00:24:37.14
I found a spiritual high,
00:24:37.17\00:24:38.51
and it was a
wonderful experience.
00:24:38.54\00:24:41.64
After graduating
from high school,
00:24:41.68\00:24:44.75
I went to a small
Bible College in Arizona,
00:24:44.78\00:24:47.78
called Souls West,
got further training
00:24:47.82\00:24:50.49
and after graduating there,
00:24:50.52\00:24:53.36
we got picked up by
Central California Conference,
00:24:53.42\00:24:56.02
to do evangelism and Bible
work and literature ministries,
00:24:56.06\00:24:58.83
and we were there for
the last eleven years,
00:24:58.86\00:25:01.26
it's been a wonderful journey,
doing work for the Lord and...
00:25:01.30\00:25:05.23
Yes, that's tremendous,
00:25:05.27\00:25:07.94
seeing other people
changed through our story.
00:25:07.97\00:25:10.21
What is your ministry
titled, it's, "Revelation... "
00:25:10.24\00:25:14.81
Yeah, well, our
Seminar is entitled,
00:25:14.84\00:25:17.31
"Revelation of Hope
Bible Prophecy Seminar"
00:25:17.35\00:25:18.81
and we've done about sixty
evangelistic seminars with that,
00:25:18.85\00:25:25.09
mostly in Central California,
but in recent months,
00:25:25.15\00:25:28.82
my wife and I actually
just made the decision to
00:25:28.86\00:25:32.53
take a step of faith
and take the ministry
00:25:32.56\00:25:36.30
to all the world,
00:25:36.36\00:25:38.63
so we resigned from that
position there in Central,
00:25:38.67\00:25:41.97
just to give us more freedom
to go wherever we were invited
00:25:42.00\00:25:45.71
and to... the Bible says,
00:25:45.74\00:25:48.04
"to every nation,
kindred, tongue and people"
00:25:48.08\00:25:49.98
we believe that time is short,
00:25:50.01\00:25:52.01
we want to be a good
steward over the time,
00:25:52.05\00:25:54.52
the opportunities
that God has given to us
00:25:54.55\00:25:56.99
to make the
biggest impact we can
00:25:57.02\00:25:58.65
for the Lord Jesus.
00:25:58.69\00:26:00.02
Amen. And so our
Ministry is called,
00:26:00.06\00:26:01.59
"Revelation of Hope Ministries"
and now we're full time
00:26:01.62\00:26:04.66
doing Evangelistic Ministry,
00:26:04.69\00:26:07.60
Revivals and training with
that ministry name... so...
00:26:07.63\00:26:12.77
That's great, and
you have a website?
00:26:12.80\00:26:14.47
Yeah,
revelationofhopeministries. com
00:26:14.50\00:26:16.04
that's our website
00:26:16.07\00:26:17.41
and we're just a faith-based
00:26:17.44\00:26:21.31
supporting
ministry of the church,
00:26:21.34\00:26:22.94
and God has given us
a lot of opportunities
00:26:22.98\00:26:26.55
to go here and there and
it's just... no better thing
00:26:26.58\00:26:30.45
than to be in the
center of God's will.
00:26:30.49\00:26:31.82
Amen, amen.
00:26:31.85\00:26:33.56
And it was
definitely a leap of faith,
00:26:33.59\00:26:34.92
resigning... we're in
that comfortable place,
00:26:34.96\00:26:37.69
God blessed, we were
there for eleven years,
00:26:37.73\00:26:40.70
we saturated the territory
00:26:40.73\00:26:42.20
we feel... very thoroughly
00:26:42.23\00:26:44.17
and it's time to broaden
00:26:44.23\00:26:46.10
and do the most that
we can for Him, so...
00:26:46.13\00:26:49.80
Wow! we are so thankful
that you are answering the call
00:26:49.84\00:26:55.51
that's one thing about ASI,
00:26:55.54\00:26:57.31
you don't know
when you're going to get
00:26:57.35\00:26:58.91
one of these grand announcements
00:26:58.95\00:27:00.48
but we are so thankful that
00:27:00.52\00:27:04.02
you are answering the
call that God has given you
00:27:04.09\00:27:07.26
and that you are willing,
00:27:07.29\00:27:09.36
you and your lovely wife are
willing to be available to Him.
00:27:09.39\00:27:13.60
Thank you so much
for being with us,
00:27:13.63\00:27:15.80
may God continue to bless
you, we enjoyed you, thank you.
00:27:15.86\00:27:20.80
I appreciate it, I
appreciate it, Amen.
00:27:20.84\00:27:24.01
What a great
testimony, God is so faithful
00:27:24.04\00:27:27.11
and He will take you from
Point A to Point B to Point C
00:27:27.14\00:27:33.01
if we would just trust in Him,
00:27:33.05\00:27:34.95
it's so good to know
that God has a plan for us,
00:27:34.98\00:27:38.09
and that
wherever we are right now
00:27:38.12\00:27:41.12
does not determine
where we're going to end up,
00:27:41.16\00:27:44.79
it's all about
choices, so choose Jesus today,
00:27:44.83\00:27:48.40
you couldn't make
a better decision,
00:27:48.43\00:27:51.37
than to choose Him today.
00:27:51.40\00:27:52.80
Well, we've reached
the end of another Program,
00:27:52.83\00:27:55.44
join us next time
because you know what?
00:27:55.50\00:27:58.11
it just wouldn't be
the same, without you.
00:27:58.14\00:28:00.71