Testimonies from the Divine Experiment |
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Testimonies for Divine Experiment - February 2008 Rochelle, Ill | Platte City, MO | Racine, WI | Rescue Mission, Syracuse, NY
Divine Experiment - Rochelle, Illinois It has been awesome! I tell you we go early in the morning to met the Lord, and you can feel His presence already there and the hunger of some individuals that didn't know anything about His presence, it is hard to describe so many experiences that we have had. We have seen miracles of healing and deliverance especially with children (many) families, marriage, deliverance of immorality, and a lot of repentance! We prayed last week for a four year old girl and she was set free of many emotional disturbances, nightmares, disobedience and she went to bed when told and slept peacefully the whole night. Before prayer over her she would not say Jesus, after prayer she was free to say His Name. The next night at prayer, she had a totally different continence. Another little girl, similar age also was touched by the Lord in an equally unique way. -The Wintons – Rochelle, Illinois
God has freed me from the shame and guilt I had from the 20+ years of sexual sin I was involved in. God is also freeing me from the legalism I was raised in, to where I am now NOT ashamed to raise my arms in praise, shout my praise, cry in prayer, pray with my eyes up to heaven, pray out loud, pray what is in my heart, etc... John 8:36 Therefore if the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed! -Jeff - Rochelle, Illinois
The truth was; I was in denial, unteachable, suffering from self-pity, emotionally bankrupt, and always wanting attention from other people. Fighting was the master of my marriage. My lack of forgiveness for myself was consumed by my giant ugliness: the lasciviousness of sexual sin that entered into my life and had me in bondage for over 20 years. Being diagnosed bi-polar/borderline personality disorder was an easy escape route, and I was always burying and numbing my sin with different antipsychotic pills. BUT NOW........ THE LORD BROUGHT THE TRUTH TO ME AND I ACCEPTED [NO MORE DENIAL] AND HE SET ME FREE!!!! The Lord has freed me of sexual sin! No more condemnation, no more chains, no more bondage. I am not going to be moved by bi-polar emotions. The enemy has been defeated!!! I am living and moving as a new free woman! PRAISE GOD! PRAISE BE TO GOD! -Kim – Rochelle, Illinois
Testimonies from pastors:
General testimonies: The Lord responded to the Church of Platte City as they humbled themselves before Him. The presence of the Lord came and rested on the people as they prayed together in the mornings and in the evenings! People experienced a joy of being together with the various congregations in the city seeking the Lord and being cleansed, healed and forgiven in His presence. The Lord did a deep work in the people during the 21 days, The Lord worked in marriages, deep stuff that had separated them for years, they came clean. Relationships changed for many families when they repented and were forgiven. One of the most notable breakthroughs was among young adults. Many young people lacked conviction and reality of experiencing God, they had no vision, no future. But starting that first Sunday night the young people broke through in reality of who God is. From that night on, the young people stepped forward and they led the healing prayer times and came to the 6 am prayer meetings before school every day. Personal testimonies: A young girl shared one night her struggle between what the Bible taught and what the world was telling her was ok. As she wrestled with God and searched the scripture the Lord showed her truth and it broke her heart and she submitted herself to God. Her conclusion was profound “your heart has to want the right even when you want another answer”. “A 6-year old boy was diagnosed with the hearing of a 70 year old man. The doctors wanted to do surgery but his parents wanted to explore alternative healing and the doctor was not happy with their decision. During the Divine Experiment many people prayed for this boy for healing. When they took him back to the doctor for another consultation and tests the doctor reported that their son’s hearing was now 100% !” “That testimony came just after another testimony of a young man who prayed for an employee of an auto parts store. She had an ear problem and needed surgery and an implant for a hole in her ear. The young man layed hands and prayed for healing for her right in the store. When he saw her the next time she reported that her ear had been completely healed-no more hole or need for surgery!” “A woman and her husband in their early 60’s were in prayer every morning, even arriving early for the 6 am meeting! He needed cataract surgery so they prayed for him. After praying for revelation for love of God, etc. he disappeared and was discovered later in a back room crying hard alone. He had a revelation of love of Christ! His wife said “he doesn’t cry and he doesn’t hug people”. He reported later that he had lived his whole life with the understanding that men don’t cry. Now, he has a completely different countenance and he is smiling and hugging people. Both husband and wife are both getting baptized together!” “The Lord showed me during this fast how my pride and arrogance were entwined in almost everything I did! I was repulsed by how often I was judging others, desiring high status and recognition and thinking I was smarter or better than others. Even when I started repenting, I started feeling good about how much the Lord was doing – pride! Everything I thought reeked of pride! The Lord corrected my thinking! Everything I have – family, job, gifting, health, friends, etc. come form Him. He is the Source of everything good in my life and alone worthy of any praise for anything I have accomplished. My only accomplishment is surrendering my life to Him and recognizing the true Author of all goodness!” “It didn’t take to long to realize our marriage was getting better as we apologized to each other and showed more love to one another!” “God had me say I was sorry to my husband for my actions from the past. My husband lovingly responded “it’s not only you, it’s me too”. God did a healing in our marriage and it has been the sweetest blessing for both of us!” “I asked God to open my eyes and heart to any past sin and He showed me sin against my husband I thought I had hidden well. So I confessed to my husband and asked God to forgive me. In doing that, it has brought my husband and I closer together and strengthened our house to honor God in every way He deserves.” “I don’t want to and God doesn’t want me to go back to the way I was living before the Divine Experiment. I still plan on meeting with God twice a day and reading my Bible more, giving my husband more of my time and attention and giving God glory by sharing with others. God also gave me a ministry for older people in the church. He lead me to start cooking meals and delivering it to the homes of 5 elderly people.” “One young woman shared her pain with the community of when her dad’s best friend had psychotic break and killed her dad and raped her mom. This young woman needs medicine to go to sleep, medicine to wake her up and medicine to keep her going through the day. She shared and cried and the community ministered to her for hours as she layed on the floor at the altar.” “I experienced God’s presence during the Divine Experiment. As I prayed and studied the Word it became more alive to me than ever before!” “I was drawn together with people I had not known before. I entered churches I had never been in before. God touched my heart with all the testimonies of His children.” “God’s presence was strong during the prayer times and during one prayer meeting my foot was healed!” “During the 21 days I thought I would be praying for others but within the first couple of days it was obvious God had something else in mind! Each day I was convicted of things I had allowed to take the place of God in my life.”
Wow!! First of all, we are all amazed at the amount of participation. We had over 100 people the night of the launch. We are excited about such a core group in our city who are ready and comfortable being together just for the purpose of prayer and seeking Him. At the beginning of our time together, people gathered, and we waited with expectancy. The pastors were meeting in a side back room. The meeting's starting time came and went. Finally Pastor Hargrove came out, and said to everyone that they (the pastors) were still laying down their control of the meeting, and seeking His will not theirs! He said how uncomfortable it was for them to not know what would happen - but that they wanted God more than the safety of a structured meeting. He said - we're literally back there throwing out our power point we had for tonight. He was so honest about their struggle, and explained that they decided we would not have just another church service meeting. He said that as pastors they just couldn't tell us what was going to happen, or what the order was going to be, because they simply didn't know. And as soon as they were done laying down their "stuff" they would be out, and meanwhile could we prepare our hearts and begin to engage our hearts in the Lord. So, there we were, a hundred people who came out for nothing but prayer, fasting and seeking God! And God came! His holy presence seemed to just rest on us and consume us. One of the pastors would lead in prayer... they kept yielding to each other...we had times of repenting...times of worship...mostly times of just pouring out hunger and desire for His presence. This has been an amazing 21 days! Hearing person after person release the cry of their heart to Him, for just Him, for such a deep turning in their hearts - to keep hearing this fresh every night you just feel the ache of God's heart to draw near. So many people are remarking on a heightened awareness of God's presence, of hearing His voice in their prayer times and throughout the day! We are at the end of Divine Experiment, and instead of it winding down, it keeps growing in intensity! I've heard that same thought from others - the closer we get to the end, the more intense it's getting. Another theme I've heard from A LOT of others - almost everyone - is about the unity. Pastor Visor said during the Tuesday night service: The walls in the church of Racine are more down then ever. We are so comfortable worshipping and praying together. The louder, charismatic pray-ers are free to be who they are. We no longer have big discussions afterwards about it. And the louder, expressive people have a respect for the quiet person who is sitting there - we are all engaging the Lord in our hearts together. Everyone is talking about doing this again, and again, and again... And a lot of people are saying the Divine Experiment has become a way of life. They are saying it went from a Divine Experiment to Divine Experience! ”I used to go to my prayer time, and bring my desperate circumstances (marriage, finances...) to Him, and beg and plead. But now, I just come to Him for Him. I just come, to be with Him.” Hello, this has been such an encouraging time for me. It has re-kindled my heart to God. My integrity as a man of God was being compromised on a daily basis. Now I feel more sensitive because dullness has left. It used to be easy to talk certain ways and easy to compromise - now it's very difficult. There's a heightened awareness of the love of
God.
Men’s Rescue Mission, Syracuse, NY The Men’s Rescue Mission in Syracuse NY is going through the Divine Experiment for the second time. This mission is focused on ministering to broken, homeless men or men addicted to substances. It includes a number of recovery programs as well as a men’s homeless shelter.They had 70 men go through in November and the Lord responded in such powerful ways. This time 100 men are going through together. Their testimonies of how the Lord is impacting the lives of these men is amazing! Not only are the men encountering the presence of Jesus and His healing power in a new way personally, they are now beginning to minister into the shelter and impact other men in the mission as well! God’s presence and life-changing power are increasing in this ministry as they humble themselves and seek His face! Testimonies: From Jim Livi, one of the Directors of the Mission: Much deeper and genuine worship that the men are having during the DE. Worship was full and intimate. Nearly all of the men sang loudly, many of them lifting their hands and closing their eyes. More freedom in expressing themselves through gestures and lifting of hands. Worship could extend beyond the time of 3 songs being used. Wonderful to see God step in and allow the men to worship in a much richer way. Saturday night during our worship time we worshipped God in such spontaneity it was beautiful being led by men at the mission singing worship songs in accapella! Then each man wrote down the desires of his heart on a blank paper to be freed of It was beautiful to hear the compassion of prayers being prayed. One man rededicated On Monday night the Holy Spirit moved again. During our prayer time the Holy Spirit gave me a strategy…. have the men line up in our shelter hallways, hand in hand and All the men were right with it… no questions about it being bizarre. So we did it as the Deputy Sheriff was watching us and other homeless men! The atmosphere in the shelter changed tremendously…. His peace overcoming the noise and distractions. The staff want the men to do this again! After coming back to the chapel that night we worshipped God more and then three of the men went into an exhorting preaching mode to their peers, thanking them and saying how proud they are for doing this together. Testimonies from the men: Says that he’s always associated lifting his hands with surrendering to the police. Now he sees it as a way to surrender to God! Ulysses gave testimony and hopes “for everyone to have a testimony becoming of God and of themselves”: Though he is homeless, he does not feel homeless. He knows he has a home in Christ because of the chapel and the activities there. Even when he was incarcerated, he knew the Lord was with him. Day after day he would say, “Lord let me make it through another day.” Proclaimed that God is a good God! He is not wanting to use drugs or alcohol. Today he went back to old neighborhood to get a haircut and to see his mom and say “Hi” He told her he was going back to attend the DE. Noticed that he been straying since his release from prison. Recognizes that his injury is going to be a learning tool. He was feeling pity and felt he should attend the DE. He knows he needs to get on the path to God. Now he is feeling different and wants to have gratitude all the time. He is grateful. Rededicated his life to the Lord. And Chris who is in a wheelchair rededicated his life to the Lord. You can see the joy and happiness on Shane’s face since he rededicated his life to the Lord. Today as he was driving, he began to covet over the nice cars people drive. As looked at a specific car in a parking lot, the devil began to tell him he could have what he wants if he would follow him. Skip yelled at the top of his lungs, “You’re a liar! The devil is a liar!” He felt awesome after that and the coveting left him!
Gave Praise to God – he had a physical and does not have TB. Taking cough medicine for cough but thanks Jesus for health and for healing his body.
God told him he is very special and that He hasn’t given up on him. Leroy says that he has hope and knows that God has hope for him as well. Leroy says he knows he is very important to God and to his family as well. God told him he didn’t deserve to be living the lifestyle he just came from. He also asked Christ into his life this evening. The first time he came to DE he felt a sense of peace the rest of the night after he left the chapel. He knows Jesus was calling him to attend this evening as well. All he could think of was the good feeling he had when he left and it stayed with him for a couple days too. Normally, when he leaves chapel he just has Satan putting the worldly things back into his head. However, he feels that ever since he attended DE, God took away all those negative thoughts. The life he was leading before has been taken away, by God and he feels great about it. He’s looking forward to attending more of the meetings. Bumped into a person whom he smoked crack with in the past and he was able to say “No.” to him and walk away. This was the first time he was able to say “No.” In the past he would just avoid and make excuses. He now knows he has control. That satan does not have control over him. Praise God! Attended DE meeting last night and could not wait to return today and share. He has a “heart condition and can not stand on his knee” – he is “standing today” giving testimony! “Is being healed of both in His Name, the Name of Jesus!” David says that he bluffed his way through the Salvation Army program. He never really tried to get better, he just went through the motions and he ended up relapsing and feeling bad about it. Now he’s really trying and he feels great!! The Divine experiment has taught him a lot. David’s been praying out loud, reading the Bible, and worshipping with singing and even lifting his hands.
Sandy asked everyone if there was any disappointment with the Divine Experiment. There was a unanimous “No.” Sandy said that the only disappointment he’s heard from anyone is that the Divine Experiment is over. Gordon says that he feels rooted now. He isn’t ashamed to share his faith and God’s word. He says that he talks to people and then they tell him how the things he said were so encouraging to them. Mike shared how the Lord has been showing him through DE that it’s about living right, not just praying right. Says he’s learning to be still, to be humble and to count on God in all circumstances. God changed Malcolm and now he is beginning to feel again and is able to love who he is today. He has stopped listening to people and is now listening to God. Says the greatest thing he has done is praying. Even when he slipped up and failed – God showed him the way out and showed him that he is not that person; allowing him to see himself as … disgusting, dirty, liar, a thief, full of pride. God allowed him to see these things so that change can take place in him. Says that God spoke to him and told him to be there at the DE. He does not want to miss another DE. He missed a night of the DE and it was like a “night in hell.” He could not sleep; he was pacing up and down the dorm room. He wants “see it through” and complete the DE. Through the DE he has gotten on the right path. He had gotten away from God and the DE is a new worship experience for him and he knows he has to stay on course to keep himself from trouble. His hope is for God to give him the strength, knowledge and understanding to deal with the different spirits, etc. Feels he is being attacked spiritual at the mission – things being said about him by men he thought were his friends (he recognizes satan’s scheme to tear him down!) Been saved a long time yet placed God aside and took his own will. Seeking God has transformed his thinking and given him the foundation that anything is possible. God is working on him to get his daughter back. And working to help him to be humble and not complain, to be still and stay in the places that he needs to be. Also has allowed him to have a beautiful relationship with his daughter and other family members. He has no money and no place to live yet he loves God. Depending on God more and less on his own understanding. Not doing the things he used to do, not talking the way he used to talk. Not complaining – says, “Thank you” to the Lord. God spoke to him -- The Lord has been working in his heart and he is battling an addiction of wanting attention from people and wanting to be seen. He has been wanting to be seen as someone worthy to be praised. Says it has been awesome to focus on humbling oneself and being genuine not just it sounding good. The experience has opened her eyes to how unthankful she is. Seeing the men and how passionate they are about worshiping God. To see people who are seeking God for the desire to change their lives causes her to recognize how numb and apathetic she is. Being raised in a Christian home with other Christians -- She is looking forward to letting others know and to share with them. Miraculous things are happening for him this week. He is working for a law firm and got there because it was a “mistake.” He gave the leader at work a card with his name and a verse. And gave a thank you card with a Bible verse on it to the manager for the opportunity to work there. Both these men are not saved and Timothy had been given the chance to give the gospel to each of them personally and the manager has kept the card sitting on his desk. Thanks God for blessing him and restoring him back to Himself. Through the DE he is able to be a beacon for others at the mission. The Lord has been using him over the past week to reach others and bring them to Christ. He went back to his home church and two men who he has been ministering to walked in. One saw the Holy Ghost during worship. God just continues to use Charles to prepare others who are lost and to bring them to Christ. Thanks God for keeping him upright. Praying for strength to keep being a beacon and to walk upright before the men he is helping and leading. Brand new in spiritual experiences. Two weeks ago Tony had a stroke while in the chapel. By the grace of God, he is able to be present for the DE. Difficult and strange for him to say “Thank you” but he must say it – “Amen!” Also gives thanks to the men who helped him the night he had a stroke. Tony had been wrestling with God and his situation has worked for good. He is still an infant and not sure how to pray, but he is praying. Shares with others and is doing what he feels he should be doing. Thanks the Lord for His leading in his life and helping him to make contacts in the community. Attended a men’s prayer breakfast at a local church. Mike had the opportunity to share the Word with them and to share with them as they began seeking and reaching out to the community themselves. He can see that the body of Christ is at work.
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