I dread to think where I would be today if God had not saved me. My drug and alcohol abuse started when I was 14. First, I was experimenting with tobacco and Marijuana, and quickly began using harder drugs. It wasn’t long before Satan was in full control, and I was heavily involved in taking and making drugs. This led to extreme violence and robbery. I had been in and out of jail since I was 18.
I can not help but weep, when I think of all the men and women’s lives I led to destruction. Everything we do in life, good or bad, right or wrong affects EVERYONE around us.
Then, while I was sitting in a prison cell, lost, hopeless, and without direction, at the age of 34, God began to work on me. Upon my release His divine direction led me to cross paths with a backslider from the Rialto church, who invited me to one of their services.
In 1997 I met my Redeemer. By March of 1998 I had received the Holy Ghost was baptized in Jesus name. I carried a lot of baggage to the altar that day. But after laying it all down, and giving it all over to Him who is “Altogether Lovely”, He made all my burdens roll away.
I cannot begin to express the love and peace I felt that day, and still do today. Now I am 40 and I thank God every day for His Blood, His mercy, His loving kindness, and this church. Bro. Dwayne Davis. You Just Never Know!!!!
My husband and I had been “church-goers” since 1975. We have felt God’s hand of mercy on us as we were in search for the truth. A couple we knew from the Foursquare Church wanted to see revival in the Midwest, so in October 1981, Mark quit his job and we all moved from Rialto to McPherson, KS. By the end of the month our daughter April came down with a high fever. The next day she was as listless as a rag doll, the weeks that followed were filled with many doctor appointments, and severe anxiety. Specialists ran all kinds of tests, without any answers. Our baby April ended up at the Intensive Care Unit. She was blind in one eye, paralyzed on one side, semi comatose and rapidly losing a lot of weight.
One day God gave us a scripture (Eze. 37:14)
“And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.”
“I walked into the men’s prayer room and I said, “If you see where I’m not mature enough or lack character; if this would go to my head; I would backslide, be a reproach to your church, then I want you to let me lose and lose miserably. But if I can be a witness, if I could bring kids to church, if I can let my light shine,” And I said “Then I want you to give me a speech.” And I want you to know when I prayed that, the anointing began to flow and ya see this is… this was unnatural to me for something like this to happen and ya know. And so I’m writing, I mean I am writing so fast and I’m thinking about that nine year old prayer meeting and I’m thinking about other things that happened and I’m writing and it’s just coming and it’s just.. I mean I remember literally my wrist hurting and I’m saying “God would you slow down, this… just slow down!” It was just ya know. And so in about thirty minutes it was all written. Folded it up, went home, got in the bed, went to sleep. [The] next day I go to school, and I’m walking down the hall. Now I had heard by way of the grapevine (now the grapevine is when you hear something you ain’t supposed to hear). And I had heard by the way of the grapevine that Randy Angsworth who was the assistant student council sponsor to Miss Nichols, had been meeting during the student council hour in the library, working with Mike Connelle on his speech. They were collaborating and writing a speech together. So I’m walking in the hall between class, and Mr. Randy Angsworth comes beside me and, “Hey Scott, how ya doin?” I said, “Oh oh yeah, I’m doin great.” He said, “Well ya know… uh, just a few days here we’re gonna give speeches. You ready?” I said, “Well, I’m gettin ready.” And I don’t know if his conscience was bothering him or what but he said, “Is anybody helping you write your speech?” And I looked at him and I said, “Yes sir.” And he said, “Who?” And I said, “God!” … He looked at me… like I had fell out of tree!”
Bro. Scott Smith is the pastor of Christ Center United Pentecostal Church in West Columbia, South Carolina. On May 15, 2005 he shared his personal testimony entitled “Taking A Stand And Running To Win” at Victory Tabernacle in Burbank, California.
