Mary Gray, My Sister-In-Love, Shared The Graphic Below ~ And
not only did each of these affirmations resonate with me, I can
name specific times when I know each occurred.
1. I Have Felt God's Loving Arms Around Me: In
2020 Dory and I were helping our pastor hold Bible Studies at the
Vintage Terrace Senior Apartments in Corona, California. A number
of the residents there were members of our Fil-Am Church of Corona
(now CICF) and that gave us a good base for Bible studies in the apartment
complex.
At one Wednesday Morning Bible Study, a gentleman, Frank, showed
us black
wart-looking growths on his face - and shared that they were
confirmed to be cancer. A couple of days later, I began to notice
my comb snagging on something in my right temple sideburn. When I
looked, it was a black growth much like on Frank's face. I had never
noticed that growth before. Yet here it was, snagging and bleeding when
I combed my hair.
I showed it to Dory and we agreed that I should see a doctor right
away.
That night as I lay in bed, I placed my finger on the growth and
prayed that God would remove it. Immediately I felt a warm glow
wash
over me, a peaceful feeling as though God was telling me that my
prayer had been heard. I rolled over and peacefully slept like a
baby.
The next day the growth was a little smaller, the following
day a bit
smaller yet - and on the fourth day - it was gone completely. But
God
left a white discoloration where it had been, maybe to remind me
to be thankful?
Atheists and other skeptics on the TimesDaily Religion Forum began to ridicule me when I shared my story, smirking such comments as, "Bill has a magic finger!" - "Bill has been drinking too much of that Jim Jones cool-aid!" -
and on and on.
A few years ago I shared this story with a Baptist
pastor friend and showed him the white discoloration. He said nothing,
just turned his head and walked away - obviously questioning my sanity.
That is okay, for I realize this was a special moment between God and me
- so if folks refuse to believe me, that is not a problem. For when I
see that discoloration, I just smile and thank God.
2. I Have Heard His Voice: In 1993, my step-father moved
my mother from her comfortable home of 50 years in Alabama - same
phone
number, same address, same neighbors - for 50 years. Mom had
previously, over a couple of years, had several strokes, but had
recovered from all and was still able to function well. But he used
the
excuse that her several strokes over the past couple of years left
her confused.
He sold her home and moved her to Little Rock,
Arkansas, so he could be near his
daughter. I was angry, but said nothing. A couple of months
after moving her to Little Rock and using the money from selling her
home to buy a mobile home - he and his daughter put her in a nursing
home. I was furious and it is
probably for the best that I was not near him then.
While I was fuming inside, furious, I felt God reminding me, "You prayed for a way
to make sure she is saved. This is your opportunity." Did the Holy Spirit speak to me audibly? No, He spoke to my heart - and I heard Him loud and clear.
For 20 years my step-father had her in the Herbert W. Armstrong cult
church. And even after 20 years she was shocked when I told her that
Jesus would forgive any and all sins that a person commits - past,
present, and future - even murder, if that person would believe. Her
response, "I didn't know that!" After 20 years in the cult church, she did not know that Jesus died to forgive ALL our sins.
I called
the nursing home in Arkansas and asked if there was a Baptist church in the
neighborhood. I was told there was one next door - and they did
Bible studies at the home. I called the pastor and told him about
my mom. He took her a Bible and got her involved in their Bible
study.
A month or so later he and I were talking and he told me,
"Bill, I led her in prayer to receive Christ, but I am not sure
she understood." I told him, "I know, pastor, that is
why I have not tried over the phone." So when my mom
had a final stroke, was in a coma for several days, and then passed away, I had no confirmation that she was really saved
- and that was a burden on my heart.
It was maybe a month after the pastor and I talked that she had a stroke and was in a coma. I
flew to Little Rock and after a few days when she did not wake
up, I went for a walk in the evening - and as walked I was
praying to God, "Lord, I am in a dilemma, I want to be with
her if she awakens, but I don't know how long to stay. Many folks stay in a coma for months or longer - and I have to
go home, back to work. But I do not want to fly home and then
be told she passed away while I was traveling. What am I to
do?"
I walked back to where I was staying - and ten minutes later
the nursing home called to tell me she had just passed away. That
was God answering my prayer question. He knew it was time for her to come home. We transported her back to
our hometown in Alabama on Wednesday - and on Thursday evening we had her
Viewing.
Before the people arrived, I went into the room where
she lay to be alone with her. As I was standing looking at her, I
heard a voice as clear as if I were standing and talking to you. The voice said, "Do not worry, she is with Me now!"
Friends who know me will tell you that I am a very conservative
person, both in my personal life and in my Christian faith. Yet I
know, beyond all doubt, that
the Holy Spirit spoke to me that evening - audibly. Why was I so
blessed? Only God knows the answer to that question - but I am so
blessed and thankful that He did give me that assurance.
The next day
when my Friend, Pastor Vince Arnaldo, called from California and I
shared about that moment with him - his immediate response was, "Bill, that is His Blessed Assurance." And I had to agree with him.
Later I asked my brother,
Bob, if he had heard His voice that night, and he had not. Never before and never
since have I actually heard the Holy Spirit speak to me audibly.
But that night I did - and it was not that I was waiting
for it,
nor was I expecting such a miracle.
I went into the room just to
share one last quiet moment alone with her. But we were not alone, He
was with us. That night God gave me a
miracle of assurance that i will see my mom again some day. And
for that I am forever grateful to Him.
3. I Have Witnessed His Work In My Life: I have
had an exciting career in the computer industry, almost 50 years.
The first 12 years as a Computer System Field Engineer, most often
the go-to guy when the local guy could not fix a problem. Then
I moved into Computer Sales as a Sales Engineer. In both
aspect of my career, I met many amazing people and was involved in many interesting applications of computers.
During those episodes of my career I would travel, meet with
clients or prospective clients, to make their computer run again,
or to talk face-to-face with them to understand their need and suggest the right
computer product to fit that need.
Then one day I began to notice a major change in the computer
industry.
Knowledgeable Sales Engineers who could visit clients, sit with
the clients, and help
solve their problem - became a thing of the past.
Overnight all
sales were
done over the phone, often with sales people who knew only ten
technical words and was working on straight commission and had to
sell a volume of products to make a living. And for repair forget
the Field Engineer going to the client's site to solve a problem - ship
it back to the dealer
or the factory and wait until it could be fixed or replaced.
Helping a
client solve his problem by sitting down with him was gone
forever. Now it was, "How many can I ship you and how soon do you
need them?" Volume became the key word.
I worked for a while for a company in Orange County, California,
which had a contract with disk supplier Seagate. The company was
obligated to take one
million dollars a month in Seagate disk drives. Each month,
Seagate shipped them a million dollars of drives stacked on
pallets. It was up to the client company to have room for all
those pallets of disk drives. Basically it was push last month's
pallets out the back door - to make room for more pallets coming in the
front door - contractually.
The pallets received the month before must be out the
door to customers - or the company would have no room for the new
pallets. I saw the company sell pallets of drives for less than
cost - just to make room for the incoming million dollar order. It was crazy.
I asked the president of the company, "If
you are selling products for less than cost, there is no net profit.
Your sales people work for a percentage of net profit. When the net
profit is negative, how are your sales people earning a commission?" His answer, "Oh, we work something out." What? Increase the net loss?
During that period, I sometimes found myself being
unemployed for long periods, at times as long as a year. It was a
new world for me. But Dory and I never lost hope, for we knew that
God was working in our lives. How well I recall one Sunday when
Dory and I drove down to Laguna Beach after church just to walk on the beach
and relax.
As we were leaving the beach I stopped to put gas in
the car. I pumped $5 of gas, which at that time was almost a full
tank, not today. After getting gas, all we had left was the
change in my pocket. But Dory and I were not stressed, we just
put our faith in God and relaxed.
Sometimes God would provide our needs through our daughter, Lana.
Other times it seemed as though our needs were met - and looking back, we are
not sure now where that came from, but we know it was God working
in our lives.
I remember one Sunday we were at our Fil-Am Church
of South Orange County where Pastor Freddy Cortez was the senior
pastor. Dory and I had not said anything to anyone about needing
money. But as we were all getting ready to leave church after the service,
Pastor Freddy's dad, Fred Sr., shook my hand and left a folded $20
bill in my hand.
Just an act of goodness and Godness on his part,
but it was really appreciated by Dory and me. I will never forget that
blessed handshake. Thank you and God bless you, Fred Cortez, Sr.
4. NO ONE Will Ever Convince Me That God Is Not Real: I
recall once when we lived in Orange County, I was in our family
doctor's office waiting to have an x-ray. Since I was alone in the room, I
started looking around and noticed a chart of the wall which
showed the muscular structure of the human body - not the organs,
not the skeletal structure, not the massive number of nerves. In
other words the chart showed very little of the amazing human body
- yet it was full showing only the muscular structure.
I remember
looking at the chart and wondering how any doctor could have that
knowledge, and justify
not being a Christian, not believing in God the Creator. The
level of complexity found in the human body could not happen by chance,
no matter how many millions or billions of years Evolutionists and Old
Earth Creationists might attribute to science.
And over the years as I have debated with atheist, agnostics, and
vanilla-flavored non-believers - I am more convinced that even the
atheist really knows that God is real. But they deny Him for one
reason, they fear they will not be in control of their lives if
they turn to God. When they say God is not real, they are really convincing themselves, more that we who share with them.
The beautiful hymn written by Kenneth Morris in 1944 says it best: "My God Is Real"
There are some things I may not know,
There are some places I can't go,
But I am sure of this one thing,
My God is real - for I can feel Him in my soul.
I thank my beloved sister, Mary, for sharing this graphic, causing
me to look inside, causing me to remember and Thank God for patiently
proving His love for me through those long 50 years I was walking with
the world before believing - and for reminding me that He has always
been with me, even when I was running from Him.
Like an earthly father,
our Heavenly Father never gives up on us while we struggle in this
mortal body. I pray these thoughts and remembrances resonate with you
as they have with me.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Click on the image to enlarge:
