FROM DEATH INTO REAL LIFE

 

This is the testimony of my family: Earline, my wife; Marie, my daughter; and Byron, my son. We were married in 1955 by Dr. Lee Roberson, who had a practice of not marrying anyone who was not a Christian. Little did we realize then what a difference it makes for both spouses to be Christians and for God to control your family. We give God the credit for our successful marriage of 25 years.

We were average Christians who never had really done anything very bad or very good. Although I had held most of the positions in the church, there was not much love in my heart for others. Nor did we see much love in the many churches we attended as I moved around the United States following the engineering profession. Worship services were more of a formality.

Earline had a number of miscarriages. Thyroid and parathyroid were completely removed as a teenager. The doctors said that we could not have any children. Earline began praying, and in 1960 God rewarded us with a beautiful baby boy we named Byron. Two years later, God gave us a beautiful baby girl we named Marie. They were all the children we could have because of Earline's health.

We went to traditional churches. They did not teach us about the miracle- working God. We did not see the miracles of God for twenty years. After several medical checkups culminating in a $500 one in 1973, it was conclusively proven that Earline had no thyroid or parathyroid. According to the doctors, she could not be alive, but was doing fine at 40 years of age. We later recognized that our children were medical miracles.

We had a near perfect family for 12? years, then tragedy struck. Byron climbed a tree and touched a 4000-volt power line and fell 50 feet. We really began to see God at work in our lives. I would like for Earline to tell what happened. We still don't understand why it had to happen or what all God has done for us.

On May 22, 1973 my world came to a crushing halt! As the children played, two neighbors came over to join me for tea. The children came in for cookies and went out again. Byron stood by my chair, his arm on my shoulder, gave me a little hug and said some day he would climb a tree to the very top. Turned, on the run, and said, "You're a nice mom", went out the door and climbed a tall cottonwood.

Soon, one of the children said that Byron had fallen out of the tree. One look at Byron and I knew only God could help him. Marie and I began to pray as never before. Nothing in my life had prepared me for this moment. No faith in God rose to meet this crisis.

On the way to the hospital, we became sure that God didn't love us or He would never have let this happen. Having nothing else to cling to, we clung to God anyway (Ps. 50:15).

At the hospital, I accused God of not living, not caring, not being. He so lovingly said, "I love you, Gene and Marie more than you love each other, more than you love yourselves. I love Byron more than you do". I couldn't believe Him. I told God, if He didn't do something to prove He loved us and that Byron was in Heaven, I would kill them and myself. I told Him if Byron was not in Heaven I didn't want any part of it either.

With all this fussing at God, I could only feel love coming to me. He said "All things are His including the tree, the power line and all the earth" (Ps. 50:10-12).

I heard myself telling Satan to remove death from Byron in the name of Jesus. Byron lived on as a miracle. I didn't know this was possible (rebuking Satan in Jesus' name).

After Gene arrived, I told all God had said. We could not believe that God really was talking. We didn't know He talked today.

As we prayed together, God assured us of His love and His everlasting knowledge. He knew Byron's future and asked if we did or would be responsible for it. A real belief and reliance in God's words sprang up in us and we were able to give Byron into the hands of this loving God. At that moment, he died.

One glance at the doctor's face and we knew before he spoke "death". I had been in the hospital with an extremely rapid heart beat. Now I could hardly see and my heart had gone mad - beating wildly. As I stood, God acted. Something very wonderful began at the top of my head, eyes were suddenly clear, heart suddenly regular. I was so calm I was startled. Peace had come over me so that I could hardly bear it. I didn't understand "peace that passes understanding" (Phil. 4:7). Now I knew this peace and understood Jesus more.

People came to console us. All we could do was tell them about this Jesus we had just experienced and all He had done for us. We had no need for the pills that were offered. We had just met the God of power and were sure we could rely on Him for all things. God had become greater than our loss and fears. He is real, He is alive, He has power, He loves us.

We saw visions, had dreams and interpretations of dreams, and had words of knowledge and words of wisdom. We didn't know where these things came from. In John 16:13 we found the answer. Later on we met people who could explain the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We received this Baptism, a prayer language, a new joy in reading the Bible and understanding. Isaiah 16:14 is a promise which God has richly kept.

Once it seemed that Byron visited me - whether in a dream or vision I'm not sure. I asked about his death; he said it was terribly cold but now everything was fine. I asked if he had seen Jesus; he said Jesus was nearly always with the children but was not there - and then Byron left.

God came to Marie in a terrible dream that showed Byron coming out the casket, sitting in a wheel chair and talking out of the side of his mouth. God gave me the interpretation. If we had not let God's perfect will be done, Byron would have been a living vegetable. We would have regretted praying for him to live.

God did many kindnesses for us to show that He was alive and loved us. Before we knew about raising our hands and praising God, He held our hands and walked with us. God spoke audibly to Earline several times. Byron had only been dead a short time when God told us that we must share what He had done for us with others. God told us when Byron accepted Christ and that Proverbs 20:11 changed him from death to life.

Jesus Christ was Savior but not Lord and Master for 20 years. We dedicated ourselves totally to God in 1973 and things began to happen. We had never tithed. We started tithing 10% after deductions and God cut my salary to 10 times the tithe. After we searched the Bible and found out that we owe God a tenth of gross income, then God found me another job. He had cut my salary $2,000 a year but he gave back $5,000 a year after my heart was right.

God has given our family divine health for the past seven years. The first major miracle was to heal Earline's back. She had been losing calcium for five years and was becoming a cripple. In addition to healing her back, God lengthened her leg ?". Then God healed Earline of her allergies. She went to a world renowned doctor, Dr. Browning, who found that she had 175 allergies and he said that she could never be cured. One night when she was about to take her shot, God spoke and said she didn't need her shots. She has not taken a shot since and is completely healed. When ? saw God heal Earline, I decided by faith to stop taking my shots; God faithfully healed me from my allergies. Marie has been healed of many minor ailments by prayer such as a broken tail bone and ear ache. We could spend many days telling about people that we have seen God heal.

One Sunday afternoon, Marie decided to get her horse, King Fox, and go riding. When we got back to the stables, Marie had fallen off King Fox and broken her arm. This shocked Earline and I but we had the presence of the Holy Spirit so we prayed for Marie.

We didn't know whether to take her to the hospital or to the doctor or to depend upon God for healing. As we rode back home, the Lord quickened Psalm 37:23 to my mind, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord". I asked God to order our steps.

Marie sat in the car, she could feel the dislocated broken bones. We called our family doctor, Dr. Lee. He was out and his backup was out too.

I went to my study to get the anointing oil. As I came out, Earline said, "Go get your oil and pray for Marie". God had given us a "Word of Wisdom" (I Corinthians 12:8). We were familiar with James 5:14 and 15 about anointing with oil and praying the prayer of faith. I then anointed Marie's forehead, held her hand of the broken arm, and we prayed again. Her arm tingled and she could feel the bones moving within the arm.

We then took her to Doctor's Memorial Hospital where she was x-rayed and attended by Dr. Kilroy, a bone specialist who showed us the x-ray. We could see a complete break through the shoulder socket; the bone was perfectly set. He said that it was unusual to see that type of break and not have to set the bone.

Earline and Marie prayed that she would be completely healed in three weeks. Dr. Kilroy took an x-ray to prove she was not healed. PRAISE THE LORD, she was healed, the cast was taken off, and she rode King Fox three weeks after the arm was broken! Any doctor will tell you that it takes six to eight weeks to heal an ordinary break and longer for complicated breaks.

Jeremiah 32:27 says, "Behold I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for me." God is only limited by our faith. Since then, I have learned of three other cases where God set the bones. To God be the glory, honor and praise for everything that was done.

We were baptised in the Holy Spirit at the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International meeting in Baton Rouge. We have received the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Spiritually God has filled our cups to overflowing with His love and grace. Materially God has met all of our needs out of His riches in Glory through Christ Jesus.

The first year after the Baptism we went to as many meetings as we could attend to learn and be blessed. Then God began to deal with us about helping others. Now, we minister to whoever God puts in our path. We pray for the sick and those needing deliverance. We have seen the sick healed and God grow out arms and legs as much as 2". We have seen demons cast out and the dead raised (Matthew 10:78).