The following testimony took place this past summer (July 2013) in the lower 8th ward of New Orleans. This neighborhood has one of the highest crime rates in the country and homicides take place on a regular basis every time we work the streets sharing the Gospel. We work closely with Pastor Marc Smith and his wife Angie, of Abiding Temple, when we take a team to this neighborhood. This is an account of how the Lord wants to use His people to rescue those perishing in the most violent neighborhoods of our nation. He is looking for willing vessels who are ready to listen to His voice and obey His Word.
One of my favorite things to do is what I have referred to as “drive by witnessing.” This is when you get in a vehicle with some like minded believers and drive around and look for someone to talk to about Jesus Christ. It is a lot of fun as many of these people are generally truly surprised by the brief encounter with the Gospel.
Recently, on our trip to New Orleans this summer, we loaded up the van to visit the people of the 8th ward, near Marc and Angie’s church, Abiding Temple.
We had one of the most incredible divine appointments that I could ever recall having in recent years. As we were just driving around looking for someone to stop and talk with, we noticed a man coming out of a house, moving rapidly towards his car. We pulled up to him, rolled down the window and tried to start a conversation with him when we began to realize he was extremely enraged and angry about something.
At first, he did not want to give us the time of day as he was obviously not in his right mind. We asked if he could just take a minute and let us pray with him, but he had something else that he was planning to do. I knew something was really wrong and I heard that still small voice whisper to me, “murder.” With that, I told everyone in our van that we needed to stop and talk to his man because we were sent there to stop a murder.
We jumped out of the van and detained him from opening up his car door. He appeared very shocked that we appeared, out of nowhere, just at this specific time to stop him and talk about Jesus Christ.
He told us that he had to finish something that others had started and did not have time to talk. But we gave him no other choice; we insisted that he take a deep breath and just give us a few minutes.
Many in our group immediately began praying over him and trying to encourage him. He began to gradually calm down a little.
We took him away from his car and surrounded him with prayers. The first thing I remember him saying to me was, “you know why I was trying to get into my car, don’t you?” He began to tell us that he just got home and went into his house to find his wife with her ex boyfriend. They got into a fight and this man, named Anthony, was headed back to his car to get “something” and go back into the house to finish the fight.
All this time, there was a young boy, about 6 years old, that had been watching the whole thing, from the fight with the ex boy friend to him going to his car and encountering us. The Holy Spirit began to convict Anthony on what he was about to do. He began to change from a man in a rage, to a man who began to ask himself, “what was I about to do?” He began to weep, look at us in complete amazement, and ask us “where did we come from and how did we know what he was about to do?”
As the Holy Spirit began to minister to him, he again looked at me and said, “how did you know what I was getting out of the car?” I explaining that we did not know, but God did.
He became overwhelmed that God cared so much for him that He stopped him from doing something that he would regret the rest of his life.
It was not easy getting this man to release his rage and anger. One of the things that helped had to do with his dog. When we took him aside to pray with him, he had brought his dog, on a lease, with him. Apparently, he was loosing his wife and home, but he was not going to give up his dog too. Richard, one of the young men who was with me, whispered in my ear that Anthony needed to let the dog stay at the house. At first, I could not understand why this might be so important, but I began to talk with him about not looking back and just going forward. Others in the group spoke to him, very specifically, about giving up everything to follow Christ.
So we told him he needed to leave everything behind and start all over. In other words, he must be willing to take up his cross and start following Jesus Christ. Many times evangelists make it too easy for those we talk with and simply tell them to repeat a prayer. They need to understand that they have to turn their whole life over to Jesus. At first, he said that there was no way he would leave his dog behind. After all, it was his dog and he was loosing everything else so he should be able to, at least, take his dog. After further discussion, he agreed and handed the lease to his dog over to his grandson, the young boy who had been watching the whole event.
The young boy looked up at his granddad and said, “thank you, papa.” With that, Anthony completely broke and started crying out, “oh my God, what was I about to do in front of my grandson?” As he continued to cry out to God, he then began to recognize that his grandson was also watching how God could help save us from ourselves. He began to rejoice, clap, shout and act like a completely different man, while he grandson just watched.
We took him over to a gas station, filled his car with gas, and then took him to Burger King and bought him dinner.
We probably spent about three hours with Anthony. Time well spent, since it appeared that God had chosen to use us to stop a double homicide.
Friends, God wants to use us all. He wants us to open our spiritual ears and listen to His voice. The Word of God says that His sheep hear His voice. Do you hear His voice? If you don’t, then you probably should examine your personal spiritual condition. He wants to use all of us to make a difference. Spend time with your Savior and you will find He has some assignments awaiting you as well.
It is time for all of us, who call ourselves a Christian, to quit complaining about the condition of our nation and enlist in His army. You will never regret it!
God Bless. Let God mold you into the witness He has called you to be.
Nelson Ligon
ExecutingHisWord.com
P.S. Those who witnessed this amazing miracle were; Ash Furber, Richard Harris, Carl Breidenich, Hayden Wheeler and Cheryl Holl. If you would like to be part of one of our outreaches, we will be going back to New Orleans Feb. 27th thru March 4th, 2014 so plan ahead. Contact us for further info.
P.S.S. If you are a pastor or church leader who would like us to bring our team to your fellowship to help motivate your group to take the Gospel to the streets and their neighborhoods, contact me through the contact page.
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