Thank Linda for her brave testimony to the Power of God! Glory Be To God!!!! This is a powerful testimony!
This is the complete testimony of the state I was living in and how God changed me in one day. When you read it, you will know more about my mistakes that anyone does at this time. I owned my home drove a nice new car and was raising a son after a bad divorce to his abusive father several years earlier. Men had hurt me a lot in my life and I thought I was doing pretty good on my own. But I was making mistakes left and right and looking death in it’s face. Here is my story.
Ya know how I got the holy ghost? I didn’t know there was one! I never heard people talk about it. I never really could conceive that God was as real as a close friend. I never could see him outside the bible. It’s like OK there is a God, He wrote the word to help us and guide us to him and tell us how to live. One day when I die I will meet him if I am saved. Then I stressed about how to know if I am saved. For years I got saved again and again and even baptized a couple times in the baptist church. But I kept sinning and I knew I was messing up. Also, reading the bible was so hard. BORING! I had no idea the new testament first 4 books was the same story told by 4 authors.
I read them wanting to know God personally and better and I thought to myself how repetitive the bible was. When I would read in the old testament I would get bored and confused about how strict God is and the law. But I promised myself I would read at least one verse a day every day until I got to know God better. So for a year I read at least one and usually a bunch of verses or chapters a day and also went to different churches once a week on Sunday. I didn’t know people went 2 and 3 times a week.
Even though in that year I was trying to find God and I had “accepted Jesus into my heart”, I was messing my life up. I had been in bad relationships even fell for a married co-worker/friend who was separated, but played between us both. At least he is who told me I could have a personal relationship with Jesus in a way I never had. But after finally telling him to stop coming around and let me get on with my life, I joined a chat line where you can meet people on the phone.
I was even approached by a female co-worker who wanted to date me and just showed up at my home. Funny how the devil sends trouble your way just when he knows you are weak and tired of being hurt. I did go out with her because I had been so betrayed by lying men. I even gave her a bible and talked to her about getting saved not realizing what a mess my life was and how far from the truth I was.
So on this chat line I met JimJohn. For a date he came to my home and did work on my roof and I fixed him dinner. The next day I met Gary. Both were simple dates, but Gary pressed me to date him and no one else. I called JimJohn to say I chose to date Gary and would not have a second date with him. He called me back later that evening and was very upset and wanted a second chance.
He was pretty upset that I would make my decision so swiftly and not give him a chance to show me his home and take me out. He was so upset about it and I had a date planned with Gary the next day. I was living 45 min. away and since the other man I was meeting the next day in his area, I reluctantly agreed to go ahead that night (what was I thinking?) and drive to the town JimJohn lived in to give him one last minute chance to change my mind. Here it was 10 pm and I drove there to meet him at a truck stop so he could lead me to his home. I didn’t even think for a minute about my safety.
It was May 20, 1996 and there was some flooding on 136 as I drove there and I felt the presence of God was with me. It was weird how I knew it, but it seemed a flash of light caught my eye in a weird way a few times and it drew me to see where the road flooded out and kinda got me to pay attention well. So I get the the station and he was there standing by a pay phone. (must have thought I stood him up) I went and said hi and he embraced me and I felt that he was sweaty and nervous. When he grabbed my hand he squeezed too hard, but I followed him to his home which was a few miles away and down some country roads to a dead end road.
As I pulled up at his home at the end of the road, the wind was blowing the curtains through his front windows. How strange I thought because that meant there were no screens. A large dog met us and I became afraid then at the site of this backwoods home on a dead end road. It seemed he and I were alone in the world. If he meant to harm me no one would hear my screams.
He walked me into the home and my countenance fell even more. There were June bugs flying around in there because of the windows being open and all over the walls hung all these weird antique devices that were used such as vice grips, knives with handles made out of deer antlers or other bones, and tools that maybe were used to work leather and punch holes in things.
I immediately thought of torture devices of a sexual sadist. I felt such a heaviness. JimJohn sat me on the couch across from the door and he grabbed my hand and held it tight. It hurt. He wouldn’t let go and he appeared desperate. I had not seen this in him when he fixed my roof and had dinner I made. Why had I chose to come here? I had never been so careless before.
He said he was so disappointed I had not given him the chance and he liked me so much and wanted to spend his life with me. He thought I was so beautuful and he wanted me so bad. It was as if I was the only one for him, the dream come true that about slipped away. He then talked of how lonely he was and had no one, no friends, no close family, his dad just died and they had been so close, he just lost his job that day, and he was considering suicide. OMG! The desperation and sense of doom was building in the room.
The whole time I listened I knew I was in a dangerous situation and I could feel God with me. I started talking about God and asking if he had a bible. He said his sister had given him one, but he really never knew God or read it. He never let go of me the whole time I was there which was about 2 hours. I focused on how God loves him and will help him etc. Looking around, I saw his bedroom right off the living room.
You couldn’t walk in the door but had to crawl across an unmade dirty looking bed because the room was the size of a large closet or better yet the size of the bed. I wasn’t used to such a home. I had thought when I agreed to go there that since I had to meet Gary at 6:30 am, I might stay on the couch if I felt comfortable and if not I would just sleep in my car where I was going to meet him. I wasn’t staying there for sure! That is if I could get out of there alive! Yes it seemed that dire to me.
I could see in the kitchen those same “torture devices” mounted on the wall along with some animal heads and feet. I saw a vice grip mounted on a cabinet door over the sink. I asked where the bathroom was so I could get away from him and think. He directed meto the room behind the couch. I opened the door went in and closed it. I was in horror the moment I did. I saw an open doorway across from the toilet with a room with a DIRT FLOOR.
The kitchen was off it to the left and he could have walked in there and saw me. Why on earth is anyone living this way I wondered? What is going on here? Then I saw a cockroach in the tub. I cried, but kept myself together. I was afraid right then that I would be tortured and buried in the dirt floor. I was praying to God to save me and get me out of there alive. I was asking him what to say and what to do. I really believe that if God had not been with me, I would be dead and I worry to this day about that man.
I thought that the only way I could make it out of there alive was to make him think I liked him. I mean this man was sweating bad and squeezing my hand so hard and so desperately. I decided to try and let him know I was choosing him and not Gary and I was gonna ask him to take me to breakfast to get us out of there.
I came out of the bathroom and started in with my plan. He again grabbed me tight and sat right by me. He also hugged me. I talked more about Jesus and told him not to even think of suicide because he was such a great guy and I wanted a chance to date him. I told him I felt so lucky that I came to meet him and that I wasn’t going to go meet Gary now. I acted like I could see us in his home and that moving in together right away sounded great. And then I asked him to take me to breakfast to talk more about our future.
And I assured him I would come back with him and spend the day with him. He agreed and I was so thankful, but didn’t feel safe yet. I felt he may be onto me and may try and kill me right then. I even felt scared he may sick his dog on me if he sensed I was trying to run. There was definately a weird tension and questioning in his mind. We walked to the door and toward our vehicles and I said I would follow him.
He questioned me about it and I told him I wanted to get some more gas in my car. OMG he said OK and he led me out of that hell hole. I went to the truck stop where we met and I did eat with him because I felt safe enough then to tell him over the meal that I would not date him and that this was it for us. He was very upset, but in a public place could not do anything about it. I encouraged him to seek Jesus.
This testimony does not end there. I drove to where I was to meet Gary. He drove a tri-axle gravel truck. What a second date, but I had agreed to ride with him while he worked. (Good grief I know!) Without going into all the details of the rest of my day, I still knew God was with me. I could feel it. And something very odd happened.
There was a cassette tape on the dash board and while we were driving with the windows open, suddenly the tape inside it started floating in the air and came right between us at eye level as we sat in the seat. Wow we thought that was weird how the wind must have gotten the wheels to spin and loose the tape. I picked up a pencil and tried to wind it back up but couldn’t and just gave up on it and put it down.
At the end of the day several hours later I was so beat having no sleep the night before. I drove home in my 1996 Dodge Avenger with my windows down. As I drove on interstate 74 W, suddenly the tape from a cassette was again right beside my eyes. I was in shock! I turned to see and sure enough the tape was lying in my back seat and the wind had unraveled it’s tape. What? Twice in one day? OK God what is up?!
Just for the record it never happened before or since even with one tape for me, let alone two separate tapes in two vehicles on the same day. Right?! I grabbed the tape and threw it in my purse and thanked God for saving me from the awful night and being with me. I knew this was God’s way of saying he was with me.
I got home threw the purse on the chair and was ready to go to bed but the phone rang. It was JimJohn he was crying, yelling, threatening to come there upset, devastated. I told him forget about me we were nothing alike. I told him I would never date anyone like him and was not interested and never wanted him to call again. He had left me several messages too and continued calling. I was so scared he would show up. What had I gotten into.
I called Keith the married man who had lied to me to date me and told him what was happening and how scared I was. Keith agreed to stop by and check on me on his way to work the graveyard shift. He came and comforted me, and offered to even call in if I wanted him to stay. I made it clear there was no way we would ever date again and said I was ok…
I just needed him as a friend but was adamant to break away from him as I felt he was staying around me to keep me from meeting anyone. He left after I said I was OK and I went to bed. Though Keith had betrayed me and his wife, I knew he cared about us both. He also was the one who told me I could have a relationship with Jesus whereby Jesus would be closer and more personal with me that a brother. I had been wanting that so bad once I heard that.
I awoke at 5:30 am May 21, 1996 so scared because I had had a bad dream. I had had a few end time type dreams that I felt God was trying to show me something. I called Keith at work crying and said I had this horrible dream and I was scared. He agreed to come by after he got off at 7 am. I hung up and went to the living room to sit on my couch and write out my dream. I had gotten in that habit recently. As I wrote the dream God began interpreting it to me as well. He used words that I wrote that I had never used before like “imp” “he knew not God” “the evil one” “sect”. After he told me the meaning of the dream I found myself on my knees with my arms raised praising him. I had never ever done that kind of thing as a Baptist. God was directing me bodily
God began telling me His son Jesus died on a cross to pay the price for my sins (I already knew this and had invited him in my heart) he told me I had done my will long enough and it was time I did his. Those were his exact words on the subject. I hadn’t thought I was doing such a bad job yet look where I almost ended up that weekend. God told me he had been with me this weekend and kept me safe and used me.
Then, God gave me a day vision. He allowed me to see myself on my knees with my arms raised praising him only I wasn’t myself exactly. I was covered in a red loose long garment like a sheet almost. I thought it looked like Casper the ghost only red not white. It covered me wholly except I saw eye holes and a mouth hole, but knew I was neither female or male in this image. He explained to me that this was Jesus protective blood covering me that he had told me about in my dream. My protection from the enemy.
I want to add that it’s not just one drop of blood when you are saved. You are covered in Jesus blood like a red garment, only God sees us (He told me this too) as white as snow because he looks at us through this blood and doesn’t see our sin when we repent and are saved.
Then, the most amazing thing happened to me. Suddenly a wind came from above me and entered me from above and whirled down through me and into my into my gut. I felt it’s power and felt it filling and washing through me. I was overwhelmed. I was overjoyed. I felt such a presence of God’s love. I continued praising him speaking so fast I could barely make sense of anything I said.
Likely this was tongues, but I didn’t know about tongues or being baptized in His spirit so I didn’t know what to call it. I certainly was changed and still feeling the spirit all over me even for 3 days after. But that day when Keith came, I was still talking really fast and excitedly. He said “Linda? What’s going on?” I said to him “That was the old Linda this is the new”. I had a rebirth experience for sure and I knew I was a new creature in Him. Later that day I went to the tape I had thrown in the chair and wound it up.
I played it right where it was crinkled from being unwound. It was a tape I had made and on one side right there was the song Stairway to Heaven. On the other side right there was a song by Michael W. Smith or Ray Boltz (I gotta look at it again) about the Blood of Jesus. God also led me to go to church that next Wed and testify. I had never been on a Wed. and didn’t know what kind of service it was.
It turned out that they really weren’t testifying but God was so strong on me that I cried some though it and at the end, I stood to ask if I could say what happened. I basically just said that I had an experience with God and knew that I was saved now and a new creature in Christ. They were all happy for me, but I didn’t feel the burden of telling leave me so I waited around and followed the Pastor to his office to be more specific about getting a dream, interpretation, feeling God, hearing God and knowimg He changed me.
This preacher at Calvery Babtist told me the devil gives us dreams and God doesn’t do that today. (!) He warned me that I needed to stick to the bible and what it says in there. (by the way the bible supports my experiences all of them) I left there feeling so let down. I started to question what God had done. God was so good though that he even caused me to watch the local religious channel out of South Bend IN. channel 40 and back to back two preachers came on talking about dreams and visions and telling me not to let the devil steal what God has given me. Kenneth Hagin was one and I bought the book “I Believe in Visions” that he taught out of.
Then the Lord directed me supernaturally to the next church which was non-denominational. I called before my first visit there to testify and find out if they would reject me. Instead of rejecting me they taught me what happened and when I came, they gave me the book “The Blood and the Glory” by Billy Brim to explain the power in the blood of Jesus.
So many more exciting things have happened in my walk and I truly believe that though I had asked Jesus in my heart many times before, that this day was the day of my salvation. And I believe with all my heart that those who earnestly seek this kind of relationship with God will find favor with him and will find it.
I believe you must find it to truly be saved. Not everyone will have the same dreams, visions or feel the same wind or have the same experience, but I believe you will know that you have been adopted and accepted by God when this does happen. I believe you will speak in tongues even if a moment and you will know the holy ghost has come to live inside you.
My dream that God interpreted was a description of the dire state of my life and the war that the enemy was fighting for my soul. I’ve added it for you below. I have had many dreams, words, and miracles from God and I am no one special as you can see by how I was living my life. But now I am changed. Thank you Jesus.
You may share this if you like if you will please credit me and my profile link. http://www.myspace.com/evez27
Linda
The Saving Blood of Jesus Dream
During a period of reading the bible for a year trying to get closer to God, a friend told me I could have a relationship with Jesus. He said it would be like talking to a friend as we were.
I was trying to get close to God, but my life was full of sin even though I accepted Christ. One weekend, I had been all the wrong places but felt God with me. He gave me signs that He was there. Then I woke at 5:30 am on May 21, 1996. Another end time dream. I was so scared and knew I had to write it down to understand it. I began writing and as I did, God began interpreting the dream. He showed me I was in my parent’s home and there was this girl at my feet. She was turning gray and dying. I was trying to get her to come with me to ‘our people’ the good sect. She was too afraid to leave there. She was afraid of him.
Then a voice came from the other room. Very scary voice that said “where do you think you are going? You are mine!” God interpreted that was the evil one. I told this girl we had to go! I had to pull her and drag her and on our way out I knew we needed to grab some clothes as we were only in shorts and halter tops. I grabbed some sweats and God interpreted this was our protective clothing. God told me to notice I only grabbed one outfit. He said the girl was me! He then said the protective clothing was the BLOOD of Jesus.
Then I fell to my knees and raised my arms to praise Him. I had never done that before. God spoke to me that I had done my will long enough and it was time to do his. I was His and His son died for my sins to give me this protective blood that saves me and protects me from the evil one. He told me I am a new creature in Christ. He then gave me a day vision of the blood of Jesus covering me.
Exodus 12:13 and the blood shall be for you to a token upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Be Blessed!
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