Stop Playing with SIN

STOP PLAYING WITH SIN!
(The David Ewart Story)

 At the present time, I am the inmate pastor at the prison chapel. God is in the restoration business. I know...I am being restored every day. I pray for my children and the rest of my family that I have hurt beyond belief. You do have my permission to use my testimony in whatever way you feel will glorify the name of Jesus Christ.
My incarceration is the direct result of my sin; not one great huge sin, by a change of my behavior. It took Satan time to destroy my value system and my strong beliefs. My temptation, subsequently my fall from grace, was like the frog that is placed in cool water with a very low flame under the container, as time goes by, the water heats up and the frog is cooked, never knowing what happened!
I am incarcerated in a California prison, with a sentence of 34 years to life. The first time that I will be eligible for the parole board, will be the year 2015, which at that time I will be 71 years old. I am a first time offender.
My heart feels concern for the individuals that are hearing this testimony, and what I feel compelled to say is: Stop playing with sin; God will not be mocked. He will not be mocked now or tomorrow.  There is always going to be a consequence for your sin. I do not care how smart you think you are - He is much smarter. I do not care how clever you are - He is more clever. I do not care what your IQ is - He created your IQ!

My crime of murder was committed in 1993, 17 years after I had given my heart to Jesus Christ. After my conversion, I sold my clothing business in Southern California, and went to Bible College and Graduate School. I felt I had been "Called" into the ministry. I grew in human knowledge about the "Word of God" and the vocabulary that goes with being a Christian. There were times that I could hear His voice and great signs and wonders happened around me. My family and I would pray and doors would open, people called us the "perfect" family. After my graduation from Graduate School, I became a schoolteacher and a lay minister. For years I followed this path.
Then I let Satan rob my joy. Through some circumstances that are not important now, I became bitter towards the Church. I had taken my eyes off of Jesus and became very prideful in my accomplishments. I felt I could do it on my own; why couldn't I?  I was an educated man, who was a teacher and a minister. I even made it to the ranks of college professor - I was teaching in a graduate school at the time of my arrest.
My two beautiful children had both grown and married. My wife and I had just celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary. I had been faithful for all those years. Then, while I was at a conference, the oldest story in the world happened to me - older man meets younger woman. It was infatuation from the first moment we laid eyes on each other. It seemed we had everything in common. We talked and talked for the duration of the conference, which was one week long.
We both were married and not happy in our relationships with our spouses. My mind ran with the emotional and fulfilling attention that she poured out on me. I had in my mind ... made myself like a sponge for any type of attention. I had changed my beliefs! I told myself that I owed myself a new relationship. What deception!
I never committed physical adultery with her, but my mind certainly did. We lived about 800 miles apart, so we only saw each other three times face-to-face in the next eight months. However, we did communicate almost every day via phone or fax. My thought patterns were being readjusted as the time went on. I had considered divorce, but then my Christian values would kick in. This was a time of extreme anguish and I thought I had lost my mind. I was truly the double-minded man that James talks about in his letter in the New Testament of the Bible. I had such an inner battle going on; I felt I was going to explode at any time.
As time continued I became more and more confused about who I was - the whole time thinking that I was on top of things.  Talk about deception! Remember, I knew what the Word of God said about marriage, temptation, sin and adultery. Even though I never committed the physical act of adultery with this woman, it still had me taking my wife's' life - literally.
My consciousness of the situation finally came to a point of decision. For the first time in months I prayed and I felt the Lord tell me to confess my sin to my wife and repent for my behavior. I did, but then we argued, and my anger got out of control.  It resulted in my murdering her.
I know my thought patterns are what controlled my behavior. I left myself wide open for satanic attack. I did not resist the devil's temptation, as James 4:7 says to do, and my anger turned into uncontrollable rage before I knew it. There is no one to blame except myself. I am not looking for sympathy either.  I simply feel God wants me to express how important it is to keep your eyes on the Lord and seek to obey His Word - in all things.  We are under attack all the time. Our society has become obsessed with sexual pleasure. It seems no matter that where you turn you are bombarded with individuals selling sexual pleasure.
If I were with you right now, I would have an altar call for men to come forth and repent. I would ask the Father to give us the strength as men to stand with integrity. I would challenge us to make a commitment to our wives and family, to be the Priest of our homes, and to study the Word of God and be convicted by the Holy Spirit.

Yes I have lost everything that was dear to me. My two grown children do not communicate with me. I have never seen or touched any of my grandchildren; I have three and one on the way! (At the time of this writing). I robbed my children of ever being kissed or hugged by their mother. I robbed my grandchildren of ever knowing their grandmother. I have lost all my material wealth. I have lost almost every friend that I had. I have lost contact with almost all of my family.
But I now know who Jesus Christ is! He came to my cell and forgave me of my sins. He set me free, inside! He called me again to preach His mighty message. I now have a captive audience here in prison. He has called me twice now; He will not have to call me again. I have received the invitation into my heart.

I pray that my testimony will help just one person not to make the same mistake that I did, to think that your sins would not be found out, and that you do not let God help you if you have an anger problem.   Remember that God will not be mocked! If you do not believe me, read the Bible.  It is full of God's judgment on disobedient people all through history.

In His Love & Service,
David Ewart

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How to Find Victory through Life's Tirals

HOW TO FIND

 VICTORY THROUGH LIFE’S TRIALS

By: Norm Rasmussen

Trials are inevitable in this life, especially for the born again child of God.  We commonly hear that there are two things we can be certain of in this life: Death and taxes.  That is not a complete statement.  Someone left out trials.  Trials visit us all.  Little trials bringing minor irritation to major trials bringing life-long pain for some – we aren’t going to go through life without experiencing them.

However … God wants to teach us how to be victorious in our trials, so it doesn’t shipwreck our faith.  Many of the trials we each face need to be considered “spiritual terrorist attacks to try to somehow shipwreck our faith in God.”  Thus we need to learn all we can in how to remain victorious in our trials, so our confidence in God and His Word is not shaken, and we don’t become overtly discouraged.

The most important thing God wants to teach us … the most important thing we can learn to do QUICKLY, when a trial comes our way, is go to God in prayer and ask Him this question: 

“What am I to learn from - through this trial?”

Keep asking and keep trusting until you get your answer. 

Trials rarely are sent directly from God.  Most trials originate from demonic powers – demonic assignments upon our life (spiritual terrorist attacks).  When God directly sends a trial our way, it isalways because of His love for us.  When Satan sends a trial our way, it is always because of his hate for us.  If you have a true, sincere heart for the Lord Jesus Christ, you above all people are hated by demonic powers above all others.  Never forget that.

Let’s also make one other thing perfectly clear.  God is 100% sovereign over what demonic powers are allowed to do in our lives.  He always has been.  He always will be.  Every trial demonic powers launch against a child of God first must pass through the screening of our heavenly Father.  We see this fact clearly - long before Jesus Christ defeated Satan at the cross - in the Old Testament Book of Job.

Now here is the important point to grasp from this fact.  Just because Satan is allowed by God to launch a painful attack upon us does not mean that God delights in it happening.  On the contrary -- many things God permits … but He doesn’t take personal delight in the pain it causes those who are suffering. 

Case in point.  In every war, innocent children are painfully affected one way or the other, as are older men and women, not to mention those of ages in between.  God doesn’t take delight in these innocent people suffering.  He hurts right along with those who are hurting.  Yet he permits war because in permitting Satan and his demonic hordes to have their way on this planet, war is just one of many expressions of evil that God must contend with yet for a season.  Permitting evil to flourish doesn’t mean God delights in its flourishing, anymore than God delighted that Jesus Christ had to suffer on the cross for our sins, nor all His demonic suffering that took place from day one of His ministry.   

God will deal with evil as His plan unfolds to deal with it and destroy it, in accordance with His written Word.  God has a plan alright to destroy evil on this planet – it just is going to get executed on God’s timetable, not ours. 

To drive the point home about what God permits the devil to do:  If Satan’s attacks against us somehow secretly please our heavenly Father, then why is God going to one day in the future seal Satan’s doom in the eternal lake of fire?  Why doesn’t God just keep Satan and his demon hordes around through all eternity to be with us in heaven to continually attack us – try us – inflicting pain upon us?  Saying it a little differently – if demonic attacks against God’s people are so beneficial, why has God promised in His Word that heaven will be a place of eternal joy and peace, free from all evil? 

No … demonic attacks against God’s children does not give God secret pleasure.  A part of Him hurts every bit as much as we hurt when trials come our way.  It probably hurts Him more than we hurt, if the truth be known.

Yet here is what God wants born again believers to see and be at peace with.  Every trial that we go through in this life … God promises that He is going to use those trials to ultimately work for our eternal good!   Because most trials against Christian believers come from Satan, God still promises us from His Word that He will use those trials – painful and unfair as they may be – to work for our eternal good!  Precious one … this is a win-win situation!

Here is our absolute assurance that God is using our trials to one day become our blessing:

Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,

While we do not look at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.   – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NKJV

I hope you can grasp this awesome promise God has assured us of in the above scripture.  Our trials in this life … in light of eternity, is but for a moment … and are working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!  Beyond our salvation, this is perhaps one of the greatest demonstrations of God’s miraculous power we could fathom.  God will use our pain and misery and turn it into an eternal blessing for us!  Can you shout “Hallelujah!  Thank you Jesus!” 

We have incredible comfort knowing that our suffering as Christian believers is not in vain at all, in light of eternity!  Yet God still wants us to be in tune with His Spirit when a trial comes our way.  Hestill wants us to inquire of Him as to what we are to learn from the trial while we’re going through it.  Nine times out of ten He will reveal to us that the trial is not only coming from Satan, and NOT God, but how to be wiser from then on to spot a similar demonic attack in the future and stop Satan dead in his tracks before the attack can gain momentum. 

Our human nature wants no conflict – no pain – no suffering.  (It’s not all that stupid, is it?!).  However … that desire will not be granted until we get to heaven, or until Christ returns to earth to eradicate evil.  Until then, we are in a spiritual battle that is only going to steadily intensify.  As each day passes, Satan knows his time is running out.  Satan knows that once Jesus Christ returns to earth in all His power and majesty for the whole world to marvel at … his defeat will come.  Thus as God allows … Satan is going to make an all-out effort to take to hell as many as he can while he’s able to do so. 

Satan’s sole motivation to take as many to hell as he can is to simply express his jealousy and hatred that he will never be able to live in blessing with God for the rest of eternity like you and I will, if we don't walk away from God but continue to persevere in Christ.  If Satan can’t have God’s blessing … Satan and his demonic hordes doesn’t want anyone else receiving it either.  Hatred for God and jealously of what born again believers will be given through eternity fuels his passion to take to hell as many as he can take there to suffer for eternity with him.  Seeing other people suffer gives him the greatest satisfaction he is capable of experiencing.  Even that will be taken away from him once final judgment has been pronounced upon him, but until that time comes … he’s going to do everything he can to try to keep as many people from getting into heaven that he can.

Even if he can’t manage to get you angry with God so you will stop serving the Lord … he wants you to be the most miserable person on this planet.  Sending trials your way is his means of inflicting pain upon you.  Setting you up to walk into his terrorist ambushes is his jealously being expressed.  God wants to teach you how to be wiser and wiser to discern these “terrorist ambushes,” so you will not fall victim to them like you have in the past. 

When a trial comes your way … ask God what you are to learn from this trial.  In so doing, it will make you a more fully trained and equipped soldier of Jesus Christ to help snatch other souls out of Satan’s grip.   In so doing, it will make you more a victor … than a victim.

God tells us plainly that we must be constantly on our toes to spot terrorist attacks about to be sprung on us:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.      (1 Peter 5:7-8)

God also wants us to not be surprised nor shaken when terrorist attacks from Satan come our way:

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.  (1 Peter 4:12-13)

The “sufferings of Christ” in the above scripture speaks of demonic attacks against Jesus Christ.  If Jesus was not exempted from demonic attacks during His ministry … neither should we somehow assume that we will be exempted from demonic attacks. 

Yet here is the crucial point to understand in all this.  Jesus Christ knew fully where his suffering was coming from; it was coming from Satan.  Our heavenly Father wants us to know every bit as much as Jesus knew where our sufferings are coming from.  Why?  Because Satan’s strategy is to deceive us into getting upset and mad at God for allowing the trial to happen in the first place … rather than get upset at Satan for being the source of our trial.  Ephesians 6:12 makes this fact perfectly clear.  Yes - as God uses people to help expand His Kingdom in the lives of other people ... Satan also uses people to help do his bidding.  However, the source of all evil originates first from the spirit world.

Satan is the most ruthless terrorist known to all creation.  Never underestimate his ability to launch such subtle ambushes against you that you grow demoralized in serving in the Army of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Don’t become Satan’s victim – become his living nightmare! The more he attacks you, let your anger not be at God, but channel your anger into becoming more determined and more diligent than ever before to take as many souls to heaven with you that you can!

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Make Yourself Ready!

MAKE YOURSELF READY! (The Richard Madison Story)
 

Is there REALLY a God? Maybe you have asked yourself that question many times, yet still are not sure. Or perhaps you have chosen to believe there must be a God, but just aren't sure what to believe about Him. Possibly you've read a variety of literature about what others believe about God and about all that has done is trigger more questions. Which religion is right? Which is wrong? Are all right for those who believe they are right? Or, is a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ the issue to focus in on? Questions abound, don't they, about God, and the things of God?
So - what am I going to share about God that you probably don't already know? I'm going to tell you how I experienced God. Perhaps as I do so, your desire will increase to experience God as well.
Like many others, my childhood had its challenges. For instance, at six months old, I rolled off a couch and laid in a coma for six days. Then at age five, one of my great uncles lost his mind and shot at me several times. I ran into my grandmother's house and hid under the bed. He shot my grandmother four times and later committed suicide. My grandmother lived though, and she credits it to the healing power of God.
At age 12, I gave my heart to Jesus Christ, and was water baptized at the local rock quarry. But as I grew older, I forgot about the Lord, and went my separate way. God simply calls it rebellion. Not surprisingly, I got into alcohol, drugs, and just plain riotous living. For ten years, I ignored what the Bible has to say about the consequences that will come for people like me who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but make no effort to keep His commandments. As parents must discipline rebellious children for their own good, God also disciplines His rebellious spiritual children. (Read Hebrews 12:5-11).
During those rebellious years, there were times when I faced great peril, and I would call out on Jesus to come to my rescue, and He would. But when I wasn't in trouble, I'd forget about Him.
However, on April 13, 1986, at 6:45 AM, I was unable to call upon Him. I was involved in a head-on collision. I went to sleep at the wheel and crossed the centerline. My 1984 Ford truck struck a 1985 Delta 88 head on. The engine of my truck was pushed into the cab, pushing my left leg up through my hip and pelvis. My right leg was pinned in under the dash, crushing my right ankle. The steering wheel crushed my chest, breaking all my ribs in front. One rib went into my right lung. Another rib cut the aorta artery in my heart. My spleen was ruptured. My left jaw was broken along with a vertebra in my neck. My right eye was knocked out of its socket. I was in bad need of a Band-Aid or two. Forty minutes passed before I was removed from the wreckage and transported to Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

I was considered DOA, but the main trauma doctor later told me a voice from out of nowhere told him to try and save me. My aorta artery was repaired twice; my spleen was removed. I was considered brain dead since I had no blood carrying oxygen to my brain for 40 minutes. I was given a total of 124 units of blood.
To give the doctors a greater challenge, I got double pneumonia, blood poisoning, yellow jaundice, and hepatitis. My left hip, right ankle and left jaw remained broken for 25 days. Doctors felt it was useless to repair my bones when I was not going to survive anyway.
As I lay there in that hospital bed, teetering on the brink of death, three Christian believers in my family anointed me with oil and prayed the prayer of faith over me, believing God to heal me, in accordance with James 5:14-16 in the Bible.
On the 27th day of my comatose state, my liver and kidneys stopped working. I laid in this condition with infections, swelling, and a fever of 104 degrees for 10 hours. The doctors called all of the family in one last time and advised them to make funeral arrangements. But the three determined Christians whom the Holy Spirit had given faith stood on this promise:

All things are possible to him who believes. (Mark 9:23)

Members of my family went to the prayer chapel. While they were praying, I either had a vision, or my spirit left my body. I saw myself leave the ICU and walk down a hallway. I entered a door, realizing I was in some sort of a church. I saw my family praying. I heard my name mentioned. I saw the color of the carpet and counted the number of the pews. While watching my family pray for me, I spoke to my mother, but she could not hear me. This was the end of my life ... it seemed.
Then I had this knowing that I was not walking in right-relationship with Jesus Christ, nor had I been in nearly ten years. Was Jesus giving me one last chance to call on His name?
Suddenly I looked up and called on the name of Jesus. All of a sudden, I felt a huge hand cover the top of my head. A voice said:
"I am Jesus. I am giving you another chance. Go and tell my people I am the same yesterday, today, and forever, and I change not. Tell them I still perform miracles, and I am coming SOON."
I tried to look up at Him but He would not let my head turn. As I pushed against His hand . . . I sat up out of the 27-day coma.
I reached for the nurse at the foot of the bed. I had a tracheotomy and my jaw was wired shut, so I wrote on paper the color of the carpet and the number of pews in the church. The nurse realized I was describing the prayer chapel and hurried down and found my family praying. She told them I was awake and okay, and that they must be praying to the REAL God.
After five days without medicine, the main trauma doctor came in my room and told me that he had never seen anything like what had happened to me. He said there must be a God in heaven, and He was watching over me.
I left the hospital in a wheelchair - told I would never walk again. The sciatic nerve was severed and three bones were removed in my right foot. But after eight weeks from the time of leaving the hospital, Jesus spoke to me and told me to arise and walk. I knew I was delivered from drugs and alcohol and even virtually raised from the dead, but to walk on legs I could not feel? My mind said it was impossible!

Walk By Faith, Not Feelings

But Jesus told me that I must begin to walk by faith, not by feelings (See 2 Cor.5: 7). Little did I realize at the time that He was teaching me one of the most important foundations in the Christian walk -- not to mention how to see miracles manifest. I stood up out of the wheelchair and leaned forward. There was no feeling in my legs. Then I began to run. My legs just began to operate! I gave up the wheelchair for a walker. A week later, I traded that for a cane. A week later, I didn't need anything, and I've been walking with Jesus Christ ever since!

So dear reader, if you want to experience God for yourself, don't let this moment pass without making Jesus Christ your Savior and Lord. But you must be serious about it. You must be willing to give your all to Him and be obedient to His commandments in the New Testament. When you do that, you'll have a glorious experience of your own to share . . . and it will be ONGOING! This age as we know it is winding down, and when Christ comes back for those who are sold out to Him, which He told me is SOON, we will forever be in the presence of God. No more prison, no more sadness, sickness or sorrow. Just pleasure forevermore!

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