GC Session 2015: Prayer Seminars

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Joyce Mulligan

Keith Mulligan

Ed Walker

Lisa Walker

Forward On Your Knees- Part 2

Father in heaven, Lord how good it is to be with brothers and sisters in Christ that love you, that have a passion for your Bible truth and your mission.

And Father I just thank you for Ed and Lisa and Joyce and Keith who are here, and we pray your special anointing on them, for your Holy Spirit to just take over, speak through them powerfully.

But open our hearts, Lord, help us to hear what you want us to hear right now.

But Father, more than that, help us to act on it.

Just put in our hearts and our minds the things you want us doing to hasten your soon coming, to reach people in this world.

And I thank you, Father, in Jesus' name, amen.

Since Janet didn't tell you who we were, I guess I'll do that.

Usually Joyce does that, but in fact we can let you do that, Joyce.

Joyce is actually the prayer ministries coordinator for Central California Conference.

Her husband is a retired pastor that pastored for many, many years.

And Lisa and I are laymen that assist them.

I'm getting trouble already from my boss.

You were just promoted to the word associate.

And by the way, this is Ed Walker and he's an almond doctor.

Have you ever heard of an almond doctor before?

Joyce always says that and what I am is a farmer.

You'll figure that out from the testimonies we're going to share with you today.

My wife Lisa will also be sharing with us.

She actually is retired, but She was a public health microbiologist, or I should say she is, just retired.

But before we start, we'd like to kneel here and pray a short prayer, if you'll just bow your heads with us.

Our kind Heavenly Father, just work through us, make this not about us, but your spirit just working through us to share the testimonies that we have brought today.

Thank you for how you've blessed in the past, but Lord We pray that that blessing will continue today and that you will use us in whatever way you see fit.

What I'd like to do today with you is share a series of testimonies where God's power through prayer has broken some kind of chain.

And the first chain that I'd like to talk about him breaking is my personal testimony about something that happened to me and it was about fear.

All my life I have suffered from the fear of glossophobia.

And for Those of you that are thinking what is that?

When I was in high school and speech class I would be scared to death when the teacher would make me give a speech.

When I was in college taking speech and then marketing classes, which I took an emphasis in marketing and they would make me speak, I would be scared to death.

And turn white, heart beating out of control, little sweat, you know how it is, those of you that have this issue.

It doesn't mean that it's real, you know, but it feels just the same as if you're on something really tall, if you have that particular fear, or something really small, if you have that particular fear.

Well, the story that I'd like to relate to you is that because of this fear, I would never take a job in our local church that required me to do any public speaking.

And various pastors would come and go and they would say, we want you to be an elder.

And I would tell them, well, if the Lord wanted me to be an elder, he would have equipped me to speak because as an elder you're going to get up and speak from time to time up in front.

And so that would, you know, go back and forth in the years past and I never took a job that required any public speaking.

1 day I was working in my shop on a large piece of farm machinery and it was clear underneath getting all dirty trying to fix something there and I had a pastoral visit.

Our pastor decided to come right at that very moment, not when you expect to have a pastoral visit, Keith, but that's when he chose to come.

So I unwound myself from this piece of machinery, Wiped off as much grease and dirt as I could.

He was a man that got right to the point.

And I said to him, but, you know, that I can't speak in public.

He looked me right in the eye and he said, it's because of your own foolish pride that you can't speak in public.

I felt like I'd just been whacked right in the chin, you know.

So I thought, okay, I'll pray about this.

And just as he was leaving, he turned around and he said to me, oh, and by the way, I need you to be the head elder.

Within 3 short months that pastor had to retire because of cancer.

And as I prayed, actually I should have told you that in a minute, but as I prayed I felt like the Lord wanted me to do this.

So I kind of stepped out in faith and I began trying to do the elder job.

Every week when I would need to be on the platform, I would go through the same thing.

Sweating, heart beating wildly out of control.

And every week I would sit there and just dread going up on the platform.

And people would tell me, don't worry, it's gonna get easier.

Has anyone ever heard that, that has this issue?

I got to the point where I dreaded it so much that I would think to myself, you know, I think I have a little sore throat going on here.

Well, you kind of need your head elder to go to church.

Well 1 day I was sitting there on the platform at that time we had a formal service and the elders would march out on the platform and they would sit in their chairs until their particular part of the service started And I was sitting in my chair waiting for my particular part of the service.

Same thing, sweat boiling off, veins sticking out of my neck, heart beating out of control.

And I thought, I'm going to stroke out right here on the platform and that's going to be the end of it.

And I prayed this prayer, Lord, you got to fix this or I quit.

And the moment that I prayed that, it was gone.

Now for me, this testimony, which I don't share too much anymore, It's very personal because sometimes when we go as elders and we pray for someone to be healed of a certain disease.

And those of you that are elders or pastors know what I'm talking about.

Oh, the physicians, their medicine worked this time and they're okay.

But for me, I know this wasn't getting better, it was getting worse.

And when it was just gone in an instant, I know this was the power of prayer.

Such as it was, but a heartfelt cry is a prayer that God loves to answer.

Back to Menu

Forward On Your Knees- Part 2

Transcript

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Sound Doctrine