Prayers Live Forever

I received the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room class at the Adamsville Church of God on September 24, 2000. The same Sunday mentioned in the previous articles. My testimony, however; begins two weeks before on September 10, 2000, and would continue to this very moment if time and space permitted!

For background information I was raised in the Church of God, the product of Adams's and Statums, gave my heart to God at an early age, and was in church every time the door was opened until I moved out on my own. I began making excuses for not going to church, nibbling in sin, until before I knew it I was BURIED in sin. I would still attend occasionally, mainly because my Mother would call almost every Sunday morning to tell me to go to Church until she became too ill. I went to church a couple of times after Mother passed away, but it had been 17 months since I had been to church, and had been away from God for almost 25 years until THAT day.

On Sunday, September 10th, out of no where, (known to me at the time) I decided to go to church. I don't remember what the sermon was about, but I remember hearing "He's All I Need" being sung, and seeing the Pastor I had never met walk up the isle. As he passed, out of no where again, I said "Pray for Me." He said a brief prayer, walked away, and then came right back. I remember he took my hand, started praying for me again and I began patting his hand with my other hand because the devil was fighting so hard against what the Lord was doing. I'm not sure what happened after that except I must have raised my hand because I remember Brother Hodges tapping it and it was in the air. I struggled through out the day with what had happened and the first thought I had the next morning was WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? I decided I would give it a try again, but I would just keep it to myself just in case it didn't work out. I searched through tapes I had and found one of the Choir. It is an hour to my closest store and almost two to my furthest store. I listened to that tape over and over and over!! It was the ONLY music I heard for days. On Thursday as I was driving between Oneonta and Guntersville I began to Praise the Lord in my mind. I began sobbing so hard I was afraid I was going to wreck. I drove this way for a couple of miles and saw a Church on my right with cars out front. The door was open, and several people were just inside. 

I know I must have scared those ladies with my sobbing, but I said I need to pray, which way can I go? They pointed, but called for back up! It was only a moment until I was being questioned, but I finally got it out that I had recently been saved and I just wanted to worship the Lord for a few minutes. I still don't know the name of that Church. The real turning point came on the 24th when, you guessed it, out of no where, I walked to the platform where my sister was singing with the Praise and Worship, and just hugged her and cried. I can still remember the strange look on her face as I walked to her. I then began walking around hugging several others. 

After service I passed by the Upper Room Class and Linda motioned for me to come in. Since that day I look for people to tell them what the Lord has done and is doing for me! He dug me out of where I was buried, forgave me and forgot it. 

He put a song in my heart, peace in my life, praise on my lips, and a fire in my soul. This is just the beginning of what he is doing in my life! As a child at Pike Ave. Church of God Brother Alfred Cornutt was my Sunday School teacher. I remember him looking me straight in the eye, pointing his finger at me, and saying during the middle of class, Denise, God has his hand on your life. I know this is true or I wouldn't be alive today. I was robbed by a masked gunman and I still can see him raising the shotgun to shoot as he was leaving... God stayed his hand. I survived an accident I could have easily been killed in...God protected me. 

The doctor found a tumor that was early stage cancer inside of one of my ovaries, I went through two surgeries and 27 biopsies, and the Doctors told me how lucky I was because it was rare they found this before it was too late... God guided them. He did all of these things while I was living in sin. 

You see, God NEVER left me, he still loved me. I had lived in sin, and prospered, but it all belongs to Him. I give the Lord everything I am or ever hope to be. I pray that I can somehow bridge the gap for someone to find their way home. If you have a loved one that is lost DON'T give up. Keep giving them to God. If you're not living for God give him your heart. If you, like me, turned your back on God, He's still right where you left him, longing for you to come home. If your nibbling in sin, STOP. 

My Mother wrote something in her Bible between 1960 and 1986 that my brother had framed for me and hung by my bed since shortly after Mother went to Heaven. It reads. Prayers live forever. Even when my lips are silent in death my prayers will live in the ears of God that I have prayed for my children and my childrens' children. "Oh God may my family all be saved and may we meet around the throne of God when this life is over is my prayer" SEE YA THERE MOM! PRAISE BE TO GOD!! Denise Adams