Still Wanting More Of Him Friday, January 18, 2008

Though this testimony is a bit lengthy, it is worth taking a few minutes to read, in order to receive the blessing that unfolds from it.

I was born in Whittier, California on March 31, 1983, and was raised here all my life.

Well, my mother raised me in the Assembly of God church, but she was raised in an independent Pentecostal church. She had good upbringing and loved the Lord in what she knew was right. She was one to go to Sunday School, church services, Bible studies, and prayer meetings; she just really loved the Lord. My dad was in the music department of the church and always attended church on Sundays, but not really serving God. So growing up I had the religious and spiritual sides. Having been raised in church, that is what mom instilled in me; going to Sunday school, church, I even attended a Christian school. Though having that as a young boy, I did not behave and was always getting into trouble. Let me say this, I had to be transferred many times to different schools.

I was really active in sports growing up, especially baseball. That was my hobby. I really loved it very much, from the time I was five years old. Later I was active in basketball. Like I said, school was not very much my thing, so sports was my outlet, and I was very involved in them. As I grew older my skills got greater and greater for the game as a pitcher; from all-stars to special events.

Well, my life also has been very strange always knowing there was a God, and I wanted to know Him but just did not have a clear understanding of Him. One particular time I wanted to know Him and had been with my grandma when I was around five years old. I heard something on the radio about Jesus, and I wanted Him in my heart, and we prayed together. But that was it. As I got older, though raised in church, my nature was for other things. I ended up getting injured as a pitcher and never could pitch like I used to. I was also injured in basketball, and fractured my hip real bad and could not play ever again, because the doctor told me that if I landed wrong I could be paralyzed. So, to me, my dreams were shattered.

Well, slowly but surely, though I had always done many things as a child that were not right, it just got worse. Especially when I went back into the public schools and just started getting into drugs, ditching schools, fighting, and jumping people. I started a little gang, wanted to be with the girls, and did many immoral things. My mother had to kick me out a few times, but I knew she prayed even though I was out there. Something inside me was never comfortable, but it just got worse and worse. I was selling drugs. There came a time that I started seeing demons in my room and my mom knew, could sense it, where I would be choked out by these demons. At 13 I got really sick by the drugs and was taken to the emergency room at the hospital and thought it was over with; the consequences of sin. The Lord spared my life. But months later I was back to doing what I was doing before and even more. I got kicked out of school for drugs and bringing a deadly weapon to school, and I also got sent to juvenile hall. I could tell you many things but time would not allow me. Once I entered high school more things began to happen; getting into worse fights and so forth. I was going back in for violating my probation at 15 years of age.

My mother still made me go to church in all this, even though I knew I was not living right. So I would sit way in the back of the church, go to the parking lot, leave, or do something else. God had been merciful to me.

I must share something. Through all that, something happened one very special night that comes to my mind. I was fourteen years old, and I was going to get a drink out of the refrigerator while everyone was asleep. I walked towards the kitchen, and on the opposite side ,there in my living room, was a light hanging in the corner. I just passed by and thought, what was that, but just kept walking towards the kitchen, and when I came back it was still there. It was above the lamp, hanging in the air. I got behind the wall to peak out to look out of the corner of my eye, and it was a yellowish green light. It frightened me as I was just a teenager and did not have any clue of what it was. But in my heart I was thinking, what do you want with me? Well, I kind of ran to my room and closed the door and got under the covers. It felt like it was coming towards my room, cause I could see the radiance of light under my door, but I said, leave me alone, what do you want with me? It slowly left and about 15 minutes later a very evil presence came and attacked me. After that I never told anyone about it.

Well, time went on and I just did my own thing, like going to parties and going with girls. I got involved with the wrong girl at 17 years old, and on August 7th, 2000, I was involved in a very bad crime and tried to hurt someone really bad that night. Later I came home with blood all over my shirt, and my mom had just walked in from a prayer meeting. Well, I told a twisted story of what had happened and lied to her. She later told me that the Lord told her to come home instead of stopping at the store. That same night I planned on going to that persons house to hurt his family and to do more things. I had called a few friends to go with me, and I had it all set up to go back. I told them what time to come, and so forth. Well, it was getting late and I was thinking about many things of what I had been doing. Then a very funny feeling came over me, and I did not know what it was. I was at the point that I did not want to live any more, because I was tired of being tired. It seemed as though something was happening in my room and something in my heart told me to get the Bible and open It. Wow, it was so different from anything. I was scared, and I do not know how to put it into words. Well, I ended up grabbing the Word of God and laid down on the bed with It over my chest looking at the clock and said, if He speaks to me, I would give my life to Him. But if not, I would finish doing what I had planned. Well, I opened the Bible and It fell open to Proverbs. I knew something was taking place. As I looked down it was a Scripture that said "if you go shed innocent blood," and it went down into my life, and I started crying. Many things were revealed. He said to me that if I were to seek Him as a hidden treasure I would find safety. Well I gave my heart to Him that night. When I got up off my knees there was a knock at my window and it was my friends who I had told to come over, and they did. Well I walked outside, and as I was walking down the driveway there was the still small voice that said, enough is enough, you‘re mine now. Then my friends left. I went back in the house and made some promises to the Lord that I would turn myself in, even though that was hard. I wanted to go and make a public confession in church that I wanted to serve Jesus Christ. So the next Sunday after the sermon the pastor said there was someone in the service that was done playing games and asked if they would come down to the altar. I walked down from the balcony, and I was the first one there, and later another man came to the altar.

The next Tuesday, August 14, I turned myself into the authorities. I was only 17 years old. It was hard brothers and sisters. I went through many things, but I won‘t write them all. I was facing a 15 year sentence according to them. I ended up getting a 7 year sentence. I had many experiences in there, both good and bad. The first time I really felt His presence was in juvenile hall. There at a little Bible study we were singing, and I started lifting my hands, and this presence came over me that I felt so unworthy, and I got on my knees and started crying out. It was powerful! I witnessed to every roommate I had. I started having dreams, and many things happened. But I knew there was something still missing. I came in contact with so many different beliefs. It made me wonder what all this was about. So I prayed. I never wanted to do a lot of things that others were doing in there. I was transferred to a few facility. One day in particular I was in the cell, and the staff was letting everyone out for something. The guard on staff wanted to know what I was reading, and I told him out of the book of Samuel. He told me I was reading his book, not mine. He was a Jew, and he said it was for them. He said, the Gentiles, as he took my Bible from my hand, I will show you in the Scriptures. He turned to Malachi 4, and I read the whole chapter and never understood why.

Well, months later I was in another institution praying for God to show me the book of Revelation. I was in the Norwalk facility, and I went to the Board and was given many choices of where I desired to serve the rest of my sentence. I had a few choices, and my first choice was to go to Ventura, which was closest to home. They put that information down and granted that option to me. Weeks later I got a box in the room with a white jump suit, and it had my name on it with my booking number. It was all correct, but the placement was Paso Robles instead of Ventura. By the way, Paso means oak. So I was on my way up to this place about four or five hours to Central California. When I arrived, there were already problems with many things. I was in the receiving unit for about a month or so. But I was trying to get to fire camp, but they said I was not eligible for it because of my hip trouble that I fractured in the past. So I did not get cleared for camp. I was transferred to a unit called San Simeon. I was there for a few weeks with many things on my plate. One particular day a man walked up to me and introduced himself and told me his name. He was one of the staff. He said he’d been noticing me read my bible and witnessing to others and worshiping in the yard. I asked him if he was a Christian, and he said he was, so I asked what church he went to. The way he said it was different just to let you know. He was reading the same book that I was reading when the Jew came to me. The book of Samuel, which if you read it, there had not been a prophet for many years. There was no open vision in those days. He asked me if I would like to read, and he brought me in a book by Owen Jorgensen called "The Supernatural Life of William Branham." The same night he gave it to me I was reading in the dorm while everyone was a sleep. I was laying down reading this book, and it was about the second page where I was reading about this light that came into the cabin over where he was and hung over him. At that moment I remembered what happened when I was 14 years old; that light that I saw. Something inside said there is something about this man’s life that has to do with mine, and I never remembered it until I read this book. The next time I saw this brother that was part of the staff, I asked him who that was that came over him. He said the Angel of the Covenant. I told him that is what I saw when I was 14. Well, that weekend I had a visit from my family, and I began to tell them of what was happening about this man and a light that came over him, and it was the same light that I saw when I was 14. Then my sister, who was there, said she had woke up a few nights ago and saw that light again by where I saw it. When she came to my room it was over my pillow, and a little voice said to her, do not worry about your brother, and that He was taking care of me. Wow! I was shocked and humbled. I began to get very interested in his ministry. The Lord began opening up many things in the Bible, and it became a new Book to me. I have had some dreams about the prophet. I was later baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and began seeking the Holy Ghost.

I got out of the youth authority on December 17, 2003. I am now 24 years old and still wanting more of Him. Please pray for me. There are so many other things that have happened in my life. I believe God has sent me the greatest Prophet that ever lived of all the Old and New Testament. I do not believe he is Jesus Christ, but he has made Jesus Christ real to me, the revealed Son of Man in this age. I believe more is yet to come. Thank you for reading my testimony. May this encourage someone. Jesus Christ is truly the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever. His voice is sounding through the tapes of his Prophet, William Marrion Branham. He truly is Elijah.