Testimonies

The peace that passes all understanding

2009-02-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

I have peace that passes all worldly understand and I praise God for that peace.
Being bible believing spirit filled Christians, but not attending a fellowship, I thought we had a handle on everything that Satan threw our way.
Praise God I was wrong, so wrong in believing that lie.
November 19th, 2008 our youngest son Michael, age 25, was murdered in our home.
My world as I knew it fell into a zillion and one pieces. The pain was unbelievable even for me. This is not supposed to happen to us, but it did.
I for some reason could not turn to God for help. I was consumed with finding out why my son was gone. Over the next 3 months, I was frozen with fear. My life has been threatened and I suffer from panic anxiety. I can not to this day go into the room where I found my son and I don't stay to long in the living room where the paramedics tried too work on Michael, because that is where his heart stopped.
But today I have a inner peace. On 2/13/09 while driving home from Wal-mart I had a panic attack and I was really missing my son. I had to pull over. I did not know what I was going to do, but the Lord had not left me. I heard him tell me to call Crossfire. I did and I talked with Kristy, and was able to drive home. Pastor John called and we talked and he told me what I already knew, but I needed to hear. So I promised to go to church in 2 weeks, but the Lord had other plans. I had to go to church on Sunday and I did not want to go at all, but the Lord kept pushing me, and pushing me so Ted & I went to Church on Sunday morning and I knew then I was really angry with God for taking my son away from me. My thoughts, as I listened in worship, were how dare these people praise God. They still have their sons. Wait until God takes their child. After worship, the Lord said “you need prayer”. So being the "good" person that I am, I went. I really didn't want to make the Lord any madder since he took my son. I thought, “I am being punished for being a bad mom”.
I heard someone say God loved me. That went over and over in my mind. Then I said “Then why did God take my son”. That is the last thing I heard. I felt as though I was being shot with a rapid nail gun. It started in the pit of my tummy and spread down and up my body.
When I woke, I was on the floor with a peace in my heart and soul that I have never felt before. The Lord needed me to be still, and for 3 months I played detective. I thought about just ending my life to be with my son. I thought about killing the girl who killed my son. That’s all I thought about for 3 months. I was scared, but did not realize in my pain that God was watching out for me. He knew what was going to happen on the 15th of February. The Lord knew as hard as I tried to handle this horrific act that no one should ever have to go through, I needed Him. I was not going to be all who the Lord has intended for me without him. Can I say that if I were walking with the Lord, being studious as he wants from me, that my son would still be here with me, absolutely not. But I do know that instead of trying to handle my son's death on my own and letting Satan take a foot-hold, letting the Lord handle all the pain and living under his grace has given me a inner peace I never thought could happen. It is truly only by the grace of God that I write this testimony and have peace in knowing "all things, work together for those who truly trust & love the Lord”, not just the little things that we take for granted. But ALL!
Everything under heaven.
In Jesus mighty name I pray...
Amen and Amen!
Debi Ranck

Our Lord Heals!

2008-05-27T21:22:00.001-07:00

Last Friday I felt a sharp and agonizing pain in my left lower back as I walked out of my home on the way to work, not doing anything unusual just walking. It was very painful to walk and to move at all but I managed to get through the day at work and taking lots of over-the-counter pain medication was able to sleep fitfully. I woke to a feeling a little better but still very painful all across my back on Saturday morning. I was unable to attend the wedding of two very dear young people from our church and it broke my heart to miss it but I really was not able to get around well. I went ahead and came to church on Sunday knowing I NEEDED to be there! Spent the worship time sitting and not being able to fully enter in. When the prayer team was assembled up front I made my way to ask for prayer. I never feel truly "worthy" to ask for something for myself and felt very uncomfortable doing this. Dan and Rod were awesome in their prayer over me for healing and anointing me, and Rod even addressed my feelings of unworthiness (how could he know?). I walked back to my seat and felt GREAT, the pain was gone and has not returned!! This is a true testimony of healing from our great provider and faithful Lord above!! I am so thankful to our prayer warriors and to all who pray faithfully, and feel very blessed to be a part of such a wonderful outreaching church!!
Marianne

Miracle - Saving my job

2008-04-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

From March 16th to April 16th I was doing the Daniel Fast. For those of you who don't know what that is it is a fast of eating only vegetables, grains, fruits, eggs and plain air popped popcorn, And only drinking water, fruit and vegetable juices.

When I first started it I knew I would be tested spiritually, but didn't know to what extent until the Wednesday the week before I was to end my fast. At that time I was told I couldn't come to work for a few days, because of a situation that was made bigger than it needed to be. I knew that God was going to help me get through this, and that I would be keeping my job. He had me read Psalms over and over again, and watch Pastor Aaron's message on "Every Miracle deserves a testimony". Because I obeyed Him God gave me the strength and inner peace to speak up to my bosses, and he provided me a great union representative. On the 15th of April I was told that I could go back to work the next day.

God has shown me through this situation and many others that He works miracles in the lives of those who will trust in Him and follow the Word on a daily basis. It's amazing to see God's time line at work. I thought at the beginning of my fast I would just be thankful at the end of it how much he blessed me spending time in His word and becoming closer to him in prayer and worship. Unknown to me at the beginning God knew that I would be celebrating with Him helping me keep my job. And that celebration date would be April 16th the last day of my fast.

Let God work in your life like he worked in mine. Whether it is healing you are needing, or a work situation, family issues it doesn't matter nothing is too big for God to handle. God is telling me right now to tell those of you dealing with a death to let God comfort you and give you peace.

Deborah Foster

Miracle - God used my Grandpa (Melanie)

2008-03-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

I was 29-years-old, a wife, the mother of a two-year old daughter and six months pregnant with my second. My marriage of 11 years was having some problems, but nothing that I believed we wouldn't be able to work through. My grandpa, who I was very close to, had been ill, but I had great hope he would recover just as he had so many times in the past. I had a nice home, a newer car, money in the bank, and the privilege of being a full-time stay-at-home mom. I was, for the most part, content.
One night I had a vivid dream. I was standing at the base of some mountains that resembled the Sierra Nevadas where I had lived as a child. My Grandpa was there, wearing his cowboy hat and holding the reigns of a horse. Ahead of me was a path that curved into one of the mountains. The path and the mountains seemed to go on forever. In my dream, I was terrified and said to my grandpa, "No, please, I can't do this alone." My grandpa sadly shook his head, but then sternly said, "You have to.” I asked him, “can't you go with me?" Again, my grandpa shook his head no, yet said, "I'll always be with you." I started to cry. Grandpa said, "I've already given you everything you need; remember what I've taught you." I turned to the trail ahead of me and knew that I had to travel down the path before me. The next day, my family and I found out that my grandpa had terminal lung cancer. Three months later, exactly one week after my baby girl was born, my grandpa died. In the course of the following year, my marriage disintegrated and my husband became obsessively controlling and abusive. My health deteriorated to the point of nearly crippling me. Shortly after my youngest daughter's first birthday, my husband filed for divorce. I felt alone and abandoned.
Though I believed in God and had accepted Christ as a child, I hadn't been to church in nearly 20 years and knew little about Jesus. However, at this rock bottom point in my life I found myself praying daily. I started attending a church, though not regularly. The next several years were some of the most difficult of my life. My ex continued to terrorize and harass me, often using our children to accomplish this (and hurting them in the process). I struggled to work, pay the bills, and eventually go to school, all while fighting legal battle after battle, dealing with the police, etc. Yet God worked miracle after miracle in my life. At first, I didn't recognize them for what they were, because I didn't know God, but as I learned more about Him, and started living by His Word, the more I loved and trusted in Him ... and the more He was able to work good in my life.
Not too long ago, I remembered the dream of my grandpa. I realized, finally, that the one who had spoken to me in my dream was not my beloved grandpa, but instead, it was God. God knew at that time in my life, I wouldn't have recognized Him - so He used the image of my grandpa -- an image that meant love, protection and wisdom to me. Even though I wasn't following Him at the time, God was watching over me! He led me down the path that led me to Him.

Miracle - Inspiring Message (Marlene)

2008-03-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

I was channel surfacing tonight and landed at Crossfire. There stood Aaron preaching the Word. How we tend to feel important in our fancy vehicles, fine clothes and worldly stuff all while covering up the fine shine that God gives us when we accept Him. As I sat there basking in my Lord's plan for me, I want to live a life where God is the skipper of this boat. Aaron, I thank you for your message tonight (March 01, 2008). I feel you ask God to direct you with your sermon and I got it loud and, clear. I am so glad Oregon has been blessed with you and your beautiful wife. Keep on doing what the Lord has Gifted you to do and needs you to fulfill. May God Bless you all, Sincerely Marlene

Miracle - Reaching Out (Michael)

2008-03-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing night last night and I wanted to share part of it with everybody so they can know that God still moves. Last night I was watching the movie, Facing the Giants. I strongly recommend that movie to everyone. At the end of the movie, I was just swamped with the presence of God. I started praying and thanking him for everything. That went on for a while and I put on some music to do a little worship. I started thinking and at first i thought it was just me getting distracted but, wait to hear the rest of the story before you decide what was really going on. I started thinking about how some of my brothers and sisters in Christ over here have taken issue with some of the people that I hang out with. I Then started thinking about Jesus and the people he surrounded himself with, for instance: tax collectors, prostitutes, etc. After I finished my little worship service I got out my bible and started reading where I left off in Luke chapter six.
When I finished that, I started reading the other book I'm studying right now called: “One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven” by Mark Cahill. As I was reading I noticed a scripture that he quoted and it looked so familiar. I had just read it. The scripture was: Luke 6:22-23. It states, "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy:for, behold your reward is great in heaven: for in like manner did their fathers unto the prophets." Now it was pretty obvious that Jesus was trying to get something through but I still didn’t have the whole message. I read on in the book and he started talking about some of the times he has reached out and saw fruit. He started talking about ministering to prostitutes and how that always ruffles feathers. He then goes on talking to a woman whose feathers he had ruffled. He asks her if she shares the good word with prostitutes. Her answer is “no.” He then asks about her family. She answered “no.” Then he asked about her church and she responded ”no.” Then who is giving them the message? He then states something that rings so familiar to me. He says, "It was ok for Jesus to be a friend to tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners, but it is apparently not ok for us.” As if that wasn't enough to get my attention, there's more. After I finished my chapter of that book, I picked up my bible study booklet that we're going over today. I hadn't looked at the booklet until that moment. I opened my bible to the passage specified and what do you know, it's the scripture at Levi's house right after his calling where Jesus is eating with the tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners. The passage is Mark 2:13-17, I suggest you read it. So was all this just a coincidence? That's highly doubtful. What are the chances of all that happening in order? Not very high. What can we take from this? I think Mark Cahill said it best, “there are only three things that can happen when you share your faith the person can accept Christ, you can plant a seed, or they can reject you and God.” On the surface it may look like only two of those are winning situations, but after looking at Luke 6:22-23, we see that even that has a winning outcome. So what excuse do we have not to share our faith? The other thing that we learn is everybody deserves to hear the Word of God, regardless of who they are. The healthy do not need a physician, the people who know where they are don’t need a map. Regardless of what others may say, we as Christians need to spread the Word to the lost. That is the great commission given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Salvation for Elizabeth

2008-02-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

Last night we were able to minister to at the Fresh Fire Youth ministry in Paramount, CA. I was able to make so many great relationships, but there was one in particular that I know will stick with me. I met Elizabeth before service, and she was amazing. So, of course, I found her after service as well to tell her that I would love to see her in our Masters Commission this next year.

As I was talking to her about Masters, she changed her expression from a look of curiosity to the -I don't want to hear about this- look. She then told me that she just started coming to church and wasn't saved or anything. She wasn't really even sure if she was going to stick around. I changed the direction of our conversation and asked her what she thought about God from what she had seen that night. She told me that she wasn't sure.

About a year before she came to Fresh Fire Youth, Elizabeth went to a Mormon Church. Her experience there destroyed her and her relationship with God. To put it in layman's terms -Stupid people did stupid things and stamped God's name on it. I apologized to her for what had happened, from the bottom of my heart, and I told her that that was not the God I serve.

I went on to explain to her who my God, and the God of the church we were at, truly was. Afterward I asked her if she wanted to know Him...really know Him. Her eyes began to water and a look of relief came about her face as she said, "Yes."

Then and there I was able to lead Elizabeth to salvation. I am still ecstatic.

Brittany Kirkendoll
Crossfire Masters Commission

Miracle - Salvation Story

2008-02-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning, I got the incredible opportunity to pray with a young lady named Elise to accept the Lord for the very first time. I was really excited to see the genuineness of her heart towards the things of the Lord. She explained to me how she had seen our television program before but never really been to church. She told me how she had told her husband that morning that they were going to go to church today. They opened up the phonebook and chose to come to Crossfire. She was glad she did because she said that during the worship time, she felt something that she had never felt before. She told me how she felt God for the very first time and that during the message, she knew that this was something that she wanted in her life. Praise the Lord! By the time the service was over, she was ready to accept the Lord. I was able to explain to her what it means to be a Christian and pray with her. Seeing the sincerity in her renewed something within me for the lost. Praise God for this wonderful new rebirth in Elise. Please keep her in your prayers as she learns day in and day out what it means to be a Child of God.

Kristy Taylor
Crossfire Ministries

Miracle - Showing His Faithfulness (Luis)

2008-02-12T16:23:00.001-08:00

Allow me to tell you about what God is doing in my life. About a month ago while attending church at Crossfire Ministries, God Himself led me to a brother whom I had never met before. I approached him and asked him his name. His name is Dennis. I introduced myself and my wife Laura. After the service, we talked for awhile and he told me that he had just lost his job and was just here attending the church service. He also told me that he had decided to give his life to Jesus and was going to get baptized on the week of February 3rd. I asked him to tell me how I could pray for him. His request was for strength and for a job. My wife and I agreed to pray for him. The week finally came for him to get baptized. Dennis got baptized that day and also testified to us that God had blessed him with a full-time job. Not only was he blessed spiritually, but financially as well. Glory to God! All I can say is to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ with all of your heart. Be a miracle for someone else and see what God will do for you. All of the power, honor and praise belong to God. Praise the Lord!

Luis & Laura
Springfield, OR

Miracle - From the Mouth of Babes (Isaac)

2008-02-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

God is cool and He loves all of us. He died for us. He came back to life so we can live too.

Love, Isaac Age 7

Miracle - Call to Missions (Elisheba)

2008-02-11T18:44:00.000-08:00

God is so Awesome!!! Lately my daughter Lila has really been on my heart. Last weekend, all of my girls (Lila, Megan and Andrea) and I got to attend a conference called Generation Unleashed. At this conference, Andrea and Megan seemed to be touch by God but Lila did not seem to get it. Also, there were some other things that had me concerned as well. So over this last week I began to pray for Lila that God would break through to her and that she would know the reality of God in her life. This morning God answered my prayers in a very powerful way. Toward the end of worship three different prophetic words were given. I paid close attention to the first two but on the third I got distracted by some people that I saw come in. After I went and said hi to the people who had come in, I looked back up to the front and I realized that the word that was being spoken was being spoken to Lila and two other girls. I immediately tuned in to what was being said. It ended up being a powerful time of ministry for the girls. When the ministry was over I went up to give Lila a hug. We stood there for a little while worshiping together. Then I asked her, "what is going through your head right now?" She looked at me and it seemed as if she could barely get it out, but she said, "I feel like God is telling me when I grow up I am going to be a missionary to Brazil." When she said that I was overwhelmed by the Spirit of God, because I have always felt called to the nations. In 2001, I had gone to Youth With a Mission in Chico, CA. While I was there, I was in a prayer meeting where we were praying for Brazil. During the prayer meeting some things were happening in the Spirit that are hard to articulate. I guess the best way to put it is that I was birthing things in the spirit for Brazil and in that prayer meeting it was prophesied that I would be a mother to Brazil. Of course at that time I thought it meant something like I would go to Brazil and start an orphanage or something like that. But when Lila said that she felt called to be missionary to Brazil, that word that was spoken to me 7 years ago became extremely clear. I think it is so awesome that God not only answered my prayer for my daughter, but He also ministered to me by showing me that the word that was spoken over my life had not died, it is just going to play out a little differently than I imagined.

Elisheba, Springfield, OR

Miracle - A life Rescued (Rebekah)

2008-02-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

I was born June 17th, 1987 destined to live my life exactly how I did. I
lived in an abusive home growing up. I was raised Jehovah’s Witness for
about nine years, and I knew even at the age of nine, that that was not the
spirituality for me. After my mom and dad divorced when I was ten, my mom no
longer claimed to be a Jehovah’s Witness. I was then raised by my mother for
eleven years in witchery/paganism. I never got the sense of Jesus in my life
at this point.
April 20th, 2004 I gave birth to the most amazingly beautiful baby girl.
Whom I named Annahbelle Renee. She deserved the best. My husband and I
got married about six months after she was born, and later I gave birth to
another amazing child, my son William Edward. I began going to college April
of 2006 for a nursing degree. Unfortunately, I never even completed a semester.
While I was in school I trusted my husband to take the very best care for
our children. That was not the case though. When I found out that he was not
taking care of them and instead mal-nourishing them I took them from him and
took them to the doctor. At this time my son was labeled as failure to
thrive and hospitalized. He weighed 9lbs. My little girl and an ear
infection in both ears and was very sick. At the time my daughter was about
2 and my son was 6 months old. DHS then got involved. They were taken away
from my custody. At the time I though it was the worst thing that ever
happened to me and sometimes it still feels that way. The truth is that that
was one of the best things that happened in my life. I know it sounds
obscure, but it truly was. I was unfit at the time to take care of them. I
was very young-minded and still didn’t understand the meaning of family. It
was the best thing for them and I realize that now.
August 29th, 2007 my family; including my mother, brother and his fiancée
(who is pregnant), sister, her baby, my aunt, her two children, my
Father-in-law, and the family dog offered to take me on a vacation. No
strings attached, just bring myself and some clothes. I couldn’t turn that
offer down. We all crammed in this 7 person van (by taking all the seats
out) and hit the road to Mexico. After three weeks of traveling around
Mexico we finally got to the free zone in Belize. My mother wanted to cross
into Belize but I did not have a passport so we couldn’t, instead we headed
back towards the Ciara Mountains on the East Side of Mexico. We arrived in a
small town in Tabasco and planned to stay for the night. That night my
mother told me that she was taking all of us to live in the mountains for
the rest of our lives. She stated that she wanted to create a tribe there
with all of us. Being pregnant, and sane, I wanted nothing to do with the
idea. I told her that she could either help me get back to the United States
or she could just leave me in a foreign country that I had no idea where I
was or how to get home. The family banned together to decide that they were
not going to help me at all. No food, water, or money. They abandoned me. I
was lost, alone, and heart broken. I began on my way home guessing the
direction I should go. Suddenly, on the date of September 28th, I felt
completely safe. At this point in my life I still had no idea about Jesus.
The next thing I knew I was being hailed by a local police officer. I had no
idea how to speak Spanish at all, so communication was out of the picture.
All I could say was Embassy. The nice police officer put me on a bus to
Villermosa which was the farthest he could send me because he was using his
own money. On the bus two Mormon missionaries came to talk to me about God.
They asked me if I have ever considered becoming Mormon. I told them that if
there was a God, He will eventually find me. I arrived at Villermosa with
again no money, food, or water. Somehow I was able to bum enough money to
get to the City of Mexico and eat and drink! From the embassy, they got me on
a bus to Dallas, TX because I had a childhood friend that lived near there
in a small town called Eustace. After I had arrived in Dallas, I began
hitchhiking to Eustace. The first person to pick me up hooked me up with a
ride with a young man, that some of you were able to meet, named Dustin.
That night he took me to a non denominational Christian church. It was then
that I knew where I belonged in this world. I was then that I knew that
there was a God and that I had found Him.
Thank you Lord for all you have done in my life, good and bad. I would not be
the person I am today if it were not for both good and bad. The bad has been
just as much as a blessing as the good. I now live at a Women's home through Crossfire
Ministries and I have a Christian support system.

I hope that my testimony was heard and helped.

Thank you,
Rebekah L. Dodds

Miracle - Salvation for My Family (Kimberly)

2008-02-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

I don't know were to begin, Nov. 26th 2007 (my birthday) my daughter Amanda (23 years old) was killed in a car wreck. Something you never think would happen to you or your family. The pain is so unreal at first. I cried so hard when I received the phone call telling me that she had died. Then out of no where I felt such a peace and a voice saying she is ok, everything is ok. I knew for sure she was with Jesus. Out of such pain came such love and closeness between my family and Jesus. Just last night another daughter was saved. Today 3 of my daughter's and 2 step daughter's were baptized at Crossfire during the baptismal service. This has been my biggest prayer is that all my children get saved, Thank you Jesus for hearing my prayers. It is so important to pray for others because God does do miracles. God bless you all! With Jesus all things are possible.

Kimberly Wallace

Salem, OR

Your testimonies are needed!

2008-01-26T13:43:00.000-08:00

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