Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202324S
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00:01 [theme music playing]
00:04 ♪♪ 00:38 [pensive piano music playing] 00:41 ♪♪ 00:47 >> Hello and welcome to It Is 00:48 Written Canada. 00:49 Thank you for joining us. 00:51 In our program today you will 00:53 witness how God is more than a 00:55 story in a dusty book. 00:56 >> Yes, God is much more than a 00:58 religious building, a doctrine 01:00 that seeks to explain Him, a 01:02 painting hoping to capture the 01:05 features of God or a 01:06 well-rehearsed choir whose songs 01:08 to Him inspire audiences around 01:11 the globe. 01:12 God is alive 01:14 and you can trust Him 01:16 completely. 01:18 Our special guest, Pastor Don 01:20 MacLafferty, knows from multiple 01:23 personal experiences how God has 01:25 never failed him and how God 01:28 will never fail you. 01:30 >> Whether you are going through 01:31 puzzling predicaments, dangerous 01:33 dilemmas or heart wrenching 01:35 hardships, we invite you to 01:37 listen carefully and prayerfully 01:39 to Don's personal faith-building 01:42 adventures. 01:43 May they open the eyes of your 01:45 heart to see how God still 01:47 lives, even when you wonder. 01:50 >> Don, welcome to It Is Written 01:52 Canada. 01:53 >> Thank you. 01:54 I'm excited to be in Canada 01:55 again. 01:56 >> And, Don, you're a revivalist 01:58 and a missionary and you train 02:01 people to be disciples 02:03 for Jesus. 02:03 [DON] Yes. 02:04 [RENÉ] Can you tell us about 02:06 your In Discipleship training 02:08 program? 02:09 [DON] Yes. 02:10 Our In Discipleship training 02:11 program is focused on helping 02:13 young and old 02:15 be equipped on how 02:17 to call children, youth, and 02:18 adults to revival. 02:20 And then once people are called 02:22 back to Jesus Christ through 02:23 revival, how to train these same 02:25 people to be disciples and 02:27 disciple makers, how to live as 02:29 a disciple of Jesus, like 02:31 through the day, every day. 02:32 And then how to disciple, 02:33 especially the new generations 02:35 coming up. 02:36 [MIKE] So your focus 02:38 is not just... 02:40 ...handing it off to the church, 02:41 but it's actually equipping the 02:43 family and 02:45 in that, you yourself 02:47 work with your wife, April. 02:49 [DON] Yes. 02:49 [MIKE] How do you work together? 02:50 Tell us about that. 02:51 >> We've been married 35 years 02:53 and all during those 35 years, 02:56 we walk together hand in hand. 02:58 But that's also true of our 03:00 marriage. 03:01 And so she is my best friend 03:03 after Jesus, and she's my 03:06 confidant, and she is also my 03:08 prayer partner. 03:09 And so having her to be able to 03:12 pray with and to bounce ideas 03:14 off with and to take major faith 03:17 steps together, that's just a 03:19 huge thing to me in my life. 03:21 [RENÉ] Mm-hmm, that's beautiful. 03:23 And you know what, Don, when we 03:25 work together like that and 03:26 we're such a powerful team, the 03:28 Devil is angry... 03:29 [DON] Oh, yes. 03:30 [RENÉ] ...and he does not like 03:32 it at all. 03:32 [DON] No. 03:33 [RENÉ] So can you tell us about 03:35 a time that April was attacked? 03:37 [DON] Yes. 03:38 Well, about 18 months ago, all 03:40 of a sudden, when I came back 03:42 from a mission, I think I was in 03:43 Africa, I came back and 03:45 I said, "Babe," I said, 03:47 "What's this on your forehead 03:48 right here?" 03:49 And make a long story short, she 03:51 said, "Well, I just ran into 03:53 something while you were gone," 03:54 and she said, "It's not healing, 03:55 but it should be okay." 03:57 Well, long story short, we found 03:59 out that she had stage four 04:02 lymphoma, and that's aggressive, 04:04 large B-cell. 04:05 And this is with-- this was 04:08 very, very shocking to us 04:09 because we walk together every 04:11 day, we have a good diet, we 04:12 have good exercise. 04:14 Not that cancer can't come to 04:15 anybody, it just surprised us 04:17 because we had no... 04:20 [RENÉ] It was totally 04:21 unexpected. 04:22 [DON] Totally unexpected. 04:23 Yes. 04:24 [MIKE] And besides, I mean, this 04:26 is really hard on you and April 04:28 going through this. 04:29 How are you doing it? 04:31 >> How are we coping with it? 04:33 [MIKE] Yes. 04:33 >> Well, with Jesus, 04:35 to be honest with you. 04:36 So the day after we got even 04:38 part of this diagnosis, we 04:41 decided to take a day of prayer 04:43 and fasting and ask God 04:46 what we should ask of Him. 04:47 That might sound funny because 04:50 some people think that, of 04:51 course, if you believe in God, 04:53 then God's gonna heal you. 04:55 But we know that God has a 04:57 thousand ways to provide of 04:59 which we know nothing. 05:00 And so we fasted and prayed and 05:02 said, "God, what should we ask 05:03 of You?" 05:04 And God impressed us in our 05:06 situation, not saying that it's 05:08 for all those watching, but for 05:10 us in our situation, He said, 05:12 "Focus rather not on the healing 05:14 of April, focus on crying out to 05:17 Me that she'll be full of the 05:19 peace of Jesus and that 05:22 believers and unbelievers will 05:24 come to Christ through her 05:26 testimony and our testimony as a 05:28 couple through this challenge." 05:31 So it's a different perspective. 05:32 You following me there? 05:33 Very, very different 05:34 perspective. 05:35 And I've actually watched this 05:36 last 18 months as my dear wife 05:39 has been wrapped up with the 05:41 peace of Jesus, 05:42 knowing that we don't know 05:44 about tomorrow. 05:45 We honestly don't know because 05:46 with that kind of diagnosis, 05:48 even though that she is in 05:50 remission right now, that 05:52 diagnosis is very dangerous. 05:54 We know it can come back 05:55 any time. 05:56 So we don't know tomorrow, but 05:58 we know who does know tomorrow 06:00 and that's Jesus. 06:00 [MIKE] Absolutely. 06:01 [DON] So we are resting in Him. 06:03 [MIKE] Absolutely. 06:03 [RENÉ] And so you have an 06:05 unbreakable peace, Don... 06:06 [DON] Yes, yes. 06:07 [RENÉ] ...the two of you. 06:08 [DON] Yes. 06:09 [MIKE] Yeah. 06:10 [RENÉ] And God blessed you with 06:12 three beautiful children. 06:14 [DON] Amen. 06:15 [RENÉ] Jason, Julie, and Jess. 06:17 So Jason was first and then you 06:19 had two girls? 06:20 [DON] Yes. 06:21 [RENÉ] So can you tell us 06:23 about a time 06:25 that God convicted both 06:27 you and April 06:29 that Jason and Julie 06:31 had to go with you on a mission 06:33 trip into a closed country? 06:36 [DON] Yes. 06:37 [RENÉ] A dangerous place. 06:38 [DON] Yes. 06:39 [RENÉ] So can you walk us 06:40 through how that happened and 06:42 how you dealt with it and how 06:44 the children dealt with it, too? 06:46 >> When Jason and Julie were 06:48 teenagers, 06:50 God gave me another invitation 06:53 to go back to a closed country 06:55 that I'd been to before. 06:56 When I say closed country, 06:57 closed country to the Gospel. 06:59 It's illegal to disciple for 07:02 for Jesus there, make disciples 07:04 for Jesus, it's illegal for 07:05 parents to even disciple their 07:07 children to Jesus. 07:08 You get the idea. 07:09 And when I received this 07:12 invitation from believers inside 07:14 that country to come and train 07:16 them, they, like, they were 07:17 hungry to be trained. 07:19 And I prayed about it, but as I 07:21 prayed, I had the overwhelming 07:23 conviction that I should have 07:25 Jason and Julie go with me. 07:27 Well, that's quite a conviction. 07:30 But then I thought, I needed to 07:32 share this with my prayer 07:33 partner, my faith partner, my 07:35 life partner, all three and one. 07:37 That's April, 07:38 my beloved wife. 07:40 And I remember going up to her 07:42 and I said, "Well," I said, 07:43 "I'm getting ready to go on 07:44 this trip." 07:45 She said, "Yes, and I'm praying 07:45 for you." 07:46 And I said, "Well, what about if 07:48 you prayed for not just me? 07:50 What if you prayed for Jason and 07:52 Julie and me?" 07:54 "Why?" 07:55 "Because I believe that I should 07:58 take our children and let them 07:59 experience the power of God in 08:01 this closed country." 08:03 "Have you prayed about this?" 08:04 she asked me. 08:05 And I said, "Yes, I have." 08:07 She said, "Well, that's good," 08:08 but she said, "I'm the mother," 08:09 and she said, "I need to pray 08:11 about this, I need to have 08:12 peace about it." 08:13 So I said, "Absolutely, 08:14 you pray on it." 08:16 So I prayed, she prayed apart. 08:19 And then, that's what we do, we 08:20 pray apart and together, apart 08:22 and together until we know we 08:23 have a unity. 08:24 And that means God can change 08:26 me, He can change her. 08:27 He can change both of us. 08:29 So she came back several days 08:31 later and she said, "Oh," she 08:34 said, "This is really stretching 08:35 my faith. 08:36 However, I believe that God's 08:38 calling you to go with Jason 08:40 and Julie. 08:41 So you go with my blessing." 08:43 So can you imagine as a mother, 08:45 how close would you hug 08:47 your girls if that was 08:50 you in this story? 08:51 So she hugged me fiercely and 08:54 she hugged our two eldest kids 08:56 with all her might and we said 08:58 goodbye. 08:59 I remember that as we started 09:01 over, leaving from the United 09:02 States to this faraway country, 09:05 we had a good talk as a daddy 09:08 and two teenagers. 09:09 And I said, "You know, if you 09:12 are separated from us, from me 09:15 I should say, and they question 09:17 you, rely on the Holy Spirit 09:19 because the Holy Spirit will 09:20 teach you what to say." 09:22 We had serious conversations. 09:24 I said, "If when we go into the 09:26 airport and we walk," I said, 09:27 "there's gonna be a big line 09:29 across the cement. 09:30 When you cross that line there's 09:31 no more freedom 09:33 and they may separate us and it 09:36 may be very, very even emotional 09:38 to see-- they may drag me away 09:41 if they suspect that I am 09:43 actually a missionary for Jesus 09:46 coming in, they may want to 09:47 question me apart from you." 09:49 They nodded their heads very 09:51 gravely, very seriously, and 09:52 said, "Okay, Dad." 09:53 And I said, "Remember that 09:54 you're never alone and Jesus is 09:56 always with you and the gift of 09:58 the Holy Spirit means that the 09:59 Holy Spirit will guide you and 10:00 teach you what to say." 10:02 So we had all these 10:03 conversations, very serious 10:04 conversations, landed in the 10:06 airport and my heart was 10:07 thumping as a daddy, and I can 10:09 see there's this big, huge line 10:11 in the cement. 10:12 And when you walk across the 10:14 line, you are leaving your 10:16 freedom and your religious 10:17 freedom. 10:18 So we went right up there and 10:20 the person at the desk, you 10:21 know, immigration, you know, 10:23 asked us for our passports. 10:24 He looked at them and he said, 10:26 "So you're a daddy 10:28 of these two teenagers?" 10:30 I said, "Yes, sir." 10:31 And then I was praying, praying, 10:33 praying. 10:34 And this immigration officer 10:35 looks us right in the eye and 10:36 they said, "Fantastic, welcome 10:38 to our country. 10:39 I'm so glad that you came as a 10:41 family to visit us." 10:43 I could have hugged him, 10:44 but I didn't. 10:45 But I was so excited and... 10:47 So that's the way we came into 10:48 the closed country, closed 10:51 to the gospel. 10:52 [MIKE] Wow, praise God. 10:53 [DON] So we went into this 10:55 country, we got to our secret 10:58 place where the believers were 10:59 meeting and where we were to 11:01 hold meetings for Jesus just 11:03 for them to train them on how to 11:04 disciple their children 11:06 for Jesus. 11:07 It was breakfast the first 11:08 morning and we came down from 11:11 the little place where we were 11:12 staying and Jason and Julie, 11:13 their eyes were big, like, 11:15 what's this gonna look like? 11:16 What are we gonna have 11:17 for breakfast? 11:17 Oh, you'll see. 11:18 And we walked down there and 11:20 they said, "No one talks 11:21 like us. 11:22 And... 11:24 ...what is this they're eating?" 11:25 It was all very different 11:26 for them. 11:27 And I said, "You know what, 11:28 let's just be praying and the 11:30 Holy Spirit will show us 11:32 who to sit with." 11:33 Now, this was all believers in a 11:34 very protected place. 11:36 So we walk across the crowded 11:38 little area and there was an 11:40 elegantly dressed woman sitting 11:43 there by herself. 11:44 And the Holy Spirit impressed 11:46 me, take your children and go 11:49 sit with her with your meal. 11:50 So we sat down and we said, "Can 11:52 we eat with you?" 11:53 She said, in crisp English, 11:56 which is rare in that part of 11:57 the world, she said, "Oh, yes. 11:59 Is this your family?" 12:00 I said, "Yes." 12:01 I said, "These are our two 12:02 oldest children. 12:03 My wife and our youngest is back 12:05 at home." 12:06 She said, "Well, I'd be happy to 12:07 have you... 12:09 ...eat with me." 12:10 So we started eating and I said, 12:12 "What does your husband do?" 12:13 And she looked at me, like, 12:16 really intently, like, why was 12:18 I asking that? 12:19 And she proceeded to say what 12:21 his position was in the 12:22 government and my heart started 12:25 racing because he had a high, 12:28 high position in government and 12:30 I knew that her husband had the 12:33 power to turn me into the 12:35 government because I was there 12:37 training for Jesus in a country 12:39 where you're not supposed 12:40 to do that. 12:41 You follow me in the situation. 12:43 So I was processing this 12:46 and I was thinking, 12:47 "I wonder if she's safe." 12:48 Here's my two teenage children 12:50 on the other side of the table. 12:51 Is she a plant for the 12:53 government? 12:53 You know what I mean? 12:54 Is she a spy, is she safe? 12:56 And I prayed and the Holy Spirit 12:57 said, "Trust her." 13:00 So I just smiled at her and kept 13:02 talking and sharing. 13:03 And before I knew it, the Holy 13:05 Spirit, just like this, just 13:07 impressed my heart to ask her 13:09 another question. 13:10 I said, "Do you think your 13:11 husband would like to come to 13:12 this training?" 13:13 As soon as I said that, I just 13:15 thought, "Can I-- what made me 13:17 say that? 13:18 That's a crazy thing! 13:19 He's a last person that I want 13:21 to come to this training!” 13:22 But I knew that the Holy Spirit 13:23 told me to say that. 13:25 She looked at me again like 13:26 this, like just startled. 13:28 "You, you, you, you," kind of 13:29 stuttering with me, 13:31 "You wanna ask my husband to 13:33 come to this training?" 13:35 And I said, I swallowed, I said, 13:38 "Yes," I put my biggest smile 13:40 on, "Wouldn't be wonderful 13:41 if he came?" 13:43 And she said, "I think I need to 13:45 think about that a little bit." 13:47 And I was thinking internally, 13:48 "I think I need to think about 13:49 that some more." 13:51 And I said, "Let's do this: you 13:53 pray tonight and Jason and Julie 13:55 and I will pray tonight and then 13:58 if we both agree in the morning 13:59 at breakfast, then why don't you 14:02 ask him?" 14:03 And I was starting to backpedal 14:05 a little bit. 14:05 I was getting a little bit 14:06 nervous that, oh, yes, I knew 14:08 that God had told me, but I was 14:10 starting to think about what 14:12 would happen if he came and 14:14 threw me into jail, threw our 14:16 children into jail. 14:17 The next morning we come with 14:19 our trays of food and we sit 14:22 down beside her. 14:23 And she gave me a big smile and 14:25 she said, "Guess what?" 14:27 I said, "What?" 14:28 "He's coming." 14:29 I said, "Who's coming?" 14:31 "My husband's coming." 14:32 I said, "I thought we were gonna 14:33 pray about it first. 14:34 I thought we were going to talk 14:35 together first." 14:36 And she said, "Well, you said 14:37 you were praying. 14:38 Well, I prayed, too, and God 14:40 convicted me I should be bold 14:42 and invite my husband to come to 14:43 the training. 14:44 So he's already on the way." 14:46 I said, "Eh-hem, that's...that's 14:49 wonderful." 14:50 And here's what happened. 14:53 We started the training and we 14:55 are well into it. 14:56 Here is my teenage children 14:58 beside me, here is this elegant 15:00 woman, you know, that's, that is 15:03 the wife of a high up 15:04 government official. 15:06 And I'm well into the training, 15:07 right in the middle of teaching 15:08 about Jesus and how to be a 15:09 disciple of Jesus and disciple 15:11 the new generations, everything 15:12 that's illegal to talk about, 15:14 and the door opens. 15:16 And here comes this smartly 15:18 dressed man with some kind of 15:20 insignia on him that means 15:21 nothing to me, but I will tell 15:23 you that when the believers in 15:24 the room saw his dress, 15:27 like, his style and the 15:29 insignia, they gasped. 15:31 Like, "How did he get in here? 15:32 How did he know, you know, that 15:34 he's, that we are here?" 15:36 And he walked right across in 15:39 front of me, you know, between 15:40 me and the audience, gave me a 15:42 polite nod, sat down. 15:45 And I thought, "Lord, what do I 15:46 do?" and the Holy Spirit said, 15:48 "Keep on sharing about Jesus." 15:50 So I kept on sharing, but to my 15:52 consternation, he took out a 15:54 satchel and writing paper. 15:57 Then he took out a fine pen and 15:59 he looked at me intently and 16:01 started writing notes on 16:03 everything I was saying. 16:04 "Oh, no!" I thought, "He's 16:06 getting evidence to take against 16:08 me and our children. 16:09 This is the worst possible 16:10 scenario." 16:12 And then after he did that for 16:13 about two hours, then he put it 16:15 all away, put it into his 16:17 satchel, stood up right in the 16:18 middle of my presentation, 16:20 walked right in front of me 16:21 between me and the audience, 16:23 went out the door and politely 16:24 closed the door. 16:25 Oh, no, I know what he's doing 16:27 now, he's taking it-- 16:28 well, what do you think? 16:29 [MIKE] To the police. 16:30 [DON] He's gonna take it to the 16:30 police station and turn me in. 16:32 So he's gone for quite a while, 16:35 hours go by and it's the end of 16:37 the day now. 16:39 And so I gather Jason and Julie, 16:41 I said, "Let's go have some 16:43 supper by ourselves." 16:45 And the man is standing there 16:46 waiting for me outside the door 16:48 and I thought, "Oh no." 16:49 He has a box in his arms and he 16:51 says, "Here, this is a box 16:53 for you. 16:53 I brought you something." 16:55 And I'm thinking, "Oh, no, is 16:57 it-- is there something that's 16:58 gonna blow up in my face?" 17:00 I mean, and it's terrible to 17:01 think this way, but when you're 17:02 in such a country, you just 17:03 don't know. 17:05 And so I was thinking, "I think 17:07 I'll open it up and far away 17:09 from my kids." 17:10 And he said, "Open it, open it!" 17:11 Now, this is through a 17:12 translator because he couldn't 17:13 speak my language. 17:14 And I thought, "Oh, I guess I'd 17:16 better open it." 17:17 So I consciously open it and 17:19 it's full of a special kind of 17:20 fruit that he has in this 17:21 country. 17:22 "Oh, that's, uh, that's lovely." 17:25 My mind is instantly thinking, 17:27 "What if that has cyanide or 17:30 some crazy thing in it?" you 17:31 know, "Is he gonna poison me 17:32 and the kids?" 17:34 And he says, "Try it, try it!" 17:35 I was thinking, "Right here in 17:37 front of the kids?" and you 17:38 know, that's what I'm thinking. 17:39 So I try it and it is tasty. 17:42 And to make a long story short, 17:44 the Holy Spirit impressed me to 17:47 invite him and his wife to come 17:49 up and enjoy the fruit with us 17:51 up in the little apartment where 17:53 we were staying. 17:54 And so we get up there and... 17:57 ...we sit around a table and 18:00 we're en-- and I think, I was 18:02 thinking now, "At home I always 18:03 pray, in a public restaurant I 18:05 always pray." 18:06 And I thought, "Well, he already 18:08 knows what I'm doing." 18:09 So I prayed a blessing on the 18:11 fruit and I really prayed a 18:13 blessing on the fruit in case 18:14 there was something in it. 18:16 And then we ate it and we 18:17 enjoyed it and it was a 18:18 wonderful time. 18:20 And I was thinking, "Okay, we're 18:21 almost down to the bottom of the 18:23 fruit and the hour is late. 18:25 It's time to go." 18:27 I was just thinking, "Ah, I can 18:29 sit back here. 18:29 Everything's gonna be fine. 18:31 I survived this. 18:32 We didn't die from the fruit, he 18:34 didn't turn us into the police. 18:36 Everything's great." 18:37 And that still, small voice of 18:38 God asked me to ask him a 18:41 question that I didn't wanna 18:42 ask him. 18:44 And I said, "My friend," I said, 18:46 "You have gone to several hours 18:48 of this training. 18:49 You know what I'm doing here, 18:51 I'm helping people to know about 18:52 Jesus and how to disciple their 18:54 children to Jesus." 18:56 And he looked at me right in the 18:57 eye very directly. 18:59 He said, "Yes, I'm taking 19:00 notes." 19:01 My heart is starting going like 19:02 this again. 19:03 And I said, "I am impressed to 19:05 ask you, what do you think about 19:07 the training?" 19:08 "Oh, it's very, very 19:10 interesting," he said. 19:11 Well, they didn't tell me if 19:12 that's a good or bad. 19:14 And again the Holy Spirit 19:15 coached me and I said, "My 19:17 friend," I said, "I'm impressed 19:19 to ask you the question, 19:22 what do you think about Jesus? 19:25 I'm asking you, are you a 19:28 follower of Jesus?" 19:30 Now, again, I didn't wanna ask 19:31 that question, but the Holy 19:32 Spirit guides us. 19:34 Scripture tells us He teaches us 19:35 what to say. 19:36 His poor little wife at his 19:38 side, [gasps] just like this, 19:39 took a gasp and her face 19:41 turned white. 19:42 She-- because this is not 19:43 something that she would talk 19:44 about with her own husband 19:46 behind closed doors. 19:48 It's just not. 19:49 And... 19:51 ...he was very, very 19:52 careful. 19:54 And he looked me right in the 19:54 eye, like he was looking right 19:56 through me and he said, "You're 19:57 asking me a very difficult 19:59 question, aren't you?" 20:01 I said, "Yes, sir." 20:04 And he said, "You understand 20:06 that to be a follower of Jesus 20:08 and to be on my level of 20:09 government is almost 20:11 unheard of." 20:12 "Yes, sir." 20:15 He took a big breath and then he 20:18 said very quietly, 20:19 "Yes, I am 20:22 a follower of Jesus." 20:24 And his wife, you would have 20:25 thought she's gonna have a 20:26 heart attack. 20:26 She just looked up at him and 20:28 just her eyes just so big, and 20:30 she was trying to decide whether 20:32 to cry for joy, because she had 20:33 prayed in secret places for him 20:36 for year after year after year, 20:38 and he had never said this to 20:40 her, and she had never dared to 20:42 ask her own husband, that she 20:43 loved with all her heart, 20:45 this question. 20:46 And so I was just thinking, 20:47 "Wow, here is a believer in 20:50 Jesus in the highest places in 20:52 this government!" 20:53 And the Holy Spirit wasn't 20:54 finished. 20:55 "Ask him to pray." 20:57 Well, again, that's illegal to 20:59 do in this country and stronger, 21:01 He said, "Ask him to pray. 21:03 He said he's a follower 21:04 of Jesus. 21:05 Ask him to pray." 21:06 I said, "My good friend," I 21:09 said, "We would like to pray 21:10 around the circle. 21:11 Jason and Julia would like to 21:12 pray for God's blessing on you 21:14 and your wife. 21:15 And would you like to pray 21:16 before I close with prayer?" 21:19 And again, his wife's knuckles 21:21 were like this, this white, just 21:23 scared to death about 21:24 what this meant. 21:25 Never had she prayed in front of 21:27 him, much less ask him to pray 21:29 at the table for any meal. 21:31 And very quietly 21:33 he prayed 21:34 a simple, precious prayer from a 21:36 very highly educated man who had 21:39 little experience with prayer. 21:41 He had never prayed with 21:42 somebody before. 21:43 He had prayed before in private, 21:45 but never out loud. 21:47 This was his first time to 21:49 declare that he's a follower of 21:51 Jesus and to pray out loud. 21:53 And his wife just could barely 21:54 hold back the tears. 21:56 And my two children... 22:00 ...were in awe, were 22:01 just in awe. 22:02 They were awestruck because they 22:03 got to see... 22:05 ...the power of Jesus 22:07 to go in places that's 22:09 impossible for man to go. 22:13 [RENÉ] But, Don, this is so 22:14 amazing because I'm just trying 22:17 to picture what was happening in 22:20 his wife's heart 22:21 and how she was 22:23 trying to process all of this. 22:26 [DON] Yes. 22:26 >> Because she had attended 22:28 those meetings and obviously he 22:30 knew that she was attending 22:34 and then she finds out 22:35 that her husband 22:37 is a believer like her. 22:38 [DON] Yes, but a secret 22:40 believer. 22:40 [RENÉ] Yes. 22:42 That's beautiful. 22:44 Wow. 22:45 [DON] And you-- and I hope this 22:46 encourages 22:48 everyone viewing 22:49 that, you know, when you cry out 22:52 to God in secret for your 22:54 husband, for your wife, for your 22:56 children, for your 22:57 grandchildren, you see no 22:58 evidence that God is moving. 23:00 He is moving and He does answer 23:03 prayers and He is influencing 23:05 people even behind closed doors 23:08 and closed hearts. 23:10 [MIKE] Absolutely. 23:12 Don, this is, I guess I have to 23:14 pause for a moment because it's 23:16 so different from the way we 23:19 think here in Canada. 23:20 We have freedom of speech, 23:21 freedom of religion, freedom of 23:23 conscience, and you're talking 23:25 about a country where if you 23:27 express your thoughts or your 23:29 faith or your belief in any way, 23:31 you can be imprisoned, right? 23:33 So that's extremely dangerous. 23:36 So even, I mean, before we were 23:38 talking before we even came on 23:40 set that this is dangerous for 23:43 you to even, you know, you don't 23:45 tell where these people are or 23:47 what this country is or anything 23:48 like that because it's dangerous 23:50 for them. 23:50 [DON] I don't identify people's 23:52 names or country names, 23:54 any of that. 23:55 And I also respect that country, 23:57 too. 23:58 [MIKE] Absolutely. 23:59 So the people within that 24:00 country are really living when 24:03 they do express their faith in 24:05 Jesus, it's putting their whole 24:07 life on the line. 24:08 [DON] Yes, yes. 24:09 And especially, the bigger issue 24:11 is not only expressing it, but 24:14 if you're intentionally teaching 24:17 someone else how to be a 24:19 disciple of Jesus, that's 24:20 extremely dangerous. 24:22 >> We are very privileged. 24:24 But I wonder if, just a final 24:26 question, can I ask you to pray? 24:28 Pray for those people in those 24:30 countries, of course, and pray 24:32 for those who are viewing this 24:34 that they will have a 24:35 sense of... 24:37 ...you know, their great 24:38 privileges, but also a sense 24:40 that God is real, that He 24:43 wants to work in their lives and 24:45 that they have a story, too, and 24:46 they have an experience that God 24:48 wants to work in their lives and 24:49 that they can see that He is 24:51 real, He is alive today. 24:52 [DON] Yes, amen. 24:53 Let's pray. 24:55 Dear Father in heaven, thank You 24:58 so much for being the living God 25:00 of heaven and Earth. 25:03 Thank You for hearing our 25:04 prayers, even when we wonder. 25:07 Thank You that You're the kind 25:09 of God that works behind the 25:11 scenes like in this story, so 25:13 that we can be encouraged when 25:15 we're praying for our husband or 25:17 we're praying for our wife or 25:19 praying for our children, when 25:20 we're praying for our 25:21 grandchildren, whoever we may 25:23 have on our heart right now that 25:26 may not be walking with You. 25:28 When we pray, You move. 25:30 Not to force the person, but to 25:32 love the person and draw the 25:33 person to You. 25:35 Please help us to 25:37 seize the day 25:38 in sharing You gently and 25:40 lovingly with our own family and 25:43 be with those closed countries 25:45 that struggle to have the same 25:46 opportunity. 25:47 In Jesus' name, amen. 25:49 [MIKE & RENÉ] Amen. 25:51 >> Don, thank you so much for 25:52 joining us today. 25:54 And we are not done with you and 25:56 I'm so excited about that 25:58 because you're gonna be back 26:00 here with us next week. 26:01 Can you give us a little bit of 26:03 a preview to what we have to 26:05 look forward to next week? 26:07 >> Next week, we want to deal 26:08 with how to forgive 26:11 the unforgivable. 26:12 What do we do with bitterness 26:14 when someone that we love and 26:16 trust hurts us in the deepest 26:18 level? 26:19 God has an answer. 26:20 [MIKE] He does have an answer. 26:21 And I'm sensing from what you're 26:23 saying that you've had to 26:25 wrestle with this personally. 26:26 [DON] Mm-hmm. 26:27 Oh, yes. 26:28 [MIKE] And I know that we 26:30 see this in ministry as you're a 26:31 pastor, but you go around the 26:33 world, and this is a big issue, 26:34 right, of forgiveness. 26:36 How do we forgive, as you said, 26:38 the unforgivable? 26:40 And some of these are horrific 26:42 experiences. 26:43 And so I look forward to you 26:44 sharing that with us next week. 26:46 [DON] Happy to do so. 26:50 >> Friends, our gift for you 26:52 today is Don MacLafferty's book, 26:54 God Still Lives Even When You 26:56 Wonder. 26:57 >> Don's true stories and 26:59 testimonies will encourage you 27:01 to trust God more fully 27:03 and completely. 27:04 >> We trust that our gift, Don's 27:07 book, God Still Lives Even When 27:09 You Wonder, will inspire you to 27:11 live by faith 27:13 and not by sight alone. 27:17 >> Before you go, we would also 27:19 like to thank all of you who 27:21 have supported the ministry of 27:22 It Is Written Canada with your 27:23 prayers and financial 27:25 contributions. 27:26 Without your support, this 27:28 television ministry could not 27:30 have reached so many people 27:32 for so many decades. 27:34 >> Yes, thank you. 27:36 And we would also like to invite 27:38 you to follow us on Instagram 27:40 and Facebook and subscribe to 27:42 our YouTube channel and also 27:45 listen to our podcasts. 27:47 And if you go to our website, 27:49 you can see our latest programs. 27:51 >> You, too, can experience the 27:53 fullness of life that is found 27:55 in the words of Jesus when He 27:56 said, "It is written, 'Man shall 27:58 not live by bread alone, but by 28:00 every word that proceeds out of 28:02 the mouth of God.'" 28:04 [uplifting music playing] 28:07 ♪♪ 28:08 >> This is a miracle book. 28:10 I just wrote it and it's called 28:12 “God Still Lives Even When 28:14 You Wonder.” 28:16 I brought you a copy. 28:17 And it is 16 28:19 God stories of His 28:21 faithfulness to me in all kinds 28:24 of difficult situations in life. 28:26 Sixteen stories talking about 28:28 forgiving the unforgivable, 28:30 loving the unlovable, being in 28:33 difficult situations where I 28:35 have no idea what to do and 28:36 finding out that God still 28:38 speaks, He still lives, He still 28:41 guides us to know what to do and 28:43 when to do it and how to do it. 28:45 And these are those kinds of 28:46 stories. 28:47 ♪♪ |
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