JERRY MARTIN
September 30, 2007
I am sixty four years old, born July 29, 1943 and
born again February 26, 1968. I have
been married to Kaye Hefner Martin since July 11, 1963 and usually remember our
anniversary. Next to my rebirth in
Christ nothing better has ever happened to me than being married to Kaye. God has blessed this marriage in spite of who
I was and who I am. I have two beautiful
born again daughters, two born again son-in-laws and six wonderful born again grandchildren.
I thank God continually that He has given me second chances with Him, my wife,
my children and now my grandchildren.
Children are gifts from God; I thank God for those special gifts.
I would like to testify that I have always walked
close with the Lord but I can not. After
becoming a Christian I was a fired up for about six months, then began a great
backsliding. My falling away continued
almost without interruption for nine years, then in the summer of 1976 the Lord
had His angels keep me from almost certain death in an automobile
accident. God was just beginning a true
awakening in my life. I began to allow
the Holy Spirit to work in my life, but once again I began to backslide. My failures as a husband and father nearly
cost me my family. My wife and both of
my daughters had better than just cause, to dislike me, perhaps even hate me. Again my Lord rescued me from certain
disaster. God finally had my undivided
attention in 1982 and I began to serve Him as best I could. I began to read my Bible, my wife and I attended
Bill Gothard Seminars, Don Miller came to our church and taught us about
prayer. I began a daily prayer life and
Bible Study!
In May 1985 I quit the Insurance business after
twenty years as a successful agent and manager.
Too young to draw retirement I opened my own business and really began
to spend quality time with my Lord and family.
Just four months later the Lord allowed a series of burglaries and
thefts to totally destroy us financially, at least according to the world's
standards. But our God is so good; He
provided for our every financial need.
When we begin to serve the Lord we can count on attacks from Satan, it
is scriptural. But, we can always count
on Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose.”
In 1986 during a Bill Gothard Advanced Seminar, God
revealed my Holy Spirit Gift of Prophesy. No, I do not predict the future but I
do see God’s word in black and white and without error or compromise. I
recognized my gift of prophecy because of all the fleshly traits I exhibited as
a prophet. I pray God will continue to
instruct and mature me out of those negative traits. Since 1986 Jesus has revealed my Ministry
Gift of Teaching and God the Father has showered me with the Power Gifts of
Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment,
Apostleship, Teaching, Helps and Government just as He has determined.
On May 31, 1992 I had a heart attack and eight days
later I died, yes died, but God had other plans for me. God sent His angels once again to rescue
me. The hospital successfully shocked my
heart back into rhythm. Can you believe
my heart stopped beating again three days later (moments after I had an
opportunity to lead a nurse to Saving Grace of Jesus Christ.) again I was
clinically dead? Hospital attendants say
they literally forgot how many times they shocked my heart trying to get me
back. This time I clearly remember an
angel (She was in the flesh, a God fearing nurse) praying over me as doctors
and nurses frantically tried to revive me.
God gave me a vision while these medical people were
trying to revive me, I saw myself laying on the hospital bed when three slick
looking dudes (I can't think of a better description.) came strutting in. They were Satan's angels coming to take my
life. Suddenly the door burst open and
in walked three more angels, but these were God's angels. The room became so bright from the light the
angels brought with them it blinded Satan's angels. There were no words spoken by God’s angels
except "He is ours". The
battle for my life began. Guess who won?
God is always in control and always limits Satan and his army. I was life flighted to
I stand before you today a sinner saved by Grace
proclaiming yet one more truth from God; discover God’s plan for your life and
discover your Spiritual gifts. Begin to exercise His plan and those gifts for
Him. Use those gifts first in your home,
then in your church, at work, at play, wherever the Lord sends you. Don't brag about your ministry or gifts just
use them. Christians who do not know
God’s plan for their lives and do not know their gifts are Spiritually
miserable and I believe outside the will of God.
In 1991 God allowed me to write a marriage study entitled
“The Oneness of Marriage”. In the past Kaye
and I have led this study once or twice a year at our church and/or at other
area churches. I still learn more than
those do in attendance, another law of God.
It is impossible to out give Jesus.
Kaye and I been involved in marriage counseling since 1991 and have seen
many marriages healed. None of which we
take any credit, but to God be the Glory.
So am I perfect? No, far from it, on a scale on one to ten
compared to Jesus, I don’t even come up to a good one! But I am
saved.
Thank you, for taking time to get to know me a
little better, and you had better begin to like me, (no Agape love me is what
God commands), because if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior your going to
spend eternity with me. See you there!
Because He Lives.
Jerry Martin
P.S.
FREE BIBLE: If you do not own a Bible, ask me for
one and I will give you one FREE! I pray if you do not know Jesus in your heart,
this Bible will help you to accept Him as Lord and Savior. Should you desire to know more about our Lord
just call or come by the shop. If you do
know Jesus I pray you might be drawn closer to Him day by day.