Jerry Martin’s Testimony
August 25, 2011
I am sixty eight years old, born July 29, 1943
and born again at the age of 24 February 26, 1968. I served in the United States Marine Corps
from 1961 to 1964. I have been married
to Kaye since July 11, 1963 and I ALWAYS remember our anniversary (Something I
did not always do in the past.) 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, four of which I personally Baptized. I thank God continually that He has given me
second chances with Him, my wife, my children and now my grandchildren. All children are gifts from God; I thank God
for those special gifts.
I worked for the Prudential Insurance Company
of America from 1965 to 1985. I would
like to testify that I have always walked close with the Lord but I
cannot. 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, and 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 soon I once again 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 very
successful agent and manager. Too young
to draw retirement I opened my coin business in Conroe Texas, 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 destroy us financially, including all of the savings we had from the
insurance business, at least financially according to the world's
standards. But our God is so good; He
provided for our every financial need, and to this day we cannot explain how He
did it! 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 and worldly
traits I exhibited as a prophet, i.e. slow to listen, quick to speak and quick
to anger! 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 and moments after I had an
opportunity to lead a nurse to the 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 lying on the hospital bed when three
slick colorful 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 with
the Light, the angels brought with them, that the Light nearly 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 am here today, a sinner saved by Grace
proclaiming yet one more truth from God; discover Jesus’ plan for your life and
discover your Holy Spirit 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
your 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 at our church and/or at other
area churches. I still learn more than
those that attend, another Truth of God.
It is impossible to out give Jesus.
Kaye and I have 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 you’re going to
spend eternity with me. See you there!
Because He Lives,
Jerry Martin