Praising God for His mighty works amongst the children of men!
Joy Courville
Greetings saints,
It’s taken me about a week to process all that has happened over the past month. I’m still not sure that I can fully express all that the Lord has done but I’ll try. :)
First I want to share the very exciting news of how God worked in my little sister's life. On Thursday at the conference Mark Greening gave a message on prevailing prayer that was powerful and I was amazed at how it went along with what the Lord has been doing in my life over the past four and a half months. It was about that time that the Lord heavily burdened me to pray for my sister Hannah. Some of you will remember me sharing some things that happened at the Barnsdall revival conference. Well, the Lord has worked mightily in her life and I can now say that I believe she is born again. On Wednesday of the conference (in Indiana) there were at least seven people who became burdened to pray for her salvation. Through some divine aligning of events, one of our evangelist brothers sat down with Hannah and talked with her for around 30 minutes. During that time there were six people, in different parts of the building, and some not even knowing others were praying, were all travailing in prayer for Hannah’s salvation. At the end of that conversation, my precious sister was broken before the Lord and cried out to Him for salvation. And now, over one week later, I can testify that the grace of God has changed her, she is a new creature in Jesus Christ. I’m still overwhelmed at how the Lord came through and worked mightily in her heart. And all of the circumstances around that working were of the Lord. He was the One orchestrating each detail in drawing Hannah to Himself. Praise be to His Name!
During the week after our family camp and before the revival conference the Lord opened a door for brother Ryan at a local Bible college here in Springfield. Through the sovereignty of God Ryan made contact with a young man who had come to Christ earlier this year down in Texas and was friends with Ryan and the others. This young man was now in Springfield, MO attending Bible college! This opened up an opportunity on Friday night for Ryan to share his testimony at the chapel at the school with about 15 of the students. It was an anointed 30 minute testimony that the Lord enabled him to share. On Saturday Ryan and Tucker took three of the students (including their friend who they knew before) down to Arkansas to hear Keith Daniel preach. After that night’s message they went to McDonalds and the Lord opened up a door of opportunity for Ryan to preach to the employees at McDonalds, while Tucker spent time talking with one of the students from the college who was concerned about his soul. That student realized that he was a servant to sin and he cried out to God to save his soul and was born again! So they took this student and found a river and baptized him. On Sunday they all came to Maranatha and shared testimonies of what God had done. I was amazed at the change in the student who was born again. I had met him Friday night and on Sunday his countenance was radiant with joy and peace.
On the way up to Indiana we had blessed fellowship and Tucker and Jake shared their testimonies with me. God has worked mightily in their lives. It’s amazing how God has sovereignly saved their souls and set them apart for Himself. The stories that they have of how God brought them together and has been doing through them are incredible. All of these brothers have been soaking themselves in reading and studying the Word of God. When they were in our home, extra spare minute that they had, they were in the Word. It was convicting to all of us.
When we arrived in Indiana Ryan, Jake, Vincent and Tucker were reunited with brother Sean who has had their RV and been preaching in New York. It was beautiful to see the love and the unity that these brothers have towards one another. They truly love one another as Christians are commanded to love one another and that love is of God. On Tuesday Jake and Vincent headed to Tennessee where God opened many doors of opportunities for them, including the gymnasium of a public highschool and a local Baptist church that has the reputation of being dead!
Tuesday afternoon the Lord gave opportunity to Ryan and Tucker to share their testimonies during the conference. After Mr. Gothard’s session I was sitting near the front and just became really interested to hear what God was burdening on brother Sean’s heart. When I asked him to share….I had no idea what I was asking for. There is intensity and fire in this brother’s life. And I walked away from that conversation shocked, stunned, at the burden that God has placed on him and the lack of burden in my own life…the lack of desperation. I walked away with a cry on my heart to the Lord to open my eyes and show me the great need around me, and to burden me to the extent that I refuse to be comforted until I prayed through and know in faith that God will answer my prayers. There have been few times in my life that I have been left so speechless after a conversation. I joined my family at the dinner table and looked over at my dad and said, ‘Dad, you have to have Sean share, you have to.’ I was really shaken the rest of that evening. And during brother Keith’s message, I was gripped at how that message applied to every person in that room who had decent clothes, food and a place to sleep. The verse, “How hardly shall they that are rich enter into the kingdom of heaven” pierced my soul as I thought about how I have always applied that verse to those with lots of riches, little realizing that I am rich, anyone who has food, clothing, transportation and lodging is rich. And tragically most of us deem our ‘riches’ as vital necessities for life, and they are necessities but not to the extent of lavishness that we count upon and view as our right. At least the rich young ruler realized that he was rich and what the cost was for him. We greatly lack, I greatly lack, sight of the reality of the destitute spiritual condition of the professing church today in the west. If we really saw it….we would be so burdened that we would be like the Psalmist in Psalm 77 and refuse to be comforted! We need the standard of the Scriptures measured against the reality of our lives. The question needs to be asked, "is my manner of life condemned or affirmed by the Scriptures?" Oh! It’s so important for us to be in the Word!
On Wednesday morning the Lord led me to speak with three young ladies who were attending the conference. We had briefly met but I took the opportunity to talk with them and pray for the Lord to work in their lives. We also had lunch together and I was blessed by profitable conversation with them and another couple. The fellowship of the saints is so sweet when it is centered on Christ and His Word! After lunch I spent time alone seeking the Lord and He graciously worked in my heart and met me during that time. It was a great blessing to see sister Naomi later that afternoon and have a few moments of conversation. After that I went to prayer for my little sister and I won’t repeat what I mentioned earlier. There were more details…but I’ll just say that God worked mightily. Praise His Name!
Thursday…this was a very intense and good day of the Lord working and leading. I had to start the day just seeking the Lord even though it meant missing the first session. I also had some things to make right from something I had said the evening before. The Lord broke me over sin in my life and I knew that I had to make it right. As usual, obedience produces joy and blessing. I was really blessed by Mark Greening’s message on prevailing prayer. Lunch was a sweet time of fellowship with a sister who has some heavy burdens for her family resting on her. Right after lunch I went to prayer for brother Mark who was talking with the three young ladies who I had spent time with the day before. Through a unique guiding of circumstances I was also able to pass on that need for prayer onto his wife who also went to prayer. God worked mightily in one of the girl’s lives. Then came the Q & A panel which was good…I especially appreciated the input from Keith Daniel and Ryan Ringnald. After that the Lord brought about another conversation with someone in my family and one of the evangelist brothers and myself and that brought forth encouraging fruit that is still in process of growing today. The Lord was really working in hearts on this day! After Wesley Duewel’s message a need to pray for another individual came up so I grabbed two sisters in the Lord and we headed up to the thirteenth floor where the Lord anointed us with a burden to pray and travail for the one in need and others also. It was a powerful time of prayer at the Father’s Throne.
Bill McCleod’s message on ‘Watching Joseph Die’ was powerful. It was such a privilege hearing those godly, older men preach the Word. Praise God for bringing them to the revival conference. It was really neat meeting Dr. and Mrs. Duewel. They are so precious. They were at the meetings as much as possible. Dr. Duewel didn’t want to miss out on anything. :) By the end of that session I was pretty much drained but the Lord gave me an opportunity to talk with Ryan and he shared a really good Bible study outline for me to go through with my sisters which we started yesterday morning and I'm excited to continue with them and see how the Lord works in each of our lives through the study of His Word together. There was one young man who was concerned about his soul from the beginning of the conference. For a couple months he had been doubting his salvation and during the conference he realized that he really wasn’t born again. Thursday night was the climax for him and he along with the evangelists brothers talked long into the night as they shared Scripture after Scripture with him and around 2:30am he believed after reading John 3:14 and was born again! Immediately they took him to the river and baptized him. Praise God for another soul being born again!
Friday morning, after we had cleaned up and packed up all our belongings, there was more opportunity for sweet fellowship centered on Christ with Sean, Tucker and Ryan. There was one more conversation with a needy person that the Lord orchestrated between one of the evangelist brothers and this person. It was neat to see how the Lord worked that out and then to pray over the conversation with a few others. I’m looking forward to that day in eternity when we will look back in awe and see ALL that God did during times like these…things that we weren’t even aware of at the time. I’m persuaded that we will be full of adoration and worship towards our great and mighty God when we realize what interests He took in the small lives of men, women and children…all so that He could do a great work for the glory of His Name and magnify Himself. And He is worthy of this.
Before leaving Indiana we had a time of prayer with our dear evangelist brothers. How I praise God for bringing them up to Missouri at the beginning of October! The Lord has used them to greatly encourage me and my family in the Lord. I've been so blessed by the exhortation from the Word that they are always eager to share. They went on up to northern Indiana where God has been working and opening doors of opportunity for them. It seems like the Lord is opening the floodgates and working mightily in people’s lives. Over the last few weeks I’ve heard of around 6-7 people who have been born again and I know there are many others who have met with the Lord and been revived. And I know of other souls who are being awakened to their spiritual need. I can testify in my own life that the Lord has kindled in me a new and ardent hunger for the Scriptures, to read them and study them. And I praise God for this new hunger! I’m so grateful for His faithful working in my small life.
The Lord has continued working and doing things since the revival conference, blessed be His Name! I’m excited about the upcoming conferences in Ireland and Wales and what the Lord is going to do there. Please pray for those in my family (my dad, brother Jon, sister Jennifer and myself) who are leaving November 10th. Pray also for our evangelist brothers and for the Lord’s clear leading for their lives. You can keep updated with what the Lord is doing through their ministry by visiting their website, www.youmustbebornagain.org. Pray for them! The anointing of the Lord is upon them…may He keep them completely dependent on Christ for everything they do and say.
Due to many responsibilities that I have on my plate right now it's taken me a long time to get this update written but I do pray that it is a blessing and encouragement to those who read it...and that it also stirs you to seek the Lord more earnestly for Him to continue to work for His glory and honor! Now I'm realizing that I didn't even mention the prayer meetings that we've had in our home with these brothers. Ah, the Lord has blessed us! All praise be to Him!!!!
May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!
Blessed in Christ,
Joy
"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." Ps 107:8-9
ruach34
Joy,
thank you for this synopsis. Just this short writing has enflamed my
own heart as if I was there all along...
It has also brought such conviction for my own general lack of concern
for the unconverted souls of men.
It is as if I am 'increased of goods and in need of nothing.' O to
God, may I be poor in spirit, to weep and
pray, to 'refuse to be comforted'.
Thank you for taking the time to write this.
I would like to submit a prayer request for my younger brother, age
25, and
lost. There have been some physical and mental things occur in the
past eight
years that have affected him significantly, however, this is a
spiritual battle and he
lies in darkness and bound to self. There are some issues coming up in
the next few
weeks that could be life altering for him and Jody and I here
concerning my brother.
Would you pass this along in anyway you see fit and believe with us
that God can
soundly convert his soul and deliver him from the power of the evil
one? His name
is Charlie.
Thank you and may the Lord grant you abundant riches in Christ our
Lord...
> they do and say.
>
> Due to many responsibilities that I have on my plate right now it's taken me
> a long time to get this update written but I do pray that it is a blessing
> and encouragement to those who read it...and that it also stirs you to seek
> the Lord more earnestly for Him to continue to work for His glory and honor!
> Now I'm realizing that I didn't even mention the prayer meetings that we've
> had in our home with these brothers. Ah, the Lord has blessed us! All
> praise be to Him!!!!
>
> May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!
>
> Blessed in Christ,
>
Naomi
here. There is always far more going on that what meets the eye. We
are grateful to have our eyes expanded & opened, to what FATHER was up
to, during the week, the days prior to, & the days moving on, after.
As I only got to take in the last half of the conference, you have
certainly aroused my interest & desire to continue taking in some
parts of what I missed.
Praise be to Father's Great Name, to the preaching of Straight-Up,
Awakening words, & to the work of His Holy Spirit to revive & furrow
up hardened or lost soil!
More King Jesus. More. More.
We cannot be satisified, we will not be satisified until you have
some very beautiful, very unique, expressions of 'BRIDE-in-waiting' to
look down upon, with great joy to your Great Heart.
Amen Amen