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I would go back to where my husband and I had lived, weekend after weekend (he was still living there), and I would slowly sift through things, packing up what I had accumulated over 38 years of marriage.  Then I would drive away and totally lose it and I would cry tears that came out from deep in my soul because the hurt was so bad.  I would get a half mile down the road and God would touch me and the joy of the Lord would hit me and I would laugh the rest of the time going back to my girlfriends.

Sometimes I would barely be able to drive I would be laughing so hard. I grew up feeling like I was bad and that there was something wrong with me.  I always felt that if someone really got to know me they wouldn’t like me.  I couldn’t let go of the past mistakes and hurts that had happened while I was growing up.  I continued to seek God, to study his word and to seek his peace and purpose in my life.  A few months ago I realized that I no longed felt bad anymore.  I finally felt loved and cherished and I knew in my heart that nothing would ever separate me from the love of God, that God would always love me even though I am far from perfect and make mistakes.  HE LOVES ME THE WAY I AM, IMPERFECT BUT SEEKING HIM.

My divorce was final Sept 17th and I was hurting so bad I didn’t think I could get through it.  God took me through the day with supernatural strength and peace.  Two weeks later He showed me my new home.  I saw it on Saturday, signed an offer Sunday, negotiated the price Monday and signed a contract on it Tuesday.  When God moves, hang on.  My head was spinning and my insides were shaking.  I was stepping totally out of my comfort zone.  I was 63 years old and had never lived alone.  I had been in love with my husband for 48 years and married for 38 years.  I didn’t know how I was going to afford it but God had it all planned.

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I would like to start my paper by saying that I would not have came to RBI or to the River if the ministry did not put soul winning number one. My Christian life began by going to a church and sitting under a pastor that emphasized soul winning. When I left to go to college in Tulsa, OK a couple of years later I did not find that the rest of the Word of Faith charismatic movement shared the same zeal to win the lost. Because I was young and impressionable I lost my first love, soul winning. However, the Lord was so gracious to lead me back into his perfect will for my life and also the perfect will of every believer to be a soul winner, witness for Jesus.

This began in 1998 on a mission’s trip to Peru. I began traveling to Peru on mission’s trips and got to see thousands come to Jesus as well as countless miracles. I can’t tell you how happy and fulfilled I was to be an active part of the great commission. However, I was so shocked when I would come home many times to a church that did not feel the same. I didn’t realize that for years I had been associated with luke warm Christians who had lost their first love. We had simply been religious.

I found out the hard way when I would pour my heart out for the lost to Pastors. For the most part it was like facing the Pharisees’. I had a head on collision with religion! I was basically told to sit down and shut up. I spent the next few years overcoming the hurt and bitterness of some of this. It turned when the Lord showed me supernaturally through a man named John Bevere to pray for people that persecute you.

As I began to do this the Lord began to work. Within six months I ended up at a GAT in St. Louis, MO. When I came I did not even realize that Pastor Rodney’s ministry focused on getting people involved in soul winning, or that he had a vision to see a hundred million people come to the Lord. That meeting in St. Louis changed my life forever! The first person I met was Jake Peterson. We went out on the street the first day and won souls! This was an answer to mine and my wife’s prayers. That night in the meeting the power of God hit me and I was in the floor laughing as being washed out!

The process has really never stopped. I am so glad to finally be living here in Tampa, going to RBI and the River. I know that the Lord is preparing me and my family for what he has in the future, and that is to become even more equipped to be a part of shaking nations and taking the gospel to the entire world. I am so happy to be part of a Bible school that puts soul winning number one! I think Oswald J. Smith said it best, “Bible teaching without evangelism will result in stagnation.” Thank God that River doesn’t get stagnant because it is always flowing. Thank God I’m in the River!!!

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I was saved at the age of 40 while in a rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol abuse. Someone had shown more interest in me than I did in myself. I didn’t realize it at the time but God put him in my life for a reason.

While soul winning once, I was praying with a young women just sitting on her front steps. She repeated the words with little conviction. Then, I asked her if she’d like to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? She immediately perked up and said “Yea, I’ve heard about that”!! We joined hands and prayed. Well, she started crying, and shaking, then laughing, then started speaking, and her eyes popped open, I’d said “just let it go, close your eyes”. Well, we both nearly fell down the steps because she started speaking in tongues!! Next time I will be more aware of my surroundings while praying for the Holy Spirit.

I know it was the Holy Spirit working through ME, an ex addict who found God. Here I was witnessing and praying with someone in a similar situation as mine once was. To see them receive the gift of the Holy Spirit was overwhelming!!

This situation reminded me of how a Christian brother who once prayed for me must have felt.

Now, I’m involved in our bus ministry, which brings people who responded to the believer’s prayer to church. I enjoy this because we get to know each other both personally and spiritually. We have Bible studies in their neighborhoods, and prayers for healing in their homes if they can’t get out.

And I think, Wow, this is ME…Remembering the person I was, now praying for people. And all because I got involved in something I wasn’t even to sure about. And through Gods Grace and Mercy I’m there now to pray for and with those people that I used to know and once was. God does work in mysterious ways! AMEN!!

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Soul winning has taken on a new dimension where once before it was all about winning as many souls as possible, now it also includes ministering to the person after you have led them to the Lord. Some of the more recent experiences have included healings, and prophecies. One of the more powerful testimonies that I remember was as I was praying for this lady who had extreme pain in her hands and arms.

She had been like this for over two years, and her hands were crippled, so, as I prayed for her the power of God was present to heal her and she was able to move her fingers and her hands returned to normal. She started clapping her hands and praising the Lord in a loud voice. She then went back into her house to grab some documents and returned with documentation showing that someone had poisoned two years earlier. This pain had lingered for two years.

Another experience, that happened was at the bus station people are so receptive when it comes to receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. As we approached one young man who was twenty one years of age, he had already accepted the Lord, but he wanted to know how to lead others. Within an hour and a half of meeting us he had learned how to lead others using the script and had lead fourteen souls to Christ.

The same thing happened with nine year old child in an apartment area; he walked with our team, and led eight souls to the Lord in just over an hour. Being part of the River under the ministry of Dr. Rodney Howard Browne is a life changing experience not only for me, but for every life that we reach out to. It is the Gospel of Christ.

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When I first got to RBI the very idea of soul winning scared me to walk up to a complete stranger and share the love of Jesus with someone that I have never meant, and the areas that we were going in to were even scary to me. However as time progressed I began to see how important it was.

As I began to get in to the idea of soul winning I started to be changed by God in the inward setting. I began to believe more on the idea of healing for now. I began to be thankful for what I had and I got boldness for God. This change was one of the many things I am thankful to the school for. In one of our out reaches I walked up to this group of boys who where most likely in the middle of a drug deal when I walked up to them I was nervous, but God took over with a Holy boldness like I have never felt before.

I went through the script and they all said the prayer and then God told me to ask if any of them knew Jesus before this and one of them was obviously high and said “ I believe in the sun not Jesus and I got my boys” he was obviously trying to distract every one so the spirit of the Lord inside me was not having it. I looked at him and said” God did a lot for you.

Here you are with your boys and someone can come down the street and shoot you and they just might take a built for you however this is my fiancé and as much as I would love to say that I would take the beating Jesus took for us for him I know that there is no way I would be able to do it without denying him so they would stop, but God loved you that much he had his son do it for you and me, I guarantee you none of your boys would” at that minute it was silent and it felt still none of the kids friends said a word and that is when I saw the guy that seemed so big and bad break he started asking questions and I could tell that he would be forever changed which in return has changed me for life and made soul winning worth it to me.

Every time I step out to go soul winning I ask God to take me to the next level to the next area to change me as he changes the people I am talking to.

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What’s happening to me in regards to soul winning? The question could be asked what has soul winning done to me and for me at the River Bible Inst. this year. When I started here in August, I had witnessed and debated with people before but never had any results that were very positive. I learned how to effectively soul win, have a heart for all the lost, and pray with people for salvation instead, of just taking them to church or praying for them to come to Jesus.

Mine eyes have been totally opened by this experience, very life changing for me. Jake and Lisa have trained me and I do work under them and try to be on team. I am learning to be bold and use my big mouth as Joyce Meyers says which I also have for the Gospel’s sake. Pastor Danny is over all of us and has been a great, awesome instructor! Mr. Troy who works under Pastor Danny has helped me see the power of my prayer language and just by watching him.

I have learned how to pray boldly in the spirit for souls. At first it was very difficult for me physically but it s getting easier, I’m not in the best shape walking and would get out of breath and could not walk up stairs. Still can’t walk upstairs but am doing a good job in the nursing homes and seeing a lot of salvation’s there. I enjoy witnessing in the project areas of Tampa, and see the Lord doing a mighty work in those areas. It really touches me and inspires me to do my best for God when I pray for people and they get saved, or healed or don’t feel pain anymore.

I have grown to really love people with the agape kind of love by participating in soul-winning. I never loved people before and when I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit evidence of speaking in other tongues , my 4th week in Bible School, all of a sudden it all made sense, what I was called on this earth to do, win souls, the Great Commission.

Worship Soundtracks from RMIRiverSong on Vimeo.

It is so great to see a church that has taken many actions to pull in people from the community. What went down on Sunday, December 13th was not just a memorable moment for the church, but for the lives that were touched and changed. I was more plugged into the advertising for the event. We hit the streets in Tampa, and wanted to tell all we came in contact with about Jesus Sunday December 13th. Of course, our biggest attention grabber was FREE TOYS! The people were all about that. There were many people that wanted to know what the cost or catch was, and telling them there was no cost or catch they did not know what to think. They were then very receptive to the Gospel, and as we preached people began to repent, asking Jesus into their life. Some were rededications and many received Jesus for the very first time ever. Countenances were immediately changed and it was evident. I’m talking about all ages, from the little children to the older ones as well. Not only were there lives touched in this, mine was as well. There is nothing like leading people to Jesus, seeing them change right before your eyes. People would start asking for us to pray with other people they knew. What was so awesome about all of this, was not only were they praying with us on the streets, they got on the bus, and came to church. They meant it when they said they would be there. What a blessing, and privilege it was to be apart of such a great outreach. Just to be able to see people who were lost, with no hope suddenly feel like what they had been searching for there entire lives was finally found. There is no greater joy than to see people changed and touched by the power of God.

Worship Soundtracks from RMIRiverSong on Vimeo.

Being true to yourself is following your heart [the heart of God in you] (Jeremiah 29:13).

Saturate yourself with God, read and meditate on scripture, pray and talk to God. Listen and learn his voice (Psalm 40:6). Daily renew you mind doing those things. Congregate with believers of like faith (2Tim. 2:22). Pay tithes, give of your self and love your neighbor as yourself (Mat.19:19).

Go the extra mile, and love your family out of the love God puts in your heart by knowing him (Rom.5:5).

Be a soul winner (Act.10-36-38; 2Tim 4:2).

Put all fears away, in God there is no fear (2 Tim. 1:7).

Keep busy with what God has given you to do (Luke 2:49). Don’t remain idol, while you wait for God’s perfect will and direction (Act.13:22). Don’t be afraid to embrace God’s will for your life (Rom. 8:28-30). As you remain faithful to God your heart becomes one heart with God’s heart, and your thoughts become one with God (2 Tim.2:22; 1Tim.1:5).

When your loving and blessing others you become more beautiful inside and out. God pours more of his spirit in you as you pour his love to others, blessing, sharing, and loving with a heart that comes from knowing God (Rom. 2:10-11). Think well of others (Phil. 4:8).

Run to the Lord with your mess he will always be right there to touch you and heal you (1Cor. 11:24-25).

Make decisions based on the Word of God (Psalm51:6). Live clean and pure (Psalm 51:2, 7, 10). Take control of your life don’t let someone else control or judge you. Judge yourself according to what God’s Word says. Don’t judge others be merciful as God is merciful and kind, be kind also (Psalm51:1).

Be Holy Spirit controlled (Acts.2:4).

Submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7; 1Thes. 5:22). Mortify the flesh and its lusty desires by saying no to sin.

Keep a humble attitude and put pride and arrogance far away from you (James 4:6; 1Peter 5:5).

Stay sweet by forgiving when necessary. Don’t hold offenses, if you offend some one ask God to forgive you and the person you hurt for forgiveness (Col. 3:13).

Keep a pure heart (Psalm 24: 3-5).

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We had a blast at the Toy giveaway at the River at Tampa Bay Church with Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne! One thing that has caught my attention about this ministry is the heart that they have for reaching others for Jesus¬- even those that speak different languages. The Outreach was focused on Spanish speaking people. Advertising was done, flyers were delivered, posters covered the walls of Hispanic stores and businesses, and the people came! Translation was provided at the Church, with well-able interpreters and people felt comfortable and at home. All the Church worked as a team, with 300+ workers volunteering to see one goal: SOULS. I could see the compassion of Jesus working through the church workers as they served the first time visitors and everybody who came through the doors of the River at Tampa Bay Church. Kids came expecting, and they were certainly not disappointed! For Kids’ church was amazing! With all the new equipment, teachers’ ideas and games! The children LOVE coming to church. People came with a merry heart and expectation and enthusiasm was in the air.

It was amazing to be a part of what this Ministry is doing, for the change in people’s lives is so evident, you can even see it before your very eyes. The event was a bomb! All the workers were in position by the time all the people came out of the service, things were done in order as much as possible, there were people assigned in the parking lot for directing the traffic of people, others were assigned to toys’ distribution and everything went smooth. If people got hungry, hot-dogs and ice-cold drinks were being sold at the property at very affordable prices. The event was awesome, people’s lives were changed, I highly recommend you make the River at Tampa Bay Church your home church!

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The teachings on matters of the heart this past week were amazing. Pastor Adonica gave a solid teaching on some of many issues dealing with the heart. It is ironic, but God was already speaking to me about things taught in these classes even a month ago. The teachings confirmed what I was feeling I needed to deal with. One of the main things that was reinforced to me was the importance of keeping my flesh under control. For me it can be so easy to react to situations in your flesh, whether that means saying hurtful things or taking the path of least resistance. I was so encouraged to press into the Word and learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice. Sometimes it can be difficult to discern whose voice is saying what – am I yielding to my flesh, or is God speaking to me? Pastor Adonica addressed this very situation by saying that what our conscience and the Holy Spirit lead us to do, will always line up with the Word of God. Another thought that struck me was that how I treat others is how I view God! If my heart is impure, then in every circumstance around me I will only notice that which is also impure. It is like that quote from the Disney movie Pollyanna: “If you look for the bad, you will surely find it.” That explains why if I wake up with a grumpy attitude, everything will seem to go wrong that morning. It is so important to keep renewing your mind to the Word of God. If, however, my heart is pure and my mind is in line with the Word of God, then everything I do will flow from that pure heart motive, and I will not even have to worry if am following my conscience or my flesh. A final thing that the Holy Spirit showed me was the necessity of repenting of sin as soon as it is committed instead of waiting and trying to cover it up. Sin only leads to more sin. However, even if we do sin, that does not mean that we keep giving into our flesh because that is our “weak spot”. God showed me that he has given me the power to over come the whims of my flesh. Jesus was 100% man and tempted in every area just as we are. Therefore, if Jesus could conqueror his flesh, I can do the same! Moreover, I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me. Through Christ, I am more than a conqueror. Thank you Jesus!