By REV. TIMOTHY L. MELTON, PASTOR
(Transcribed by Myra D. Colgate)
Cherokee Pentecostal Holiness Church
Read Acts 16:16-34
I remember when I was a kid. I had always wanted to be a fireman. The Lord had given me that dream. So, I ended up working for the fire department for a number of years. It was during a house fire, that I got into trouble. My leg was suddenly broken, and it caused a life-threatening situation which also caused a lot of other issues. I should not have come out of there alive. My air pack had also completely malfunctioned and I was unable to breathe. A person can’t breathe in the midst of a fire. This fire was burning so hot, that they brought fire hoses to the windows, not to necessarily put out the fire, but to keep those who were there from burning to death.
The turnout gear I was wearing is still hanging up in the museum in that fire department today. Listen, that water I was laying in had begun to boil. I was wallowing around like this because I was literally boiling alive. When something suddenly grabbed hold of me. It was, I still believe, an angel of the Lord. Somebody could ask me, why would God do that? Were you living for the Lord? I was living the dream that I thought was mine, so what happened? I’ll tell you what happened. God looked into the future and here’s what He said.
“That boy has got a call on his life.There’s an anointing I’m holding for him. I’m going to keep him alive so that he can walk in that pathway that he was supposed to walk.”
Some years later now, I know that I also love farming. If you’ve been around me anytime at all, you’d know I love the farm and I love to be out on the farm. I began raising pigs several years ago. You may remember this. I was out castrating the baby pigs when a mama pig got loose, a 450-pound one, attacking me. She landed on top of me, knocked me off my feet and went all the way up to my neck. That was her goal as she intended to kill me that day. But when she got there, I remember I put my arm up in her mouth, because I just couldn’t bench press 450 pounds. I pushed hard. I remember asking the Lord, “How long was this going to last?” Everybody there with me ran toward that pigpen I was in all by myself, with this 450-pound animal who was trying to chew me up. How many lacerations did I have? Twenty-three, I had stitches all over my body. It did everything it could to kill me. However, when it got to where it could have killed me, an angel of the Lord grabbed me by my feet and pulled me out from under that hog and the angel threw me over a six-foot fence!”
Let me tell you, boys don’t jump that high. That was not Tim. That was an angel of the Lord. I ended up landing on my back, and reaching into my pocket, I handed a gun to the guy standing next to me.
“Whatever you do, if she does come out of there…For God’s sake, shoot it!” Yes, why? Why would God do that? It’s because He still needs us.
Later on, I’d gone to another doctor. I heard that doctor say, “Your kidneys are dead. You have to go on to dialysis.”
I remember laughing as I told my wife, “I’m not doing that. I’m going home.” If the Lord is done with me, He can call me to heaven. If He’s not done with me, I can live without kidneys.” Yeah, but, I know what I know about the God I serve. I’m here today. That was five to six years ago. I’ve never seen dialysis, not one time and now, my kidneys are functioning at 100 percent. That does not happen. Why would God do that? It’s because of His purpose on my life. There are reasons some of you shouldn’t be here, too. You had leukemia, (pointing to a lady). You were all but dead in a coma, but you’re still here, pointing to another. You were in the middle of a situation where you should have been shot and killed on the street probably, but you’re still here.
I don’t know what all else is going on in your life, but this one thing, I know, If you’re still here, it’s because God has a purpose in your life. You are not here by accident. It’s not by mistake. It wasn’t coincidence.
There’s a God in Heaven who knows how to keep and preserve those He loves, those He’s anointed. Glory to God! Hallelujah!
