D e n i s e D o v e l
"Praying For You"
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My Testimony
I
was 19 years old when I woke up that summer morning in Maryland, serenaded by
some horrendous religious music (opinion held at the time), and surprised that
my alarm clock did not burst out with the usual rock music I had programmed it
to. Assuming it was a fluke, I quickly switched the radio alarm clock back
to my favorite rock station. Three days of the same scenario, waking up to
a different station, I decided I better listen. After all, I reasoned that
the worst thing that could happen is that I would be bored to tears, or guilted
into doing a good deed. And I was already a good person, right?
There in my bedroom, after listening to a 30 minute sermon, the Holy Spirit prompted into my heart the notion that I was not saved. It was in that very moment that I got on my knees and honestly confessed my disbelief, and asked God to please help me believe, and to please save me. Shortly after that prayer, I was on the phone to Family Radio in California, confirming that what I had just done was real. The adventure had already begun . . .
As I asked Jesus to help me to know Him, he reminded me of the words, "second chance". Quickly my mind reminisced about a dream of a little girl who was then 5 years old. The memory of a painful dream of a car accident and my family's judgment before a Holy God, and my desperate cry for God's mercy and a second chance for my family was suddenly vibrant and fresh, as if it had just happened. Here I was 14 years later, and the words, "Second Chance" were whispered into my heart.
God changed me radically. The day of my salvation, I threw out all of the old music that I had listened to that I suddenly had a conviction was not right. Many other changes were about to take place in my life, and God gave me grace to walk in obedience to Him in this new life in Him. Shortly after my salvation, someone prophesied that I would be singing and playing keyboard on stage for God's glory. Boy I thought this precious gentleman had gotten it all wrong - I was a brass musician at the time. Little did I know that God would cultivate songs in my heart, and use me in various churches to share His love and forgiveness to many of His children.
If you ever wonder how the pygmies in Africa can come to know Jesus, well, if God wants to save you, He will do it. I am living proof of that. Growing up in a broken home, I often felt like I was not important. How amazing to see that the God of the universe would choose me, and say that I was the apple of His eye? You are too. Surrounded by drugs, alcohol and illicit lifestyles during my middle school years, God encompassed me about and protected me - kept me from choosing those things. Folks tried to harm me, and yet in the midst God gave me courage. When I came to know Jesus, the emotional scars I had were healed by my Jehovah Rapha - (which means God our healer). He is able to restore us - broken and sometimes in disrepair - and make us shine for His glory!
The journey since that day has been incredible - non-stop testimonies of God's goodness and strength in the midst of various trials. Amazingly enough, God also chose to draw my oldest brother, Duby, to Himself through a very unique way. After much prayer for my brother, and an earnest desire to see Him saved, my brother was in a very bad accident. Laying on the ground, he says he heard me praying for him to have a second chance. Coincidence? I don't think so. What an awesome God who would give a little girl a dream, and then in His mercy, fulfill it.
Maybe you wonder about another chance with God. Maybe you feel your second chances are all used up. Praise God that His mercies are new every morning!! You can say goodbye to the sin that is knocking at your door seeking to master you. You can say yes to God. He will never let you down.
Please let me know if you have asked God to save you. booking@denisedovel.com I would love to pray for you and celebrate with you!
In Christ's Mercy, Joy, & Strength,
Denise Dovel