And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Salvation Comes.
On the night of January 9, 2010, it was my wife's birthday. Per my norm, I was drunk. Even though it was her birthday, I being selfish, boastful, arrogant, had drank and made her drive home from her party.
We came home to the prospects that someone had possibly broken into our house. After several hours of investigating the deputy that had come out went to his car to finish up.
When the deputy for Hernando County came back in the house he was visibly upset. But what he said next upset us. “Mr. Anderson I have to take you to jail. There is a warrant out for your arrest from Mississippi, 15 years ago.” And so I was taken to Hernando County Jail.
It was 1:00 am in the morning, suddenly the whole cell and area got pitch dark. And the glow from within me warmed me and gave me an instant peace. I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder, and a voice speak: “Scott, do I have your attention now son?”
My answer; “Yes LORD, completely, now to the end of your eternity. Forgive me LORD and come live within me.”
I was also filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. And from there a ministry forged in faith began. Every place I went within the Department of Corrections, was ministry oriented.
I experienced more of the LORD in 10 months, 29 days, 6 hours than most do in a lifetime. And that was just the beginning. In all I have experienced and gone through, my faith, my trust, my love of ABBA JEHOVAH, has grown more than I could ever have imagined that dark night, January 10, 2010 at 1 am, or 01/10/10.
The Storm
May 19, 2017 at 7:45 am, my wife, my love left me to go to her family. The devil and the world seemingly had won. Even those of the faith were saying it is over, give her up, divorce her and move on. My family, all my friends, started to tell me move on. Some even calling me a fool for doing anything else but divorcing her. She gave me absolutely no signs of any hope. In fact the agreement of telling me every night on thier drive to Florida that she was safe did not even matter to her. No communication, no hope, no reason to hold onto a wife that seemingly had quit, GOD whispered,
He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
Mat 19:6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
It was not a supernatural, spiritual experience. No it was a quiet whisper from the LORD. But it showed me, it ministered to me where to stand. On GOD'S Word! I started there. I stood my ground when all the nay sayers, all the movers and shakers started their acts, I stood my ground. And the LORD moved me, to separate myself, to be devoted to HIM, and more importantly, to Trust HIM and HIM alone!
So at Christmas, New Years, Forth of July, Easter, all the holidays, I was without her, and most times without anyone really. Some tried, and eventually I was led to a Church where the Holy Spirit is poured out immensely upon the ministry staff and members. And they took me in, treated me like family, and importantly, they genuinely prayed for me and Terrie.
As we would visit on weekends, see each other secretly in the mornings before I went to work, GOD was moving. But it would be Tuesday or so, she would send me an email explaining how this was over and for me to move on. But I knew GOD had spoken to me. And so I stood. But didn't stand without stumbling.
for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity. Proverbs 24:16
I asked the LORD one time, after repenting for "falling;" "Why do I have to stumble? What is wrong with me that I cannot get this right?" And the LORD spoke clearly to my heart. "So that you can help others when they do. You now know what it is like, and how to get up from it."
HE can use all things, to minister to us, to shape us. One Sunday as church was letting out, a Sister strong in the LORD, told me to let go, and let GOD. I took this home prayed over it and trusted in the LORD. A few days later, we were divorced. I had promised the LORD I would praise HIM no matter what the result. On the way from the court, I did exactly that. Two days later we were back together. On September 9, 2018 GOD put us back together, HIS way with HIS marriage.
PRAISE GOD!
Where do I start…
Terrie's Testimony.......
A few days before my birthday in January 2009, I got on my knees and asked God to help me with my husband’s drinking problem. I asked him to please tell me what I need to do because I could not go through being married to an alcoholic again. Be careful what you ask for…because the night OF my birthday, he went to jail on an old warrant for violation of probation. I could not believe it. But God has a way of showing up and showing out. I stayed up all night fretting about it and cleaned my entire house from top to bottom.
I immediately started working on trying to get him out because they do not let you bond out if you are arrested on violation of probation. I started calling the probation office in Mississippi. We lived in Florida when he was arrested. His original offense was in Jackson County, MS. The probation office was a good place to start, except they had no records of him because when Hurricane Katrina hit, they were flooded, or so they said. Which meant they could keep him there as long as they wanted to and drag it out by putting it off on the hurricane.
Well, every day I called and nagged them about when he was going to court so we could get this over with. During that time God blessed me with a very good job on a contract basis with the power company an hour away from where we lived. That job helped me to pay for phone calls from him and canteen for him. Praise God!!! Six months later we finally got a court date and I hired an attorney I used to know and who used to be very good. Well, that was a huge mistake. He never even went to see him in jail and knew nothing about him when they went to court. Needless to say, he had to serve more time but was able to get what they call 30 for 30. So he did half the time and they took into account time already served…Praise God!
When he got out of jail he was on fire for God and was definitely a changed man…but he became prideful and quit listening to me when I would talk to him. The only thing he wanted to do was serve God and not go to work. During this time also he was pushing me to God and if I didn’t do things the way he thought I should he would shame me into doing it his way. We moved back to MS and tried the “own business” thing for a few years but that didn’t make us any money and quite frankly, we were drowning. I went back to school and obtained my license as a Registered Medical Assistant. I began working for the hospital in our little town. I wasn’t making much money but we had insurance and income. He did take care of my aging uncle who had developed Alzheimer disease, until he died.
So, time rocks on and we moved many times in one year. Like 4 times. I was getting tired and didn’t want to keep moving. We separated for a couple of weeks, trying to get his attention and it did work. He got a job working for a landscaping company but his body just couldn’t handle that harsh physical labor. Then he went to work pulling cable and installing cable ways on a ship through another contracting company. That job was phasing out and they were moving everyone to different areas of the country where work was continuing and he asked to go to Philadelphia, PA. I had a friend that lived in New Jersey where we thought it was not too far to get to PA, but after moving we found it was just a bit too far. He began interviewing locally and found a job that did not make near as much as he would have if he went to Philly, but at least it was a job. I started having anxiety issues and severe depression and just thought I would die. I asked him to go home and he said we should stick it out a little longer. I felt like I couldn’t do it one more day and decided I was going to leave.
I called my family and it was arranged that I would pick up my sister in the car and drive to FL where she lived and live with her. He loaded my car and I dropped him at work and left.
Now, I told him I was leaving on that Monday, I left on Friday. In between I found a place for him to live; at a boarding house. I did not leave him any transportation but felt that he could get a ride from someone. It was probably not the right thing to do, however, that is what I did.
During the time we were separated, 16 months, I was away from God because I had been pushed so much I was rebelling. I did what I wanted to do. We would spend weekends together, but when I left him I would feel like I just couldn’t get back with him. I was scared. He kept praying for us and the church kept praying for us and I kept getting nudges from God more and more.
I had filed for divorce and was being pushed by my family to get it done…so we went to court. Before that day Scott and I talked and we were going to try and get legal separation and mandatory counseling but the Judge had other ideas and asked what I wanted and I said well then divorce. So we were divorced. That was on a Tuesday. That Thursday I found myself sitting on the couch in his apartment talking about being together. I do not have any idea how I got there. I don’t even remember driving over there or knocking on the door. God’s way WILL prevail.
A week later we were remarried, this time in the church, by a Pastor with like-minded people as witnesses. Our new marriage is stronger than ever and better than ever. We still go to counseling because we both believe it is necessary so as not to fall back into the same old habits.
God must be in the middle of it and sought after first and foremost.