Quasi-Supernatural Testimony

Sons to Glory! · 09-17-2011, 04:47 PM

I wrote up my testimony last year and distributed to people I knew. In one part I describe some things that were happening around me which were quite phenomenal to me. I have always wondered exactly what was going on there, and have some specific questions for you to ponder at the end. This took place about a week after I had a miraculous salvation experience complete with physical and mental healing, not to mention and incredible sense of the Lord and His anointing. Here's the excerpt (sorry if the formatting is bad):

Then came the day I have long regretted. I still hadn’t found any Christians I really wanted to be
with (but admittedly, hadn’t looked a whole lot). I was hanging out with a friend, John Noll, who
decided we should go to another friend’s house in the early afternoon. There were a few people
at this house, including some girls I had interest in, and a pretty one was noticing me. A joint
was lit up and passed around. At first I refused. Still being in a state of spiritual newness and
possessing wisdom beyond myself, it seemed as if I could look right into people’s soul, including
this girl’s. So against what I knew to be true, I took a hit on that joint. Big mistake . . .

Now you might consider that up until this point, the things that occurred were pretty subjective
and inward. But this is where things turned outwardly supernatural and were fearfully witnessed

by others. That day, as I remember, the sky was pretty fair and sunny, but suddenly got quite
dark around us as we were smoking that joint. People in the room became somewhat edgy and
were looking at me as if they knew something was about to happen. As the joint came around
the room again, I took another hit of it, and then the loudest noise imaginable occurred. There
had been no hint of thunder in the air, but suddenly a flash of lightning hit – we saw the flash
and heard the earth-shattering bang at the same time. The room got deadly quiet, and then
everyone exclaimed, “Wow!” We were all completely awestruck. I knew that something of
profound spiritual significance was going on, and I knew I shouldn’t take another hit on that joint,

but I did.

Immediately there was another lighting flash and a bang, and this was somehow even

louder and brighter than the first. The people in the room were really freaked out now. Why I

did it, I still do not know, but I took still another hit off that joint. It couldn’t be possible that

anything could be louder than the last lightning blast, but when the third one hit, it totally
dispelled that notion. There was no use in me denying it . . . those lightning blasts occurred
because of my actions. (Note: These three lightning blasts were the only ones that afternoon.)
As I sat there, dumbfounded at what I had just done, and what was happening outside,
suddenly all the “old feelings” came back to me in that instant. These were all the feelings that
left me when I had been miraculously healed a few days before. My head became plugged up,
and I felt weighted down and old. My body ached and the inexplicable sweetness in the air was
gone. But worst of all perhaps, the sense of being able to intimately communicate with God

seemed to be completely gone.

I was really dejected over what I had just done, and left the house with John. As we were

walking, John brought up something we had only mused about before, and that was regarding

going to California. This time he was really serious about it. I said, “Sure, let’s go, there’s
nothing for me here.” At that moment we reached a street corner when something else
supernatural occurred. As we were standing on the corner I saw John being pushed backward
on his one shoulder, as if someone were physically shoving him hard. This almost knocked him
off his feet. He cried out, “What the . . .!” I inquired about what had happened. He exclaimed,
“It’s as if someone pushed my shoulder!” I, being a little freaked out by this (as if all the other
things that day hadn’t scared me enough), said, “Oh no. Don’t say that!” Just then it happened
again. This was a movement that couldn’t be faked – John felt it and we both saw it. Being
really scared, we both exclaimed, “Let’s get out of here!” and went to make plans for going to

California.

Thanks for reading!

Questions: What was the lightning and thunder - God or the enemy? And what was the invisible push on my friend's shoulder? I've gone back and forth on these for years.

countmeworthy · 09-18-2011, 06:01 AM

What a rivetting testimony !

Surely El Shaddai wanted your undivided attention and was warning you of impeding danger ! You belonged to HIM now and yet you were treading in dangerous territory, the enemy's camp where you could have easily been devoured by the master deceiver, the thief who was not only trying to snatch you out of the Father's hand, but was out to steal kill and destroy you and your testimony.

It's also possible, you think that your friend was not a good influence on you & God pushed him back w/the message "HEY! Leave my son alone! He's MINE !"
The Scriptures are filled w/countless accounts of God speaking or sending messages through Thunder and Lightning.

Go to Biblegateway.com and key in thunder and/or lightning. It will link you to all the scriptures pertaining to Thunder and Lightning.

From what I have read in the scriptures, Thunder and lightning is ALWAYS from God...not the enemy. There is even lightning and thunder in heaven ! Here are 2 scriptures for you:

Isaiah 29:6 says
you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts
with thunder and with earthquake and great noise,
with Whirlwind and Storm and the flame of a devouring fire.

Revelation 4:5
And out of the Throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the Throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

P.S.S. on a side note, regarding the Seven Spirits of God, there are a few interpretations to what they are:

1) the 7 Spirits are symbolic of the Perfect and Complete Holy Spirit

2) angelic beings, Seraphim and Cherubim

3) Isaiah 11:2 describes 7 attributes of the Holy Spirit:
(1) Spirit of the LORD,
(2) Spirit of wisdom,
(3) Spirit of understanding,
(4) Spirit of counsel,
(5) Spirit of power,
(6) Spirit of knowledge,
(7) Spirit of the fear of the Lord.

From http://www.gotquestions.org/seven-spirits-God.html

Great Post STG ! Thanks for sharing !

Carol

ZNPaaneah · 09-18-2011, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countmeworthy

Great Post ZNP ! Thanks for sharing !

Carol

?

countmeworthy · 09-18-2011, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

?

OOPS !!!

my bad ! I think I had read one of your posts and had you on my mind ZNP !

Sons to Glory! · 09-18-2011, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countmeworthy

What a rivetting testimony !

Surely El Shaddai wanted your undivided attention and was warning you of impeding danger ! You belonged to HIM now and yet you were treading in dangerous territory, the enemy's camp where you could have easily been devoured by the master deceiver, the thief who was not only trying to snatch you out of the Father's hand, but was out to steal kill and destroy you and your testimony.

It's also possible, you think that your friend was not a good influence on you & God pushed him back w/the message "HEY! Leave my son alone! He's MINE !"
The Scriptures are filled w/countless accounts of God speaking or sending messages through Thunder and Lightning.

Go to Biblegateway.com and key in thunder and/or lightning. It will link you to all the scriptures pertaining to Thunder and Lightning.

From what I have read in the scriptures, Thunder and lightning is ALWAYS from God...not the enemy. There is even lightning and thunder in heaven ! Here are 2 scriptures for you:

Isaiah 29:6 says
you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts
with thunder and with earthquake and great noise,
with Whirlwind and Storm and the flame of a devouring fire.

Revelation 4:5
And out of the Throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the Throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

P.S.S. on a side note, regarding the Seven Spirits of God, there are a few interpretations to what they are:

1) the 7 Spirits are symbolic of the Perfect and Complete Holy Spirit

2) angelic beings, Seraphim and Cherubim

3) Isaiah 11:2 describes 7 attributes of the Holy Spirit:
(1) Spirit of the LORD,
(2) Spirit of wisdom,
(3) Spirit of understanding,
(4) Spirit of counsel,
(5) Spirit of power,
(6) Spirit of knowledge,
(7) Spirit of the fear of the Lord.

From http://www.gotquestions.org/seven-spirits-God.html

Great Post STG ! Thanks for sharing !

Carol

No, thank you for sharing your insights! This is a very good witness to me. And why would the enemy want to warn me? He would be completely happy to let me stumble into his snare, without any warning whatsoever!

As I think I stated in the testimony, those were absolutely the loudest things I have heard before or since, and each blast was progressively a little louder than the first. Also interesting is that there were three of them, don't you think? I have often thought of Peter and the rooster crowing three times, because that is really what it was like. Each time I denied Him, thinking there was something to be gained by it. What a bitter realization!

And I certainly have had similar thoughts regarding my friend being shoved away. He certainly represent my old life. It is interesting that he was the one that had the idea to go to California. However, in in St. Louis (we started from NE Ohio) he turned back as he was homesick. I picked up a ride (hitchhiking was big back then) soon after that, which took me all the way to Berkeley. After getting several divinely influenced directions to the nearest restroom (as I really had to go badly), I wound-up at the meeting place for the church in Berkeley. I quickly realized God had been totally faithful to me, in that I had prayed this earnest prayer, "God, you have to take me to a place where others love you the way I do." He took me 2,500 miles across the US in about 10 days, to place me with seeking ones in Berkeley. This still amazes me (and why He did it like He did), and I am often aware that He is still fulfilling that prayer of mine today!

Thanks again!

countmeworthy · 09-18-2011, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sons to Glory!

As I think I stated in the testimony, those were absolutely the loudest things I have heard before or since, and each blast was progressively a little louder than the first. Also interesting is that there were three of them, don't you think? Thanks again!

Oh You are welcome !!

Ah yes ! 3 roaring peals of thunder !

The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost.. guided you to the coast !...the day the music died...(don't know why this song suddenly came to me...

Certainly the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob got your undivided attention!

Great, GREAT testimony !!!!!

Sons to Glory! · 09-21-2011, 02:55 PM

If you guys think it would be edifying, I would post the rest of this testimony . . .

ZNPaaneah · 09-21-2011, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sons to Glory!

If you guys think it would be edifying, I would post the rest of this testimony . . .

Man up and get a backbone. When you speak, speak as the oracles of God, not limply. Do not fear opposition, that is a good sign. Fear apathy. If you don't have the peace, then heed the Lord, otherwise, be bold brother!

Sons to Glory! · 09-21-2011, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

Man up and get a backbone. When you speak, speak as the oracles of God, not limply. Do not fear opposition, that is a good sign. Fear apathy. If you don't have the peace, then heed the Lord, otherwise, be bold brother!

Or as some might say - "get a pair."

Sons to Glory! · 09-21-2011, 05:58 PM

Tery Tennant’s Witness of Extraordinary Events in 1974

Recently I was compelled to write down the extraordinary events that happened to me and which I personally witnessed when I was 18 years old. These amazing things have had a continuing, major impact on my life, which I feel must finally be shared with others. Frankly, I don’t know why I waited so long to commit this to writing.

First, some background to these events. I grew up in Canton Ohio, and became a teenager in the early 1970s. These were tumultuous times as the flood of “sex, drugs and rock & roll” was quickly spreading across the country. The teenagers in my hometown were getting deeply involved and it seemed like the totally cool thing to do. Years later I would come to say that most everyone I knew back then was either dead, in jail, or a “burnout” living in their mom’s basement – that was how destructive this scene was.

Prior to my sophomore year in high school, I began to smoke pot and this quickly led to other forms of getting high including alcohol, barbiturates, amphetamines, LSD, PCP and sniffing volatile substances. During my sophomore year I ran away from home, dropped out of school, and became part of the street scene, which fancied itself as one big party 24/7. In reality, living on the street was extended times of self-imposed hardship – especially in the Ohio winter -- punctuated by all too brief periods of enjoyment (while getting high).

For the next two years I was in and out of Juvenile Hall, foster homes and rehab houses, and of my own choosing did not return home. Although I was not physically addicted to any drug, I was completely hooked psychologically to getting high any way I could. Eventually this resulted in flipping out one night after taking a variety of drugs including LSD, PCP, marijuana and alcohol. The police found me running down the middle of a busy street screaming and crying while tearing my clothes off. I was certain the demonic forces I was seeing were trying to kill me! I was taken that night to the state mental hospital, where I was physically restrained until the affects of the drugs wore off. Since I had turned 18 about a month earlier, I was allowed to check myself out of the mental hospital after a few days stay.

While that was certainly a scary event, I immediately returned to getting high with my friends, because that was pretty much all we knew. But now things had taken on a more somber tone with me, and I began to despair deeply about where my life was going. Although I hid it from others, I sank into a serious depression, realizing we were all heading down a destructive spiral. A few weeks after being released from the mental hospital some people and I got high one night. After things broke up, I had no place to stay, and wandered the streets still depressed over my most unsatisfying life.

It was getting cold, so I broke into a nearby vacant house and found an old mattress and laid down. I was so weary and despondent over my life, and the drug high just didn’t feel good at all any more. My lifestyle had greatly accelerated my realization of the overall futility of life. I was so desperate to find the answer to everything, because it felt like life was not really worth living.

At that point, I cried out and said, “God, if you’re real, you have to make yourself real to me!” What happened next would change me forever. I experienced an instant healing on so many levels that it is difficult to describe. My head became instantly clear and a joy filled my being to the likes of which I had never experienced. The bad high and depression I had been experiencing vanished in an instant. I was energized with hope, and I had the deep sense that I was in direct communication with the God of the entire universe – He had answered me!

Since that experience I’ve heard others describe this - it felt like a tangible, physical burden had been lifted off me. My body felt renewed. I didn’t realize it before this healing experience, but my body had been getting old rapidly from the whole drug scene (I was actually getting a lot of gray hair at 18!). But now all that oldness was instantly gone, replaced by what I can only say was a newness of life, and a high so much better than any drug. The sky was bluer, the air had a wonderful sweet freshness about it, and I was filled with hope, because I knew the God of all creation!

The intimate, inward knowing I had that God had reached down to personally touch me was beyond astonishing. I could talk to Him inwardly and knew He was intently listening. Many things were revealed to me about the condition of mankind, God’s purpose with us, and the wisdom of knowing we all had an enemy who was actively seeking to destroy us. I loved God, and while I wasn’t so clear on all the details, I knew He was the God of the Bible and that His loving purpose had been carried out in Jesus Christ. There is no other way to explain it, but I knew these things more assuredly than the sun rising the next morning.

For the next few days I walked around in an almost indescribable freshness of life – everything was new and interesting to me. I spoke to God on a continual basis, both audibly and inaudibly. And when I communicated to Him there was a stirring within and a joy as a confirmation He heard me. I also began to sense that I needed to be with others who loved Him in the way I did, and prayed that He would make that happen. However, I wasn’t aware of anyone in the area who was having this same “off the chart” experience of God.

(On several occasions I became aware of certain thoughts that were new to me, which I later found out were specific verses in the New Testament. I had no awareness of ever hearing these verses before, but they were there, as a deep knowledge in my soul. The Lord’s Spirit was communicating these verses directly into me!)

During this time I also experienced that people I knew were showing up who really wanted to get me high. The frequency of these occurrences was striking. Before, it almost never happened that I was being sought out, because I rarely had any drugs and never had money. But now, daily, people were coming to me with offers of parties and drugs. It was more than apparent that there was some real force wanting to tempt me and pull me backward into that scene. But I was happy with my new found Friend – the God of everything, who I knew loved me beyond measure!

One experience of temptation stood out from the rest. It had been several days since my healing experience, and I had said “no” to many offers of getting high. Then a bunch of my old buddies showed up in a pickup, music blaring, ready to take me to a big party in the woods. They had cases of cold beer, and showed me several choices of premium drugs. It was like a candy store! And they had made a point to put all this together and find me. I was amazed, but also amused about how blatant and obvious a temptation this was. In the past, this would have been a dream come true. After significant coaxing, my buddies, greatly bewildered and disappointed, finally left.

Then came the day I have long regretted. I still hadn’t found any Christians I really wanted to be with (but admittedly, hadn’t looked a whole lot). I was hanging out with a friend, John Noll, who decided we should go to another friend’s house in the early afternoon. There were a few people at this house, including some girls I had interest in, and a pretty one was noticing me. A joint was lit up and passed around. At first I refused. Still being in a state of spiritual newness and possessing wisdom beyond myself, it seemed as if I could look right into people’s soul, including this girl’s. So against what I knew to be true, I took a hit on that joint. Big mistake . . .

Now you might consider that up until this point, the things that occurred were pretty subjective and inward. But this is where things turned outwardly supernatural and were fearfully witnessed by others. That day, as I remember, the sky was pretty fair and sunny, but suddenly got quite dark around us as we were smoking that joint. People in the room became somewhat edgy and were looking at me as if they knew something was about to happen. As the joint came around the room again, I took another hit of it, and then the loudest noise imaginable occurred. There had been no hint of thunder in the air, but suddenly a flash of lightning hit – we saw the flash and heard the earth-shattering bang at the same time. The room got deadly quiet, and then everyone exclaimed, “Wow!” We were all completely awestruck. I knew that something of profound spiritual significance was going on, and I knew I shouldn’t take another hit on that joint, but I did. Immediately there was another lighting flash and a bang, and this was somehow even louder and brighter than the first. The people in the room were really freaked out now. Why I did it, I still do not know, but I took still another hit off that joint. It couldn’t be possible that anything could be louder than the last lightning blast, but when the third one hit, it totally dispelled that notion. There was no use in me denying it . . . those lightning blasts occurred because of my actions. (Note: These three lightning blasts were the only ones that afternoon.)

As I sat there, dumbfounded at what I had just done, and what was happening outside, suddenly all the “old feelings” came back to me in that instant. These were all the feelings that left me when I had been miraculously healed a few days before. My head became plugged up, and I felt weighted down and old. My body ached and the inexplicable sweetness in the air was gone. But worst of all perhaps, the sense of being able to intimately communicate with God seemed to be completely gone.

I was really dejected over what I had just done, and left the house with John. As we were walking, John brought up something we had only mused about before, and that was regarding going to California. This time he was really serious about it. I said, “Sure, let’s go, there’s nothing for me here.” At that moment we reached a street corner when something else supernatural occurred. As we were standing on the corner I saw John being pushed backward on his one shoulder, as if someone were physically shoving him hard. This almost knocked him off his feet. He cried out, “What the . . .!” I inquired about what had happened. He exclaimed, “It’s as if someone pushed my shoulder!” I, being a little freaked out by this (as if all the other things that day hadn’t scared me enough), said, “Oh no. Don’t say that!” Just then it happened again. This was a movement that couldn’t be faked – John felt it and we both saw it. Being really scared, we both exclaimed, “Let’s get out of here!” and went to make plans for going to California.

I think we left the very next day. His car was broken down and we had no money, so we hitchhiked. But in St. Louis, John became homesick and turned back. I kept going, and after a week wound up over 2000 miles away in Berkeley, California. Within an hour of arriving in Berkeley I was led in a miraculous way (that’s a story for another time) to a group of people who were really “on fire” for Jesus. God, in spite of me blowing it so badly and after receiving such a wonderful gift of healing, was still looking out for me. I realized that this was His way of answering my prayer to take me to a group of people who loved Him they way I did.

So that’s the true story of extraordinary things I experienced and witnessed in 1974 . . .

You probably think all this is quite phenomenal, and it certainly was! And it is still most remarkable as I recall these events now, but I have conveyed them accurately to the best of my ability.

One other thing – some time later I was brought to remembrance that I had actually first accepted Christ, personally, at a younger age. This was when I was probably 10 or 11 years old. I remember sitting in our dining room after Sunday school one afternoon, and reading a tract someone had given me. The tract was entitled, “What just happened to you.” I remember having a very pleasant sense of the Lord then, but completely forgot about Him during the next few years. No matter, He was faithful and waited years for me to turn to Him again.

While I still do not have all the answers to explain everything that happened, I do know a few things assuredly. One thing I know is the Lord is a loving God who has shown immeasurable grace in His purpose in the person of Jesus Christ. I also believe the Lord wanted to make a distinct impression on me that I could never forget, and He has certainly done that!!! Not many people receive the healing and outward displays I was privileged to be part of and to witness.

My life was changed incredibly and forever during that brief period in 1974. My ongoing transformation has not been an easy one, and I’ve stumbled a lot. At almost 55 years of age, I am still learning to listen to and live by this new life within me. But this I know - if I stumble, He shed His blood to cleanse me and He completely forgives me. On my part, all I have to do is accept His gift, believe and call on Him. He does the rest. (BTW: Through this experience, pot smoking and other forms of getting high was never the pleasurable experience it once was – the taste for such things was simply taken away in an instant.)

So this is my story (this is my “song”). You can believe it or not and do with it as you choose. My purpose is to be a faithful witness, and let Him use my experience as He will. In closing let me tell you that He loved us so much that He died for us, and His ultimate sacrifice takes care of all our sins – all of them! And He has given us His Spirit, to live in us and transform us into the people that we were intended to be, if we simply believe and accept His free gift. May He get all the glory!

09-17-2011, 04:47 PM	#1
Sons to Glory! Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 2,614	Quasi-Supernatural Testimony I wrote up my testimony last year and distributed to people I knew. In one part I describe some things that were happening around me which were quite phenomenal to me. I have always wondered exactly what was going on there, and have some specific questions for you to ponder at the end. This took place about a week after I had a miraculous salvation experience complete with physical and mental healing, not to mention and incredible sense of the Lord and His anointing. Here's the excerpt (sorry if the formatting is bad): Then came the day I have long regretted. I still hadn’t found any Christians I really wanted to be with (but admittedly, hadn’t looked a whole lot). I was hanging out with a friend, John Noll, who decided we should go to another friend’s house in the early afternoon. There were a few people at this house, including some girls I had interest in, and a pretty one was noticing me. A joint was lit up and passed around. At first I refused. Still being in a state of spiritual newness and possessing wisdom beyond myself, it seemed as if I could look right into people’s soul, including this girl’s. So against what I knew to be true, I took a hit on that joint. Big mistake . . . Now you might consider that up until this point, the things that occurred were pretty subjective and inward. But this is where things turned outwardly supernatural and were fearfully witnessed by others. That day, as I remember, the sky was pretty fair and sunny, but suddenly got quite dark around us as we were smoking that joint. People in the room became somewhat edgy and were looking at me as if they knew something was about to happen. As the joint came around the room again, I took another hit of it, and then the loudest noise imaginable occurred. There had been no hint of thunder in the air, but suddenly a flash of lightning hit – we saw the flash and heard the earth-shattering bang at the same time. The room got deadly quiet, and then everyone exclaimed, “Wow!” We were all completely awestruck. I knew that something of profound spiritual significance was going on, and I knew I shouldn’t take another hit on that joint, but I did. Immediately there was another lighting flash and a bang, and this was somehow even louder and brighter than the first. The people in the room were really freaked out now. Why I did it, I still do not know, but I took still another hit off that joint. It couldn’t be possible that anything could be louder than the last lightning blast, but when the third one hit, it totally dispelled that notion. There was no use in me denying it . . . those lightning blasts occurred because of my actions. (Note: These three lightning blasts were the only ones that afternoon.) As I sat there, dumbfounded at what I had just done, and what was happening outside, suddenly all the “old feelings” came back to me in that instant. These were all the feelings that left me when I had been miraculously healed a few days before. My head became plugged up, and I felt weighted down and old. My body ached and the inexplicable sweetness in the air was gone. But worst of all perhaps, the sense of being able to intimately communicate with God seemed to be completely gone. I was really dejected over what I had just done, and left the house with John. As we were walking, John brought up something we had only mused about before, and that was regarding going to California. This time he was really serious about it. I said, “Sure, let’s go, there’s nothing for me here.” At that moment we reached a street corner when something else supernatural occurred. As we were standing on the corner I saw John being pushed backward on his one shoulder, as if someone were physically shoving him hard. This almost knocked him off his feet. He cried out, “What the . . .!” I inquired about what had happened. He exclaimed, “It’s as if someone pushed my shoulder!” I, being a little freaked out by this (as if all the other things that day hadn’t scared me enough), said, “Oh no. Don’t say that!” Just then it happened again. This was a movement that couldn’t be faked – John felt it and we both saw it. Being really scared, we both exclaimed, “Let’s get out of here!” and went to make plans for going to California. Thanks for reading! Questions: What was the lightning and thunder - God or the enemy? And what was the invisible push on my friend's shoulder? I've gone back and forth on these for years.

09-18-2011, 06:01 AM	#2
countmeworthy Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: in Spirit & in Truth Posts: 1,363	Re: Quasi-Supernatural Testimony What a rivetting testimony ! Surely El Shaddai wanted your undivided attention and was warning you of impeding danger ! You belonged to HIM now and yet you were treading in dangerous territory, the enemy's camp where you could have easily been devoured by the master deceiver, the thief who was not only trying to snatch you out of the Father's hand, but was out to steal kill and destroy you and your testimony. *It's also possible, you think that your friend was not a good influence on you & God pushed him back w/the message "HEY! Leave my son alone! He's MINE !"* The Scriptures are filled w/countless accounts of God speaking or sending messages through Thunder and Lightning. Go to Biblegateway.com and key in thunder and/or lightning. It will link you to all the scriptures pertaining to Thunder and Lightning. From what I have read in the scriptures, Thunder and lightning is ALWAYS from God...not the enemy. There is even lightning and thunder in heaven ! Here are 2 scriptures for you: Isaiah 29:6 says you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with Whirlwind and Storm and the flame of a devouring fire. Revelation 4:5 And out of the Throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the Throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. P.S.S. on a side note, regarding the Seven Spirits of God, there are a few interpretations to what they are: 1) the 7 Spirits are symbolic of the Perfect and Complete Holy Spirit 2) angelic beings, Seraphim and Cherubim 3) Isaiah 11:2 describes 7 attributes of the Holy Spirit: (1) Spirit of the LORD, (2) Spirit of wisdom, (3) Spirit of understanding, (4) Spirit of counsel, (5) Spirit of power, (6) Spirit of knowledge, (7) Spirit of the fear of the Lord. From http://www.gotquestions.org/seven-spirits-God.html Great Post STG ! Thanks for sharing ! Carol __________________ Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be *accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass,* and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:36) Last edited by countmeworthy; 09-18-2011 at 06:50 AM. Reason: correcting name of poster! and additional comment

09-21-2011, 02:55 PM	#7
Sons to Glory! Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 2,614	Re: Quasi-Supernatural Testimony If you guys think it would be edifying, I would post the rest of this testimony . . .

09-21-2011, 05:58 PM	#10
Sons to Glory! Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 2,614	Re: Quasi-Supernatural Testimony Tery Tennant’s Witness of Extraordinary Events in 1974 Recently I was compelled to write down the extraordinary events that happened to me and which I personally witnessed when I was 18 years old. These amazing things have had a continuing, major impact on my life, which I feel must finally be shared with others. Frankly, I don’t know why I waited so long to commit this to writing. First, some background to these events. I grew up in Canton Ohio, and became a teenager in the early 1970s. These were tumultuous times as the flood of “sex, drugs and rock & roll” was quickly spreading across the country. The teenagers in my hometown were getting deeply involved and it seemed like the totally cool thing to do. Years later I would come to say that most everyone I knew back then was either dead, in jail, or a “burnout” living in their mom’s basement – that was how destructive this scene was. Prior to my sophomore year in high school, I began to smoke pot and this quickly led to other forms of getting high including alcohol, barbiturates, amphetamines, LSD, PCP and sniffing volatile substances. During my sophomore year I ran away from home, dropped out of school, and became part of the street scene, which fancied itself as one big party 24/7. In reality, living on the street was extended times of self-imposed hardship – especially in the Ohio winter -- punctuated by all too brief periods of enjoyment (while getting high). For the next two years I was in and out of Juvenile Hall, foster homes and rehab houses, and of my own choosing did not return home. Although I was not physically addicted to any drug, I was completely hooked psychologically to getting high any way I could. Eventually this resulted in flipping out one night after taking a variety of drugs including LSD, PCP, marijuana and alcohol. The police found me running down the middle of a busy street screaming and crying while tearing my clothes off. I was certain the demonic forces I was seeing were trying to kill me! I was taken that night to the state mental hospital, where I was physically restrained until the affects of the drugs wore off. Since I had turned 18 about a month earlier, I was allowed to check myself out of the mental hospital after a few days stay. While that was certainly a scary event, I immediately returned to getting high with my friends, because that was pretty much all we knew. But now things had taken on a more somber tone with me, and I began to despair deeply about where my life was going. Although I hid it from others, I sank into a serious depression, realizing we were all heading down a destructive spiral. A few weeks after being released from the mental hospital some people and I got high one night. After things broke up, I had no place to stay, and wandered the streets still depressed over my most unsatisfying life. It was getting cold, so I broke into a nearby vacant house and found an old mattress and laid down. I was so weary and despondent over my life, and the drug high just didn’t feel good at all any more. My lifestyle had greatly accelerated my realization of the overall futility of life. I was so desperate to find the answer to everything, because it felt like life was not really worth living. At that point, I cried out and said, “God, if you’re real, you have to make yourself real to me!” What happened next would change me forever. I experienced an instant healing on so many levels that it is difficult to describe. My head became instantly clear and a joy filled my being to the likes of which I had never experienced. The bad high and depression I had been experiencing vanished in an instant. I was energized with hope, and I had the deep sense that I was in direct communication with the God of the entire universe – He had answered me! Since that experience I’ve heard others describe this - it felt like a tangible, physical burden had been lifted off me. My body felt renewed. I didn’t realize it before this healing experience, but my body had been getting old rapidly from the whole drug scene (I was actually getting a lot of gray hair at 18!). But now all that oldness was instantly gone, replaced by what I can only say was a newness of life, and a high so much better than any drug. The sky was bluer, the air had a wonderful sweet freshness about it, and I was filled with hope, because I knew the God of all creation! The intimate, inward knowing I had that God had reached down to personally touch me was beyond astonishing. I could talk to Him inwardly and knew He was intently listening. Many things were revealed to me about the condition of mankind, God’s purpose with us, and the wisdom of knowing we all had an enemy who was actively seeking to destroy us. I loved God, and while I wasn’t so clear on all the details, I knew He was the God of the Bible and that His loving purpose had been carried out in Jesus Christ. There is no other way to explain it, but I knew these things more assuredly than the sun rising the next morning. For the next few days I walked around in an almost indescribable freshness of life – everything was new and interesting to me. I spoke to God on a continual basis, both audibly and inaudibly. And when I communicated to Him there was a stirring within and a joy as a confirmation He heard me. I also began to sense that I needed to be with others who loved Him in the way I did, and prayed that He would make that happen. However, I wasn’t aware of anyone in the area who was having this same “off the chart” experience of God. (On several occasions I became aware of certain thoughts that were new to me, which I later found out were specific verses in the New Testament. I had no awareness of ever hearing these verses before, but they were there, as a deep knowledge in my soul. The Lord’s Spirit was communicating these verses directly into me!) During this time I also experienced that people I knew were showing up who really wanted to get me high. The frequency of these occurrences was striking. Before, it almost never happened that I was being sought out, because I rarely had any drugs and never had money. But now, daily, people were coming to me with offers of parties and drugs. It was more than apparent that there was some real force wanting to tempt me and pull me backward into that scene. But I was happy with my new found Friend – the God of everything, who I knew loved me beyond measure! One experience of temptation stood out from the rest. It had been several days since my healing experience, and I had said “no” to many offers of getting high. Then a bunch of my old buddies showed up in a pickup, music blaring, ready to take me to a big party in the woods. They had cases of cold beer, and showed me several choices of premium drugs. It was like a candy store! And they had made a point to put all this together and find me. I was amazed, but also amused about how blatant and obvious a temptation this was. In the past, this would have been a dream come true. After significant coaxing, my buddies, greatly bewildered and disappointed, finally left. Then came the day I have long regretted. I still hadn’t found any Christians I really wanted to be with (but admittedly, hadn’t looked a whole lot). I was hanging out with a friend, John Noll, who decided we should go to another friend’s house in the early afternoon. There were a few people at this house, including some girls I had interest in, and a pretty one was noticing me. A joint was lit up and passed around. At first I refused. Still being in a state of spiritual newness and possessing wisdom beyond myself, it seemed as if I could look right into people’s soul, including this girl’s. So against what I knew to be true, I took a hit on that joint. Big mistake . . . Now you might consider that up until this point, the things that occurred were pretty subjective and inward. But this is where things turned outwardly supernatural and were fearfully witnessed by others. That day, as I remember, the sky was pretty fair and sunny, but suddenly got quite dark around us as we were smoking that joint. People in the room became somewhat edgy and were looking at me as if they knew something was about to happen. As the joint came around the room again, I took another hit of it, and then the loudest noise imaginable occurred. There had been no hint of thunder in the air, but suddenly a flash of lightning hit – we saw the flash and heard the earth-shattering bang at the same time. The room got deadly quiet, and then everyone exclaimed, “Wow!” We were all completely awestruck. I knew that something of profound spiritual significance was going on, and I knew I shouldn’t take another hit on that joint, but I did. Immediately there was another lighting flash and a bang, and this was somehow even louder and brighter than the first. The people in the room were really freaked out now. Why I did it, I still do not know, but I took still another hit off that joint. It couldn’t be possible that anything could be louder than the last lightning blast, but when the third one hit, it totally dispelled that notion. There was no use in me denying it . . . those lightning blasts occurred because of my actions. (Note: These three lightning blasts were the only ones that afternoon.) As I sat there, dumbfounded at what I had just done, and what was happening outside, suddenly all the “old feelings” came back to me in that instant. These were all the feelings that left me when I had been miraculously healed a few days before. My head became plugged up, and I felt weighted down and old. My body ached and the inexplicable sweetness in the air was gone. But worst of all perhaps, the sense of being able to intimately communicate with God seemed to be completely gone. I was really dejected over what I had just done, and left the house with John. As we were walking, John brought up something we had only mused about before, and that was regarding going to California. This time he was really serious about it. I said, “Sure, let’s go, there’s nothing for me here.” At that moment we reached a street corner when something else supernatural occurred. As we were standing on the corner I saw John being pushed backward on his one shoulder, as if someone were physically shoving him hard. This almost knocked him off his feet. He cried out, “What the . . .!” I inquired about what had happened. He exclaimed, “It’s as if someone pushed my shoulder!” I, being a little freaked out by this (as if all the other things that day hadn’t scared me enough), said, “Oh no. Don’t say that!” Just then it happened again. This was a movement that couldn’t be faked – John felt it and we both saw it. Being really scared, we both exclaimed, “Let’s get out of here!” and went to make plans for going to California. I think we left the very next day. His car was broken down and we had no money, so we hitchhiked. But in St. Louis, John became homesick and turned back. I kept going, and after a week wound up over 2000 miles away in Berkeley, California. Within an hour of arriving in Berkeley I was led in a miraculous way (that’s a story for another time) to a group of people who were really “on fire” for Jesus. God, in spite of me blowing it so badly and after receiving such a wonderful gift of healing, was still looking out for me. I realized that this was His way of answering my prayer to take me to a group of people who loved Him they way I did. So that’s the true story of extraordinary things I experienced and witnessed in 1974 . . . You probably think all this is quite phenomenal, and it certainly was! And it is still most remarkable as I recall these events now, but I have conveyed them accurately to the best of my ability. One other thing – some time later I was brought to remembrance that I had actually first accepted Christ, personally, at a younger age. This was when I was probably 10 or 11 years old. I remember sitting in our dining room after Sunday school one afternoon, and reading a tract someone had given me. The tract was entitled, “What just happened to you.” I remember having a very pleasant sense of the Lord then, but completely forgot about Him during the next few years. No matter, He was faithful and waited years for me to turn to Him again. While I still do not have all the answers to explain everything that happened, I do know a few things assuredly. One thing I know is the Lord is a loving God who has shown immeasurable grace in His purpose in the person of Jesus Christ. I also believe the Lord wanted to make a distinct impression on me that I could never forget, and He has certainly done that!!! Not many people receive the healing and outward displays I was privileged to be part of and to witness. My life was changed incredibly and forever during that brief period in 1974. My ongoing transformation has not been an easy one, and I’ve stumbled a lot. At almost 55 years of age, I am still learning to listen to and live by this new life within me. But this I know - if I stumble, He shed His blood to cleanse me and He completely forgives me. On my part, all I have to do is accept His gift, believe and call on Him. He does the rest. (BTW: Through this experience, pot smoking and other forms of getting high was never the pleasurable experience it once was – the taste for such things was simply taken away in an instant.) So this is my story (this is my “song”). You can believe it or not and do with it as you choose. My purpose is to be a faithful witness, and let Him use my experience as He will. In closing let me tell you that He loved us so much that He died for us, and His ultimate sacrifice takes care of all our sins – all of them! And He has given us His Spirit, to live in us and transform us into the people that we were intended to be, if we simply believe and accept His free gift. May He get all the glory!