Seven mercies of God in my life in my life in 10 years

Here are seven really outstanding examples in my life I want to especially point out of my life separate from my own full testimony see link to that here https://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/jay-dougherty/personal-testimony/10200273845382367

 where God particularly showed great mercy, love, forgiveness and grace in each one of these seven locations, people, and life events I am going to go show these events and situations one at a time to show you how loving God really is. One situation often led to another, and had situations in them where God was extra merciful.

1. Hilton      Head landlord, job

I moved to Hilton Head Island in 2003, and I was able to transfer my supermarket job to a sister company who was then owned by the same parent company as the parent company whom I worked for in Pennsylvania. That in of itself was a blessing as the new place I was to move to was no less than 720 miles away from where I was living with my father(just us two my mother died two years earlier to this move). Now Hilton Head Island is not normally a cheap place to live, because of all of its many resorts and golf courses. Yet I was able to find a place- a room, to be sure, to rent for only 350 dollars a month! Another mercy of God. I made it well through the summer, then my hours were badly cut at work, because of the tourist nature of the area, and come fall as the tourist business slows so does the store. My father would help me through this tough period, more mercy. An inheritance helped pay off things(not my father, however, but a great aunt). I stayed until the end of October 2004 when I moved back to my father’s condo in Carlisle, Pa. Another mercy there was the fact that I was able to get out of a year lease 9 months early, sure I had to pay the rent(with my Father’s help) but in a few months time I did get the majority back as another tenant rented the place in a few months. God’s provision and blessing were shown in that example.

 In April of 2006, I would move back to Hilton Head, this time to a larger apartment which was significantly more expensive, but as my father had died then recently(February 2006) I was in no difficulty for money due to an insurance policy and soon, an inheritance which consisted of a car and in a few months, money from selling the condo he bought in late 2003/early 2004, the money was a real blessing that could have lasted a long time, except that I wasted it!! Even though I left my second year’s lease way early, the landlord rented to me a bigger and nice place, in the same building- 2 bedrooms, this time. This too was a mercy of God because he did not have to rent to me again considering that I had essentially broken the lease 9 months early, but he did. Perhaps even a bigger mercy was that the landlord did not evict me after I had so obsessively collected so many vintage magazines like that so fast. He had every right to evict me after a while there, for old magazines are a very severe fire hazard(the house where I rented could have burned down) and also paper can attract bugs, rats and other vermin. He merely made me put much of it in a rented storage shed, but I know it was the mercy of God only that he did not evict me.

A last mercy in Hilton Head Island was the fact that I met a manager at the store where I worked for who seemed to really care for me. In the second time I was there he worked with his mother to help me move up to where their farm is in northern South Carolina, and that is exactly what happened in late April 2007, when my lease was up in Hilton Head, SC. He also helped a lot with the move, which was very, very hard considering by that time I had nearly 200 boxes of vintage magazines(I had wasted much, if not most of my inheritance on them, thankfully my uncle intervened and prevented me from wasting the rest of it on my at that time obsession.)

2. William      Roberts and his family, especially his mother and daughter

In May I settled down in the farm which really is out in the country in Kershaw SC. I went down to talk to William’s mother, Bobbie Taylor, then, and she did get to know me and she seemed to get some better idea of what exactly was wrong with me, the attention deficit disorder and all, and she resolved to try to help me. First she helped get new license plates and licenses for both me and my car. She also resolved to get me mental health help for me and to even see if she could get me on disability. She was gentle, yet firm. I resisted but she knew what was best for me, and God put it on her heart to care for me in those ways. Meanwhile while all this was going on, William himself, when he was visiting there (he would still live in Hilton Head for another almost year then) would witness to me, trying to get me to go to church with him, and after about five months of trying with persistence and patience would finally succeed in getting me to go to a Sunday evening church service on October 14, 2007 with him and his daughter who was then there visiting. That night they announced a presentation for the church to go to(those who wanted to the following Saturday the 20 ^th . I also started reading the bible for really the fist time in my life at that time. At the presentation, after hearing of the truth, that there was a good chance that had I died prior to that night I would have ended up in Hell(from the info on the presentation) I decided to give my life over to the Lord and accept His biggest mercy to all mankind- His gift of salvation through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross at Calvary. I know I prayed a prayer of salvation 10 years before this, but I don’t feel it counted, for I know now I did not do it with the right motivation of heart, neither do the fruits of my behavior show that. If anything I became even more resistant and hard to the gospel in the 2000s until close to that time.

After that God did show mercies, first I got food stamps and some help and counseling that I needed, then in the fall of 2008, I got approved for disability on my second try, God’s mercy and handing in my diagnosis for Asperger’s syndrome/ADHD was enough. I know it was mainly God’s mercy and grace for I know people who are far worse off cannot get on the disability roles or not without going to far more lengths, even suing in court, to get these disability benefits. I did though get approved for Medicaid earlier. Until getting approved for the disability, I had to rely on my remaining inheritance to pay rent, utilities (which were MUCH lower than Hilton Head, SC), necessities and to a lesser degree, food. I a very fortunate thing, in retrospect, however, that my uncle did step in while I was in Hilton Head, SC and stop me from wasting ALL of my inheritance because of my magazine obsession , for without his intervention I could have very easily come close to doing that and I would likely not have had enough money to get by on work, which was one day, about five hours per week. That was yet another display of God’s mercy. After accepting Christ that night, God started drawing me closer to Him, speaking to me, making promises, and cleaning me up of my sin and unrighteousness, a process lasting to this day. He has used His word, churches, bible studies, schools, retreats, and other methods to do all that, preparing me for the rapture to come. At one of those retreats, which I paid for by selling most of my huge collection of magazines(provision for them) I saw an ad for a volunteer at a Christian retreat in the North Carolina mountains, Stonehaven. I visited, and loved it, and then made plans with its owner, Harrietta to move there permanently in late September/October of 2009.

3. Harrietta      Turner and Stonehaven

By late October of 2009, I had settled in there to Stonehaven, to help Harrietta with its care inside and out. Harrietta helped me also in many things, like getting all my car stuff transferred to NC, becoming her designated payee for Social security, which she did until summer of 2012 well after I left. She also was a mother figure to me, much more mature in the faith than I was then, and even I am now. She pointed out some of my deficiencies and I know that God used her for some of my growth. She did not hesitate to chastise and correct me, often by sending email which was and still is her strength of communication. This was helpful, but I do know that God will chasten and correct those he loves, and He used her that way (and still does use others in my life for that purpose). I had some relationship issues with her disabled son, but mercifully she did not kick me out of Stonehaven due to that. God also brought some people there to aid my growth, and a summer school, which made me so much hungrier for Him. The winters are not real easy there but God by using others as need be helped make sure I always had enough, and was able to get out. In the spring God delivered me from having to take a prescription ADHD medication and had me take vitamin supplements instead, which I felt were more effective and these would help me focus during my schools ahead of me then.  In the fall God put me in contact with someone who had a good experience with Youth with a mission, YWAM, and used that to prompt me to go look online to research what they offered and I found that the discipleship training school was just what I wanted then, for growth, and for service. I really became strongly servant hearted when with Harrietta, though often not to mature about things, however.

4. YWAM      Discipleship Training School

He gave me traveling mercies first of all thought the school to travel from North Carolina to Colorado, then also to go on the outreach phase too. He also helped with provisions to deal with a car issue just before I left, for needs and both tuition and outreach fees. This school is intense with separate speakers each week teaching different topics, intercessory prayer, worship, and many other communal activities, so it is a perfect opportunity to grow deeper and more mature very quickly with one’s relationship with God. Again God put me with certain people for His purposes to be achieved in my life – the head of the base, David Horn, and two teachers who would play a role with my outreach. Also the students and other staff were friendly too, and helped me grow more. There was an speaker difficulty which in turn would lead to an unexpected trip to Texas, which is what God used to tell me He wanted to do #6, the school of the bible, which happens to be in Tyler, as well. When after the class’ visa application for their outreach was rejected to Pakistan, the group decided to go to Nepal, God said told me I was not to go with them, and He used these teachers to set up a substitute outreach for me. He knew I was nowhere near spiritually ready for such a demanding and long trip, and if I had gone it would have not been good for me, and there would have been an excellent chance I could have been sent home early, which would have ended it for YWAM for good, and I don’t know if there might have been some other adverse consequences from that situation, which thankfully and mercifully never happened.

I did go to a place in the Pacific Northwest, in Vancouver, Washington, which is aptly called Freedom House, for the outreach, and this definitely was the right place for me to go. This is a live in facility whose purpose is to free men from the bondages of drugs and alcohol, which often freed them from prison sentences and restored family to the men, as well as freed them from bondage. It is a very structured program with a very high level accountability but that has to be expected considering the type of people that they get as students. Days do very fast there and there is a lot to learn. They also want to go out and evangelize and witness to others while they do work for them, during the afternoons. Again, God did set up people for me there to help my growth further, as well as use the teaching for that purpose. There was two extra weeks which I spent in Colorado doing some outdoor chores and such, before everyone came back for the debriefing week, and graduated, save one who was indeed sent home early. She did come back though for the week of graduation however to repent for all wrong doing, I admire her courage to do so. I am thankful in hindsight for the outreach change for God used that to get me through so He could do other things in my life, including the next one, a mission building trip

5. Summer      2011 Mission building and trip to orphanage

Once the school was over I drove from Colorado to California, thanks Lord again for traveling mercies, to stay six weeks to do mission building and service. Here too He had people there for me to work with, especially a woman named Felicia, who was almost always with me as I did my weeks of mission building service. I believe this in ways was a blessing to her as well, as it gave her practice dealing with someone who had Asperger’s syndrome. The work done was in the housekeeping department, which meant cleaning/vacuuming all manner of rooms, windows, and objects , and she taught me to be a bit more thorough in what I did, and to try to keep focus(which is harder with ADHD). At the end of these six weeks mission building an opportunity which I was working on before opened so I could participate in a mission trip to an orphanage in Baja. He also gave me the opportunity to extend it to two weeks so I could go from there straight to the school of the bible. God’s travelling mercies covered me for the whole trip from Chico, to San Diego, from there to the orphanage and back to San Diego, and from San Diego to Texas. God also made provision for all the costs involved, gas, motels, food, the mission trip fee, even for some spending money during the trip. He also had some of His people be a help facilitating the various aspects of the trip, especially having to take a bus from the orphanage to the Mexican border, getting me through the border and to the hotel in San Diego where I would stay for two nights after the orphanage trip was done and prior to going to Tyler, Texas.

6. The      school of the bible

I am very thankful for God’s travelling mercies for my safe trip to Tyler, Tx from San Diego as well as provision to get there, and for the tuition and all outreach fees. Selling the car helped greatly, and God provided a buyer for that in 2012, early. It did not take too long to sell it either. As with the other cases God once more had put people in my path there- both students and staff- who cared about me, helped look after me, helped me grow too in Him, and blessed me. I did not need my car anyway for there was always someone-one of the students or staff willing to take me with them when I needed something, or let me enjoy something with them, which blessed me. This school is a very intensive study of the bible over almost a full year. Considering its duration the tuition is very reasonable, as it also includes room and board. There were two outreaches during the time of the school and God made provision and travelling mercies for both of them, one to Florida, and one to Mexico. Little did I know when I went to Florida in November that I would be going there on a more permanent basis in a little more than nine months from when I first went, but I know even then God had it all planned out just like that. He did not allow me to go through with my first plan, to go to Africa full time and long term at the end of the school as He knew I wasn’t ready spiritually, and even more importantly it would most certainly have resulted in my social security disability income being cut off and stopped(something I would find out late summer/fall 2012). Thank You Lord for Your mercy in preventing that from happening, so I am still on Social Security disability income. After my second outreach to Mexico God changed my plans for summer several times, first changing my plans for outreach to New England, then He told me to forsake my summer outreach all together and go to Florida to help Teresa for the crusade immediately after the school lecture was done in June, and not after the summer outreach in late July. He also stopped me from going mission building and going to other schools, and, up to now, still has done that. I found out about Teresa through one of her spiritual sons on Facebook, where I found out about the crusade, and all, and, always wanting people to be saved however it may look, found myself wanting to come for the crusade.

7. Teresa      and Kevin Wiggins

On Saturday June 23, 2012 I flew from Tyler Texas to where I still am, 9 months after that date. God had to work hard to even get me here in Florida to begin with. Her husband, Kevin, is a private man, and also rather protective of his wife, Teresa, whom I feel he loves so deeply(one would be hard pressed to find a happier and closer couple in marriage then they are- their relationship is VERY special). He moved on both Kevin and Teresa that I should come here, apparently permanently, too. I was figuring at the time that I first came here, that I would be here until just after the crusade and then I would go on to something else, but that has been far from the case, indeed. I helped Teresa to get all the visa applications out for the crusade late June and July so the people could mail it in and we hoped at that time be approved. Sadly only one did. Perhaps some of it was mercy even from God for some of these people would eventually prove to be evil and Teresa has removed those form her ministry outright. Still, He was kind enough to provide one so the crusade could go forward. The crusade, after all, was the lure that God had used to draw me to Florida and Teresa in the first place, anyway. Teresa is far more mature than I am in the faith, and she has a wonderful testimony of many powerful experiences with the Lord. The Lord has used her all the time I have been here to mature me in Christ in very significant ways, and no doubt will continue to do so while I am here. She has just the right combination of firmness and love(all from the Lord) to promote this growth in me. She also allows me to serve some around here, while other places might not let me do the same thing.

In July and August, I took a trip to Haiti, I guess more of a social trip than anything else where I met some of Teresa’s spiritual children, and the orphans there. God protected me very thoroughly throughout so I never really felt the evil spoken of there. I know I was kept in a very strong hedge of protection. It did help wake me up to see how well off Americans really are, due to the fact that the large majority of Haitians do not have many things Americans take for granted like washers and dryers, air conditioners, not even showers. They cannot drink their tap water and they basically seem to use a lot of bottled water. It was a very eye opening trip and experience to say the least. Yet, the people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic are a happy and friendly people, even though they lack so much that Americans take for granted. Americans are often a lot more self-centered and even snobby by comparison.

More of God’s mercy- He put me with a good extended family- Teresa having 4 daughters, a surviving mother, a sister all in Plant City, and a few elsewhere. I have visited these several times. God has told me it was His plan to graft me into this family, out of His love(plus many spiritual sons(and a few daughters) scattered in various parts of the world, some of whom I communicate with on facebook, even a few times on Skype. The ones who I visited with in Haiti are part of this spiritual family.

On the crusade, Teresa promised the Lord she’d go on it even if only one of the applicants made it, and that is exactly what happened, only one made it(the others all had their applications for visas rejected). She would not have gone, in fact if everyone would have been rejected; had that happened, I myself would have been wondering why I was led there, but by God’s mercy it all worked out and the crusade happened in October. God had great mercy throughout the more than2000 total mile trip from Florida to Virginia and back to Florida,  giving us many travel mercies all along the way for the trip was made with a car with very bald tires(yet there was no blowouts or flats) and with an air conditioner that was on its very last legs but still worked when needed. Also God made sure we had enough provision for food, gasoline, and motels, and even arranged some encounters with other people.

The final mercies- I was at first somewhat bored due to the unstructured life, as I was used to a highly structured life being a YWAM student and all. However, he gave me more and more to do online, posting and sharing videos photos and scripture on Facebook. Then He opened the door to volunteer for Ken Rich’s Indie Gospel on the computer. Then in January of 2013 He put it on Teresa’s heart to run a site called FISH, Faith in serving Him a link to the page on facebook is here for all to check out: https://www.facebook.com/FishFaithInServingHim

She also let me invite her facebook friends to like this new website too, which helped it grow fast. In February, the Lord really put it on my heart stronger by far than EVER before that the rapture will be pretrib, first having me write some notes to share and then having me open a second like page on Facebook and Here is a link to it

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-RAPTURE-IS-IMMINENT-Are-YOU-Ready/315464171909804

Also in February the Lord also put on my heart that I needed to lose weight and lose it badly. He has led my in a successful effort at that. I do not wish to lose my health.

All of the above have kept me busy and I feel as if I am serving the Lord’s purpose at last. I really believe this is my last place before the rapture, which is imminent (for a variety of reasons, for one I wouldn’t have opened the above site, and also He has been revealing to me things in scripture about how soon the rapture will be, especially in the New Testament. He also has been having me watch videos in YouTube for further instruction on this. He has closed every door that might have had me leave here for somewhere else for good, or even for a few months’ time. He knows what He is doing so I just need to trust Him for what is best. He has closed doors many times in the past for He knew that what I might have wanted at the time was not at all the best for me, could have even been disastrous for me, going really badly and I know He knows the best for me now, has always known, and will ALWAYS know. So I thank Him for wisely closing all doors, and options I wrongly pursue. In the not too distant future I strongly believe God is going to do a tremendous act of mercy- perhaps arguably second only to the cross- in power, scope, and strength- I am referring to the rapture of the believers before the tribulation period begins with all of its judgments on the wicked.

8. In the      future- the Rapture!

I am very strongly led to believe the rapture of believers is God’s mercy for mankind, for those who accept His son and pray to Him daily, so they can escape the great tribulation period- that seven year period which is described especially in the book of Revelation from chapters 6 to 18.  I have studied those chapters, and believe me I want NO PART of what that is prophesied to happen then. It will be so unbelievably terrible. If you do not believe me, study those 13 chapters of revelation yourself. Because of that, I pray that God by His mercy and grace will count me worthy to escape all the calamities to come, by His mercy and grace, not by anything that I do, even though I am trying my best to stay within His will, it is so important for me to stay in His will,alas, but not without stumbling, and making mistakes  for I am not perfect like He is. God is so gracious to forgive me every time I repent, and I repent often, and am always praying for Him to cleanse me and mature me so I don’t make those mistakes any more! I want to avoid mistakes and any sin because I want my garments to be white, spotless, and pure, so that I am always found ready for the wedding supper of the lamb, and that God has nothing against me that might cause me to miss the rapture. I also know that this is ONLY something He can do. Only the blood of Jesus can make and keep these all pure so that I can make it to the marriage supper of the lamb. I need to be very humble at all times and diligently, urgently repent as often as needed, but He does ALL of the rest, continuing to purify me, making sure that my garments are spotless and without wrinkles as He wants them to be. I also want to reach out to others and pray that they would do those same steps.

Conclusion and summary

            I have done this testimony to show God’s tremendous mercy in these seven incidents, to show just how much love, mercy and grace He has shown me, a sinner. I want you to know that He loves you too, and wants to extend mercy and grace to you, as well, for I do not wish ANYONE to be left behind to face the tribulations. Therefore if you do not know Him and want a relationship with Him, please pray this prayer with me

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved.Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

For more on the rapture I suggest reading this, longer discussion of the mayhem immediately after the rapture

https://www.facebook.com/jay.dougherty.50?sk=info&edit=eduwork&ref=update_info_button#!/notes/jay-dougherty/at-the-rapture/10200290432677039

or this

https://www.facebook.com/jay.dougherty.50?sk=info&edit=eduwork&ref=update_info_button#!/notes/jay-dougherty/rapture/10200126232612140

God bless you and yours

Jay Dougherty

Jay30_pa@yahoo.com