MARTYN BALLESTERO || HGR DEVOTIONAL

I greet you in the name of Jesus which is still the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved I've done my best to start every sermon every devotional every time I greet the audience with Acts chapter four verse number 12 since 1958 so it's been a few days I'm so glad I was raised in a family that trusted God I mean my mom and dad were people of great faith when I talked to my father who was my pastor about evangelizing I knew I wouldn't I couldn't and I shouldn't leave without my pastors my father's blessing on my life my father laid his hands on me and prayed over me I was 19 years old I had no revival schedules my mother said where you going honey I said I'm gone to Louisiana she said who you gonna preach for I said I don't know she said how much money do you have I said I have $85 she said well how are you going to do that I said mama I remember being a child and you and Daddy left Oregon pulling a little utility trailer and that's three oldest kids and you had $2.00 and somehow you made it from Morgan to the Louisiana camp-meeting I said the same God that took care of he's gonna take care of me isn't it amazing how you speak with blind faith when you're a kid so I slept in the car I ate moon pies Fritos and drank RC coke colors and by the time I got the Elder a to Arkansas my muffler tailpipe fell off I got to Leesville Louisiana and my distributor quit distributing my alternator quit alternating my generator quit generating I went to the junkyard and I spent $75 getting everything replaced from junkyard parts and put on I had spent $5.00 on food that left me five dollars so I wanted to call my dad it's too proud to call collect someone to the bank had got my $5 changed in to three dollars and fifty cents for three minutes when I called my dad I said daddy I don't want to tell you where I'm at I don't want you to send me any money I have a dollar and a half left this is Saturday now I said I don't know where I'm gonna preach if I'm gonna preach I don't know where I'm gonna stay tonight I haven't eaten today all I want to know is what do you do now and my father chuckled on the phone I said why are you laughing and he said well son the reason I'm laughing is because if God lets you starve to death and die wherever you're at I'm gonna build you a monument bigger than George Washington's then you chuckles some more on us why would you do that I still couldn't see the humor in it and he said well son the reason I would build you a monument bigger than George Washington's is because you would have been the first man God ever let down I said Oh daddy thank you for that and I knew I was gonna start blubbering effect I kept talking much longer so I said love you and just hung the phone up I got down in that little phone booth in the Louie Lee's Bell and I said God if you'll forgive me for doubting you I won't do that no more I can still hear those pulpwood trucks driving by and smell that those piney woods I walked out of that little phone booth and ran into brother Cranford who pastored in Sulphur Louisiana he said he'd been in my father's conference in March and this was October so brother Marty what are you doing down here I said I'm trying to start evangelizing he said well have you had supper and I said no sir he said you like seafood I'd never had seafood before but I said oh yes sir and his only sister Cranford could cook we went to her house and ate a delicious meal we got done by the Cranford said that we have young people service tonight could you stay over and preach for us I said I checked my calendar says I saw had an opening so I agreed he gave me $14.50 man I'm so proud to say that much money he called brother O'Brien and went to brother O'Brien's he got me about four revivals I preached for brother see their beefs you and I preached in Lunada Louisiana and I preached Carlsbad New Mexico for JH Stanton and it was nine months before I went home the first thing I had to learn to do was to trust him and it seems like God specializes and given us refresher courses I resigned of the church right past him for 30 years I've pastored a total of 30 years I was 28 years in South Bend but I was there for a long time and I resigned at the time when I only had 150 dollars to my name my credit cards maxed out I was 55 years old it wasn't wisdom to do what I did economically I know that but I felt it was right for the church and I knew that would be right for the church who would be right for me the first weekend that I was gone blow out of front tire well I'm saying blowing out because all the tread came off but they it still had air in it and I'd had Sam's Wholesale Club hazard road hazard and so I'd take it to Sam to change the tire take it to Sam's and the guy looked at he says I think what I'll do if you buy two tires I'll give you two tires and I said how much is that gonna cost me he said a hundred and two dollars well I had a hundred and fifty in my pocket we didn't have ATM cards I've never applied for a gas card in my life still don't have one so I didn't know if I could make it from Joplin Missouri back up to South Bend Indiana and by my wife meals both ways I was I don't know lesson hundred miles from Joplin at that time I didn't know if he gave me a check I got a leave to the six o'clock Monday morning I wouldn't have time to cash the check but I knew I needed tire so I said yeah go ahead he turns around and hollers the order out and when he does I feel a thump on my left hand and I turn and a white-haired man didn't say word he looked like he's about 70 or so they had a hundred dollar bill in my hand and without another word just or any word just walked out of the building I lifted my hands in the air and my eyes teared up I said oh thank you Jesus and it was as though the Lord said to my spirit I figured out how to give you get you four tires for two dollars but before I could bless you I had to let you have a blowout and sometimes in life all we can see are the blowout so we can't see how God is setting us up for a blessing you see living for God is a walk of faith and you gotta trust him whether you're a preacher or a saint I'm grateful that the Lord has allowed me to preach going on 1,200 revivals and I haven't had to make one phone call somehow it's just I can't tell you how many times I started revival not where I'm going next but somehow God always makes away and you gotta trust his hand and his plan you see that was the first thing Israel had to learn to do is trust God that adjusting for the food they had to trust him for the protection for guidance for their health keep the clothes from wearing out he got a trusting we had a van just by the name of brother Joe do come and preach for us when I was trying to start a church in Oklahoma City and dear brother came every morning he would pray we don't had about 30 people living in the back of the church he was sleeping in a Sun disco room kind of like we were he'd sit in the rocking chair and he'd just rock every morning after breakfast till about lunchtime and he would just talk to God and conversational tones just like he was actually talking to God right there in person and he finished one little segment of his prayer then he said my god the people I'm preaching for they ain't got much money I mean God knows that was true he got oh we was in survival mode let me just say that way he said they're giving me the best that they have but he said tonight I'd like to have some pork chops I'd like to have some cat head biscuits and just in case you don't know what cat head biscuits are those or biscuits that are as big as the cat's head he said so I'm gonna need about 10 pounds of flour and why don't you give me a 1 pound can of Crisco and I'm gonna need some I need about a quart of cane sorghum and I want some butter so give me some real butter this time don't give me no oleo margarine like you did last time he said I like some fried okra fresh snap green beans some corn on the cob he said these people got a couple babies and I know they could use some milk so why don't you give us a couple gallons of milk well I said that I'll take care of that you just went on to another subject and I looked at my wife like oh god how we gonna get some chops and flour for biscuits and corn on the cob who wouldn't want that you can only just give so much milk I so much milk you know give so much blood so that was about 11:30 about 2:30 in the afternoon we lived in the back of church as I say that we heard a knock on the back door so I hid it for the back door of the church and by the time I got there I heard a car take off and I opened the door there were 16 bags of groceries on the back steps pork chops 10-pound sack of flour one pound can of Crisco a quart of cane saw him two pounds of real butter corn on the cob okra fresh snap green beans two gallons of milk and some more besides now when the Lord told us to say give us this day our daily bread he really does mean business now you think I want to sit there and feel like God can't come through for me just because of all my inaccurate inadequacies or imperfections his word is so true trust him you'll never be disappointed he always will come through for you you gotta trust him for your safety you gotta trust him for your protection for your health to keep food on your table during times like these you got to trust him have your bills paid trust him for your marriage trusting for that wayward child you gotta trust him for your job situation trusting for your church for revival in your church when the Holy Ghost impresses you trust him on that it's not just some figment of your imagination 1952 my father's driving down the highway South Texas somewhere and he felt impressed to stop the car and get out and preach a little two-lane highway he looked around there was no houses there was no buildings no cars no people nothing he thought well surely that can't be God because if you would have to preach you need someone to preach to and he ignored that to burn off for just a moment that feeling hit him stronger again and he just slammed on the brakes and when he finally came to stop his own just died right on top of some little culvert no shoulder just parked in the middle of the right lane no traffic coming either direction he checked his peers we found his Bible got up laid the Bible on the hood he looked around there was no one anywhere to be seen not even an animal he announced his scripture and now read it announced the subject title and begin to preach he preached for five minutes her soul gave an altar call and all that time no one passed him he saw no human but that spirit lifted and he closed his Bible got in the car and drove off down the road about 30 more miles to a town where he was preaching reliable for a week on Monday night of the next week they had a fellowship meeting and my father was asked to preach and when he got done preaching a man came up to me said brother battistero you don't know me we've never met but I recognized the sound of your voice on such-and-such a day you stopped her car on such a just a highway and you got out and preached you didn't know but I was a backslider sleeping off a drunk inside that culvert and when you left I crawled out and I went to my pastors house and he prayed me back through to the Holy Ghost thank you for mine and God so what I'm trying to tell you is that you got to trust him you see he knows where you're at after pastoring for about 17 years one of the darkest moments this was in my 17th year there and one day my my wife said baby I don't even know if God knows where we're at and she scared me because I would never allow myself her had never allowed myself to verbalize those feelings and I pointed as a don't you ever say that and she kind of touched her nose with the Kleenex and snubbed a little bit before I could get my hand down the thought crossed my mind how do you know were you or how do you know God knows where you're at and I didn't and while my hand was still pointing up my wife was just milliseconds actually the phone rang and I reached remember the days when we had a house phone I reached over and picked it up and a voice said it's just brother ballast arrow and I said yes it is he said well you may not know me but my name is brother Coleman pilot and I passed her now at Moore Alabama I've been at the church praying for the last three hours you got it wouldn't let you or your wife off of my heart this may sound kind of simple to you but I feel like the Lord wanted me to call you and tell you that he knows where you're at i blubbered I talked in tongues I saw black a baby I want you to know this he really does know where you're at in any God who cares about a sparrow that falls or whether or not the lilius clothed in beauty he certainly got you and his hand plan as well 1952 I was in the second grade my mom and dad had rented a house right across the street from the Anaheim High School a great big house with one room big enough to start a church daddy started six churches and pastored nine he told my mother after they got the room all furnished with a piano a little pulpit and an altar and about 40 folding chairs or chairs in the room he said I got one more reliable I got it finished not be right back my father was about 31 1952 she would have been about 30 going on 30 after daddy left a couple days later I saw my mother bring some blankets fellows down to the hallway and make a little pallet on the floor for herself near their rest room on the main floor and she stayed there for a day or two and one day she said to me honey would you mind stayin home from school today and watching your baby sisters for mommy mommy doesn't feel good well when you ask a second grader if he wants to stay home you that's not rocket sighs yes I will stay home so my little sisters played and I read my books and I was home about ten days and my mother wouldn't eat much at all she drank very little and when she would go to the restroom she would scoot on her tummy pulling herself with her forearms on the floor somehow I'd never registered in my mind how desperate my mother was I know her voice was extremely weak one night about five o'clock the back door I heard a knock down the back door and I went there and I saw nurse and there in uniform as she said by you Martin and I said yes ma'am she said well I'm the nurse from school we've been missing you at school I've you been sick I said no ma'am I've been taking care of my mama she's sick she said well where's your daddy I said I don't know she said you don't know where your daddy is I said no ma'am he he's an evangelist he's he's preached a revival somewhere and I don't know where that is oh she said well when's he gonna be back I said I don't know she said you have any family or friends in town I said no ma'am we we don't know anybody here she said can I see your mama I said yes ma'am so I take gran to see my mother lying there on the pallet on the floor the nurse got down on her knees and asked my mother some questions after she'd introduced herself she took my mother's vital signs then she put the stethoscope around her neck again and she asked my mother some more questions and when she did she picked up my mother's left hand and she patted it with one of hers she said mrs. balestrero I I hate to be the one that tells you this but you have polio can you imagine what it's like to have your no contact with your husband thirty years old three small children family 1,100 miles away no one in town to come to your assistance and you have the curse of your generation polio I saw tears well up in her eyes run down her cheek the nurse stood up walk me to the door she patted me on the head she said you come to school as soon as you can when your daddy comes back I said yes ma'am I sit down on the couch and read my books again until about seven o'clock and then I heard my mother say Marty Marty I jumped up I said yes ma'am she said mom I can't pray for you I don't have a Holy Ghost earn nothing she said you don't have to have the Holy Ghost to pray for mommy just say in Jesus name I got down on my knees and I put my hands on my mama's head and I'm sobbing already time I wasn't sure if you said Jesus name first or last so I just said in Jesus name would you heal my mommy right now in Jesus name and I felt my mama kind of shake from crying and then I very feebly heard her talking in tongues and she raised her hand with what little strength she had as far as she could and then she got a little bit allowed and raised her hand a little higher and then she raised the other hand pretty soon she rolled over to her left side and then kind of tried to push herself up and they raised her hands while she was sitting up and then she turned around and got on her hands and knees and tried to raise herself up and fever I'm reaching up my hands tried to catch her so she doesn't fall and then she finally wobbly got to her feet and her voice was getting stronger her hands but higher now she's talking in tongues loud and she shouted all over that room we buried my mother at the age of 89 without one trace of polio what I'm saying is you don't have to have any special qualifications except belief in his name and he will answer prayer for you in times like these trust him he will come through for you

Channel: HOLY GHOST RADIO

Views: 3,820

Rating: 4.9526629 out of 5

Keywords: APOSTOLIC, PENTECOSTAL, Acts 2:38, Jesus Name, Apostolic Preaching, Holy Ghost Radio, HGR, HGRTOUR, Holy Ghost, Podcast, Apostolic Podcast, Apostolic Message, Apostolic Media, HGR Food, HGR Approved, Preaching, Apostolic Conference, WPf, PEAK, PEAK Conference, UPCI, NAYC, Youth congress, Apostolic Youtuber, Apostolic Ministry, Worldwide Pentecostal fellowship

Id: Ew3cgpSkw1g

Length: 22min 22sec (1342 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 06 2020