In June of 1988, my brother Gary, who was number ten
in our family of eleven, and the eldest of twins, Terry and Gary, passed away. Gary
But before
sending it off, I began to have doubts and I questioned the Lord, as I felt Gary would never listen to my tape, but the Lord confirmed
in my spirit that I should send it and be obedient, that after I sent it, HE would take care of Gary
Well, approximately six months or so passed and my
sister, Betty, received a call – during our phone conversation, of Gary Gary
Prior to Gary ’s death,
I was praying about moving to Florida and
Jack, my husband, a job in Tampa
I quickly wrote it down so I would not forget it in
months to come. Within a couple of weeks Jack got a job at Gold Kist, Inc.,
here in Atlanta , Georgia Florida
He also gave me a dream, which Betty and I both thought
meant that I might be moving down there also.
The dream: I dreamed that I was down there with Betty and we had a family member
in a chair that needed to be set free from Satan, and we decided that we would
join together and pray for the person sitting there, and perhaps the Lord would
show one of us something. In the dream,
Betty and I both laid hands on the person and the Lord revealed to us that it
was an evil spirit. We prayed together
and took authority over it and commanded it to leave in the name of Jesus. I interpreted the dream to mean that I would
be moving to Florida
The morning that Gary
died, Betty and I were talking on the phone when an emergency call interrupted
to tell Betty that Gary Gary
When we heard Gary
After Gary’s death was confirmed, I wanted to go to
Florida to attend the funeral and share the words to the song, “For Those Tears I died” as this
is what I felt strongly I must do, but had no way to get down there, as Jack
was out of town and would not be back until after the funeral. I just had to trust the Lord to make a way
for me to get there, financially also. The
Lord came through for me! The employees
at Gold Kist took up a collection and contributed the funds I needed for the
trip, and my sister-in-law, Dolores, called and said the Lord told her to go
with me down to Tampa Tampa
The funeral was set for 8:30 a.m. so we drove for six
hours in the rain, and I had to use my wipers most of the way down there. When we got to the Ocala , Florida
Before I left for Tampa
Just about this time we were told that there were
tornado warnings and watches up ahead towards Tampa, so when it seemed things
couldn’t get any worse - they did, because about 11:15 PM the power blew at the
truck stop where we were stranded! The
five of us (three little girls ages: 3, 6, 7) sat in total darkness with a
raging storm for three hours! Now I
understood why He told me to keep my eyes off of the storm and keep them on Him
and He would carry me through!
At about 2:15 AM it started slacking off raining and
we decided to try going a few miles down the road…the closer to Tampa
You know, as I began driving from the Starving
Marvin’s, I knew that the Lord had awakened my sister Betty at 2:30 AM to pray
for us, as we were in great danger – but I had a perfect peace that was from
Him. I was on a mission for Him, to
share the words to that song with my family at the funeral and knew He would
see me through to accomplish His will one way or another!
At the next exit was a Waffle House so we decided to
get coffee there and wait it out. I
began to ponder all of these difficulties we were having getting to Tampa
So I went out to get Dolores to help me dry off the
windshield. Guess what? It had just stopped raining at this
moment! We were able to completely dry
off the windshield (which by the way, we had not been able to do for the past five
or six hours!) He began to wipe some stuff called, “Windshield Magic”. He said he used it on all his trucks and vehicle’s,
because water will not stick to it, even when a truck passes you. He said “I guarantee you will see clearer
than with windshield wipers” – he assured me of this! I didn’t even doubt his word, as I knew God
had sent him! I told him, “Mr., either
you are an angel of the Lord, sent here to help us, or the Lord had you in the
right place at the right time, because you are the answer to two ladies prayers!
I am going to pray a special blessing upon you for your help! (I just
had to touch him to see if he was real!) Anyway, we drove all the way to Tampa Tampa
When I arrived at Betty’s house around 4:30 AM, the
first things she said to me was, “So what
happened at 2:30 AM?” If you recall, that’s when I decided to leave the
Starvin Marvin and was driving the ten mile stretch, when the truck splashed
mud on my windows – the moment I knew Betty was praying for me! Isn’t our Lord’s
timing awesome?
When we arrived at the funeral, Betty’s pastor asked:
“I understand you are going to sing a
song?” I have never sung a solo before
a group –only with a choir, so when the pastor asked if I was going to sing my
song, I answered, “I’ll read it, because
I have never sung before a group alone before
- but I can read them the words.” When he called me up to share the words to my
song, I had to ask for the Lord’s help, because I felt like if I open my mouth to
speak I’d start crying. I read the first
stanza, and when I got to the second, I couldn’t believe my ears! I just started singing! I knew it was not from me but was the Holy
Spirit singing that song through me! I
was not even the slightest bit afraid!
You’d have thought I sang all the time before crowds – and at a funeral
with tears right in my throat – just laying there ready to come out! Here are the words to that song:
“For
Those Tears I Died”:
1 You said you’d come share all my sorrows, you said
you’d be there for all my tomorrows. I
came so close to turning you away, but just like you promised you came there to
stay, I just had to pray.
And Jesus said, “Come to the water and stand by my side, I know that your thirsty, you won’t be denied. I felt every tear drop when in darkness you cried, and strove to remind you that it’s for those tears I died.
2 Your goodness so great I can't understand, but dear Lord I know that all this was planned. I know you're hear now and always will be, your love loosed life's chains and in you I'm free, but Jesus why me?
And Jesus said, “Come to the water and stand by my
side, I know that your thirsty, you won’t be denied. I felt every tear drop when in darkness you
cried, and strove to remind you that it’s for those tears I died.
3 Jesus, I give you my heart and my soul, I know
that without God I’d never be whole, savior you’ve opened all the right doors,
and I thank you and I praise you from earth’s humble shores, take me I’m yours.
And Jesus said, “Come to the water and stand by my
side, I know that your thirsty, you won’t be denied. I felt every tear drop when in darkness you
cried, and strove to remind you that it’s for those tears I died.
It really did touch everyone there because it was
done not in my power or ability but it was done in the power of God’s Spirit –
I was just willing to be His vessel.
Everyone there knew that it was not my power that I was able to sing
that song but supernatural power given to me from above because I simply
stepped out in faith and trusted Him to do it through me. The pastor spoke after I had finished my song
and said: “I do not know if you are aware
of how difficult that was – for someone to get up at her brother’s funeral and
sing! Back sometime ago, my mother died
and I was asked to speak at her funeral, and I am a minister but I could not do
it as I was too emotional. I hope you
realize what she has just shared with us!” The Lord used me to minister to those held
captive by Satan!
When we got to the grave site, the Lord let me cast
out an evil spirit that I discerned in someone, and I took authority over them
and saw a change take place in her right there before our eyes (and so did
everyone else that was there)! Then He
led me to my cousin – she was troubled about some evil spirit at home, she
wanted me to go bless her home, and I told her I could pray for her here and now. I had thought to place my hands on either
side of her head, when the Holy Spirit guided one hand to her neck, and I
thought: “well that’s as good a place as any to lay my hands.” After I prayed for her she said, “I can’t believe you put your hand in the
exact spot on my neck, on the vertebra’ that cause me terrible headaches that
I have had for a long time, where the pain is the worst, and it instantly left!” I was surprised myself because it was just
like the apostles of the Lord had done!
I also ministered to another sister who was there also
about some things the Lord told me for her and He had told her the same thing –
just confirmed it through me. Next I
ministered to the mother of my two nieces, as she came running up to me and
said, “Sharron, I love you so much – you
always say exactly the right thing!”
She had been standing there watching and listening to me debate with my
grandmother – my mom’s mother who was Seventh Day Adventist, about what happens
to you when you die. She wanted to
correct my erroneous thinking and tried to tell me that nothing happens to you
when you die – you just go to sleep until Jesus raises you up from the dead at
the resurrection. But being filled with
the Holy Spirit, I asked her: “What about
Jesus telling the thief on the cross who had asked the Lord to remember him
when he comes in his kingdom, to which the Lord answered: “Assuredly, I say to
you, today, you will be with Me in Paradise”(Luke 23:42-43 NKJV), and also the
Apostle Paul saying, “We are confident, I say and willing rather to be absent
from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:8 NKJV) My grandmother answered: “These are lies of
the devil to deceive people! Then the
spirit of the Lord came upon the inside of me like a well of living water and
with great authority and a new boldness, I found myself telling her: “Grandma, I am not here to debate with you
about what happens to me when I die – you know what I am here for? I am here to tell people that there is
another way, that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that He is what
they are looking for!” I told her that I was not one bit worried about what
happens to a believer when they die, because I knew that Jesus would see me
through it –when the time came, that He had a plan and that I trusted Him so
much that I believe He would take care of me even in death! I said “I’ll
cross that bridge when I come to it too, but as for now while I am still in
this body, I’ll tell people that there is hope and that Jesus is the answer
that they are seeking!” This was why Sylvia had said: “You always say just the right thing Sharron!”
There are many that are hungry for the answer and the meaning of life; they are
thirsty for what we had found: this living water or the bread of heaven – Jesus
Christ.
Verses referenced
above: (NKJV)
- “But whosoever drinks
of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that
I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into
everlasting life.” John 6:35
- “I am the bread of
life. He who comes to Me shall
never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35
- “He who believes in
Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living
water.” John 7:38
- “Assuredly,
I say to you, today, you will be with Me in
- “We are confident, I
say and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with
the Lord.” II Corinthians 5:8
- “For Those Tears I Died” written by Marsha Stevens.
- "And these signs
will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they
will speak with new tongues they will take up serpents and if they drink
anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the
sick, and they will recover."
Mark 16:17-18
- 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and raise the
dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8
- The steps of
a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Psalm
37:23
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