Prayer Warrior

Hey, this is Mike Zwick from If Not For God Podcast, our show.

Stories of hopelessness turned into hope. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it.

Share it. But most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. It's wonderful to see you and hear all these words of encouragement. You didn't know that when I pulled that little Bible bookmark out that all those radio stations on the Christian Radio Bookmark were a result of the power of prayer. You would walk through the neighborhood and I'd stop and you were prayer walking and I'd say, Mama Hamilton, please pray for us. We're trying to get a Christian station in Utah.

We're trying to get one in Raleigh and you would pray. Oh yeah, but I can't take all the credit because of a lot of Godly Christians in this area. We thank God for and for Stu and his tender heart towards you and for the salvation of souls.

Thank you. Well, praise the Lord. Tell me about what kind of your journey to Christ and you know how, I mean, there's people that prayed for you that, you know, and how you came to the Lord.

Can you share a little bit about your testimony? Well, having been raised a Catholic at that time, you weren't allowed to go into a Protestant church. So when I became a Christian, then, uh, when I got married, the only way I told my father, because he was a very strict Irish Catholic from Ireland. And so when I told him I was going to get married in the Protestant church, he said, Oh, don't go to the bloody Protestant church.

But I said, I have to. So he, he accepted that and he got a special dispensation as they called it to give me away in the Baptist church. And he trembled walking down the aisle with me, but he said everything that he was supposed to say. So that kind of gave me a lot of courage and know what you believe, why you believe it and never be ashamed of it. And of course I had a very godly mother that was a real prayer warrior. So I was very blessed, very, very blessed. What was it that triggered in your heart to turn to Christ to really, when you, when you, the moment you realized, wow, I'm his daughter, or, you know, you called upon the name of the Lord when you were saved. What was that mourning and experience?

Of course, everyone has, you know, different testimonies. Well, the big turning point was, you know, I had to recognize that, you know, that song, nothing in my hand, I bring simply to thy cross, I cling. So that, that was, that was, God used that. And by the time, you know, the Catholic church has changed for the better in many ways, because we were not allowed to go inside a Protestant church and that's all true. So by the time, you know, that I, you know, became a Christian, uh, there was a lot of changes.

We pray together now, Catholics and Protestants, but there's still a lot of animosity because of ignorance. Obviously that's a big thing. But yeah, even in this home that I'm now in, it's wonderful. So I'm very blessed.

Wow. Very blessed. And you've seen the power of prayer, and I'll go back even more to the very blessed. And you've seen the power of prayer and I'll go back even how formative this is in my Christian life. I was a little bit too old to go to the youth group.

I was in college and I was a little too young for some of the older folks stuff. And there we are at Calvary, Calvary Baptist Church on Country Club Road, Peace Haven Road in Winston-Salem and me and Kevin running around, you know, Phil Calhoun, Joe John, you know, all these guys, Griggs, Mize. I will tell them hello.

You've been a real impact to them. The thing about being friends with Kevin, that man, I was under the prayer cover, his mama, Mama Hamilton and Daddy Hamilton, who's also a prayer warrior. But something that was happening, there's a little upper room going on during those Wednesday night services. The youth group was meeting, other folks were meeting and you were having a prayer class and the part of the prayer class, we actually prayed. Remember that?

Remember that? Imagine we actually prayed. Praying the armor of God, praying the Psalms, praying these great rich passages, Christ High Priestly Prayer, John 17. What is it about prayer that is just so underrated and so desperately needed? And how has prayer impacted your life, Mama Hamilton? Okay, well, prayer, I grew up in the Depression, nearly starving. And so if we didn't pray, we would not have anything to eat. It was that crucial.

I don't think anyone, because we're so affluent now, but don't forget, I grew up in the Depression and it was really tough. But I wouldn't trade places with anyone because it taught me that God is God and there's nothing too hard for him. So that would be, that was, and then of course, I had a very praying mother and the Catholics did put a lot of emphasis on prayer, which always surprised me more than the Baptist.

Why? So you came, before you came to faith in Christ, even in the Catholic, you saw something about prayer and there was at least an appreciation for it. And then, you know, having children, you know, moving to Winston-Salem and then being a part of a church like Calvary.

Yes. And I used to see, I used to, you know, Mark Horts and all the associate pastors, they used to say, they point to you, they say, there's the power plant, right? There's the engine room right there of our church. But how important those prayer warriors, they're not always celebrated, they're not lauded, they're not in the bulletin, but there's something powerful about those prayer warriors in the church that are on their knees. The rest of us are out seeing souls saved, but there's something supernatural happening behind the scenes and that's in that prayer, intercession and worship, adoration, intercession, all the aspects of prayer, praise, confession.

Yes. I'm not going into details, but we had many people that were jealous of Calvary. But there was a witch in Winston-Salem. I met her and she was praying for the destruction of Calvary Baptist Church.

And she came right to the church and did a dance around the altar. And then I knew, we don't even know how to pray. And so then we really started doing intercessory prayer and knowing that we were hated. And not only that, a lot of churches were jealous of us. They blamed us for taking their members, which was never our motivation. But it was a great experience. And our kids grew up there with the Bible. And yeah, so I'm still there.

That tells you why I'm sorry. Well, I'm Stu Everson. I'm in a beautiful place here where Mama Hamilton lives, assisted living facility where she's got great care. And she is praying for people that walk by down the hall like that sweet lady right there. God bless you.

Gave me a sweet thumbs up. I'm sharing Christian radio cards with all these dear folks. And we just had a little audience, didn't we, a second ago of all your friends praying and encouraging them in the Lord and catching up. But I think it's some high peak moments in my life with Christian radio where God opened the door. And I get a letter from a listener like Dottie in Utah. And she says, hey, we came to Christ through AMA 20 in Utah. And I think, well, I start praising God. And I started thinking, thank God for Mama Hamilton, who 15, you know, 18 years ago, you prayed for me. I'm in my car. I'm frantic. I'm on my way to the station.

We don't know if the FCC is going to give us this grant or, you know, or give us this deal. And you prayed and interceded and God, you know, God has been so faithful to honor those prayers, but you've seen it over again, haven't you, Mama Hamilton? Oh yeah. One of the things I think we ought to be trying to pray that God would tear down the strongholds. And there's a lot of strongholds in a good church like Calvary because the enemy knows that we're doing God's work.

So yeah. So I have very thankful for Calvary. You would hand me things like the armor of God, praying through the armor of God. You hand me things like, you know, you know, the weaponry of the, of the, of the faith, the names of God, how beautiful just to add, adore God, you know, for you taught me Lord Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts.

You taught me that I didn't even, you know, and so here I go to Bible college and, and I come home and I get a bigger education from Mama Hamilton. But, but the power of prayer in a verse you quoted a lot, Mama Hamilton was this verse. We wrestle not against flesh and blood.

I believe it's Ephesians 6, 12. We talk about that. There's an unseen battle out there. People listening need to know there there's things you can't see that person that, that hates you or, or that battle you're having or that tension with a prodigal child. There's an, the enemy's got to snare on them and we need to, this is a battle fought on our knees, right? Oh, definitely.

And we don't even know what that means. I mean, to pray on your knees. I mean, I still do that. I don't even know do we still have the kneeling benches? Well, Dr. Stanley had a prayer closet and Dr. Stanley, who went to heaven recently, he got on his knees in front of 5,000 people at NRB.

I remember this because it was the year my dad and uncle were inaugurated in the NRB hall of fame, religious broadcast hall of fame. He got, he got every one of us on her. He said, if you're able, I mean, you know, obviously right, you're out here, not all these folks, if they get on their knees, they may not get back up.

Right. But, but, but he said, if you're able, and I tell you, there's nothing more powerful than seeing thousands of people across that, you know, big swath auditorium, get on their knees before God and call out to the Lord. But there's something just in the posture of the heart, I know is the key there, but give everyone a challenge, Ms. Hamilton, about the power of prayer and just give us a, give us a basic starter. Give us the ABCs for someone that just wants to connect with God. Maybe someone's never prayed. I mean, we're your one prayer away from trusting the Lord for salvation. Well, the thing that stood out to be was Saint trembles when he sees the weakest Saint upon his knees. And that covers volumes.

And so we prayed, not only for Calvary, but we had some churches that were of our denomination that didn't like us. So the warfare was within. Internally and externally.

Internally. Yeah. But we, we believed in the power of prayer and I was very blessed because you're never too old. Yeah. And so, and, and my kids have been like that by the grace of God.

Yeah. Well, thank you for your many prayers for the Truth Network and for my family and for me, for Julie, you know, she had that major accident with her ankle. You prayed for us through that.

And she talks about how God's grace sustained her. Well, that was the prayer of Saints family and, you know, the Hamilton, Mama Hamilton praying and so many, so many miracle stories out of that. Hey, we got to go, but will you say just a quick little prayer for all of our listeners and for, for maybe for our country and for, for someone out there, maybe struggling to connect with God.

Just lift us up, Mama Hamilton, will you, as we get out of here. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart. And so as I pray, I pray for all of you, whether you believe us or non-believers, because if you're a believer, you have the joy.

If you're a non-believer, you're not really sure. I just pray that we would have a visitation of the Holy Spirit upon the body of Christ, not only at Calvary Baptist, but every Bible believing church in Winston-Salem and for the churches that don't preach the truth, that you would take the veil off their eyes and help us to remember the joy of the Lord is our strength and bless this brother in Christ and his family, Stu Epperson, who has always encouraged me throughout the years. And I just, I can't even say anymore because my cup runneth over. Hallelujah. In the name of Jesus. Amen. This is the Truth Network.