Testimony Of James Cannon

This is My testimony of the events leading up to, and receiving a new life. That can only be enjoyed within the Kingdom of God. It all started Back when I was going to a small church about 6 miles from my home. I was about 10-12 years old when I heard my calling to be a pastor. When I shared this revelation with my school teacher she preceded to discourage me from the coarse which would have given me my calling.

Now Looking back I have to thank her because without her discouragement, I probably would have ended up like one of those house preachers that preach love, love, love. Praise God I’m not.

I think and believe that we need to do and follow what the bible says and there is a lot of stuff in the bible that sometimes hurts the flesh.

Well, back to the calling I had when I was a child. Unknowingly that teacher put me into hiding from Satan. Where is the best place to hide from something in the world. In the world of course. Thus started my worldly life of alcohol, drug abuse, and the likes. By the time I was 23 or 24 I was not a very good person, but I though I was.

My younger sister Sue is one of the ones that started to show me my bad ways. Of course, I didn’t listen. I got married and had a child. My wife was committing adultery and my sister Sue kept trying to tell me. But I wouldn’t listen until Sue called me at work and told me to go to a certain party that was going on. It was there that I caught my wife with another man. I then kicked her out and wouldn’t let her see or even visit our daughter. My daughter’s name was Natoshia. We called her Tosh.

Well, to try to make a long story short, like fool I took her back and guess what? It wasn’t 3 months later that she had another affair. I caught her again. Once again we were back to divorce court. Once the divorce was over I moved back to my mother and sisters house.

My sister Sue was going to this small church here in town that held meetings at the ministers house and used a converted apartment for church. Well their was a girl that went to church that I had a major crush on. Well, the crush may have been only one sided. But between her and my sister Sue they got me to go the church. My daughter Tosha loved it. She started her walk with the Lord at about 2 years old. She would sit with her pocket size new Testament and with her finger follow the words on the pages. Looking back, I think the Lord was reading to her. Preparing her for what was to come. During this time my other sister Helen and her son Randy also accepted Jesus as their savior.

I think that Satan was getting a little nervous. So he started his attack on me. This started one night during a snow storm. I went to have a few drinks at a friends house and on the way home got caught in a white out on a corner and ran my jeep into a tree and destroyed it. About 2 weeks later I was on my way to do some Christmas shopping and then go to work, I was cut off by a car and had to stop fast. I was slammed in the rear end of the car and pushed 75 feet down the road. God was looking out for me in both cases. Because the only thing that happened in these accidents was that my glasses were knocked off my face. So even though I was in the world and acting like a fool, God still protected me. During this time I would still bring Tosha to church, every now and then.

Then on April 7, 1988 I was awakened by my sister Helen yelling wake up the house is on fire! Then started a really rough time in my life. I lost my 2 sisters Helen and Sue, Helen’s son Randy who I loved as my own and also my daughter Tosh. It was that morning that the Lord gave me a vision of the four of them ascending into Heaven with the angels. The Lord also told me that he pushed me out of the window, because I would have gone straight to hell if he hadn’t.

After a few weeks which were very difficult to remember, I finally decided to stop running and decided to listen to God. A smart move on my part. For the next few weeks I spent a lot of time with the church. I rededicated my life to the Lord and pursued my calling as a pastor.

Once I did that, then God opened his true word to me and had me ask to study under Richard to become pastor. Richard already knew my calling and was waiting for me to ask.

Since then God has given me many wonderful things such as my wife Carrie, a handsome son Keith and beautiful daughter Heather.

Now I do my best to try to draw nigh unto God and keep him first in all things. I thank him everyday for all he has given to me his unworthy servant.

Jim Cannon