November 16, 2025 • 31 mins
Some stories grab you by the collar because they don’t pretend. Jim Mitchell’s journey spirals through addiction and near disaster, and turns on a single midnight prayer that changed everything. A tired man staring at the ceiling, asking God for help—and waking up set free.
We walk through the dominoes that fell before the breakthrough: a praying mother, and a girlfriend named Sharon who met Jesus while watching a Christian TV broadcast. Her whole presence shifted. No sermons at home, no ultimatums—just a new peace that stirred Jim’s hunger for something real. Then came the night of too much liquor and cocaine, and the clarity that his story would end early if something didn’t give. He cried out, felt a warmth move from head to toe, and slept. By morning, the cravings were gone. A smoker since thirteen, he forgot he even smoked. The profanity he leaned on vanished like it had never lived in his mouth.
But grace doesn’t stop at a feeling; it asks for alignment. Premarital counseling forced hard choices. Jim moved out, honored God, and married Sharon as soon as they could make it right. He followed conviction into the practical, smashing a massive vinyl collection so the chains that held him wouldn’t land on someone else. Along the way he became the friend who prays, the steady servant at Christ Family Outreach, and the man who believes God still answers—because he’s seen it, again and again.
If you need a reason to hope, this conversation offers more than inspiration; it offers a map: living witnesses, humble repentance, obedient steps, and a Savior who still frees people from addiction, shame, and stale identities. Listen, share with someone who needs courage, and if the story meets you where you are, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what chain you’re asking God to break next.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:09):
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Be On
Sunday.
I'm your host, Pastor Lee Day,and I pastor Christ Family
Outreach Church located inAmelia, Virginia.
And today we have someone on theshow.
This is his very first time evermaking an appearance.
He is a very dear friend ofmine, a true brother in the Lord
Jesus Christ.
He lived a life of rebellion,drunkenness, drug abuse, lust,
(00:32):
and adultery.
He had two failed marriages, butI'm just here to say that Jesus
Christ stepped into his life andintervened one night when he
called upon his name for help.
Jim Mitchell is on the showtoday.
And if you've never heard thistestimony before, hold on tight
and stay tuned in because Ibelieve that God Almighty is
(00:53):
going to use this episode toencourage you, my friends.
And it will remind you todayjust how faithful our Heavenly
Father is.
Brother Jim Mitchell, thanks youfor coming in.
How are you doing, my brother?
I am blessed, healthy, andhighly favored.
Yes, yes, yes.
In his righteous right hand andthe apple of his eye, my
brother.
Amen.
We've been friends for a longtime.
(01:14):
We've been brothers in the Lordfor a really long time.
We've traveled together.
We've been places together.
We've got so many differentmemories together.
Some of my favorite times havein ministry have been with you.
And uh man, I'll never forgetthat trip, just God-ordained
trip, where it was HolySpirit-led, going through the
mountains and the valleys of thegrand state of Tennessee,
(01:35):
brother.
And matter of fact, one of themost powerful worship times I
ever had was in that car comingback with you.
And if you remember it, we'vetalked about it quite a bit
since then.
It was but by the grace of Godthat we made it back, man,
because it was like we were justriding through a glory cloud,
wasn't it?
Well, we weren't driving,somebody else was.
SPEAKER_01 (01:52):
Amen, brother.
SPEAKER_02 (01:53):
The Holy Spirit.
Amen, brother.
The Holy Spirit was leading thevehicle that that evening, man.
Amen.
In your testimony, Jim, you yousaid the following.
We're gonna jump right into it.
That the blood of Jesus Christthat he shed for you on the
cross washed away all your sins.
And that night you called out tohim.
(02:14):
And this is the verse that youput in there, 1 Peter chapter 1,
3 through 4.
And 1 Peter 1, 3 through 4 saysthis Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to his great mercy, hehas caused us to be born again
to a living hope through theresurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead to an inheritancethat is imperishable, undefiled,
(02:37):
and unfading, kept in heaven foryou.
Now remember, folks, let me justexplain this before I hand it
off to you, Jim.
Mercy is God not giving us whatwe deserve.
Amen.
And that's punishment for oursins, for our filthiness, uh,
for our wicked ways that we'reliving and partaking in the
world.
Jim, what does that verse meanto you?
(02:58):
Because I've heard I've heardyour testimony before.
I've I've watched you walk itout.
I've, you know, every day welive, we're adding on to our
testimony.
Amen.
What does this verse mean foryou?
How did God show you his mercyearly on in life?
SPEAKER_00 (03:13):
Well, early on in life, um I grew up with without
a father.
Uh my dad came back from WorldWar II Um pretty messed up.
And uh, long story short, he uhcommitted suicide when I was
about nine years old.
So I grew up without a father,but I had a very loving mother,
and uh she was born again,saved, and uh she always took me
(03:37):
to church, and um I never forgotit.
SPEAKER_02 (03:40):
Yeah, praise God.
So she she really put instilledthe roots, the word of God in
you absolutely put you on theright path.
Yeah.
Um, let's jump forward.
Your wife Sharon accepted Jesusbefore you did.
Yes.
And when she accepted JesusChrist as her personal Lord and
Savior as King of her life, youguys were not married yet.
No, um, you had been livingtogether for seven years, but
(04:02):
not married.
And we're gonna get into that alittle bit later on in the
testimony.
But one fall night in 1989,Sharon was watching Christian
television and an evangelisticgroup of men called the Power
Team.
Yeah.
And there may be some peoplelistening that are old enough to
know what the power team is.
Uh, I know what the power teamis because they came through our
(04:24):
school one year doing ministryand and and sharing the gospel.
But but explain to thelisteners, brother Jim, for
those that do not know what thepower team was all about, just
give a quick synopsis of whatthe power team was and what they
did.
SPEAKER_00 (04:39):
The power team was uh a group of men.
Um they were pretty big guys.
Uh they had a ministry wherethey went around to different
churches and and places wheredid venues.
Um those guys were somethingelse.
Uh they were they were the kindof guys that that put on a show
for, you know, they'd breakcinder blocks over their head.
(05:02):
Extremely strong, man.
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (05:03):
We're talking about like dudes that just lived in
the gym.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, they did.
You could tell.
Yeah.
I I remember them taking,remember back in the day, I
don't know that they make themanymore, the yellow phone books.
And they would take the phonebook.
Rip the phone book up.
Rip them.
Almost three inches thick.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Just rip them right right downthe street.
SPEAKER_00 (05:20):
I can't even get my mail open now, let alone a
phone.
SPEAKER_02 (05:25):
That night, that night, the power team, they they
go on to preach a powerfulmessage.
SPEAKER_00 (05:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (05:31):
And at the end of it, Sharon gave her life to
Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00 (05:34):
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (05:35):
Here she was, Brother Jim.
She's not saved at the time, butshe's tuned in to Christian
television.
Uh, she feels led that night tojust turn it on the channel.
She's watching it.
She listens to the gospelpresentation given from the
power team, and she acceptsJesus Christ as her personal
Lord and Savior.
Although you didn't jump on thetrain quite so quickly.
(05:56):
No.
However, after a few days, maybeeven a week or two, your
testimony states that you beganto see a difference in Sharon.
Explain what that looked likeand why.
SPEAKER_00 (06:06):
Well, she was um not that she was a bad person, of
course, before, but uh there wasthere was just something about
her.
She had a glow about her.
Um her attitude had changed, hercountenance had changed.
Truly saved.
And uh, yeah, truly saved.
Um when she watched the PowerTeam guys, um, she told me later
(06:27):
on, she said, they told me aboutmy life right in front of me on
TV.
And that's that's what that'swhat did it.
SPEAKER_02 (06:34):
Only God.
SPEAKER_00 (06:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:35):
Only God.
So you begin to just see a lightabout her.
That's the light of Christ.
Yes.
Uh that that is the the thepressures and anxieties, the
weight of the world falling offof her because she's got her
faith in Jesus, a newcountenance, as you mentioned.
So so there's a new joy there.
The word of God says new joycomes in the morning.
Amen.
So so she's a new creature.
That's right.
You know, she she's saved, she'sa new creature, and you're
(06:57):
taking notice to this.
SPEAKER_00 (06:58):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:58):
Uh now, now this is where things begin to get very
interesting for you, my brother,because days before Sharon got
saved, y'all had gotten invitedto a party.
I know the testimony, I know howit goes, so I'm just gonna let
the listeners know this wasn't aChristian party.
No, it wasn't.
So it in your testimony, yousaid that it was a very large
party, definitely not afaith-filled party.
(07:19):
Nope.
But you guys went because you'dbeen invited, and that night you
had too much to drink.
SPEAKER_00 (07:24):
And I'm sure you remember too much of everything,
and uh, not just alcohol.
SPEAKER_02 (07:29):
Tell us what happened and what you put into
your body because you believeyou almost died that night.
There was there was some liquor,some cocaine.
SPEAKER_00 (07:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (07:36):
What's going on?
What's going on at that place?
SPEAKER_00 (07:38):
Uh liquor, cocaine, any th any kind of drug you can
think of.
Um at that time, I was notafraid to put a needle in my
arm.
Uh, I don't know whether I didthat that night or not, but uh
I've after that after thatnight, I I knew something bad
was really, really gonna happen.
SPEAKER_02 (07:58):
Yeah.
Yeah.
If you didn't get it together,it it might be coming to an end.
This exact thing.
Your your your book may bewrapping up.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Your testimony goes on to saythat you continued to see a
drastic change in Sharon's life.
And you knew if you continued tolive the life of drinking and
drugging that you were gonnadie.
SPEAKER_00 (08:16):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (08:17):
Uh, but it was the change that you saw in Sharon's
life that was drawing you, Jim,to consider living a life
walking with God.
Yeah.
First Peter 3:1 says thislikewise, wives be subject to
your own husbands, so that evenif some do not obey the word,
they may be one without a wordby the conduct of their wives.
SPEAKER_00 (08:40):
Isn't that true?
SPEAKER_02 (08:41):
And I think that's so powerful.
That's exactly what you wentthrough with with your with
Sharon.
Uh, brother Jim, speak to speakto the wife that's listening
right now.
Speak to the husband that'slistening right now.
Maybe they're going to church,but their spouse is not.
Share with that person howimportant it is that they're
going to church, but theirspouse is not.
Share how important it is forthat type of person to not give
(09:03):
up, but to continue to love Godand live a godly life so that
their spouse can see the changein them.
SPEAKER_00 (09:08):
Well, you you pretty much said it all right there.
I mean, it's extremely importantthat if you're married or even
have a uh boyfriend orgirlfriend, and uh you're saved
and they're not.
Uh, it is extremely important tolive a Christ-like life in front
of them so they can see whatChrist is like.
(09:29):
Because that's what's going toattract them.
SPEAKER_02 (09:31):
That's exactly right.
More than words, more than aninvitation.
It's okay to invite someone tochurch, right?
But but man, be careful houndingit over their head.
Just what the word is telling usthere is just live it out.
Let them see the fruit.
You know what I mean?
Let them see the fruit of whatGod is doing in you and how He's
changing your life.
Let them see that I know peoplethat started coming to church,
Brother Jim, because they sawthe benefits and the fruits
(09:54):
going on in their spouse's life.
And they're like, I I I gotta gocheck this out.
I I gotta see if this is this isreal or not.
What's going on inside thatchurch?
That's right.
Not long after that party, yourentire life is getting ready to
change.
SPEAKER_00 (10:09):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (10:10):
And one night you're laying in the bed by yourself,
uh, you leaned up against theheadboard, and and you ask God
for help.
Yeah.
Take us, walk us through thatnight.
Share what happened.
SPEAKER_00 (10:20):
That night, uh, this was back in I think either
August or September of 1989.
So it's uh it was been a longtime ago, but praise the Lord
for it.
Um I was sitting up in bed andwas feeling really, really bad
from all the you know, all thedrinking and smoking and and you
(10:42):
know, smoked almost two packs ofcigarettes a day.
The drug all of it was justcatching up to me.
And I saw this change that wasin Sharon, and I I I wanted some
of that because I I know that Ineeded a change and I really
didn't have anywhere else toturn for the to to change.
SPEAKER_01 (11:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:03):
Um I had a brother and his wife that got saved
about a year before I did.
And um, they were praying forme.
SPEAKER_02 (11:11):
My mother was praying for me.
So you're kind of the holdout.
SPEAKER_00 (11:14):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (11:15):
And and maybe there's people listening right
now, they're the holdout.
They're they're that last onethat just needs to hit their
knees and accept Jesus.
SPEAKER_00 (11:21):
Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_01 (11:23):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:23):
So I'm laying there in bed and um really just just I
guess you could say, justfeeling strung out.
I laid there and I thought abouteverything that you know my mom
had tried to teach me and whatmy brother and and his wife were
were trying to show me.
And I just I just looked up intothe ceiling, you know, I I
(11:43):
didn't even know what a sinner'sprayer was.
And to tell you the truth, um Idon't recall a whole lot of that
conversation that I was havingwith that ceiling.
SPEAKER_01 (11:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:55):
But um I know that I did look up and I said, God, if
you're really there, if yourword is what it says that it is,
I need your help.
SPEAKER_02 (12:07):
Praise God.
Amen.
Amen.
And that was the night thatchanged everything.
Boy, did it.
In your testimony, you said thatafter years of drug and alcohol
abuse, your body had gotten worndown.
And that night talking to God,uh, you you were done.
Yeah, you were done.
You you felt like you weredying, and by the next morning,
(12:29):
you woke up and you felt like abrand new man.
And I'm just gonna say only Godcan do that.
Share with the listeners whathappened that night when you're
looking up into the ceiling andyou're just saying, God, if
you're there and if your word iswhat it says it is, I need you
to come and I need you to saveme.
Share with them what happenedthat you felt go through your
(12:50):
body.
Share that experience.
SPEAKER_00 (12:51):
I was laying there and uh I just finished talking
to the Lord.
I didn't, you know, nothingscripted, didn't know what to
say.
I was just just pouring my heartout to him.
And uh I was sitting up in thebed and I was just quiet for I
don't know, maybe a few secondsor a minute.
And something happened that'skind of hard to explain.
(13:17):
But I was laying there and Ifelt this warmth in the top of
my head.
Um I kind of relate it to, youknow, if you go to the hospital
and you get something like a CATscan and they that that light
scans over top of you.
Well, that's what it what I kindof felt like.
I felt this warmth, and itstarted at the very top of my
(13:39):
head, and I literally felt it goall the way through my body.
Come on, man.
Praise God down my legs, and Ifelt it leave the tip of my
toes.
Right at your toes.
Yep.
I felt it leave how it left.
SPEAKER_02 (13:52):
Literally felt it leave the tip of your toes.
SPEAKER_00 (13:54):
Now I know it was the oil of the Holy Spirit.
Yeah, yeah.
But I didn't know what it was.
But you know, after that, Idon't remember anything.
I wish I could because I'd loveto tell you about it, but I
don't.
I laid down in the bed, I wentto sleep, slept well, uh, got up
the next morning, uh I think itwas a Monday morning, and I went
to work.
(14:14):
I was uh delivering tires for atire warehouse, and I went to
work and I really felt reallypretty good.
SPEAKER_01 (14:22):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:22):
And I went out to the warehouse to Which was not
the normal for you if I couldjust break in for a minute and
say No, it's not.
Yeah, you you've you've had acomplete transformation, and it
hadn't even registered for youyet.
I mean, you're you're justgetting up like, okay, well, new
time.
Time to go to work.
SPEAKER_01 (14:36):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:37):
All right.
So so so walk us through that.
SPEAKER_00 (14:38):
You go to the warehouse.
I go to the warehouse, and I'mout there pulling tires for my
order, and uh one of the guyswas standing at uh at one of the
bay doors, and the bay doorsopened, and he lit up a
cigarette.
And I stopped and I looked athim for a second, and it
reminded me that I smoked.
SPEAKER_02 (14:58):
That's powerful.
SPEAKER_00 (14:59):
Now, I smoke, I got saved at 32.
I've been smoking since I was 13years old.
SPEAKER_02 (15:05):
Smoking cigarettes since 13.
Yeah.
That night in your room, youwere 32 years old.
Yeah.
You wake up the next daycompletely healed.
You go into work, you left yourcigarettes on your nightstand,
you go into work, not eventhinking about smoking a
cigarette, riding down the road,get to work, not even thinking
about taking a smoke break.
No.
Walk through there, smell a mansmoking a cigarette.
(15:26):
I see him smoking a cigarette.
And then for the very firsttime, you remembered you smoked.
SPEAKER_00 (15:30):
Yeah.
And when I remembered that Ismoked, it was like a childhood
memory.
Just like it was, you know,years ago.
I get home that evening fromwork.
Cigarettes and lighter are stillsitting by the bed on the light
stand.
Hallelujah.
I didn't ask for cigarettes tobe taken from me.
I didn't ask for that.
I just asked for some help.
Yeah, come on, brother.
SPEAKER_02 (15:50):
And he did it.
And he did it.
More than what you even thoughtyou needed.
Oh, he cleaned my clock.
I'm telling you.
Come on, man.
I mean, isn't that somethinghe's dealing with an addict?
So he gets rid of all addictionso that you don't have any
weakness to pull you back downinto any of the addiction.
Yeah.
I mean, so here we've got notonly did God heal you, brother
Jim, from the drug abuse, fromthe alcohol abuse, not only did
(16:13):
he remove the cigarettes, andthere's more than that.
I mean, somebody say there'smore.
I mean, praise God, brother.
It ain't over yet.
I'm still living more.
This thing gets deeper.
Not only did God remove allthat, he removed filthy language
from your mouth.
Yeah.
You you said in your testimony,it's as if you had never known
those dirty words that you usedto use.
(16:34):
I mean, what a healing.
They weren't even there anymore.
Complete restoration.
There was none there to use.
SPEAKER_00 (16:38):
Come on, man.
I you could make a brother wantto get up, run around his table.
And you know, I just want to saythat for years, since my mom
sent me to vacation Bible schooland tried to get me to church.
And even though I was living areally bad life, I never did
like to hear the God, God's namein vain.
(17:01):
Yeah.
I never liked to hear it.
I never used it.
SPEAKER_01 (17:04):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (17:05):
And uh I remember, I'll tell you this real quick.
We were building a new garage atour house and had an electrician
over there wiring it.
And I had just got saved.
I mean, I had been saved twoweeks.
Uh-huh.
And I walked out there to seewhat he was doing, and he was on
the ladder and he said a coupleof curse words.
And I looked up at him and Isaid, Sir, I really don't
(17:26):
appreciate that kind oflanguage.
And if you're going to beworking here at my house, I
really would appreciate it ifyou wouldn't do that again.
Amen.
He stopped for a second.
He looked down at me and hesays, You know, son, you're
right.
SPEAKER_02 (17:38):
Wow.
Come on.
Praise God.
Praise the Lord.
Hey, look, all it took was justspeaking up.
Yeah.
Think about how much more couldbe changed in our lives if we
just speak up.
Absolutely.
We just got to go in faith.
God will provide the rest, He'llopen the door.
We just got to step out infaith.
That's what you did that daywith that contractor.
Yeah.
He thought about it and said,you know what?
(17:58):
You're right.
There's no harm in not doingthis.
Let me just let me just honorthis man and his home and his
property.
Now that you and Sharon wereboth walking in a relationship
with Jesus, praise God.
Hallelujah.
Amen.
Explain what happened nextbecause y'all were living
together, but not married.
So now we're going to dive intothat because y'all go talk to a
pastor, right?
Yeah, oh yeah.
(18:19):
Okay, so y'all go talk to thepastor.
The pastor lets y'all know what.
SPEAKER_00 (18:23):
We went to uh it was like a marriage counseling thing
because we wanted to getmarried.
And um he was talking to Sharonand he said, Sharon, have you
ever been married before?
She said, Yeah, I got marriedwhen I was 16.
And uh he said, so all of that'sresolved, right?
And she said, Oh yeah.
He said, So you've got a divorceand all that's fine.
(18:43):
She said, No, we never gotdivorced.
And uh the man's name was ScottHarding.
I love it, brother.
He's gone to be with the Lordnow, but he looked at us and he
said, Well, this is this is awhole different story here.
Yeah, he said, you two underGod's law, she's still married.
(19:06):
Yeah, Jim, you can't kiss her,you can't hold her hand, you
can't live together.
Yeah.
Now we've been together sevenyears and bought a house
together.
At this point.
At this point.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:19):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (19:19):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:20):
And so I'm sure that that that's probably like a a
huge sledgehammer just comingdown on your head.
Like, whoa, wait a minute.
Say what?
Yeah.
Huh?
Say what?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:31):
So eventually I had to move out of my house at 30
some years old, move into mom'shouse, sleep on a fold-out couch
bed in the in the basement.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:42):
Not not truthfully, was mom like, praise the Lord,
hallelujah.
Come on back home, baby.
Come on back home.
SPEAKER_00 (19:49):
No, that's not how it was.
She it was okay with her.
She knew I was doing the rightthing because I had to honor
God.
That's right.
Amen, bro.
I had to honor God.
Amen.
Amen.
Even after seven years of livingtogether, we bought a house.
Yeah.
It's it's time to start all overagain.
SPEAKER_02 (20:04):
My life verse, you know this.
1 Samuel 230.
God says, For those who honorme, I will honor in return.
And that's what y'all chose todo in that moment of your lives.
It could have been extremelyeasy to just stay and do what
you were doing and share andwork that divorce out and get
through everything.
But y'all chose to honor God inthe process.
Yes, we do.
And I believe that's one of thereasons, uh, along with your
great faith, that God answersyour prayers when you pray.
(20:26):
Because I have seen God answertime and time again.
It's one of the reasons I go toyou when I have prayer requests
so many times in my life,because I know that when I ask
you to pray, you're gonna hityour knees and you're really
gonna do it.
You are truly go pray.
You are a prayer warrior, and umyou've honored the Lord, and he
has honored you in return.
So, so Sharon gets thisstraight.
(20:48):
Yep.
You guys end up getting marriedas fast as we could.
Got married on December 23rd,two days before Christmas.
Man had to get back in his ownhome.
That's right.
Brother Jim, I know that uh inyour party days, you used to
collect the vinyl records.
Oh, yeah.
Probably a lot of people.
Well, you know, I was gonna saythere's a lot of people
(21:08):
listening that may not know whata vinyl is, but vinyl's coming
back into style now.
You know, even Christian artistsare that's old school CDs.
Yeah, that's right.
That's right.
Even even Christian artists areare putting music on vinyls now.
Yeah, you know, it's it's it's abig thing happening.
Uh, but you used to crit uhcollect the vinyl records.
Share with the listeners howmany you had at one point.
What at your pinnacle of havingvinyls?
(21:30):
How many did you have?
SPEAKER_00 (21:32):
Well, I probably had, you know, I never really
counted them, but it was quite acollection.
I probably had at least 500.
At least.
At least at a minimum.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (21:42):
All right.
So so walk us through this.
I I I love this part of thetestimony, especially.
You get saved and you begin toget convicted on things.
Yeah.
And you know that those vinylsgot to go.
Yeah.
They can't stay.
I didn't want them to go, butthe Holy Spirit said they had to
go.
That's right.
That's right.
So I remember you you get it,you get a hammer and you go sit
(22:02):
out on the deck, tell everybodywhat's going on.
SPEAKER_00 (22:04):
God said they had to go, and I said, All right, well,
I'll I'll load them up in thecar or truck, whatever it is,
and I'll take them to the dump.
Yeah.
Holy Spirit says, nope, you'renot gonna take them to the dump.
SPEAKER_02 (22:15):
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (22:16):
And we had this little conversation.
SPEAKER_01 (22:19):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:19):
Well, why not?
Because if you take them to thedump and you put them in the
dumpster, somebody's gonna seethem.
Yeah, and then they're gonna getthem, and that those chains are
gonna be chaining them down.
That's right.
Just someone else in the samebondage that you just got out
of.
That's right.
Yeah.
So I said, okay, well, I guess Ijust need to destroy them then,
(22:42):
don't I?
And he said, Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (22:43):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:44):
So stacks and stacks went out.
And we had a really nice deck atthe house we lived on, had a
nice cover roof over it, and Isat out on that deck with all
these stacks of record albumsaround me, and I took them out
one by one and with a hammer.
I pounded it with a hammer, putit back in a jacket, and threw
it in one of those bigrollaround dumpsters.
(23:06):
And I filled that dumpster up tooverflow, and it was so heavy I
couldn't even hardly move it.
Come on, man.
But that's when they went to thedump.
SPEAKER_02 (23:13):
I wonder what the neighbors were thinking.
I don't know.
I really didn't care.
Now, where was Sharon at onthis?
I mean, what was her thoughtprocess when all this was going
on?
Getting to your mind.
She was just sitting back andwatching God work.
Amen.
Amen.
All from an unsaved woman tuninginto a Christian television
channel, listening to the powerteam, watching them rip up phone
(23:38):
books and concrete cinderblocks, and but then after they
get your attention, they'repreaching Jesus Christ.
Yeah.
Isn't that really what we'resupposed to do, brother?
We're supposed to get people'sattention and then share Jesus.
Amen.
You know, and that's what it'sall about.
And look how it has changed yourlife.
I mean, it's just absolutely,absolutely amazing.
(24:00):
Now you're walking with God, asis your wife Sharon.
You guys are both attending CFO,you're both serving in
ministries, you've seen so manydifferent prayers answered,
you've witnessed so manydifferent miracles take place
and these these but God moments.
There's no turning back now, isit, brother?
SPEAKER_00 (24:18):
Well, as uh Peter said, Lord, where else shall we
go?
There's nothing to turn back to.
SPEAKER_02 (24:25):
Yeah, yeah.
We've shared that verse with oneanother so many times.
I know.
So where else should I go?
You know, that's right.
I mean, it's just in thatparticular part uh of of the
scripture, Jesus was giving ateaching, and it was hard for
the people to understand.
And it says that many of even uhthe his followers turned and
walked away from him, you know,and and the the apostles are
(24:47):
still standing there, you know,and and and Jesus presents that
that question are are they gonnaleave two?
He said, You're not gonna leavetwo, are you?
Yeah, yeah.
Isn't that something?
Peter says, Lord, where are wegonna go?
There's no nowhere else, and noone else to follow, you know.
No, you're the Christ.
So that's one thing that I'vealways loved about you from day
one when when I first met you.
(25:09):
You're you're sold out in yourfaith.
And we're we're not perfectpeople, but uh what what has
always attracted me to you andwhat made me want you in my
circle of friends is that you'reyou're not turning back no
matter what happens.
No, God forbid the the theabsolute worst thing could
happen in your life, God forbid,but I know you're not turning
(25:30):
back because I know that you'restoring up your treasure, not
here on earth, but in heaven.
There's that old saying that wehave we'll we'll when we leave
each other, we'll see each otherhere, there, or in the air.
Amen.
You know, and and and see youthere or in the air.
You you know where your finaldestination is.
Amen.
And and and you're not turningback.
You know, I remember the veryfirst time we met each other.
(25:52):
And you were, I still have thatforward pickup truck, and we
were standing at the back ofthat forward pickup truck, and
there was a little snag on mybumper on the on the plastic
cover piece that the grip plate.
And that thing was just holdingon, flapping when I'd ride down
the road, and and I'd left itthere because I just couldn't
see pulling it off and having amissing chunk on the back of
(26:13):
that bumper.
You're a car man.
I love them.
You're a vehicle man.
Oh, yeah.
And I and you look down, neverforget it.
You look down at that littlepiece, and I had been saving,
uh, just been hanging off airfor probably a year close to it,
maybe a little more.
Yeah.
And you look down and you said,Man, what's that thing doing
hanging hanging there like that?
You ripped that, grabbed it, andripped it off, completely tore
it off.
(26:33):
I think I pulled out a knife andcut it off or something.
I'm like, you know, what is thisguy doing ripping my bumper off?
I've been saving that.
You know what I'm saying?
You gotta have a clean ride,man.
But hey, but I remember, Iremember leaving there that day
thinking, man, that's a genuineguy, that's a genuine guy, man.
(26:54):
I I love that brother.
And I'm gonna tell you, he hashe has kept us together for
many, many years.
And I and and I wouldn't havewanted it any other way.
I've I've just been so gratefulto God placing you in my life,
brother.
And I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (27:06):
Well, it was such a blessing to uh to be at CFO in
the early days.
To to serve all these years andyou know, served under you as
associate pastor for sevenyears.
Yes, you did.
Yes, you did.
Um what a blessing.
SPEAKER_01 (27:22):
Yeah, yeah.
And starting.
SPEAKER_00 (27:24):
That's not a good enough word, but I that's that's
what I have.
So you were you were our veryfirst cameraman.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Our very first cameraman.
Yeah, I wasn't coming there toolong, and uh man, you had such a
good word.
I said, we gotta get this onrecorded some kind of way.
Praise be to God.
Praise be to God.
Yeah, started in 2009.
And has gone on in your worldsince, brother.
SPEAKER_02 (27:45):
And I have them all.
Just so grateful for you beingfaithful to do that.
My friends, let me just let mejust end with this right here.
Jim Mitchell is a real liveperson living in Amelia,
Virginia, attending, as we justmentioned, CFO Church, Christ
Family Outreach, every Sundaymorning.
You're gonna find him there,living and loving the Lord.
(28:06):
And he would love to, I'm sure,share more of his testimony with
you and even pray for youpersonally.
Am I safe in saying that, Jim?
If someone wanted to come in andjust introduce themselves to us.
Absolutely.
Um, he would he will pray foryou.
He will love on you in the nameof the Lord if you wanted to
meet him andor his wife, Sharon.
Uh, there's so much more to addto this.
(28:27):
We've just kind of really glazedover the larger parts of this
testimony here today, but uh 30minutes has flown by and it's
only felt like five when you'resitting at the table with.
I can't believe it.
Yeah, we've been 30 minutes.
Already, brother.
When you when you when you'resitting at a table with a real
friend, you know, uh, it justhappens so fast.
So I'm I encourage people tocome on out and just just visit
(28:47):
church and also visit Jim andSharon and and and just say
hello and and put a put a faceto the name.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Father, I'm so grateful for thisopportunity to have sat around
this table with a dear brother.
Lord, I I thank you so much thatyou have ministered to Sharon,
and therefore my brother Jim wasable to see the light and you
(29:09):
ministered to him, and then youbrought us all together, and
we're serving you together underthe same roof.
And I'm just so grateful forthat.
Odds are there's some peoplelistening right now that they've
got they've got some sin intheir life, they got some heavy,
heavy bondages that are holdingthem down, and they say, you
know, if God could do that forthat man, I know God can do it
(29:30):
for me.
And that is the absolute truth.
If you would just cry out to theLord, and and and like my
brother Jim just said, he didn'tknow, he didn't know exactly
what to say or how to say it, oreven exactly who he was, who he
was talking to.
But God, if you're real and yourword is what it says it is, I
need your help.
And so if that's your heart'sdesire, if you need help, if
(29:52):
you're tired of doing it all onyour own, I encourage you just
to say a prayer like this LordJesus, I am a sinner.
And I know that I need to repentof my sins.
I need to turn from the evilways that I am living.
Yes.
I'm asking you, Lord, to comeinto my life, forgive me of my
sins and save my soul.
(30:14):
I recognize, Lord Jesus, thatyou died on the cross for me so
that I could be forgiven.
You paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Come into my life now, Lord.
Fill me with the power of yourHoly Spirit.
Anoint my life and favor megreatly.
Honor me as I honor you in thename and the blood of Jesus
Christ.
All God's people said together,my friends, amen, amen, and
(30:38):
amen.
Amen.
Brother Jim, as always, it'sbeen an honor and a privilege.
An honor for me.
Absolute pleasure.
Thanks for having me down.
Amen, brother.
We're going to have to do itagain.
We'll do it.
We'll have to do it again.
Until next time, everybody,continue to faithfully serve the
Lord.
Stay in his word and remainconstant in prayer.
God bless.
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Be On
Sunday.
I'm your host, Pastor Lee Day,and I pastor Christ Family
Outreach Church located inAmelia, Virginia.
And today we have someone on theshow.
This is his very first time evermaking an appearance.
He is a very dear friend ofmine, a true brother in the Lord
Jesus Christ.
He lived a life of rebellion,drunkenness, drug abuse, lust,
(00:32):
and adultery.
He had two failed marriages, butI'm just here to say that Jesus
Christ stepped into his life andintervened one night when he
called upon his name for help.
Jim Mitchell is on the showtoday.
And if you've never heard thistestimony before, hold on tight
and stay tuned in because Ibelieve that God Almighty is
(00:53):
going to use this episode toencourage you, my friends.
And it will remind you todayjust how faithful our Heavenly
Father is.
Brother Jim Mitchell, thanks youfor coming in.
How are you doing, my brother?
I am blessed, healthy, andhighly favored.
Yes, yes, yes.
In his righteous right hand andthe apple of his eye, my
brother.
Amen.
We've been friends for a longtime.
(01:14):
We've been brothers in the Lordfor a really long time.
We've traveled together.
We've been places together.
We've got so many differentmemories together.
Some of my favorite times havein ministry have been with you.
And uh man, I'll never forgetthat trip, just God-ordained
trip, where it was HolySpirit-led, going through the
mountains and the valleys of thegrand state of Tennessee,
(01:35):
brother.
And matter of fact, one of themost powerful worship times I
ever had was in that car comingback with you.
And if you remember it, we'vetalked about it quite a bit
since then.
It was but by the grace of Godthat we made it back, man,
because it was like we were justriding through a glory cloud,
wasn't it?
Well, we weren't driving,somebody else was.
SPEAKER_01 (01:52):
Amen, brother.
SPEAKER_02 (01:53):
The Holy Spirit.
Amen, brother.
The Holy Spirit was leading thevehicle that that evening, man.
Amen.
In your testimony, Jim, you yousaid the following.
We're gonna jump right into it.
That the blood of Jesus Christthat he shed for you on the
cross washed away all your sins.
And that night you called out tohim.
(02:14):
And this is the verse that youput in there, 1 Peter chapter 1,
3 through 4.
And 1 Peter 1, 3 through 4 saysthis Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to his great mercy, hehas caused us to be born again
to a living hope through theresurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead to an inheritancethat is imperishable, undefiled,
(02:37):
and unfading, kept in heaven foryou.
Now remember, folks, let me justexplain this before I hand it
off to you, Jim.
Mercy is God not giving us whatwe deserve.
Amen.
And that's punishment for oursins, for our filthiness, uh,
for our wicked ways that we'reliving and partaking in the
world.
Jim, what does that verse meanto you?
(02:58):
Because I've heard I've heardyour testimony before.
I've I've watched you walk itout.
I've, you know, every day welive, we're adding on to our
testimony.
Amen.
What does this verse mean foryou?
How did God show you his mercyearly on in life?
SPEAKER_00 (03:13):
Well, early on in life, um I grew up with without
a father.
Uh my dad came back from WorldWar II Um pretty messed up.
And uh, long story short, he uhcommitted suicide when I was
about nine years old.
So I grew up without a father,but I had a very loving mother,
and uh she was born again,saved, and uh she always took me
(03:37):
to church, and um I never forgotit.
SPEAKER_02 (03:40):
Yeah, praise God.
So she she really put instilledthe roots, the word of God in
you absolutely put you on theright path.
Yeah.
Um, let's jump forward.
Your wife Sharon accepted Jesusbefore you did.
Yes.
And when she accepted JesusChrist as her personal Lord and
Savior as King of her life, youguys were not married yet.
No, um, you had been livingtogether for seven years, but
(04:02):
not married.
And we're gonna get into that alittle bit later on in the
testimony.
But one fall night in 1989,Sharon was watching Christian
television and an evangelisticgroup of men called the Power
Team.
Yeah.
And there may be some peoplelistening that are old enough to
know what the power team is.
Uh, I know what the power teamis because they came through our
(04:24):
school one year doing ministryand and and sharing the gospel.
But but explain to thelisteners, brother Jim, for
those that do not know what thepower team was all about, just
give a quick synopsis of whatthe power team was and what they
did.
SPEAKER_00 (04:39):
The power team was uh a group of men.
Um they were pretty big guys.
Uh they had a ministry wherethey went around to different
churches and and places wheredid venues.
Um those guys were somethingelse.
Uh they were they were the kindof guys that that put on a show
for, you know, they'd breakcinder blocks over their head.
(05:02):
Extremely strong, man.
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (05:03):
We're talking about like dudes that just lived in
the gym.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, they did.
You could tell.
Yeah.
I I remember them taking,remember back in the day, I
don't know that they make themanymore, the yellow phone books.
And they would take the phonebook.
Rip the phone book up.
Rip them.
Almost three inches thick.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Just rip them right right downthe street.
SPEAKER_00 (05:20):
I can't even get my mail open now, let alone a
phone.
SPEAKER_02 (05:25):
That night, that night, the power team, they they
go on to preach a powerfulmessage.
SPEAKER_00 (05:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (05:31):
And at the end of it, Sharon gave her life to
Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00 (05:34):
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (05:35):
Here she was, Brother Jim.
She's not saved at the time, butshe's tuned in to Christian
television.
Uh, she feels led that night tojust turn it on the channel.
She's watching it.
She listens to the gospelpresentation given from the
power team, and she acceptsJesus Christ as her personal
Lord and Savior.
Although you didn't jump on thetrain quite so quickly.
(05:56):
No.
However, after a few days, maybeeven a week or two, your
testimony states that you beganto see a difference in Sharon.
Explain what that looked likeand why.
SPEAKER_00 (06:06):
Well, she was um not that she was a bad person, of
course, before, but uh there wasthere was just something about
her.
She had a glow about her.
Um her attitude had changed, hercountenance had changed.
Truly saved.
And uh, yeah, truly saved.
Um when she watched the PowerTeam guys, um, she told me later
(06:27):
on, she said, they told me aboutmy life right in front of me on
TV.
And that's that's what that'swhat did it.
SPEAKER_02 (06:34):
Only God.
SPEAKER_00 (06:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:35):
Only God.
So you begin to just see a lightabout her.
That's the light of Christ.
Yes.
Uh that that is the the thepressures and anxieties, the
weight of the world falling offof her because she's got her
faith in Jesus, a newcountenance, as you mentioned.
So so there's a new joy there.
The word of God says new joycomes in the morning.
Amen.
So so she's a new creature.
That's right.
You know, she she's saved, she'sa new creature, and you're
(06:57):
taking notice to this.
SPEAKER_00 (06:58):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:58):
Uh now, now this is where things begin to get very
interesting for you, my brother,because days before Sharon got
saved, y'all had gotten invitedto a party.
I know the testimony, I know howit goes, so I'm just gonna let
the listeners know this wasn't aChristian party.
No, it wasn't.
So it in your testimony, yousaid that it was a very large
party, definitely not afaith-filled party.
(07:19):
Nope.
But you guys went because you'dbeen invited, and that night you
had too much to drink.
SPEAKER_00 (07:24):
And I'm sure you remember too much of everything,
and uh, not just alcohol.
SPEAKER_02 (07:29):
Tell us what happened and what you put into
your body because you believeyou almost died that night.
There was there was some liquor,some cocaine.
SPEAKER_00 (07:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (07:36):
What's going on?
What's going on at that place?
SPEAKER_00 (07:38):
Uh liquor, cocaine, any th any kind of drug you can
think of.
Um at that time, I was notafraid to put a needle in my
arm.
Uh, I don't know whether I didthat that night or not, but uh
I've after that after thatnight, I I knew something bad
was really, really gonna happen.
SPEAKER_02 (07:58):
Yeah.
Yeah.
If you didn't get it together,it it might be coming to an end.
This exact thing.
Your your your book may bewrapping up.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Your testimony goes on to saythat you continued to see a
drastic change in Sharon's life.
And you knew if you continued tolive the life of drinking and
drugging that you were gonnadie.
SPEAKER_00 (08:16):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (08:17):
Uh, but it was the change that you saw in Sharon's
life that was drawing you, Jim,to consider living a life
walking with God.
Yeah.
First Peter 3:1 says thislikewise, wives be subject to
your own husbands, so that evenif some do not obey the word,
they may be one without a wordby the conduct of their wives.
SPEAKER_00 (08:40):
Isn't that true?
SPEAKER_02 (08:41):
And I think that's so powerful.
That's exactly what you wentthrough with with your with
Sharon.
Uh, brother Jim, speak to speakto the wife that's listening
right now.
Speak to the husband that'slistening right now.
Maybe they're going to church,but their spouse is not.
Share with that person howimportant it is that they're
going to church, but theirspouse is not.
Share how important it is forthat type of person to not give
(09:03):
up, but to continue to love Godand live a godly life so that
their spouse can see the changein them.
SPEAKER_00 (09:08):
Well, you you pretty much said it all right there.
I mean, it's extremely importantthat if you're married or even
have a uh boyfriend orgirlfriend, and uh you're saved
and they're not.
Uh, it is extremely important tolive a Christ-like life in front
of them so they can see whatChrist is like.
(09:29):
Because that's what's going toattract them.
SPEAKER_02 (09:31):
That's exactly right.
More than words, more than aninvitation.
It's okay to invite someone tochurch, right?
But but man, be careful houndingit over their head.
Just what the word is telling usthere is just live it out.
Let them see the fruit.
You know what I mean?
Let them see the fruit of whatGod is doing in you and how He's
changing your life.
Let them see that I know peoplethat started coming to church,
Brother Jim, because they sawthe benefits and the fruits
(09:54):
going on in their spouse's life.
And they're like, I I I gotta gocheck this out.
I I gotta see if this is this isreal or not.
What's going on inside thatchurch?
That's right.
Not long after that party, yourentire life is getting ready to
change.
SPEAKER_00 (10:09):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (10:10):
And one night you're laying in the bed by yourself,
uh, you leaned up against theheadboard, and and you ask God
for help.
Yeah.
Take us, walk us through thatnight.
Share what happened.
SPEAKER_00 (10:20):
That night, uh, this was back in I think either
August or September of 1989.
So it's uh it was been a longtime ago, but praise the Lord
for it.
Um I was sitting up in bed andwas feeling really, really bad
from all the you know, all thedrinking and smoking and and you
(10:42):
know, smoked almost two packs ofcigarettes a day.
The drug all of it was justcatching up to me.
And I saw this change that wasin Sharon, and I I I wanted some
of that because I I know that Ineeded a change and I really
didn't have anywhere else toturn for the to to change.
SPEAKER_01 (11:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:03):
Um I had a brother and his wife that got saved
about a year before I did.
And um, they were praying forme.
SPEAKER_02 (11:11):
My mother was praying for me.
So you're kind of the holdout.
SPEAKER_00 (11:14):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (11:15):
And and maybe there's people listening right
now, they're the holdout.
They're they're that last onethat just needs to hit their
knees and accept Jesus.
SPEAKER_00 (11:21):
Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_01 (11:23):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:23):
So I'm laying there in bed and um really just just I
guess you could say, justfeeling strung out.
I laid there and I thought abouteverything that you know my mom
had tried to teach me and whatmy brother and and his wife were
were trying to show me.
And I just I just looked up intothe ceiling, you know, I I
(11:43):
didn't even know what a sinner'sprayer was.
And to tell you the truth, um Idon't recall a whole lot of that
conversation that I was havingwith that ceiling.
SPEAKER_01 (11:54):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (11:55):
But um I know that I did look up and I said, God, if
you're really there, if yourword is what it says that it is,
I need your help.
SPEAKER_02 (12:07):
Praise God.
Amen.
Amen.
And that was the night thatchanged everything.
Boy, did it.
In your testimony, you said thatafter years of drug and alcohol
abuse, your body had gotten worndown.
And that night talking to God,uh, you you were done.
Yeah, you were done.
You you felt like you weredying, and by the next morning,
(12:29):
you woke up and you felt like abrand new man.
And I'm just gonna say only Godcan do that.
Share with the listeners whathappened that night when you're
looking up into the ceiling andyou're just saying, God, if
you're there and if your word iswhat it says it is, I need you
to come and I need you to saveme.
Share with them what happenedthat you felt go through your
(12:50):
body.
Share that experience.
SPEAKER_00 (12:51):
I was laying there and uh I just finished talking
to the Lord.
I didn't, you know, nothingscripted, didn't know what to
say.
I was just just pouring my heartout to him.
And uh I was sitting up in thebed and I was just quiet for I
don't know, maybe a few secondsor a minute.
And something happened that'skind of hard to explain.
(13:17):
But I was laying there and Ifelt this warmth in the top of
my head.
Um I kind of relate it to, youknow, if you go to the hospital
and you get something like a CATscan and they that that light
scans over top of you.
Well, that's what it what I kindof felt like.
I felt this warmth, and itstarted at the very top of my
(13:39):
head, and I literally felt it goall the way through my body.
Come on, man.
Praise God down my legs, and Ifelt it leave the tip of my
toes.
Right at your toes.
Yep.
I felt it leave how it left.
SPEAKER_02 (13:52):
Literally felt it leave the tip of your toes.
SPEAKER_00 (13:54):
Now I know it was the oil of the Holy Spirit.
Yeah, yeah.
But I didn't know what it was.
But you know, after that, Idon't remember anything.
I wish I could because I'd loveto tell you about it, but I
don't.
I laid down in the bed, I wentto sleep, slept well, uh, got up
the next morning, uh I think itwas a Monday morning, and I went
to work.
(14:14):
I was uh delivering tires for atire warehouse, and I went to
work and I really felt reallypretty good.
SPEAKER_01 (14:22):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:22):
And I went out to the warehouse to Which was not
the normal for you if I couldjust break in for a minute and
say No, it's not.
Yeah, you you've you've had acomplete transformation, and it
hadn't even registered for youyet.
I mean, you're you're justgetting up like, okay, well, new
time.
Time to go to work.
SPEAKER_01 (14:36):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:37):
All right.
So so so walk us through that.
SPEAKER_00 (14:38):
You go to the warehouse.
I go to the warehouse, and I'mout there pulling tires for my
order, and uh one of the guyswas standing at uh at one of the
bay doors, and the bay doorsopened, and he lit up a
cigarette.
And I stopped and I looked athim for a second, and it
reminded me that I smoked.
SPEAKER_02 (14:58):
That's powerful.
SPEAKER_00 (14:59):
Now, I smoke, I got saved at 32.
I've been smoking since I was 13years old.
SPEAKER_02 (15:05):
Smoking cigarettes since 13.
Yeah.
That night in your room, youwere 32 years old.
Yeah.
You wake up the next daycompletely healed.
You go into work, you left yourcigarettes on your nightstand,
you go into work, not eventhinking about smoking a
cigarette, riding down the road,get to work, not even thinking
about taking a smoke break.
No.
Walk through there, smell a mansmoking a cigarette.
(15:26):
I see him smoking a cigarette.
And then for the very firsttime, you remembered you smoked.
SPEAKER_00 (15:30):
Yeah.
And when I remembered that Ismoked, it was like a childhood
memory.
Just like it was, you know,years ago.
I get home that evening fromwork.
Cigarettes and lighter are stillsitting by the bed on the light
stand.
Hallelujah.
I didn't ask for cigarettes tobe taken from me.
I didn't ask for that.
I just asked for some help.
Yeah, come on, brother.
SPEAKER_02 (15:50):
And he did it.
And he did it.
More than what you even thoughtyou needed.
Oh, he cleaned my clock.
I'm telling you.
Come on, man.
I mean, isn't that somethinghe's dealing with an addict?
So he gets rid of all addictionso that you don't have any
weakness to pull you back downinto any of the addiction.
Yeah.
I mean, so here we've got notonly did God heal you, brother
Jim, from the drug abuse, fromthe alcohol abuse, not only did
(16:13):
he remove the cigarettes, andthere's more than that.
I mean, somebody say there'smore.
I mean, praise God, brother.
It ain't over yet.
I'm still living more.
This thing gets deeper.
Not only did God remove allthat, he removed filthy language
from your mouth.
Yeah.
You you said in your testimony,it's as if you had never known
those dirty words that you usedto use.
(16:34):
I mean, what a healing.
They weren't even there anymore.
Complete restoration.
There was none there to use.
SPEAKER_00 (16:38):
Come on, man.
I you could make a brother wantto get up, run around his table.
And you know, I just want to saythat for years, since my mom
sent me to vacation Bible schooland tried to get me to church.
And even though I was living areally bad life, I never did
like to hear the God, God's namein vain.
(17:01):
Yeah.
I never liked to hear it.
I never used it.
SPEAKER_01 (17:04):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (17:05):
And uh I remember, I'll tell you this real quick.
We were building a new garage atour house and had an electrician
over there wiring it.
And I had just got saved.
I mean, I had been saved twoweeks.
Uh-huh.
And I walked out there to seewhat he was doing, and he was on
the ladder and he said a coupleof curse words.
And I looked up at him and Isaid, Sir, I really don't
(17:26):
appreciate that kind oflanguage.
And if you're going to beworking here at my house, I
really would appreciate it ifyou wouldn't do that again.
Amen.
He stopped for a second.
He looked down at me and hesays, You know, son, you're
right.
SPEAKER_02 (17:38):
Wow.
Come on.
Praise God.
Praise the Lord.
Hey, look, all it took was justspeaking up.
Yeah.
Think about how much more couldbe changed in our lives if we
just speak up.
Absolutely.
We just got to go in faith.
God will provide the rest, He'llopen the door.
We just got to step out infaith.
That's what you did that daywith that contractor.
Yeah.
He thought about it and said,you know what?
(17:58):
You're right.
There's no harm in not doingthis.
Let me just let me just honorthis man and his home and his
property.
Now that you and Sharon wereboth walking in a relationship
with Jesus, praise God.
Hallelujah.
Amen.
Explain what happened nextbecause y'all were living
together, but not married.
So now we're going to dive intothat because y'all go talk to a
pastor, right?
Yeah, oh yeah.
(18:19):
Okay, so y'all go talk to thepastor.
The pastor lets y'all know what.
SPEAKER_00 (18:23):
We went to uh it was like a marriage counseling thing
because we wanted to getmarried.
And um he was talking to Sharonand he said, Sharon, have you
ever been married before?
She said, Yeah, I got marriedwhen I was 16.
And uh he said, so all of that'sresolved, right?
And she said, Oh yeah.
He said, So you've got a divorceand all that's fine.
(18:43):
She said, No, we never gotdivorced.
And uh the man's name was ScottHarding.
I love it, brother.
He's gone to be with the Lordnow, but he looked at us and he
said, Well, this is this is awhole different story here.
Yeah, he said, you two underGod's law, she's still married.
(19:06):
Yeah, Jim, you can't kiss her,you can't hold her hand, you
can't live together.
Yeah.
Now we've been together sevenyears and bought a house
together.
At this point.
At this point.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:19):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (19:19):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:20):
And so I'm sure that that that's probably like a a
huge sledgehammer just comingdown on your head.
Like, whoa, wait a minute.
Say what?
Yeah.
Huh?
Say what?
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:31):
So eventually I had to move out of my house at 30
some years old, move into mom'shouse, sleep on a fold-out couch
bed in the in the basement.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:42):
Not not truthfully, was mom like, praise the Lord,
hallelujah.
Come on back home, baby.
Come on back home.
SPEAKER_00 (19:49):
No, that's not how it was.
She it was okay with her.
She knew I was doing the rightthing because I had to honor
God.
That's right.
Amen, bro.
I had to honor God.
Amen.
Amen.
Even after seven years of livingtogether, we bought a house.
Yeah.
It's it's time to start all overagain.
SPEAKER_02 (20:04):
My life verse, you know this.
1 Samuel 230.
God says, For those who honorme, I will honor in return.
And that's what y'all chose todo in that moment of your lives.
It could have been extremelyeasy to just stay and do what
you were doing and share andwork that divorce out and get
through everything.
But y'all chose to honor God inthe process.
Yes, we do.
And I believe that's one of thereasons, uh, along with your
great faith, that God answersyour prayers when you pray.
(20:26):
Because I have seen God answertime and time again.
It's one of the reasons I go toyou when I have prayer requests
so many times in my life,because I know that when I ask
you to pray, you're gonna hityour knees and you're really
gonna do it.
You are truly go pray.
You are a prayer warrior, and umyou've honored the Lord, and he
has honored you in return.
So, so Sharon gets thisstraight.
(20:48):
Yep.
You guys end up getting marriedas fast as we could.
Got married on December 23rd,two days before Christmas.
Man had to get back in his ownhome.
That's right.
Brother Jim, I know that uh inyour party days, you used to
collect the vinyl records.
Oh, yeah.
Probably a lot of people.
Well, you know, I was gonna saythere's a lot of people
(21:08):
listening that may not know whata vinyl is, but vinyl's coming
back into style now.
You know, even Christian artistsare that's old school CDs.
Yeah, that's right.
That's right.
Even even Christian artists areare putting music on vinyls now.
Yeah, you know, it's it's it's abig thing happening.
Uh, but you used to crit uhcollect the vinyl records.
Share with the listeners howmany you had at one point.
What at your pinnacle of havingvinyls?
(21:30):
How many did you have?
SPEAKER_00 (21:32):
Well, I probably had, you know, I never really
counted them, but it was quite acollection.
I probably had at least 500.
At least.
At least at a minimum.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (21:42):
All right.
So so walk us through this.
I I I love this part of thetestimony, especially.
You get saved and you begin toget convicted on things.
Yeah.
And you know that those vinylsgot to go.
Yeah.
They can't stay.
I didn't want them to go, butthe Holy Spirit said they had to
go.
That's right.
That's right.
So I remember you you get it,you get a hammer and you go sit
(22:02):
out on the deck, tell everybodywhat's going on.
SPEAKER_00 (22:04):
God said they had to go, and I said, All right, well,
I'll I'll load them up in thecar or truck, whatever it is,
and I'll take them to the dump.
Yeah.
Holy Spirit says, nope, you'renot gonna take them to the dump.
SPEAKER_02 (22:15):
That's right.
SPEAKER_00 (22:16):
And we had this little conversation.
SPEAKER_01 (22:19):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:19):
Well, why not?
Because if you take them to thedump and you put them in the
dumpster, somebody's gonna seethem.
Yeah, and then they're gonna getthem, and that those chains are
gonna be chaining them down.
That's right.
Just someone else in the samebondage that you just got out
of.
That's right.
Yeah.
So I said, okay, well, I guess Ijust need to destroy them then,
(22:42):
don't I?
And he said, Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (22:43):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:44):
So stacks and stacks went out.
And we had a really nice deck atthe house we lived on, had a
nice cover roof over it, and Isat out on that deck with all
these stacks of record albumsaround me, and I took them out
one by one and with a hammer.
I pounded it with a hammer, putit back in a jacket, and threw
it in one of those bigrollaround dumpsters.
(23:06):
And I filled that dumpster up tooverflow, and it was so heavy I
couldn't even hardly move it.
Come on, man.
But that's when they went to thedump.
SPEAKER_02 (23:13):
I wonder what the neighbors were thinking.
I don't know.
I really didn't care.
Now, where was Sharon at onthis?
I mean, what was her thoughtprocess when all this was going
on?
Getting to your mind.
She was just sitting back andwatching God work.
Amen.
Amen.
All from an unsaved woman tuninginto a Christian television
channel, listening to the powerteam, watching them rip up phone
(23:38):
books and concrete cinderblocks, and but then after they
get your attention, they'repreaching Jesus Christ.
Yeah.
Isn't that really what we'resupposed to do, brother?
We're supposed to get people'sattention and then share Jesus.
Amen.
You know, and that's what it'sall about.
And look how it has changed yourlife.
I mean, it's just absolutely,absolutely amazing.
(24:00):
Now you're walking with God, asis your wife Sharon.
You guys are both attending CFO,you're both serving in
ministries, you've seen so manydifferent prayers answered,
you've witnessed so manydifferent miracles take place
and these these but God moments.
There's no turning back now, isit, brother?
SPEAKER_00 (24:18):
Well, as uh Peter said, Lord, where else shall we
go?
There's nothing to turn back to.
SPEAKER_02 (24:25):
Yeah, yeah.
We've shared that verse with oneanother so many times.
I know.
So where else should I go?
You know, that's right.
I mean, it's just in thatparticular part uh of of the
scripture, Jesus was giving ateaching, and it was hard for
the people to understand.
And it says that many of even uhthe his followers turned and
walked away from him, you know,and and the the apostles are
(24:47):
still standing there, you know,and and and Jesus presents that
that question are are they gonnaleave two?
He said, You're not gonna leavetwo, are you?
Yeah, yeah.
Isn't that something?
Peter says, Lord, where are wegonna go?
There's no nowhere else, and noone else to follow, you know.
No, you're the Christ.
So that's one thing that I'vealways loved about you from day
one when when I first met you.
(25:09):
You're you're sold out in yourfaith.
And we're we're not perfectpeople, but uh what what has
always attracted me to you andwhat made me want you in my
circle of friends is that you'reyou're not turning back no
matter what happens.
No, God forbid the the theabsolute worst thing could
happen in your life, God forbid,but I know you're not turning
(25:30):
back because I know that you'restoring up your treasure, not
here on earth, but in heaven.
There's that old saying that wehave we'll we'll when we leave
each other, we'll see each otherhere, there, or in the air.
Amen.
You know, and and and see youthere or in the air.
You you know where your finaldestination is.
Amen.
And and and you're not turningback.
You know, I remember the veryfirst time we met each other.
(25:52):
And you were, I still have thatforward pickup truck, and we
were standing at the back ofthat forward pickup truck, and
there was a little snag on mybumper on the on the plastic
cover piece that the grip plate.
And that thing was just holdingon, flapping when I'd ride down
the road, and and I'd left itthere because I just couldn't
see pulling it off and having amissing chunk on the back of
(26:13):
that bumper.
You're a car man.
I love them.
You're a vehicle man.
Oh, yeah.
And I and you look down, neverforget it.
You look down at that littlepiece, and I had been saving,
uh, just been hanging off airfor probably a year close to it,
maybe a little more.
Yeah.
And you look down and you said,Man, what's that thing doing
hanging hanging there like that?
You ripped that, grabbed it, andripped it off, completely tore
it off.
(26:33):
I think I pulled out a knife andcut it off or something.
I'm like, you know, what is thisguy doing ripping my bumper off?
I've been saving that.
You know what I'm saying?
You gotta have a clean ride,man.
But hey, but I remember, Iremember leaving there that day
thinking, man, that's a genuineguy, that's a genuine guy, man.
(26:54):
I I love that brother.
And I'm gonna tell you, he hashe has kept us together for
many, many years.
And I and and I wouldn't havewanted it any other way.
I've I've just been so gratefulto God placing you in my life,
brother.
And I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (27:06):
Well, it was such a blessing to uh to be at CFO in
the early days.
To to serve all these years andyou know, served under you as
associate pastor for sevenyears.
Yes, you did.
Yes, you did.
Um what a blessing.
SPEAKER_01 (27:22):
Yeah, yeah.
And starting.
SPEAKER_00 (27:24):
That's not a good enough word, but I that's that's
what I have.
So you were you were our veryfirst cameraman.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Our very first cameraman.
Yeah, I wasn't coming there toolong, and uh man, you had such a
good word.
I said, we gotta get this onrecorded some kind of way.
Praise be to God.
Praise be to God.
Yeah, started in 2009.
And has gone on in your worldsince, brother.
SPEAKER_02 (27:45):
And I have them all.
Just so grateful for you beingfaithful to do that.
My friends, let me just let mejust end with this right here.
Jim Mitchell is a real liveperson living in Amelia,
Virginia, attending, as we justmentioned, CFO Church, Christ
Family Outreach, every Sundaymorning.
You're gonna find him there,living and loving the Lord.
(28:06):
And he would love to, I'm sure,share more of his testimony with
you and even pray for youpersonally.
Am I safe in saying that, Jim?
If someone wanted to come in andjust introduce themselves to us.
Absolutely.
Um, he would he will pray foryou.
He will love on you in the nameof the Lord if you wanted to
meet him andor his wife, Sharon.
Uh, there's so much more to addto this.
(28:27):
We've just kind of really glazedover the larger parts of this
testimony here today, but uh 30minutes has flown by and it's
only felt like five when you'resitting at the table with.
I can't believe it.
Yeah, we've been 30 minutes.
Already, brother.
When you when you when you'resitting at a table with a real
friend, you know, uh, it justhappens so fast.
So I'm I encourage people tocome on out and just just visit
(28:47):
church and also visit Jim andSharon and and and just say
hello and and put a put a faceto the name.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Father, I'm so grateful for thisopportunity to have sat around
this table with a dear brother.
Lord, I I thank you so much thatyou have ministered to Sharon,
and therefore my brother Jim wasable to see the light and you
(29:09):
ministered to him, and then youbrought us all together, and
we're serving you together underthe same roof.
And I'm just so grateful forthat.
Odds are there's some peoplelistening right now that they've
got they've got some sin intheir life, they got some heavy,
heavy bondages that are holdingthem down, and they say, you
know, if God could do that forthat man, I know God can do it
(29:30):
for me.
And that is the absolute truth.
If you would just cry out to theLord, and and and like my
brother Jim just said, he didn'tknow, he didn't know exactly
what to say or how to say it, oreven exactly who he was, who he
was talking to.
But God, if you're real and yourword is what it says it is, I
need your help.
And so if that's your heart'sdesire, if you need help, if
(29:52):
you're tired of doing it all onyour own, I encourage you just
to say a prayer like this LordJesus, I am a sinner.
And I know that I need to repentof my sins.
I need to turn from the evilways that I am living.
Yes.
I'm asking you, Lord, to comeinto my life, forgive me of my
sins and save my soul.
(30:14):
I recognize, Lord Jesus, thatyou died on the cross for me so
that I could be forgiven.
You paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Come into my life now, Lord.
Fill me with the power of yourHoly Spirit.
Anoint my life and favor megreatly.
Honor me as I honor you in thename and the blood of Jesus
Christ.
All God's people said together,my friends, amen, amen, and
(30:38):
amen.
Amen.
Brother Jim, as always, it'sbeen an honor and a privilege.
An honor for me.
Absolute pleasure.
Thanks for having me down.
Amen, brother.
We're going to have to do itagain.
We'll do it.
We'll have to do it again.
Until next time, everybody,continue to faithfully serve the
Lord.
Stay in his word and remainconstant in prayer.
God bless.
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