BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

SEPT Read Through the Bible Old Testament / New Testament Sat 1 Isa. 1-3 Sun 2 Ps. 104; Prov. 21:16-31 Mon 3 Isa. 4-6 / Phil. 2 Tue 4 Isa. 7-9 / Phil. 3 Wed 5 Isa. 10-12 / Phil. 4 Thu 6 Isa. 13-15 / Col. 1 Fri 7 Isa. 16-19 / Col. 2 Sat 8 Isa. 20-24 Sun 9 Ps. 105; Prov. 22:1-16 Mon 10 Isa. 25-27 / Col. 3 Tue 11 Isa. 28-29 / Col. 4 Wed 12 Isa. 30-32 / 1 Thess. 1 Thu 13 Isa. 33-35 / 1 Thess. 2 Fri 14 Isa. 36-37 / 1 Thess. 3 Sat 15 Isa. 38-41 Sun 16 Ps. 106; Prov. 22:17-29 Mon 17 Isa. 42-43 / 1 Thess. 4 Tue 18 Isa. 44-45 / 1 Thess. 5 Wed 19 Isa. 46-48 / 2 Thess. 1 Thu 20 Isa. 49-51 / 2 Thess. 2 Fri 21 Isa. 52-55 / 2 Thess. 3 Sat 22 Isa. 56-59 Sun 23 Ps. 107; Prov. 23:1-28 Mon 24 Isa. 60-63 / 1 Tim. 1 Tue 25 Isa. 64-66 / 1 Tim. 2 Wed 26 Jer. 1-2 / 1 Tim. 3 Thu 27 Jer. 3 / 1 Tim. 4 Fri 28 Jer. 4 / 1 Tim. 5 Sat 29 Jer. 5-6 Sun 30 Ps. 108-109; Prov. 23:29-24:22 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * article continues below * * * * * “May I see your Bible?” There it was, in black and white: “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:25-26). The pastor opened the altar, asking people to do business with God by forgiving. Mary walked down front, but she had no intention of forgiving her father. God knew what went on behind their closed doors. She went to the altar to negotiate her right not to forgive him. At the altar, Mary saw a vision of Jesus standing beside her, weeping. Why are You crying? she asked. I’m the one who lived through it. 'Mary,' the Lord said, 'If I could make an exception for anyone, it would be you.' No Exceptions “The Lord told me He couldn’t make an exception for me,” Mary remembers. “I forgave my dad that day. I realized that forgiving my father didn’t mean what he did was OK. I knew it wasn’t OK with God. Forgiving him wouldn’t spare my father the consequences of his behavior. Still, God required that I forgive him, so I obeyed.” Early in her parents’ marriage, Mary’s dad had been in a car wreck and went through the windshield, Mary explained. “He had a metal plate put in his head and was in a coma for months. He recovered, but afterward he had a hair-trigger temper. “He was a brilliant man who, after serving in the military, worked for NASA. He helped develop the space shuttle and helped train astronauts. I was in seventh grade when he came home from his second tour in Vietnam, where he ran a MASH unit. I believe that while in Vietnam he developed a demonic taste for young girls. Although he beat me, he never succeeded in raping me. “I was the oldest of four girls, and I was worried about the sister just younger than me. I turned 18 while still in high school, so I got a job, rented an apartment, and worked to provide for my sister and me. I knew my mother was being beaten, and I ached for my two younger sisters still at home.” One evening, Mary received a frantic call from her mother. Her dad had tried to rape one of the younger girls. “Where is he now?” Mary asked, her calm demeanor masking cold fury. “He went to Dunkin’ Donuts®.” Mary went there and confronted him. “You have exactly 30 minutes to check yourself into a hospital and tell them what you’ve done,” she said. “If you haven’t done that in half an hour, I will go to the police and file charges.” Her father knew she wasn’t spouting empty threats. So, he did as she said. In the hospital for three months, he received shock treatments and medication. He came home medicated and calm. While Mary had been changed at the altar when she forgave her dad, as the months passed, she continued to change. 'I want to fill you with My presence,' the Lord told her, 'but oil and vinegar don’t mix.' Returning to the altar of prayer, Mary poured out the vinegar. Free From Bitterness “I wept so much that day, I made sure the tears didn’t run into my mouth,” Mary recalled. “I knew bitterness was flowing out of me, and I didn’t want to taste it again. No one prayed for me, but I started speaking in tongues. “For years, I’d been filled with hatred and fear, but now I found myself laughing and full of joy. The hatred gone, I felt deep compassion for my father’s torment.” Later, Mary went home and found her dad in the living room. “Something happened to me today, Dad,” she said. “I want you to know that I love you. I forgive you for everything you ever did.” Leaning over, Mary kissed his cheek. He didn’t know how to handle forgiveness. Weeping, he suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized for another three months. “I felt terrible about what happened to Dad, “Mary says. “But since being baptized in the Holy Spirit, I was so full of the love of Jesus that I couldn’t keep quiet. I witnessed about Jesus to so many people at work, I lost my job. My car was repossessed, and I had to move back home. My mother thought I was a religious nut, and kicked me out. I was officially homeless.” The Man in the Upper Room Months earlier, Mary had started a Friday evening Bible study at the Assemblies of God church. It started with five young people, but within two months 110 to 120 people were attending. 16 : BVOV

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