Impacted

As you well know, I have been reading books by Niki Cruz. Of course his autobiography is a must; Run Baby Run and The Devil Has No Mother, followed by Soul Obsession are fantastic! Truthfully, these books are impacting me. I’ve sent several to  friends, out of deep love and concern for them. Why have these books impacted me? Why has the story of an uneducated, gangster, killer thug from New York, impacted a Southern, well-bred woman from a good family? Because from reading about his life, I have realized he is the modern example of the Gospel!

A street murdering thug, with no education, no job experience, no talent, no abilities, no training, no nothing. Couldn’t even speak good English and yet at 19, instead of ending up shortly in prison, he ended up shortly in Bible School in California! In a few years he was running the first soon to be famous Teen Challenge home in New York and today in his 70’s, he’s an international speaker and has similar homes all over the world for youth who are destroying their lives. ONLY God can do that!!!!

He said when he went to Bible school, he still looked like a “gangsta”, talked like one, dressed like one, walked like one, and he didn’t know anything else. After 1 year, he was going to drop out, but God had other plans. Someone encouraged him to seek the Lord first about leaving school and he did. He got before the Lord one night for HOURS. Travailing in prayer, when he was miraculously filled with the Holy Spirit! His life was never the same!

I’m impacted by his life, because he had no resources, no talent, no natural ability, no money, no education, no pedigree, no good looks, no family support. All he had was the Spirit of the Living God living inside Him and he set out in the power of the Spirit, not in himself, for he was completely empty, and set out to save youth. Messed up, drug addicted youth, just like himself. He lived his life led by the Holy Spirit and still does.  Even today, as his mentor and now with the Lord, David Wilkerson described it, “We stand on the edge of hell and throw our line into the fire to save lost children from doom.”

I doubt God will ever call me to the getto’s of New York, but what ever He calls me to, I just want to be filled and led by His Spirit, just like Niki Cruz. Niki is the Paul of his generation. Voted most likely NOT to succeed by the Church, and just look at what God can do through one life yielded to Him! Lord, make me yielded to You.

Blessings


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