Author: Edward D Fleming, Republished: Sat, 1-26-2008
When the lord called my name
I would like at this time to share with you a part of my testimony and what my Lord Jesus has done for my soul and all glory goes to him. I was born in the hills of West Virginia on Sept. 7th, 1946, to Robert and Thula Fleming the second of eight children.
My father was a coal miner. Love was strong and noticeable in our home.(note : my dad went home to be with my lord Jesus in Sept. Of 2006). Mother was and still is a warrior of the cross and bound for the promised land. Edward D. Fleming was the name given to me. The (D) was for Daniel ( God is my judge). In my early years, my mother said I was the one that had an interest in the bible more than my other brothers and sisters, so as I was growing up, I would spend a lot of time alone in the hills and woods. I loved the wild animals.
My early life was all right. It wasn’t until I left home that the trouble started with the drugs and drinking and all that went with it. At the age of 19, my oldest brother and I, left home for the northern cities looking for work and came to a place called Flint Michigan to work in the automobile plants building cars. This is where the drugs and drinking really went from bad to worse.
Being married at that time with one child, times where good and bad, but more bad than good. Things started going down. Soon there were three more chidren. My wife and I were drifting apart (it was mostly my wrongdoing and bad choices) until we went our separate ways and I just got deep into drugs and drinking. There was no end in sight.
I wanted to go back home to West Virginia but that didn’t happen. I just didn’t care anymore about life, and I just wanted out and the only ones who really knew that were my mother and my GOD of course. THEN one day it all came crashing down around me.
At this point in my life, it was over, and it seemed like there was nowhere to go, nowhere to run. That is when I heard this voice, like it was calling my name and that, I couldn’t figure and at the same time I felt a peace come over me, there in my little two room apartment. Somehow, I knew it was my GOD and right there on the floor I began to cry out to him the only way I knew, and it seemed like he put his hand on my head and it was so warm. It was like heat flowing down through me.
After that, things started changing, not real fast but change had come. My wife had moved away for a while. We never got back together but I was able to see my children and that was great. NOW if you don’t mind I would just like to share with you what happened after I was saved.
The war was on. It’s like this. I owe it all to my Lord JESUS to him be the glory, because I have been in some of the most wretched, miserable conditions for a Christian that anyone could ever have been in, and every time the Lord came and rescued me out of it, every time. Then the unthinkable happened.
One of my daughers was smitten with cancer and died at the age of 23. There is a long testimony about that, but I’ll share that at another time. Just one year or so after that my only son was shot to death at the age of 23 as well, Like I said the war was on. I started drifting away from my Lord Jesus in all of that. Trouble was there again, and it wasn’t long before I was back in the dark. I had been months in darkness, months in thinking that the Lord had left me. I thought that I really offended him.
There was a time in my walk that I served the Lord with all my heart and still I failed. You see all the wrong choices caused things like that to happen. At times I could feel the cold darkness of death all around me just closing in on every side so fast and hard. Sometimes it was even hard to breath.
I didn’t know what to do or where to go. I was in a back-slidden state. I had left the church and the ministry. I just started running, going nowhere fast. It got worse and worse the more I ran. The pain was so heavy and there were no more tears to cry.
I felt anger slowly creeping in, starting to take control of my life and there was nothing I could do about it and that was scary. I was so weak and worn out and just fed up with it all. There was no one to turn to, and I was so all alone, thinking at times about my children.
All my nights where sleepless not wanting to see the next day, just wanting to die. I was in my own world of hell on earth, but once again the voice of my Lord Jesus came to me in the night. It had been such a long time. I was so frightened that I trembled. I knew that it was my Lord Jesus and I was so ashamed. I felt so naked before him. I just began to weep out of control. Tears that I once could not cry came back to me that day and my heart was hurting so bad, I knew that my Lord Jesus had come for me and then I heard him say to me….
“DANIEL (my middle name), you are mine and I love you so much and I have plans for you, for it is almost time for me to return and I have something that I want to do in and through you and when I called you it was not the wrong choice, for it is my desire that you live for me, that I may through you show myself to this world. I have many more sons and daughters just like you that I have plans for in this last hour of time. Know this and know it well. You are mine and I called you by your name. I am going to reveal my will in your life. No more running. No more hiding. It is time for you to let me rise up in you for the last time. I will have it no other way.”
That’s what my lord Jesus had said to me and no matter what anybody says, from this point on it is my only desire, and that is to let my God have his way and no other, for there is none no not one but my LORD JESUS.
TO MY GOD BE THE GLORY!! PS. Please pass this on, thank you for taking the time to read my testimony “Thank you, My Lord Jesus”
Edward – Thank you for sharing your testimony. It confirms that God never looks at us as failures. Like a loving parent He wants us to learn from our mistakes, and he is always ready to forgive us. As the body of Christ, we have work to do, reaching others for Him. He will help us get back up when we fall, and then He will show us the work He would have us do with Him.
To God be the glory! I’m moved to tears while reading your testimony.Yes,God truly called you by name brother not by shame.Keep that faith and glorify His name.God bless you more and Shalom from Zion to your home.
Sir, God bless you. My prayer is Psalms 103 bless the lord and forget not his benefits, he who heals all of our disease and forgive us of all of our iniquities. You are a miricle. You are a blessing to many people. I was stuck as I read your testimony. Your words are so full of power that it was hard for me to read the whole testimony but I made it through by Jesus name. May God continue to heal you from your wounds and may you continue to misister and save other brother like me who are younger and who haven’t seen the things that you have seen may you save them for Jesus Christ. God bless you.
It is always a blessing to share my testimony in hope that in some way it will be a blessing and encouragment to those that read it, knowing that if God can deliver some one like myself he can do it for anybody.
Yes the lord did deliver me from a life of drugs,death and destruction, and I owe my life to him.
Ed Fleming
Hands of Ministries inc.
po box 310303
Flint, Mi 48531
home / office: 810-670-4703
Your testimony was very encouraging and up lifting
there is hope for the hopless, Jesus is lord!!
It’s been awhile sense I’ve heard a uplifting testimony
I too went down that same path and it was the lord that saved my life as well and Iam so thankful for his amazing grace.
thank you for sharing your testimony with us and may the lord continue to lead and hlep you ever in his care.
Daniel
Your story was great and becouse you are my Brother
I know your story is true because you are My Brother. I am so have a Brother Like you. Your testamony has been a Testamony of the Love of Jesus Christ that is beyon all understanding. My prayer is that the Lord will continue to use you in a mighty way to share his Love
Jerry Hoy
Dear Bro. Ed – Thank you for your revealing testimony. I know it’s difficult to admit one’s past, but we need to do so in seeking forgiveness. As one of your close fellow ministers, I knew your story because I’ve heard it before directly from you. I, too, am not proud of my past life, but with the guidance of our Lord Jesus, I now am able to co-pastor a small church together with my wife, and pray that the Lord will speak through us as our church reaches out into the community.
In His Service, Forrest
By the way, it’s getting time for you to visit our church again. Please get in touch with me on this.
Daniel~what a beautiful name! Your story is glorifying to the MOST HIGH God! He is worthy, worthy~He alone is worthy of praise! Look what the Lord has done!
Brother Ed, as you know, we just met you this past weekend as we served together with many other brothers and (mainly) sisters at Christ Tabernacle Church! What a blessed time of being in His presence! Thank you for sharing this with me and the world….keeping our eyes upon Jesus, who for the joy that was before Him, endured the cross….scorning its shame! Smiling~Robin
Bro. Ed,
You have moved me. I heard you testimony about your son in my dad’s (Pastor Richard Meade) newly formed church. I never knew of your daughter until I read this. Your children are Alive, they have eternal life and are sitting at the feet of our Lord and Savior. My mom and dad (Pastor’s Richard and Barbara Meade) are right there with them. If I know mom she is loving them as her own. As my moms used to say, her favorite thing to say, “To God Be The Glory”. Our job as his children is to simply praise and worship Him and to do as he wills. You are certainly doing his will. Thank you for sharing your story. It shows all who read this the power of Christ. God Bless You!!! I will be in touch soon.
Drugged and Delivered
I was once living in a world of drugs
Smoking and drinking not caring who I was
The devil had my life and a good hold on me
I was fighting a battle that I just couldn’t see
I smoked all day and I smoked all night
I prayed when I finished because I knew it wasn’t right
But soon as I got money I started again
Not realizing I was lost in sin
I still prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ
Praying that the Lord would change my life
It felt like my family turned their backs on me
And my children’s dad he just let me be
So I stayed away doing my thing
Smoking and drinking every day the same
I lost everything that I ever had
My life started to look really bad
But one day the Lord had mercy on me
He answered my prayers and he set me free
I’m filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues
and now have the powers to make that dirty old devil run
Poetry by: Marlene Adderison-Aaron
Hey, Bro. Eddie,
I was a friend of your in the shop, I went with you on some of the ministries, I can say that the old man is dead ! Now you met Jesus.
You’re old Randy,
P.S. I’ll call you long time no see !