Episode 111

Some Christians erroneously think that a salvation testimony is somehow less powerful when the person is, by worldly standards, “a good person.” Perhaps they grew up in a moral or maybe even Christian home and never ventured in worldly pleasures. This kind of background, some may think, does not adequately showcase a drastic change at the point of salvation, so the effect isn’t as poignant. Nothing can be further from the truth. It is every bit as much a miracle as a world-worn sinner being saved, and this week, we get to hear such a testimony. We continue the How Were Your Barriers Removed? series with Rebekah, who grew up in a Christian home but was nonetheless saved by God’s miraculous grace.

Faith isn’t a feeling, but it’s simply taking God at his word. And wow, is that so hard to put into practice at times.

Thank you for tuning in to the Removing Barriers podcast. I’m Jay. And I’m MCG. And we’re we’re attempting to remove barriers so we can all have a clear view of the cross.

This is episode 111 of the Removing Barriers podcast, and this is the 31st in the series of how were your barriers removed? And in this episode, we’ll find out how Rebekah’s barriers were removed when she came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This episode of the Removing Barriers podcast is sponsored by SWAPP. If you are using paper maps for your outreach ministry, there is an easier way to create maps and follow up with contacts introducing the Soul-winning app or SWAPP for short. SWAPP allows your church to effectively set up an outreach area, digitally map that area and allow app users to easily show progress on that map. You can print maps, record prayer requests, and follow up with contents. SWAPP is offering a 30 day free trial and money back guarantee. Go to theSoulwinningapp.com or theSWAPP.io to sign up today. SWAPP, the only outreach software designed specifically for soul-winning and soul-winners.

Rebekah, welcome to the Removing Barriers podcast. Thank you so much. I am so excited to be able to share what the Lord’s done in my life through the podcast. That’s great, great.

Well, tell us what state or country were you born in? I was born in Tampa Bay, Florida. Oh, interesting. Yeah. Were you raised there? So actually, it wasn’t Tampa Bay. It was More Lakeland Area. I missed out there. It was Lakeland of Florida. And my dad was in the military when he was 19. He was very young there and so he and my mom had moved from Germany to there and that’s where the Lord really began to work in their hearts about being involved in full time ministry. So we lived there for about four years and then we moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where my dad was in Bible college there.

You described your father as being in the military. Can you give us a fuller picture of what type of family you were born into? Were you religious family? Not so religious. Describe your family and upbringing to us. You know, I am so grateful for the family that God did place me in. I’m only a second generation Christian. My mom grew up in a family that was very moral. I mean, good people, I mean, still are to this day, but they didn’t personally know Christ as their savior. My grandmother and grandfather both were professing Catholics and they still are where my grandfather is and my dad’s side, they had always been in church as well. But my dad’s dad had experienced some issues with alcohol and I mean, divorce and things, and so he grew up being around that and knowing that’s not the kind of home that he wanted to have for his family. And so, believe it or not, mom and dad actually met at JCPenney when they were about 18. And that was it. They got married then. It was actually through my dad’s testimony and through bringing my mom the church that she became to know the Lord. It’s her personal sacred as well. So then that’s when they moved to Germany there, and my dad fought in Operation Desert Shield and he drove a tank and mom worked over there in Germany. And then after that was over, they moved to Florida and that’s where my life began. So that’s a little bit about that realm of my life there.

Do you have siblings? Where do you fall in the rank of your siblings, if you have any? So I do, I’m the oldest, me and my sister and my brother. So my brother is a sophomore at Pensacola, so that’s very exciting for him. Cool.

So tell us, before salvation, what did your life or upbringing look like? So we know that you were born in a Christian family and stuff like that. Do you remember much of your life before salvation? You know, I was in school. My mom and dad chose to put me in a Christian school when I was about five. And again, I’m so grateful for the work that Christ had done even before my parents chose to bring me into the world. I mean, just radical change that the Lord had done in my mom and dad’s life through the testimony of people in Florida and the choices that they determined that they were going to implement into their home. That way their children, me, Rachel and Jerry, my sisters and brothers, could have also a God. The upbringing. You know what, I was a really good kid. I’m not trying to be prideful, I’m just going to be honest. I was always that kid. I didn’t ever get in trouble. I was that one kid who always got called on in children’s church because I was the best one. But my dad explained to me as a little girl that I could never muster up enough good to be able to get to heaven. So I remember him sitting me down one day at home. I guess I had been asking about the Lord and of course I had been in church and I heard the gospel in Sunday school. And I guess it was at that moment that my dad realized, you know what, she understands sin. And I did. So that day, whenever I was about five, that I prayed and I realized that I was a sinner, that I couldn’t get to heaven on my own. So that all happened when I was five. So that was my life before Christ. And then fast forward about six years and I went to a youth rally when I was about eleven. And there was a man by the name of Bruce Fry and actually preaching at a rally at my home church tonight, still faithfully serving the Lord there about ten years later. And he gave his testimony as well. And I mean, just throbs with people coming down the aisles and I just remember thinking then, okay, all I remember when I was five was just sitting on this pink couch with my dad. I don’t know what I said, I don’t know if I really meant just the devil putting doubts in my mind. And then I was also the youth pastor’s daughter. So I had gone to church with these people all in my life. I’m like, I can’t admit that I’m having doubts. I can’t admit that maybe I didn’t really mean it when I was five. And the name of this podcast is Removing Barriers. And I think definitely a barrier in my life at that point was my own pride. I thought I had this position and this standing and that if I went ahead and admitted that, well, I’m struggling here, that somehow that position would be torn down. But so grateful for the quiet moving of the Holy Spirit and his giving me the courage to set aside all those fears and really with my pride that I got on the way there. And I went to the altar that day and maybe got saved when I was four, maybe got saved when I was twelve. But now my life after Christ, his spirit is evident in my life. I couldn’t do what I do without Him and you know, his spirit bears witness with mine. And so that’s a little bit about how I came to know the floor.

When Bruce Fry came to your church and had those meetings and shared his testimony and was at the time that you heard the gospel for the first time, or was it some time earlier or you don’t remember because you’ve pretty much heard it all your life. Yeah, you know, I had heard it all my life. I mean the death, burial, resurrection of Christ. And it wasn’t until I was about twelve there that I realized, okay, this has got to be personal. I can’t be laying on the works of my parents who are good Godly people, or I can’t depend on the workings of my people that I’ve gone to school with who are again, good people. But I think it was at that point that I realized this has got to be personal and I’ve got to make this choice for myself. And I can’t be worried about my friends or my mom and dad, what we’re going to say. And of course when I let them know about my doubts, of course they were very loving and open to help.

There was the first time you come to a full realization of your sin. Was that when your dad sat you down? Or you can go back to a time before dad when you actually saw Sin for the Ugliness that it is. You know, as I was preparing for the podcast here, I can remember a very specific time when I was about ten and my dad had asked me a question and I lied to him. And I knew that I had lied. And I don’t know why I even lied. I don’t know if I was ashamed of something or he had threatened me with punishment or what, but it was at that moment that immediately I knew that I had lied. I’m like, oh, this feels terrible. I don’t like this feeling that whatever I did, it’s making me feel really guilty. And then a few minutes later I went back to him and I had told him that I lied. And wow, the guilt that just weighed off of my back. It felt so good to get that lie off of my back. And so that was when I was about eleven. Which probably gives proof again that I probably did get saved when I was four because I did not have the Holy Spirit in my life convicting me of that sin. I mean, a lost soul, a natural man can’t convict himself of sin. Of course, that’s all the Lord and his doing. Very true.

I’m not going to ask if there were any barriers preventing you from salvation because this was something where you might have been saved very early on. But I will ask, have you had barriers to what should we say, like assurance of your salvation? You mentioned in passing how sometimes the devil will be like, well, you know, were you really safe? Did you really know what you were doing? Yes. I’m just going to be honest. Did you struggle with that for a very long time or was it no, I actually did. And I guess this comes from being the first born child. I’m very independent. I really don’t need anyone, of course, which is very ignorant to even think that because God created us first to need him and then of course he created us for others as well. But because I am such kind of an independent person, I thought, okay, well, what if I didn’t say the right words? And what if I was only trying to sound impressive in my prayer whenever I was praying with my mentor who was working with me at youth conference? And then there came a time and even now I have to still remind myself, you know, it’s not the words that I say. And I think Christians and just kind of quote unquote religious people in general tend to put way too much focus on the prayer and really it’s not anything of us. And the Bible says very clearly that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the word Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that thou have raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. And so it says nothing about any action that I can procure up. It’s all the Lord and his doing. And so when I get my focus off of myself, a barrier sometimes and back onto what all that Christ has done in and through me, it’s been where I can reach that full assurance. Again, interesting.

So maybe the barrier as you said earlier, was maybe your pride of what I saved for should I go forward at eleven? Maybe it was just too young not knowing. Take us into that time when you went forward again at eleven if that’s the point where you were saved and kind of gave us a little bit more of a detailed account, detail account of that poway borrowers removed. In every group that I went to these conferences, we always set up very close to the front, which at that point wasn’t an issue until I had to make the choice for myself. I’m like, there’s all these people going forward and well what about me? I mean all I could remember again at that instance when I was four was pink couch and my dad sitting next to me and I couldn’t remember any words. I’d prayed. I didn’t ever remember reaching a full understanding and maybe I had, it was very many years ago so I couldn’t really recall. So I remember the internal struggle there thinking, but I can’t, I’m the youth pastor’s daughter and my friends are here and I actually come and traveled out of state. So I didn’t really know the people there that well and so I wasn’t as familiar with them. And I really had to once again just overcome that internal pride there like, okay, you know what? In the scope of eternity, this is a big deal. I mean am I going to let my pride get in the way of me making the most important decision of my entire existence? And my entire eternity is hanging on this one decision that either I don’t or do make. And I want to be careful not to put the emphasis on myself there. If I would have listened to my own pride and allowed my fears to control me, then I probably wouldn’t have stepped down and I wouldn’t have got those doubts removed. And so again, with all the Holy Spirit courage there to his prodding and reminding me of these truths that hey, this is the most important decision ever. Don’t let your pride get in the way. And again, just more as I’ve grown in my walk, I’m realizing how important that Holy Spirit is in your life. And his voice that is ever sweet and calm and comforting. That’s the voice that he uses when I’m deepensing or when I think that I don’t need him. He’s never angry or he never deals with me in a way that would make me want to run from him, but in a way that would only ever want me to be running to him? Yeah.

What did you say to the counselor or the person? Who does he tell them that you wanted to be saved or you have in doubts? How did that conversation go? Well, we both went to the altar there. And again, I don’t really remember that conversation too well either, but imagine that I said something like, you’ve known me for a long time and I’m supposed to be saved. And there was a lady that again, that my mom and dad, and we were very close with her, so I felt comfortable in sharing my heart there. And she led me in a prayer, and then I just repeated after her. And so even in that prayer, at that moment, I was thinking, oh, well, I kind of have to make sure that I sound educated and Christian. And I was kind of doing it because, again, yes, I was having doubts, but I didn’t also want to seem foolish in front of her either. And so later on, even that there was something that the devil used, well, you were just trying to look good in front of her. And God didn’t really hear your prayer because he knew that you were being prideful and just the devil’s voice there, trying to get them in the way of me reminding myself, you know, that God looks at the heart and he sees your motive far better than you can.

And would you say, in retrospect, your motive at that time was what if you were to describe it, what was your heart in repeating that prayer? Again, you said very clearly that we tend to put the emphasis on the prayer. If you pray the prayer, then you must be saved, and that’s not the case. But when you prayed that prayer, your heart was crying out for something. What was your heart crying out to God for? Well, you know, I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t going to spend an eternity in hell. And so whereas maybe the surface emotion there was, I have to make sure that I found good and everything. The foundational feeling was a fear in realizing that if I don’t admit that I’m a sinner, that Christ is the one who paid my sin, then I’m not going to be able to have a relationship with Him. And if I don’t have that relationship with Him, then I’m not going to be able to go to heaven one day. And so that was my overall heart there. And I’m so grateful that, again, God can see past all those barriers of my pride and my ignorance and even my mistakes and see my true desire there to have that relationship with Him. And as the Bible says, all you have to do is believe and confess. And so it’s a two fold thing there, both of which are nothing of me. But if I believe in my heart, again, not anything of me, but believing and confessing, then he says that he does here, and that he will say, and what a wonderful, gracious thought that is.

All right, you’ll listen to the Remove in Barriers podcast, which is down Rebekah, and we’ll find out how well her barrier is removed. We’ll be right back.

Hi, this is Jay. MCG, and I would like for you to help us remove barriers by going to removingbarriers.net and subscribing to receive all things Removing Barriers. If you’d like to take your efforts a bit further and help us keep the mics on, consider donating at removingbarriers.net/donate. Removing Barriiers, a Clear View of the Cross.

Hey, thanks so much for listening to the Removing Barriers podcast. Did you know that you could find us on Twitter, Gab, Parler, FaceBook and Reddit. Go to RemovingBarriers.net/contact and like and follow us on social media. Removing Barriers, a clear view of the cross.

Second Corinthians five, seventeen says, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. All things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Tell us, Rebekah, after salvation, what changes were evident in your life? Well, I was not this horrible little demon of a girl who was out stealing candy and doing all these horrible things. That was my sister, but not me. But it wasn’t until really, and I’m kind of ashamed to say, but when I started teaching, it was such a revealing work. And I realized that I never really been placed in situations where I had to give of myself and nobody appreciated what I was doing. And it was through that that I knew it was the Holy Spirit in me, just working in and through that sanctifying work. Because after one saved, I mean, we’re not just saved to sit and, you know, listen to preaching for the rest of our lives. You know, we’re to act upon what we’ve heard. And as the Lord sanctifies us, he sets us more apart. He’s been doing that especially in the last few years. There have been things in my life that I think that should work out, and I really had to work on realizing that I’m under a new master. Now I’m no longer my own master in that verse you had just mentioned, I’m a completely new man. I’m under complete new control, and so I’m not responsible for or I’m not allowed to lead my own life anymore. I’m responsible to be under a new master and a new Lord. And because of that, my actions and my words do the ones closest to me, the ones that maybe are not close, but all the students and the parents and the coworkers that I have to interact with that is to look like Christ. And it’s his life in me that produces that beautiful sanctifying work. It’s nothing of me. So just actually, in the last few years, I’ve really seen evidence that there’s no way I could ever be that nice if it were not for the Holy Spirit leading and control in my life. Of course he comes that moment that I saved, but just in the few years I’ve really seen that evidence. When you consider the way the culture is today, what you see in lost people today, whether it’s out in the world or perhaps even some of your students, perhaps you see yes.

When considering how we reach them with the gospel, do you think that the way your barriers were removed would be effective in reaching those people in the same way in the culture today? You know, I absolutely do. I think, OK, the people in our world, most of them didn’t really grow up in a Christian home, but each and every human being who has ever walked the earth is in a way independent thinking, oh, well, I don’t need God or I don’t need what that church has. And in a way, that’s kind of what I was thinking as well. Like, oh, well, you know, I probably got saved, I don’t really need to do that again. And well, this is only the most important decision that anyone will ever make in their entire life. But in relation to the ministry that God granted me now, I grew up going to a Christian school and I was home schooled. And so it’s neat how the Lord called me back into that because I know what my students are thinking because I was them. And so the students who do come from good homes and I’ve heard the gospel their entire life, I can identify with them. And it was a few years ago that a fellow teacher actually made this comment that even saved people need to preach the gospel to themselves over and over again. At first I thought, why did they need to do that? They’re already saved. But I mean, every day I need to remind myself that God loves me and that without Him I’d be on my way to hell. And it was his perfect sacrifice on the cross that ever even opened a relationship to God for me. And it was then that I realized, you know what, I need to be preaching the gospel to myself every day and in essence, also to my students as well. I write a lady in Washington state. We’ve known each other for about five years and I have about 50 of her letters. We’ve just been going back and forth. We’ve only met in person one time, but she also taught at Bob Jones for a while and she reminded me of one of her letters just last week to be always giving the gospel in class. It’s a Christian school. I mean, they hear in Bible class they are in chapel, but not all of them are saved. And so again, that’s been a good reminder for me as well, to make sure that they know for sure that it’s not of their own parents merit. Or that they go to a Christian school that they can get to heaven, but it’s their own personal relationship with Christ that is necessary in order for us to be able to suspend any eternity with Him.

So you guys actually write physical letters? We do. We actually write physical letters, and it’s literally the highlight of my months. Whenever I see a letter in her handwritten, I love it.

Have you guys heard of email? Yes, I have. Okay, here’s what MCG does not understand. There is something special about receiving a handheld handwritten letter. There is. Really? I remember when I was deployed and no, not deployed. I’m sorry. I was in boot camp, and up to that point, I had never received a handwritten letter from him. When that mail came, Rebecca, I tell you, I would fight someone that tried to take me. Yes. I love it. It’s gold. It’s gold. It’s worth it’s waiting gold. So I’m glad you understand. I totally get it. MCG over here trying to give you a hard time with…

All righty, then. So tell us, what are you doing personally in the area of evangelism to help others remove barriers that they are facing in their lives? Well, so the Lord has blessed me to be able to be part of a excellent ministry at we have an academy there, and it’s chemical English, which is a ministry in itself, let me tell you. A lot of them don’t even care about English, so I have to make them want to care and know, the Lord gifted me with English in high school. That’s a whole other other story itself there. But I am constantly trying to remind the students again that it is that personal relationship with Christ that truly matters and to keep their eyes on eternity and not let the things of the world, the flesh, the devil, gets in their way of burying them in a wrong viewpoint of eternity. And also, our church has a time when we all meet together to attend soulwinning each Saturday. And so I’m blessed to have gotten to know you guys through that ministry. And so that’s just a couple of ways that I get to accomplish that.

Yeah, I wouldn’t underestimate and if anyone is thinking this I don’t think they are, but would never underestimate the impact a teacher can have on a student for Christ. I know this in my life personally, but you could be pouring into a student, pouring into a student, pouring into a student, and you just think that it’s water off a duck’s back, and nothing’s really penetrating. And then that student comes back many years later and describes to you what impact you had on their lives, and they’re like, what? When I was single in the church, my roommate was an English teacher at the academy, and she would just pour into a students. Sometimes she’d come to the home we were all sharing, and she just you know, she wouldn’t complain, but she would just be like, oh, man, you could see her heart and wanting to reach the children, and she just couldn’t really see how she was connecting all these kids. I mean, these kids have poker faces like no one’s in business. You just don’t know what’s in their head. And I see many times many students return to her and thank her and tell her how she touched their lives or something she said in class that they held onto many, many years afterward, even in college, or maybe something that she taught them. And when they were in their freshman English 101 or whatever type of class, and the professor asked a question that only they knew the answer to because they remembered what she taught them in class. And just that impact that you have on a student as their teacher, I know days are long and the years are short, but don’t underestimate it. You’re going to have students come back and say, you know, ms. Rebekah, you did this or you said that, and it changed me for Christ in this way or that way. And so the fact that you could reach them with the gospel and you have that opportunity for what, 30, 45 minutes every day for the school week, that’s really huge. And it will add up. And the scripture says that God’s word will not return void.

Well, let’s go into a little bit of a fun section to find out some of your favorites. So tell us, what is your favorite Scripture verse? So the Lord’s different verses in my life through different seasons, but for a while I just picked the verse acts eleven nine. Not Acts, sorry, Luke eleven, nine, which states, asking me shall receive knock on the door, shall be open to you. But just recently, a kind of new life verse that I think describes my life’s mission and goal. Now, it comes from John, chapter 15 and verse 16. It says, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. And so I mentioned a bit about the sanctification process and how that begins the moment that a child is born into God’s family. And I think that’s probably no. Well, I know it’s the most painful process that any individual go through because it’s the Lord easily but painfully for us, removing all of our carnal earthly viewpoints of ourselves and of the world, and he chose us. And so whenever I start to get on a high horse about things in my life that I think I’m doing well, I have to keep in mind here that I didn’t do anything to earn God’s favor, but he chose me. And now I’m a child again. I’m under his control. And I. Am to bring forth fruit. And so it’s not just to stop with Rebekah Lashley. It’s to go on into others as I trained and disciple, as he has commanded all of his children, and that your fruit should remain. And so what glory he gets out of my life whenever I am bearing forth not just a little fruit, but he goes on in that chapter to say much fruit. And that’s kind of the whole mission statement that I’m adopting for my life right now. And so that’s a versat that God’s really using in my life.

So what is your favorite historical biblical account? Okay, so as I said, I was reading through the questions without fail, it’s been Elijah and the account when it’s just Him without all of those false prophets of bail. And he did all this work, the water, the fire, and God did it. He just consumed the whole altar. And what glory that God got out of that instance. And poor Elijah, a man who had been through a lot, who thought that he was the only one, and yet he’s like this hero for obeying God fully. And so I’ve always liked that account because it’s so drastic. Like, wow, she just took the whole thing. Water, rocks, altar, the animal, everything is awesome. I remember just a quick side note. I remember sharing that story with my children, love story, a historical account. I was reading that account with my children and I said, yeah, everything burnt up. And my oldest was like, Even the water? Yeah, even the water. He said, that’s a lot of steam. That would make a lot of steam. Burned it all up. Yeah, absolutely.

What would you say is the most convicting scripted package to you? That’s a hard one, but I’m just going to take one that the Lord has just recently actually was last night, used in my heart. There it was talking about how our faith was to be rooted in not our feeling, but in Christ. And over and over again, I’ve heard in Bible college and just through different preachers, that I’ve heard that faith isn’t a feeling, but it’s simply taking God at His Word. And wow, is that so hard to put into practice at times. But in Hebrews Ten, verse 22 here, it says, let us draw near with a true heart. And then this next propositional phrases say in full assurance of faith. And the person that I was reading through, he made a comment. He said, it doesn’t say to draw near with a clear head. So I’m not always going to understand things that the Lord is doing in my life. But again, that’s not what the Lord’s asking me. He’s not asking me to understand his plan fully. In fact, His Word says that that’s impossible for my brain. I’m finite lean not on my own understanding is what he says in Proverbs three. But let us draw in here with a true heart. And of course, I have a new heart because Christ gave it to me at the beginning. I’m a new creature, and so I have a new heart. And so with that heart that he has granted me, I can have full assurance of faith that God will grant whatever I ask that is in his will. And so that has been extremely convicting verse that I shouldn’t be relying on my own understanding. And so I don’t always have a clear head, very few moments in my life where I actually understand everything that God is doing, but what a relief comes to my soul and I realize I don’t have to understand it all. That’s not what God asks of me. He asks that I draw near to Him with that new heart that he has so graciously granted to me.

That sounds like a really great answer to the next question. I was going to ask, what’s the most comforting Scripture memory? So I realize it’s probably a different one, but what would be your most comforting Scripture first? You know, so I kind of feel guilty because I’m not a mom yet. I don’t really have anything that challenging going on in my life. But there are days and I feel very tired and overwhelmed with many of the things that I feel I have to carry out. And that verse in Deuteronomy, chapter 22, it says, as thy day, so shall they strength be. And how many times does the Holy Spirit have to remind me, look, I’ve asked you to accomplish this goal, so I’m going to give you the strength, comfort and courage to accomplish that. So it’s nothing of me. The context of that verse is that the Israelites were trying to make it to Cana, and off they traveled for months and months and years and years, and their shoes never wore out and all that time. And that’s actually what it says at the beginning there. As if my life is any harder since people of Israel, of course, didn’t. But it begins there. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass, and as thy days, so shall thy strength bee. So not only was he taking care of their physical needs there, but he was also taking care of their emotional needs as well. And that’s a verse that many times God has used to bring comfort and peace to me. Great.

All right, what is your favorite hymn of the fate? So also a whole other story. When I had brain surgery, the Lord kind of helped me to rediscover this him. It was called under his wings. And because I’m a literature teacher, I love songs that help paint a picture. And what a beautiful picture that paints of God having wings. Like what? How in the world does God have wings? Well, it’s that picture there of a mother hen or an animal bringing her young post to her side and protecting them from the hurt and pains and worldly things that would bring harm to them, and that’s exactly what God does with us. So as if that message isn’t beautiful of itself, you had the notes and the words and it’s just a great song. And who would you say is her favorite giant of the face? I’ve always looked up to Amy Carmichael, and I used to look up to her because I thought she was pretty whenever I was young. As I got older, I realized that, yes, she was total giant of this faith. I think it was 52 years in India without a furlough pouring out her life to making a change in many of the verbal conditions for the young girls over there in India, and her total abandonment to Christ and to his will for her. So I’ve always looked up to her.

I think I might let you cheat a little bit there because it’s supposed to be someone from the scriptures. No, it’s okay. Definitely I have one. Who is it? Daniel. I’ve been doing a study in his life because, wow, what a man used by God. I mean, all alone in a totally foreign country, and yet he was one of the most faithful people in the entire scriptures. In fact, not sure if there’s anything in scripture that Christ chooses to paint that about him and just willing to stand against the culture that he was in, willing to be the only one to pray to his God, even though it probably meant death. And then later on being raised to second in command over what Christians today would call a Godless government, you know, just amazing how God used him. And then later on in the book of Daniel, god uses him to see visions and things that no one could have dreamed of. And we’re still benefit, fitting, from all that today. So I really admire Daniel.

You mentioned brain surgery. You want to go into that? Sure, I will give you the short version. Yes. So when I was eleven, I got bit by a mosquito. And that same mosquito had bitten a sick cow and given the disease that the cow had into my blood. And I was the first person in all of Knox County who were living in Knoxville tentieth time to have that disease. And so I was a very healthy child, never really had any issues. And then I started to have a lot of headaches and my parents just thought it was maybe that I was up by too much and things. Well, one thing led to another and I had what was called a grandma seizure one day when my heart stopped beating and actually in the ambulance, they had to resuscitate my heart and the Lord really spared me there. So I was in the hospital for about a week then, and, you know, they said, oh, you don’t have to worry about anything. You know, I mean, the change so this ever happened again, very slim. And so about three or four years pass and I started again. I’m having more seizures. And turns out it was related to that incident when I was eleven that I had had such bad scarring in my brain from that first horrible seizure that each time I would get tired or anxious or worried that that scarring would erupt and it would make me have a seizure. So that prevented me from getting a license and I couldn’t really go to school properly. I don’t always have them. It’s just not a very fun way to grow up. And so thankfully, the Lord put us into contact with some great doctors there in St. Louis Children’s Hospital. And the doctor there mentioned brain surgery. And my mom and dad were like, brain surgery? What? Isn’t that a little expensive? And so I was on all this medicine that wasn’t doing this job at all. It was up to like 1000 grams a day and still just wouldn’t really it wasn’t affecting anything. So when I was 18, a year after my first year of college, I had had that done. And I have to be honest with you, I had other plans. I didn’t want to be back at home after college recovering from brain surgery. I had things I had wanted to do. I was supposed to be in a traveling group that summer and I had to get pushed off to the side because I had to get this done. And I remember speaking to a man at college there about it and just thinking that I already had my life figured out. Like, okay, I’d always heard growing up that okay. Through trials and through heartaches, it’s either you get bitter or you become better. And I thought, okay, I am not going to be that person that’s going to get bitter because, you know, I’m actually bad and I don’t want to be a bitter Christian, but I refused to become better for it. But really I had already made the choice. I mean, I thought I was just going to be the same person and it wouldn’t affect me, it’s fine. But obviously it already chosen to become a little bitter about it, you know. And so I’m very grateful for the people that got placed in my life to help me through that. And so I did. I ended up having the surgery when I was 18. And even that in itself is a whole story as well. I had developed lacrosse and cephalitis. That was what the disease was called when I was eleven. And then through that I had developed epilepsy as well. So I would have seizures. And so the scarring had to be on a specific part of the brain. So you can’t just have brain surgery. You have to do all kinds of scans to make sure that it’s actually an operation that they can actually accomplish. So wouldn’t, you know, I had all the scans and it just so happened, quote unquote, that the scarring was on the part of the brain that they could operate and that I was actually the perfect candidate for surgery. So all glory to the Lord there. I was able to have the surgery and they removed all this, the scarring. Since then I haven’t had any seizures and I’m on no medicine at all. So totally just the Lord took away everything and I don’t suffer anything today from that. And so all glory be to the Lord there. And actually two years after that surgery is when I knew that the Lord had used that in such a big way. Because as I was on the road, I can’t tell you the number of people that I met that either had brain surgery or they had a child that had gone through it. And I knew what they were going through because I had been through it myself. And I’m reminded of that passage in scripture of why we go through things is for other people. That way we could empathize with them. And just the beauty in that trial there that the Lord used in my life. And I’m not trying to say that I know why he brought me through that because I still don’t really sure I would chosen that for myself. But the glory that the Lord has been able to get out of his choosing, to take all of that away, it’s opened up a lot of doors and different jobs that I’ve had throughout the years, like, wow, brain surgery will explain how that is. And I’ve been able to witness for the Lord by getting into the gospel there and just testament to a God that can take horrible things and turn them into things that could be ultimately for my betterment and for

well, why don’t we wrap it up and you tell us how can barriers be removed in the life of others? Well, you know, I can’t testify that I know how they can be removed for everyone, but for myself. And just what I’m realizing is that every day I have to make a choice that I’m going to submit myself to the Lord and to his work, and really not even to his work, first I have to be submitted to Him. And realizing again that I’m not under my own rule anymore, that I’m His child and I’m required to be under his control. And so the barriers that may come into my day that try to get my eyes off of eternity again, I can’t go that direction because I’m under his leading and under his control.

Miss Rebekah, thank you so much for joining us on the Removing Barriers podcast. You’re welcome. Thanks for having me.

Thank you for listening. To get a hold of us to support this podcast or to learn more about removing barriers, go to removingbarriers.net. This has been the removing barriers podcast, we attempted to remove barriers so that we all can have a clear view of the cross.