Today on the 700 Club Canada.

Every time they had a fight,

slamming the doors, cursing

each other, I used to hide.

And then when they used to see

me, they used to tell me, "It's

all your fault. I wish you had

never been born." I remember

being beaten up, kicked on

the floors. I believed I was

stupid. I believed I was ugly.

I felt very filthy and I felt

it was my fault.

[MUSIC]

Welcome to the 700 Club

Canada. I'm Brian Warren.

And I'm Laura-Lynn Tyler

Thompson. Thanks for spending

this time with us.

You know, a longing for

freedom is something that

unites us all. Whether it's

freedom from the burden of sin

and guilt or freedom from pain

of our past, even freedom from

a tough situation at work, all

of us can relate to wanting to

be free.

I totally relate to that,

Brian. You know, I wanted to

be free. I had some things

that put me in bondage, but

when I gave my heart to Jesus

and I turned it all over to Him

and I surrendered and I

received by faith what He died

to give me, I became free.

Amen.

And that's why I'm here.

Well, that's why I'm born

again because I was born again

to be free. And Christian

freedom, what it looks like,

how to get it, and what it

means is a hotly debated topic

among Christians to this day

which is why we're thrilled to

show you practical examples

of what it looks like on

today's program.

Later in the show you'll meet

a woman for whom Christian

freedom meant forgiving her

daughter's murderer.

Wow. That's a big one. And

in case the whole concept of

freedom leaves you with more

questions than answers, we'll

open our Bibles midway through

the show to see what it has to

say on the topic.

And we'll pray with you and

offer you some great free

resources later in the show to

help you begin walking in

newness of life.

To get things started, meet

a woman who believed God

hated her until a coworker

told her something that would

change everything.

[MUSIC]

When I was four or five years

old, I had a dream about Jesus,

and He said, "Don't be afraid

of death. You are going to

heaven, eternal life." Then

[INAUDIBLE] will be in him.

He carry him. My father was

a womanizer and my mother

used to have nervous

breakdowns. Every time she

found out about his affairs,

she used to just fall apart,

and every time they had a

fight, slamming the doors,

cursing each other, I used to

hide. And then when they

used to see me, they used

to tell me, "It's all your

fault. I wish you had never

been born." I remember being

beaten up, kicked on the

floors. I believed I was

stupid. I believed I was ugly.

I felt very filthy and I felt

like it was my fault. I

studied a lot. I read

everything I could find. I

started learning Koran

from my great-grandmother

and tried to learn and be a

good Muslim. I thought it

was personating that there

was a being who created me

and if I knew Him and if I

find him, he could change my

misery. I knew that I needed

a miracle, but I had no

relationship with my God. I

prayed five times a day. I

never heard back from him.

So I came to the conclusion

there was God. There was a

Creator but he was mean and

hateful and always angry. I

met this guy at college. He

was a fanatical Muslim. I

really believed he loved me.

We got married. He started

beating me up all the time,

every other day. He used to

kick me, spit on me, slap me

in public, pull my hair, and

I used to always find the fault

in me. But then I started

finding a relief at workplace.

People started telling me I

was smart and I started

climbing career levels in

Turkey. The more I became

powerful at workplace, the

more he abused me to keep

me oppressed. One night he

put a knife on my throat and

he told me to jump from

eighth floor of a building.

I knew that even in the Koran

he didn't have a right to kill

me. I decided I am going to

leave. I wanted freedom.

I told America is a free

country. I want freedom. I

got my divorce decree Friday

and I graduated from my post

studies in business

administration Saturday and I

fled to America on Sunday.

But it didn't change. It

doesn't matter. Wherever you

go, you take you with you,

and I took abuse, hurt,

insecure, angry, hateful,

miserable woman with me to

America. I said, "I need a

husband to tell me what to

do with my life," and this

time I met a drug abuser,

and we had a child. Another

type of depression and misery

started. This wasn't physical

abuse but verbal abuse and I

decided to leave him. I was

28 years old, divorced twice,

single mother, failed in every

area of my life. I became at

that time suicidal. I was

and I had a Christian boss. He

was really in love with Jesus.

It was hard to understand how

someone could be in love so

much with his God. I didn't

want to be a Christian. We

called Christians infidels.

They worship three gods they

call Jesus, the prophet, Son of

God blasphemy. So now I am

more miserable because I see

people they have peace in their

lives, and they talk to their

God. Their God talks to them.

And I said, "Life is not worth

living. I am not good for this

life and God hates me," and

I decided to end my life that

day. I went to work and I

went to the restroom. I

started having a disclosure

with God, and I started telling

why do you hate me? What

have I done so bad to deserve

this. I knock on the counter

and I said, "Here I am. I am

knocking at your door. Are

you going to open the door?"

And I cleaned my face. I went

back to my office. Then my

boss called me. He said,

"Please close the door and

have a seat." And he said to

me, "I know this is going to

sound very weird to you, but

I have to be obedient. My

Lord Jesus just spoke to me

and He told me about what

you are planning and He wants

me to tell you, you are not

forsaken or abandoned." When

you are abused, Jesus was by

your side. He loves you so

much, and He wants to be the

center of your life. I went on

my face to the floor and I

started weeping bitterly and I

said, "Yes, yes, Jesus." One

single yes brought me to Jesus

Christ. I felt free the first

time in my life. The freedom

that I dreamed all my life

was real. God always tells me

you are a new creation. You

are crucified. It is all God.

Only I live in you. Only this

moment and the future are

prepared for you is important.

I can thank Him for who I

am right now and who I am

going to be. [INAUDIBLE]

[MUSIC]

What an incredible story by

Isak Abla. What a beautiful

story of redemption. You

know, she didn't feel worthy.

She didn't know how to reach

a God that seemed so far away.

I love in the story when she

said that it was just one word,

saying, "Yes" that brought her

to Jesus. Just one word. She

just had to say, "Yes." And,

you know, she faced a lot of

difficulties and even wanting

to take her own life. I wonder

if you're there and you're

listening today and all it's

going to take for you is to

say, "Yes" to Jesus to get

out of the pain and the

suffering that you're

experiencing. You know, the

enemy is a liar. He's telling

you that you're not worthy,

that you've made too many

mistakes, that too many people

have hurt you, that life is too

painful and it's a lie. And

if the enemy ever tries to tell

you to take your own life, do

you know what? It's because

he actually knows more than

you do at this moment. He

knows that if you would just

say, "Yes" to Jesus that God

will come in and heal your

heart. You know, we at the

700 Club Canada, we care about

you. And if you're

experiencing that kind of pain,

if you're experiencing feeling

overwhelmed and a loss of

hope, we want you to know

that if you'll say, "Yes" to

Jesus, God can step in and He

can change everything. And

I have a pamphlet here on

suicide. It has some answers

in there that can help you to

get through this difficult

time. Give us a call at

1-855-759-0700. It's

absolutely free. It won't cost

you anything. Just give us a

call. We even have prayer

partners that are willing to

right at this moment, at this

moment pray you through

so that you can say, "Yes" to

Jesus and receive the life that

He has to give you. I don't

know if you haven't been raised

in a Christian environment and

maybe the religion of

Christianity is very foreign to

you, but can I tell you, God is

not a far-off God. He's a

nearby God. He's close to our

broken hearts. This Word says

that He is close to the

brokenhearted. One of the last

things that she said is that

she is healed and she is free.

And in Galatians 3:24, the

Word of God will tell us that

all are justified freely by His

grace through the redemption

that came by Christ Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross

for us, it was so that we would

be completely free, free of the

assault of the enemy, free of

our own bondage, of our

mistakes. If you're living

with shame today, you don't

have to because when Jesus

was on the cross and He said

it is finished, do you know

what He meant? He meant

your shame is done. He meant

your sin is finished. Your

pain and your suffering is

finished. You can walk freely

with Him. We'll be right back.

Let the spoken Word of God

transform your mind and

increase your faith with the

Gospel of John.

I have come that they might

have life and have it to the

full.

Find assurance of God's love

and plan for you as listen

again and again.

My sheep listen to my voice.

I give them eternal life.

Fill your heart and mind

with the promises of God.

Get the Gospel of John, read

by Pat Robertson. Available

now.

[MUSIC]

When we're going through a

difficult trial, it often feels

like we're in a prison. We

can't stop the furnace of

affliction. We feel as though

we're trapped. We just want

it to be over. But rest

assured. Your freedom is on

its way. You see, God knows

how to turn painful

circumstances upside down and

bring victory to your life. I

know for me, I love to hear

that God can fix it and I want

Him to step in and stop the

storm like today. I want Him

to cease the waves from

overtaking my ship and bring me

out of the fiery furnace and

make the trial end. But am I

willing to surrender

everything I've got? Am I

willing to be selfless, to love

others, to give and not take?

Am I willing to be holy and

to be righteous, to stop the

sin? Am I willing to forgive?

Am I willing to stand up for

truth in the face of mockery,

refuse to cave into the

lifestyle that beckons me?

Will I guard my eyes from evil

and protect my ears from that

which corrupts and give the

lordship of my heart to God

alone? Will I do it? Because

this is when His promise will

be released to save my

situation. Isaiah 59:1 and 2

says, "Surely the arm of the

Lord is not too short to save

nor His ear too dull to hear.

But your iniquities have

separated you from your God.

Your sins have hidden His face

from you so that He will not

hear." Oh, my goodness. I

want God to hear my cries for

help. I want freedom from the

anxiety of my circumstances.

Sometimes I ask God, can I

bank on the fact that you're

going to be there, God? Do you

have my back? When I lay down,

when I rise, as I drive, and as

I sit, do you have me? Do you

see the storm? Do you see

the pain? Will I get out of

this? Do you ever have these

questions? Sometimes I say,

"God, did you allow this? Can

I trust you, sovereign Lord?"

When tears won't stop and I

can't see the answer, do you

have me in the dark night that

never seems to end in

brokenness, in regret, when the

decisions of others are out of

my control, in the depths of

shame and the search for truth?

Even there, my God, are you

there? When you have given

me houses that I did not build

and treasures that I did not

deserve, when you have

lavished such grace that I

cannot fathom your reasoning

nor understand your justice.

When I have gained more than

I thought my lot should ever

be, when you kindness has

out given my deserving, when

I cannot repay this gift that

does not end ever, can I bank

on the fact that you're there,

God? Do you have my back?

I love this scripture in

Psalm 91. It says, "Whoever

dwells in the shelter of the

most high will rest in the

shadow of the Almighty. I

will say of the Lord, 'He is

my refuge. He's my fortress.

He's my God in whom I trust.'

Surely, He will save you from

the fowler's snare, from the

deadly pestilence." Do you

want God to save you? "He

promises He will. He will

cover you with His feathers

and under His wings you will

find refuge. His faithfulness

will be your shield and your

rampart. You will not fear the

terror of night." I've been

afraid at night sometimes.

But you don't have to fear

the terror of night nor the

arrows that fly by day. So

be it in Jesus' name we trust

Him today that the beauty of

living a life with Jesus is

that whether we are in the

valley of the shadow of death

or on the mountaintop of glory,

we've got freedom in Jesus

because we are loved, we're

secured, and we have stability

in His unconditional

faithfulness no matter what.

[MUSIC]

The summer I believe of 1997,

my daughter called me to say

she'd met this fantastic guy,

Rae Carruth, who was playing

for the Carolina Panthers at

the time. She was just

instantly infatuated with him.

He had a great smile and just

outgoing, fun-loving. I had no

reason not to like him. But

he was not the person that

she thought he was. He was

more of a ladies' man. By

the time that she found out

she was pregnant, their

relationship was very

tumultuous. He was almost

like a Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde

kind of guy. He seemed to be

really excited at first but

then he told her he didn't

want to start having a lot of

children illegitimately. He

already had one son and he

wasn't there for him. Sherika

always wanted to be a Mom.

She was not going to have an

abortion. November 16, this

was going to be their first

official date as a couple

again. She really thought that

the relationship was taking a

step forward. She even had

in the back of her mind, I

think, Mom, he might even ask

me to marry him tonight.

911.

I've been shot.

You've been shot. Where are

you at? I'm eight months

pregnant.

How'd this happen?

I was out on a date with

Rae Carruth [INAUDIBLE].

Where he at?

He's in the car in front of

me and [INAUDIBLE].

Then where did he go?

[INAUDIBLE] I think he did

it. I don't know [INAUDIBLE]

Okay.

I don't remember getting

dressed. I don't remember

driving. I just remember

showing up and being at the

hospital. When I got there

and Rae wasn't there, my

initial reaction was he doesn't

know. I'm calling him and

paging him telling him

Sherika's been shot. She's

in surgery. They're taking the

baby by cesarean section. I

mean you need to get here

as quickly as you can. And

I just remember waiting hours.

And when he did show up,

he showed up with another

couple and another woman, and

my heart just sank. Not once

did he ask me how she was

doing. Not once did he ask me

did my son make it or how is

my son. I remember that long

walk to the neonatal unit and

when I saw Chancellor, he was

just the most precious sight.

He had all the little tubes all

over him and everything, but

he was just beautiful. The

doctors gave us such a grim

prognosis with the cerebral

palsy that every part of his

brain had been affected. All

along I knew. I held onto

my faith that God is in control

of this.

Who shot 24-year-old Sherika

Adams while she was driving

along Rea Road in southeast

Charlotte around 12:30 Tuesday

morning. Police say she was

traveling toward town when

four shots were fired into her

driver's side window.

It is inconceivable to us

how anyone could commit the

cowardly deeds that have left

them fighting for their lives.

The man they most want to

talk to, her boyfriend and

Panther's wide receiver, Rae

Carruth, so far has declined to

be interviewed by police.

It is our hope and belief

that all the persons

responsible for bringing our

child and grandchild to the

brink of death will be brought

to justice with swiftness and

certitude. The doctors had to

induce a coma. For 28 days

she fought. We had to make

a decision. It was a difficult

decision but it was one that

I made with peace knowing

that I still had Sherika with

me through Chancellor. Her

legacy is living on. Her

living won't be in vain and

neither will her death.

Homicide investigators

received information on

December the 15th, 1999 that

Mr. Carruth was staying in a

motel.

They found him hiding in

the trunk of a Toyota in the

motel parking lot.

The trial, it was not about

Sherika. It was about Rae

and his lascivious lifestyle.

We're not even getting the

gist of why we're here.

Someone has lost their life.

She was looking so forward

to turning 25. The plans and

aspirations that she had in

life and the plans that she

had for her child were just

all just snuffed out just with

this heinous crime. The really

wonderful thing is that

Sherika kept a journal, a

pregnancy journal, and she

wrote down such detailed

notes. There were several

times in her journal she

mentioned how Rae parked in

a really remote area. She

believed someone had been in

her apartment. It coincided

with Vambret Watkins' testimony

about how he had taken money

from Rae to shoot her. And I

really say that Sherika's voice

was even speaking from the

grave.

The defendant, Rae Carruth,

is guilty of discharging a

firearm into occupied property,

guilty of using an instrument

with intent to destroy an

unborn child, guilty of

conspiracy to commit murder,

and not guilty of first-degree

murder.

[MUSIC]

I truly believe that

forgiveness is a choice. It's

not a feeling, and sometimes

I had to make that choice

thousands of times a day.

I pray that he comes to an

acknowledgement and a

repentance because God can

use his life to touch so many

more people. But if he never

does that and if he never asks

me to forgive him, it's not

about him. It's about

Chancellor. We're on the park

bench right there. I think

he's been smiling since he was

born. He even had a smile

then. He is so amazing.

Anybody around me if they had

doubts of if there was a God

and how good God is, they

can see it through Chancellor.

Say hey Mommy angel.

Hey, [INAUDIBLE] angel.

He's my miracle boy. God

was right in the middle of all

of it because He was able to

let Sherika drive that car

after she'd been shot with four

bullets in her. She was

blowing the horn to get

attention. She was able to

call for help. She was able to

get to the hospital to deliver

this baby. She was able to

live for 28 days. That was

nothing but God and His angels

working overtime.

[MUSIC]

He says that He'll never leave

us or forsake us, and He has

not done that. I'm so

grateful, so grateful. They

didn't bury Sherika. They

planted her so she's still

growing and growing and

growing.

[MUSIC]

You know, when you look at

Shondra and you hear her

testimony, it just grips your

heart that there are some

things in life that we have

to just endure and go through.

Yes.

But forgiveness is the only

answer.

It really is and it's not

easy but the Word of God does

have some answers. We would

love to get this pamphlet. If

you're dealing with something

and you know that there is a

situation in your life and

someone that you need to

forgive, 1-855-759-0700. It's

absolutely free. Just give us

a call. We'd love to pray

with you and send this out to

you right away.

May I pastor you for a

moment? I want you to just

ball up your hands as well

because that's what

unforgiveness is all about.

Right.

And but when you open up

your hands, I want you to let

it go and give it to God. You

know, unforgiveness is like

drinking poison expecting it

to hurt someone else.

Right.

But if you're dealing with

that, Father, in the name of

Jesus, there are some

horrendous situations that

we are enduring, but every one

with those balled up hands,

Lord, when we fight against

you we can't win, but when

we fight with you we can't

lose. So now we release.

Open up those hands and we

release it to you and ask you

that the healing would begin.

Like Shondra, you would allow

your floodgates of peace to

flow into your children. In

Jesus' name.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

And, Father, we just pray

for Al, oh, God who has a

daughter who is addicted to

cocaine and his heart is

deeply grieved, Father, and

He's asking for restoration.

He's asking for the

relationship to come back

together. I pray, Father,

that you know this daughter

wherever she is right now,

that you compel those from

the alleys, the highways and

the byways to come, Father,

and to know you. So would

you put angels of protection

round about her and bring her

In Jesus' name.

back home. In Jesus' name.

And also for Evangeline,

from Barry, financial blessing.

We're praying for this right

now. Remember this word.

The Lord gave this to me.

Luke 6:38. "Give and it shall

be given to you in good

measure, pressed down, shaken

together, running over in good

measure." Give your way out

of that. Sow where you're

getting ready to go.

Right.

Father, in the name of Jesus

for all of those that are

suffering with, Lord, financial

hardship, I pray that you would

Lord, bless them even now, but

there would be a loosing

according to Luke 6:38. In

Jesus' name. And for all the

rest of you, please send in

nswers to

prayer cause we want to hear

about it. It's going to

encourage someone else as

well that their prayer is not

too difficult for God. Until

next time, I'm Brian Warren.

And I'm Laura-Lynn Tyler

Thompson. Have a great day,

Canada.

It's great being with you.

God bless.

[MUSIC]

To contact us, call us at

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at CBA@700Club.CA or write

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