- [Announcer] The followingprogram is sponsored by CBN.

- [Wendy] He was a new-age guru.

- [Man] I believe God was rewarding me.

- [Wendy] Who was spooked byan out-of-body experience.

- This stuff is more powerful than I was.

- [Wendy] Then, a familyof four is plunged

into a watery grave.

- [Kelly] It was very muchlike I was already dead.

- [Wendy] See their supernatural rescue.

- I almost felt like it was an angel.

- [Wendy] On today's 700 Club.

- We are four living miracles.

(inspirational music)

- Welcome to the 700 Club.

For today's top stories, let'sgo over to the CBN News desk.

- Thanks Gordon.

President Trump is back homein Washington this morning

after a holiday visit to members

of our Armed Services in Iraq.

The President thanked thetroops for their service

in the victory over ISIS there

and he defended his plan to remove troops

from nearby Syria.

CBN's White House Correspondent,Ben Kennedy, reports.

(swoosh)

(cheering)

- [Ben] Under the cover of darkness

President Trump and the FirstLady surprised troops in Iraq.

- We came to Al Asad to share

our eternal gratitude for everything.

- [Ben] The Commander in Chief

made the trip Christmas night.

The 11 hour flight shrouded in secrecy

as he touched down for the first time

in an active combat zone.

It's there he praised thetroops for their efforts

in the fight against ISIS.

- Two years ago, when Ibecame president, they were

a very dominant group.

They were very dominant.

Today they're not so dominant any more.

- [Ben] Trump revealed he wants US troops

to remain in Iraq despitehis decision last week

to withdraw all 2,000soldiers in neighboring Syria,

a move that led to the resignation

of Defense Secretary, James Mattis.

- Our presence in Syria was not open-ended

and was never intended to be permanent.

- [Ben] The President saidthe US should no longer

share the burdens of global defense alone.

- So we're not the suckers of the world.

We're no longer the suckers folks.

We're respected again, as a nation.

- There were also reports the President

is considering pulling 7,000troops from Afghanistan,

about half the American presence there.

The President also metwith the US Ambassador

to Iraq and with US troops in Germany

as he made his way home.

Iraq's Prime Minister alsoaccepted an invitation

to visit the White House.

Ben Kennedy, CBN News, Washington.

- President Trump's decisionto remove our troops

from Syria, has been criticized by many

of his political allies in the US,

but one of our closestfriends in the region

is also hoping Americawon't pull its support.

CBN contributor, Chuck Holtonreports from Kurdistan.

(swoosh)

(chopper blades)

US troops may be headed home from Syria

but one important US ally, is still there

fighting the remnants of ISIS.

They're known as theSyrian Democratic Forces

which are predominantlymade up of Kurdish fighters

known as the Peshmerga.

The Kurdish Peshmergahave been fighting ISIS

since the beginning.

And they've been some ofAmerica's staunchest allies

in the region.

But the latest move bythe Trump Administration

has them worried becausethey say, there's still

plenty of fighting left to do.

Masrour Barsani wasjust nominated to become

Kurdistan's Prime Minister.

- I have no doubt that ISIS is going

to be militarily defeated.

It's just a matter of time.

But it will not be eradicated

because the ideology will stay.

And the burden of fighting terrorism

will mostly fall on theshoulders of intelligence

and security services.

That will make our jobseven more difficult

because then instead offighting enemy in one particular

location, you have to fight them as ghosts

running around all over.

This is a world war butwe are in the front line.

But unfortunately, really,we are not being supported

to the degree that we need to.

- The US has often made it harder

for the Peshmerga tofight ISIS because we've

sometimes refused to sellthem the military equipment

they need to do so.

This American Humvee, nowbelongs to the Kurdish Peshmerga.

But they didn't get it fromthe United States directly.

They got it from ISIS.

Now ISIS got it when the IraqiArmy left their equipment

and ran away in Mosul back in 2014.

So the Kurdish Army says, wedon't get to pay with dollars

if we want to buy American equipment,

we have to pay with blood.

And that's what they mean.

At over 30 million, theKurdish are the largest

people group on theplanet without a country

of their own.

And for generations,they've dreamed of one day,

having a free Kurdistan.

Hoshyar Zebrani has beenfighting for this dream

his entire life and hesays a free Kurdistan

is an idea whose time has come.

- The issue ofself-determination for Kurdistan

has never been so highby the Kurdish people,

that after all the suffering,after all these years,

they need a place under the sun,

also, like any other nation.

And after ISIS, I think therewill be a lot of thinking,

whether these communities,where people can live together

or be canned into those borders.

Or they should have theirown freewill to decide,

you see, their future.

- [Chuck] And with Iran, Syria and Russia

all vying for control inthis region, Kurds think

this might be a very goodplace for a permanent US base.

- We need Americans toremember that we are loyal

friends and loyal allies.

We share same principles and same values.

And we are together againstinternational terrorism

as long as it takes.

And in this case, to eradicate terrorism

and to fight terrorism,there are many ways

that we have to work together.

- [Chuck] But if theAmericans pull out completely,

the Kurds will keep onfighting because for them,

this fight is about their homeland.

Chuck Holton, CBN News, Erbil, Kurdistan.

- Here at home, snow andrain are sweeping the Midwest

and heading for the East Coast,

from flood watches to blizzard conditions,

the powerful winter stormdelaying travel plans

for millions of people.

Airports from Dallas toChicago are seeing delays.

The system also dumpingup to a foot of snow

in the northern plains,wrecking havoc on the roads.

The severe storms headeast tomorrow taking aim

for the coast fromGeorgia to the Northeast.

Investors are hoping for anotherbig day on the Stock Market

after a huge pick up Wednesday,making up some ground

after sharp losses in thedays before Christmas.

The Market jumped more than 1,000 points,

its biggest one-day point gain ever.

A 5% increase overall and technology,

energy and healthcare stocks led the way.

We'd like to remind youit's the end of the year

and there's still time togive a tax-deductible gift

by logging onto CBN.com.

Terry and Gordon are backwith more of the 700 Club

right after this.

(tense music)

(inspirational music)

- These days, couples arespending nearly twice as much

as they did on weddings 10 years ago

and it's a trend so many experts

and even pastors find troubling.

Heather Sells breaks down the reasons why

an expensive weddingmay not be the best way

to start a marriage.

(swoosh)

- [Heather] For mostbrides, it starts with this,

thousands of picturesand ideas to help plan

the perfect wedding.

- It's definitely a lot of pressure.

- [Heather] Corrie Batemangot married last summer

and says she was wellaware of the challenge

in meeting expectationsset by social media.

- I think weddings are just a much bigger

deal than they ever used to be.

It's not as much, oh it'stwo people getting married,

it's what kind of partyare you gonna throw?

- And Bateman isn't alone in her feelings.

More than one third ofcouples feel pressure

from the media to havethat perfect wedding.

It may be why the average bride and groom

spent $28,000, compared tojust $16,000 10 years ago.

Or why they delay walking the aisle.

- I am seeing engagementsbeing greatly prolonged.

I'm seeing people searchingfor the perfect venue,

for the perfect time ofyear, for the perfect colors.

- [Heather] Pastor BenjaminVrbicek has written

about the pressures couples face to create

what he calls, thePinterest Dream Wedding.

It's a theme that other pastorshave picked up on as well.

The goal, help Christian couples refocus

and think about the ultimate purpose

of their wedding and marriage.

- So culturally, I thinkright now, we're at a place

where our identity is not so much looking

upward to God and who hesays we are in the gospel,

the good news that we are hissons and daughters in Christ.

But rather, who we postureourselves as in social media.

- [Heather] And researchhelps back up the idea

of a frugal wedding.

Economists have foundcouples going the $20,000

or more route divorce more than those

who spend less than $10,000.

If you want to go big,social scientists recommend

going with more family and friends,

not necessarily more money.

They believe it can increase your chance

of a happy marriage.

Sociologist, Brad Wilcox, calls it

the big fat Greek wedding factor.

- So having your wedding in a relatively

cheap venue, maybe achurch hall, for instance,

or something else,

but with a lot of your friendsand family members there

seems to be the formula

when it comes to the ceremony itself,

for greater marital quality.

- [Heather] Nicki Kristol and her fiance

followed this so-called formula

without knowing it existed.

- I am one of five.

My mom is one of six.

Most of my family livesclose by and so I grew up

with just a lot of people around.

And I couldn't imaginehaving something small.

- [Heather] Kristol, however, also faced

a tight budget.

- My parents helped a lot andthey helped where they could.

But I also didn't want to bein debt after I got married.

- [Heather] So the couple cut corners.

They picked a cheap venue,hired a photographer

for just half a day andbought wholesale flowers.

That kind of thrifty thinkingalso inspired Casey Capra

who says her mom taughther about stewardship.

Together they made tablecenterpieces and other decorations.

- There is a lot ofsatisfaction in looking back

at things you had createdand done and known

that you hadn't even spenta lot of money on it.

- [Heather] For their largewedding, Corey Bateman

and her fiance used their network

of friends and familyto help keep costs down

while creating memories.

Thanks for volunteers,they didn't have to hire

musicians, a florist or a wedding planner.

- Even after the whole day,I had people say to me,

we really loved how your wedding

was just so family oriented.

Well, what do you mean by that?

Well, everyone was involved.

It just seemed like therewere a lot of people

that care about you guysthat helped and that

were having a great timeand wanted to be a part.

- [Heather] That communitysupport, says Wilcox,

can extend beyond the wedding day

and help the couple weatherthe seasons of life.

In the meantime, PastorBenjamin is committed to help

steer couples away from thePinterest Perfect Event.

- I think they're relievedto have someone telling them,

hey you don't have to makeit about these things.

The value of your weddingis not on how much you spend

on it or how many people post on Instagram

during the reception.

The value is that you loveeach other, that God loves you

and it was a Christian wedding.

- [Heather] Heather Sells, CBN News.

(wedding guitar)

- Well, I think Pinterest and social media

put a lot of pressure onpeople in many, many ways.

I feel very sorry for menwho are trying to figure out

the most creative way topropose to a woman (laughing)

ever designed on the face of the earth.

- It has to go viral onYouTube or it won't work.

(laughing)

- Yeah, it's crazy.

- I do have to underline

if a wedding is costing asmuch as a brand new car,

I'd really, please rethink it.

- [Terry] Or take the car. (laughing)

- Take the car and let'sbring back elopement.

What are we thinking about?

It's such an ephemeral thing.

If you're going into debt to do it,

absolutely don't do that.

And if you're forcing yourparents to go into debt,

don't do that.

- I think one of the other things is

it's hard sometimes to really be present

at the wedding andappreciate the significance

of the moment, when you're exhausted,

stressed out, you've overspent

and you just can't be present.

- Most weddings are whirlwinds.

- Absolutely.

- In the rehearsal, didyou even get a chance

to eat any of the food?

- Or the wedding. (laughing)

- And at the weddingreception, did you get any?

And so it's just this blur

and really do you need tomortgage your future to do that?

Anyway, elope, buy the car.

(laughing)

Well, coming up, as a new age blogger

he had hundreds of thousands of followers.

- I believe God wasrewarding me with helping

wake people up into a higherstate of consciousness.

It gave me a sense ofpower, a sense of purpose

and a sense of meaning and value perhaps.

- [Gordon] So why didhe suddenly shut down

his lucrative website?

You'll find out after this.

(majestic music)

(motivational music)

- At just 22 years old, Steve Bancarz

ran the second largest newage website in the world.

His mission was to reach ahigher state of consciousness

and to enlighten his mass offollowers on social media.

His website also generated10s of 1,000s dollars

in ad sales each month and provided Steve

with a lavish lifestyle,

until suddenly one day,

he abandoned it all.

- I believed that I wasGod and that we could

all become Christ too, if only we realized

this inherent connection we have to God.

- [Reporter] At 19 yearsold, new age blogger

Steve Bancarz was aspiritual guru to hundreds

of thousands of followers.

For Steve, it had spiritualand financial benefits.

- I was getting 200,000 to300,000 views on it a day.

And the income to me wasan affirmation from God.

I believed God was rewarding me

with helping wake people up into a

higher state of consciousness.

It gave me a sense ofpower, a sense of purpose

and a sense of meaning and value, perhaps.

- [Reporter] Steve grewup in a Christian home.

But as a teenager, developed a fascination

for aliens, the paranormaland psychic phenomenon.

That led him to question isparents' Christian beliefs

and eventually led toa full-blown obsessions

with new age theology.

- The first thing thatreally got me doubting

the biblical worldview was UFOlogy.

All of these UFO sightings,evidence from the ancient world

that we might have beenvisited, and there was enough

evidence to make me considerthat maybe the universe

is filled with intelligentbiological life,

that was perhaps, naturally evolved.

If you piece together the alleged evidence

for reincarnation and the alleged evidence

for ancient astronaut theory,you get new age theology.

- [Reporter] Jesus remainedpart of Steve's worldview.

- I didn't really reject him.

But I didn't accept himfor who he truly was.

I created an idol out of Jesusto suit my own preferences,

to suit myself and to suit my sin.

This Jesus was politicallycorrect, he was a universalist.

I wanted to be my ownguide and I didn't want

to have to play by somebody else's rules.

- [Reporter] As Steve beganblogging about new age

practices and supernatural phenomena,

he came to enjoy hisprominence and the money

and vices that came with it.

But it was never enough.

- I was a lust addict for 10 years or so.

I was a really broken person.

I didn't realize howbroken that I truly was.

But I was depraved.

I was miserable.

I had depression and anxietythat I was suppressing.

I had all this quote/unquote,spiritual knowledge,

all of this informationand it wasn't bearing

any real fruit in my life.

I felt like something was missing.

I felt a little bit dead inside.

- [Reporter] Steve had a disturbing dream.

- When I opened my eyes,I was hovering four feet

over my bed.

And realized that I was outof my body and I started

having a panic attack.

And a being appeared in front of me.

And this being had red skinwith black markings on his face.

It just scared me becauseI realized that I wasn't

in control, that this stuffis more powerful than I was,

that these forces were realand that they didn't care

for my well-being.

They didn't need my permission.

I was in their playground.

- [Reporter] Shaken by the experience

he began investigatingthe claims of the Bible

and Jesus more closely.

- I would sleep with theBible under my pillow

because I knew there was something there

that was authoritative, that was true

and that was secure.

And that had power overanything that I was scared of.

- [Reporter] In his search for answers

Steve was drawn to storiesin books and online

of people who had encounters with Christ.

- I would watch anothernear-death experience

where someone would go to hell.

Jesus would rescue themout of hell and they would

come back and the fruit of their lives,

they would be totallytransformed and I'd feel moved

and touched and I'd think to myself, 'kay,

there's something real to Jesus.

The Jesus of the Bible.

- [Reporter] Steve finallyaccepted one of his mother's

many invitations to go with her to church.

At the end of the service,he prayed and asked Jesus

into his life, but it wasmore of a mental exercise

than an act of faith.

- I just decided in myhead, intellectually,

that I was going to soften up to him.

But I still held all thesame new age beliefs.

I still believed in everything

that I believed in my sin life.

I wanted a little bit more of him

but I guess I stilldidn't want all of him.

- [Reporter] After afew days, Steve realized

he couldn't ignore the truth any longer.

- I reached a point in my life where

the brokenness was weighing on me so much

that I needed to stopplaying games with my life.

I needed to stop playing games with God

and stop playing games with Jesus.

And I just decided to go outside

and to just fall on my face before Jesus

and just weep.

I was just weeping like a baby.

I was submitting, I wasrepenting, I was tired,

I was sorry, I was broken,

and I couldn't do this alone anymore.

And I was crying out for him.

I wanted him.

- [Reporter] In that moment,Steve had an experience

with Christ of his own.

- I could feel that he was Lord over me.

And he was Lord over all creation.

I could feel that he was concerned for me.

But I could feel that he was king,

I knew that he was king over creation,

that the whole universe was under his feet

and the wind was just totally infused

with his presence.

And the thing that stuck out for me

that made me realize thatI was dealing with God

was how the wind and thetrees, the sounds outside,

the birds, the crickets,they sounded like they were

glorifying him, like hewas, he was there with me

and they were acknowledging that somehow.

Like

creation recognized him.

- [Reporter] Steve burnedall of his new age books

and made a public statementto his online followers.

- I told people within afew days of that experience,

I'm sorry, for misleadingall of you astray.

This stuff is not of God.

They're tools of demonsto deceive us and lead us

away from Jesus.

And Jesus is the Sonof God and he's exactly

who he claimed to be.

- [Reporter] Steveendured waves of ridicule

and personal attacks fromthe online community.

But that hasn't stoppedhim from trying to teach

those who persecuted him.

His website, ReasonsforJesus.comprovides evidence

and sound reasoning that prove the claims

of the Bible and the onlypath to truth, forgiveness

and joy in life, comethrough Jesus Christ.

- He delivered me from the stronghold

of newagism and of occult philosophy.

I'm the happiest I'veever been in my life.

I feel more whole thanI've ever been in my life.

If there's hope for me,there's hope for anybody.

I was the most lost person that I knew

and the Lord drew me to himself

and had mercy on me.

We come to the Lord, he forgives us.

He gives us his spirit andhe wants to help us heal

and restore us and walkus through these traumas

and these pains.

And he wants to accept usand welcome us as a son.

And it's relationship with him,

not into dry religious rule-keeping,

but into a supernaturalintimate relationship

with Jesus Christ and his presence.

- And he absolutelywants the same for you.

All you have to do isexactly what Steven did.

Cry out to him, ask him to show you

that he's real.

Now, Steven for a long time,

went down a wrong path.

And it started very innocently.

But then at the end of it, you heard him

I was lost, I was empty inside.

I was consumed by things thatI couldn't control any more.

And then he had some profoundspiritual experiences.

I think all people everywherehave spiritual experiences.

And it makes you wonder,what is my worldview,

how do I explain these things?

And sometimes we dismiss them.

But for Steven, it was

I need God.

There are things outthere in the spirit world

who are malevolent,

that don't have my best interest at heart.

And when he discovered that,

he discovered his need for a savior.

Now, maybe you're like Steven,

maybe you've had those experiences.

Maybe you've just goneyour own way intellectually

and said, well, I wantto follow into some other

sort of tradition orsome other world view.

In today's world there are lots of them.

But the truth, thetruth, and Jesus said it,

I am the way, the truth and the life.

The truth and the way tothe Father is through him.

And that way is open to you

if you ask for it.

And when you ask for it,

you will have an encounterthat will change your life,

where God will manifest himself to you

and show you very tangibly show you,

that he's real.

Here's the Bible verse for you.

When you seek me, with all of your heart,

then you will find me.

If you want to do that,

that's what Steven did.

He sought with all of his heart.

It wasn't just intellectual assent.

It wasn't just well, Iagree with the claims

of the Bible.

I wasn't some sort of social thing

where I'm gonna go tothe front of the church

and shake the pastor's hand.

With his whole heart,he said, God I need you.

I'm tire of the way I'mliving, I'm tired of the

things that control me.

I need you.

And in that he got a profound revelation

that all creation sings, allcreation praises the Lord.

Even the rocks will cry out, if we do not.

Now, if you want this experience,

here's the prayer for you.

Jesus, if you're real,

could you show me?

If you really are theMessiah, if you really are

my savior, could you showme, could you show up for me?

And if you pray that

with all of your heart,

he will answer.

So if you'd like to do that,just bow your head with me.

Just take a moment right now.

Don't change the channel,don't wait another day.

Let's do this right now.

Bow your head, close your eyes

and lets pray.

Jesus,

that's right, say hisname and say it out loud.

Jesus. I come to you,

I see what you have done

for other people.

I hear the words of their testimony.

And Jesus, I want that.

I want to experience you.

I want to know that you're real.

So Jesus, hear my prayer.

I seek you right now with all of my heart.

I want to know and tounderstand that you're there.

And Jesus, forgive me of thethings that I've done wrong,

the times that I've pursued my own way,

my own desires.

Deliver me from that.

Set me free and give me the assurance

that you will never leave me.

You will never forsake me.

Hear my prayer for Ipray it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Father, for those who just prayed,

I as right now that you wouldfill them to overflowing.

I bind anything that'shindering their thoughts,

their spirits, anythingthat is attached to them.

I break it off of them now.

And ask for a baptism inyour love and your presence,

Breathe on them.

And I ask it all in Jesus' name.

Amen and amen.

If you prayed with me,there's one more thing

I want you to do.

I want you to make a phone call.

1-800-700-7000 is the number.

All you have to do is say Iprayed with that guy on TV.

When you call, I've got something for you.

It's absolutely free,it's called A New Day.

And in there is a teachingon how do you live

the Christian life and as aChristian, what do you do now?

You've prayed, now what do you do?

And it's all free.

Phone call's free.

If you've got any questionsabout angels and demons

and those kinds ofthings, we've got plenty

of pamphlets for youwhere we want to explain

these things, these experiencesfrom a biblical perspective.

And it's yours absolutely free.

All you have to do is call us.

We'll send it to you as a pdf file.

If you don't have access to a computer,

we'll be glad to mail it to you.

All you have to do is call us.

1-800-700-7000.

Terry, over to you.

- Well, coming up later,terror on the water

for a family of four.

- The boat just smashedinto the concrete wall

and just dragged down the side of it.

It was a horrifyingfeeling, like frozen panic.

- [Terry] Watch how allfour family members survived

with the help of a mysterious stranger.

(adventurous music)

(intense music)

- Welcome to News Break.

Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

is home from the hospitalafter undergoing surgery.

The 85 year old justicehad two malignant nodules

removed from her left lung.

Doctors say there is noevidence of any remaining

disease elsewhere in the body.

Bader Ginsburg is the oldestsitting justice` on the bench.

Last month she was hospitalizedafter fracturing three ribs.

And in 2009, she battledcolorectal and pancreatic cancer.

The Senate is in session andthe President is back in town.

Still, there's littlechance of making progress

on the government shutdown.

The President Wednesday, thathe'll do whatever it takes

to secure funding for a border wall

and keep the country safe.

The White House andCongressional Democrats

are reportedly talking, butno movement on either side.

Some officials believethe issue won't be settled

until the next Congresstakes place over in January.

And you can always getthe latest from CBN News

by going to our website at CBNNews.com.

Gordon and Terry, are backwith more of the 700 Club

right after this.

(intense music)

(inspirational music)

- When the recession hit in2008, Ken Young lost his job

and his home.

At one point, he was livingin a friend's trailer

with just 50 cents to his name.

That's when ken learnedthe secret to finding

good work in a bad economy.

- [Reporter] Ken Youngtakes pride in his work

and it shows.

People call constantlyneeding his expertise.

But it wasn't long ago,that the jobs had dried up

and he was homeless.

- What bothered me was I was always able,

from the time I left school, till then,

able to provide for myself.

It was frightening.

(saw buzzing)

- [Reporter] It started in 2008.

The economy had taken a downturn

and Ken's phone stopped ringing.

He also got divorced.

He quickly went throughwhat little savings

he had and eventually lost his home.

- I was worried.

I go, what's next?

What am I gonna do?

- [Reporter] In exchangefor work, a friend let Ken

spend the winter in atrailer he wasn't using.

Any money he made on otherjobs went to a storage shed

for his tools and to pay his cell phone,

the essentials of his trade.

He lived on food stamps.

- It felt like everythingwas taken away from me.

- [Reporter] Then hiscell phone was shut off.

No phone, no work.

- My mindset was turn to God.

That was my mindset.

And at that point, every chance I got,

I was down on my knees praying,

get me out of this God.

- [Reporter] Ken was downto his last two quarters.

He used one of them tocall another friend.

- And he says, I wasjust thinking about you.

You need to come overto my house right now.

- [Reporter] There, Ken started watching

the 700 Club and learned aboutGod's principles of giving.

Now with internet access,he advertised on Craigslist.

- If you give, it'll alwaysbe given back to you.

I just never had faith enough to do it

or believe it until I sawPat and then I've seen

the testimonies on the show.

I think that's what reallybrought it into my mind

a lot more.

- [Reporter] So he made a pledge to CBN.

Then practically overnight, the referrals

started pouring in.

Soon, he was back on hisfeet, in his own place

and it's been that way ever since.

- Giving that 10% or more every month

it comes back to you.

It just comes back to you.

And my business, I'm bookedand I keep getting calls.

It just keeps coming in.

- [Reporter] In fact,he's in such hight demand,

he has to turn down work.

- I've had people go,well, how come you're doing

so well right now?

Well, God's blessing mebecause I'm blessing him.

- Interesting, isn't it?

He says, I just nevertrusted enough to actually

try doing what God suggested.

It's not just a suggestion.

God actually tells usto prove him in this.

That if we trust him with our finances,

if we give 10%, we keep 90, he gets 10,

that he will bless us.

He'll open the windows ofheaven and pour out a blessing.

We share that with people,not because it's a CBN idea,

but because it's a Godidea and we want you

to be blessed in your life.

We share because it comes from the word.

That's just one of the things that CBN

is committed to, bringingthe word of God to you.

We're also committedto making a difference

in the lives of peoplein need around the world.

And we'd love for youto be a part of that.

If you'd like to join the 700 Club today,

it's a great time to do it.

Our number's toll free.

It's 1-800-700-7000.

65 cents a day, $20 a month,makes you a 700 Club member.

And when you call

if you do your giving, yourjoining with Pledge Express

that's electronic monthly giving

it means that $20 a month, your bank does

all the work for you.

No envelopes, no stamps,nothing on your part.

You can stop it when you want.

But it sames administrativecosts for us so we can put

even more of your gift rightinto the lives of people

who are truly in need.

And our way of saying thankyou for using Pledge Express

when you call today, is to send you a

Power for Life teaching.

We believe these will bless you because

they are all about the word of God.

This'll come to you every month.

And we want to thank you inadvance for what you're doing

to make a differencein the lives of others.

There's our number again,it's 1-800-700-7000.

Just call and say, I wantto join the 700 Club.

Gordon?%

- Well, up next, a freak boating accident

takes a young girl into raging water.

(swoosh)

- The force of this water was so strong

there are no words to describe the feeling

of her being ripped away from my arms.

It was very much like I was already dead.

- [Gordon] Meet four livingmiracles right after this.

(adventurous music)

(inspirational music)

- Kelly and Shaw Merittook their two children

out on a lake for what was supposed

to be a fun afternoon of boat riding.

Then suddenly, without warning,

all four of them werefighting for their lives.

- When the call comefrom Dougherty County 911

that particular day

I just knew that wewould actually be doing

a search and recovery insteadof a search and rescue.

- The weather for the previous three days

had been nothing but rain.

So we just thought, ohit's gorgeous outside

and we'll jump in our boatand go down Lake Chehaw

and see all of the beautifulnature that's here in our area.

- [Reporter] Kelly Meritand her family were enjoying

a spring afternoon on thelakeside of the Georgia Power Dam.

They didn't realize thatthe open gates of the dam

were creating a dangerous undertow.

- The water was very calm on top.

Our boat was beingpulled without us knowing

that it was being pulled.

- [Reporter] The closerthey got to the dam,

the greater the undertow,

which now began sweeping the boat toward

the concrete wall near the spillway.

- It was just sucking theboat faster and faster.

We had lost control of the boat.

The motor did not seem to matter any more.

The boat just smashedinto the concrete wall

and just dragged down the side of it.

I prayed to God and itwas a horrifying feeling,

like frozen panic.

All of a sudden, my son decidedto jump out of the boat.

And he was swimming as hard has he could.

But I watched him getsucked underneath the boat

and then I put my arms around my daughter

who was sitting right in front of me.

- [Reporter] As the boatwas sucked through the wall,

the water forced herdaughter, Mosea from her arms.

- There are no words todescribe the feeling of her

being ripped away from my arms.

It was very much like I was already dead.

- [Reporter] Kelly wassure she would never

see her family again.

- The force of this water was so strong,

I felt concrete and slime and I dropped

for what felt like an eternity.

I reached up and I could feel the carpet

on the bottom of the boat

and then behind me Icould feel the concrete.

I was pinned there.

And it was a horrifying feeling.

- [Reporter] Kellybegan to accept the fact

that she may die.

- I was having a conversationwith God at that point.

And I was telling him,in essence, thank you

for all that I had had.

I knew in my heart that I wanted more

but I didn't want moreif my children weren't

gonna be with me, if my husbandwasn't gonna be with me.

I said, Jesus, I need youto walk on water right now.

I felt it literally, likeI don't need an ambulance,

I don't need a helicopter,I don't need a life flight.

I need a miracle worker.

I need Jesus.

- [Reporter] Just as Kellycould hold her breath no longer,

the boat rolled over freeing her.

- I then was pulled towards the surface.

- [Reporter] Kelly began swimming

against the swift current,trying to get to shore.

- Then I saw my son's headand just a second or more

after, I saw the backof my husband's head.

It was life, it was hope.

- Whenever, I went over,I didn't know where

the rest of my family was.

And then I had my dad grabahold of the back of me.

And at that point, I felt like

almost like it gave me ahope to keep trying to swim

and keep trying to get up.

- [Reporter] But there wasstill no sign of Mosea.

- I was just screaming,where is my daughter?

Basically, my husband and my son

and started running downthe bank of the river.

They were hollering back, she's not here.

I just laid in the sandon the side of the river.

And I was just screaming, I need my child.

- I thought at thatmoment, that we'd lost her.

And then I heard someoneyell, we found her.

We have her.

- [Reporter] Once torn from her mother,

Mosea had dropped down the wall also

and found herself alone inthe river on the other side.

- Suddenly, a man walkedup to where I was laying

on the ground and he said,

Ma'am I think we have your daughter.

And he had on a green t-shirt.

It said John 3:16.

I started following him.

All of a sudden, she wasjust there in the path.

I couldn't see even a scratch on her.

Indescribable.

It is, it's indescribable.

- At that moment, that'swhen I realized that

we'd experienced a miracle.

And we made it, we survived.

- I felt like anotherperson was holding onto me.

But there was no onearound me when I came up.

And I knew that it had tobe God because there was

no one else around.

- It was nothing shortof God's mercy and four

miracles performed thatday for this entire family.

- The Merit family drove homewith no serious injuries.

And while they never saw the man

in the John 3:16 t-shirt again,

they are grateful for his partin God's protection that day.

- I almost felt like he was an angel.

He had the biggest, prettiestsmile and that smile

just came with a sense of peace.

You wouldn't have thoughtthat he would have

been the one to give you reassurance

that everything's okay, but he did.

- About a year later, wewere sitting in church

and our pastor led us to read Isaiah 43:2.

And it said, when youpass through the waters

I will be with you and therivers will not overflow you.

And in that moment, Iknew that God had given

our family a Bible versethat was just for us.

It was ours.

Jesus had truly been with us.

He was truly walking on waterfor us in those moments.

He was with us.

- Right now, I believe thatwe are four living miracles.

- Four living miracles.

There are moments inlife where you say Lord,

I don't need a rescuehelicopter, I don't need

emergency techs to show up.

I need a miracle worker.

I need to be able towalk on water right now.

I need the Jesus that can do anything,

who can literally change

molecules and performoutstanding miracles.

If you need that right now,

realize that in him we liveand move and have our being.

He's not way off in heaven.

He is right there with you and his promise

over you, that he will never leave you,

he will never forsake you.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

And that means, all youhave to do is reach up

and grab it.

It's within your reach.

It's right there at hand.

And he is your very present help

in time of need.

Now, Terry and I are going to pray.

I want you to pray with us.

If you have a need, if you need

a miracle worker in your life,

today is the day.

Because Jesus is the sameyesterday, today and forever.

What he's done for others,he will do for you.

But before we pray, wewant to encourage you

with some miracles that havehappened to other people.

Here's Reginald fromJacksonville, Florida.

He was diagnosed with leukemia.

Doctors said there was no hope.

Reginald needed a miracle,he needed a miracle worker.

Doctors were out of solutions.

For two months, he keptcalling the prayer center

for healing prayers.

I love that.

The prevailing prayer, theprayer that gets an answer,

the importune widow, thatkeeps knocking at the door,

that's how you get answers to prayer.

You know the answer's there,

all you gotta do is keep knocking.

Knock and it will be opened unto you.

Seek and ye will find.

And he kept calling for healing prayers.

He went back to the doctor.

The doctor stated, he is now cancer free.

Same doctor said that there was no hope

is now saying you're cancer free.

There's hope.

- [Terry] Amazing.

- There is a miracle worker.

What do you have?

- Here's Judy, from Sandusky,Ohio, she had a lump

on her left breast, was very concerned

that the cancer that she'dhad before had come back.

You can imagine her fear.

The lump had a shooting pain at times.

Her doctor could feel it as well.

She believed in the prayer of agreement

so she called the prayeralso to agree with someone

for her healing.

After prayer, the lumpstarted diminishing,

and three weeks, it was totally gone.

She had a mammogram, thelump is no longer there.

- Praise God.

Join with us.

If you have a need, layyour hand on that area

of the body that needs healingand we'll agree with you.

If you don't have a need,then just pray for others.

Let's create a great circleof prayer and realize

that when two or moreagree touching anything

it shall be done for them.

So let's pray.

Lord, we lift the needs ofthe audience to you right now.

And as people are layinghands on that area

of the body that needshealing, we join with them

and we join in agreementtouching it right now,

and we say to it, be healed.

And be made whole, in the name of Jesus.

Release now, release healing now.

In Jesus' name.

There's someone, you'vegot a pinched nerve

in your neck and it'saffecting the right side

where you have shooting painson the top of your shoulder

and the back of your neck

and God's just released all of that.

And you're healed.

Now, someone else with problemswith the eustachian tube

in your right ear, a blockage,it's affected your hearing.

It's affected everything,balance, everything.

God's just cleansing all of that out.

He's opening it up now in Jesus' name.

Be healed, be made whole.

Terry?

- Someone else, you'restruggling with jaundice

because of another issueand you just can't seem

to get rid of it, to geta leg up on that thing.

The jaundice is going to disappear

and the condition that caused it as well.

Just lift up your handsand receive that healing

from the Lord today.

- Someone with tremendouspain in your right shoulder.

And it's painful to move it.

It's been called a frozen shoulder.

And so in Jesus' name, unfreeze, loose now

in the name of Jesus, and be made whole.

- Someone else, your achilles tendon, very

you've had a problem withit before and it's just

weakened by everything that's happened.

God's strengthening that for you now.

You'll not have a problem again.

- Someone with problemsin your left thigh.

And it's related to a staph infection.

It's gone down to the bone.

And God's healing, he's ableto take that infection out

in Jesus' name.

Just be restored.

Be made whole.

Let everything come together.

Let there be no scar, letthere be just normal healing

and normal leg, normaltissue, normal function.

In the name of Jesus.

Be made whole.

- And someone else, you're just struggling

with really, really deep seated grief.

You've lost someone very dear to you.

You want joy to come againbut you just can't seem

to get there from here.

Lift up your hands andlet the joy of the Lord

today, become your strength.

- Lord, we thank you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

If you've been healed we wantto share in your good report

so give us a call, 1-800-700-7000.

We leave you these words from Job 9.

"He does great things past finding out,

"yes, wonders without number."

For all of us here, God bless you.

We'll see you again.

(inspirational music)