- [Announcer] The followingprogram is sponsored by CBN.

- [Gordon] Coming up.

- [Kenny] I hit somethingand it killed the engine.

I didn't know what it was.

- [Gordon] A father runs over his own son.

- And I looked down and I could see my son

underneath the lawnmower.

- [Gordon] And the blades cutdeep into the boy's chest.

- I could see his heart and his lungs

and his intestines and his ribs.

- [Gordon] What saved thisseven-year-old's life?

- I said, "God, don't let my son die."

It's the first thing I said.

- On today's "700 Club."

(dramatic music)

Welcome to "The 700 Club,"and thanks for joining us.

Well, our first story isall about modern warfare

and how it's changing.

Military drones havebecome the preferred weapon

in America's war on terror,and Iran and its proxies

are also using drones to strike commercial

and military targets in the Middle East.

- And now China isreportedly ready to produce

and sell hundreds of thousands

of these game-changingweapons to the highest bidder.

Chris Mitchell reports from Jerusalem.

- [Chris] After 9/11, theUS military made the drone,

or unmanned aerial vehicle, a major part

of the international war on terror.

Fast-forward less than two decades,

and its use is spreading.

In September 2019, aswarm of Iranian drones

attacked Saudi Arabia'slargest oil refining facility

with devastating results.

Last year, in the war betweenAzerbaijan and Armenia,

Azerbaijan's use of dronestipped the balance of power

and helped them win the war.

This is all part of thenew face of modern warfare.

Military drones are now amulti-billion dollar industry.

In 2021, the Pentagon budgeted

more than $7 billionto drones, and by 2027,

the global market is expected to explode

to more than $55 billion.

Seth Frantzman, author of "Drone Wars,"

says this technology, weddedwith artificial intelligence,

represents a revolution.

- I think they're a weapon of tomorrow.

I mean, you have to think aboutdrones transforming warfare

the way tanks did in the Second World War

or the way, let's say, airplanesdid or even ironclad ships.

We have to think of themas a total game-changer

in terms of how countriesand even terror groups

or drug warlords are able to wage war.

- [Chris] It's estimated that as many

as 30,000 military drones are in service

and they come in all sizes.

- Drones can be anywherefrom the size of your thumb

to the size of a big airplanelike a 747 or something,

if you want to build them that large.

And I think what we're seeing these days,

especially with Iran interms of its threats,

is they claim 1,000 or 2,000kilometer ranges of drones.

And those are drones

that usually are what'scalled a kamikaze drone,

which means the drone goesone way, it doesn't come back.

It just runs into the target.

- [Chris] That's what Iran recently used

in an attack against the shiprun by an Israeli company

off the coast of Oman.

While the US and Israel

were among those first out of this gate,

the race is now on to see who will become

the world's drone superpower.

- I think if the UnitedStates or Western countries

don't work very hard to catch up,

I think that China willbe the next superpower

because China has the industrial capacity

and the willingness toinnovate and use new systems

to, I think, roll hundreds of thousands

of these things off the line.

And I think they also areselling them all over the world,

so I think we'll see alot more Chinese drones

just like we see a lotof Chinese everythings.

- [Chris] The stunningSaudi attack two years ago

showed how lethal drones can be.

- Shows us exactly whatcan be done with drones,

even against an advancedpower like Saudi Arabia

that has extensively hasWestern air defenses.

And the drones were ableto come in quite low

and I think avoid radars

and were able to carryout pinpoint attacks.

- [Chris] As IsraeliDefense Minister Benny Gantz

revealed recently, an Iranianbase with hundreds of drones

represents one of thelatest threats to Israel

and the Middle East.

- What it tells us is Iran'snot just exporting the drones

and the blueprints.

It's bringing people into Iran,

training them, and then sending them back,

and I think that's a bigimplication for the region

because it means you havevery skilled operators

who can use drones to targetships or energy facilities

or whatever they want.

- Frantzman says now nations are racing

to develop the lasers, microwaveweapons, and technology

in order to defend againstthis drone revolution.

And victory in the next major conflict

could well depend onwho wins the drone wars.

Chris Mitchell, CBN News, Jerusalem.

- Well, the face of warfare is changing

and the face of terror is changing.

And what was a weapon against terrorism

is now going to be thepreferred weapon of terrorists.

We need to pay attentionto what Iran is doing

because, on the fuselage of those drones

that they're building inIran and they're exporting,

they actually have the word Gaza on them.

So they're quite intentional,

saying we want to get drone technology

into the hands of Hamas in Gazaand use that against Israel.

With the range that these things have,

you could easily see it beingused against other targets

throughout the MiddleEast and even into Europe.

So this is an absolute game-changer,

and what are the defensesagainst this kind of technology?

Well, in other news,

Democrats and Republicansactually agree on something.

They agree that the US withdrawal

from Afghanistan was a disaster.

Tuesday, members of a Senate committee

grilled Secretary of StateAntony Blinken over the blunder.

John Jessup has more on that story

from our CBN News bureau in Washington.

John.

- Thanks, Gordon.

Senators on the ForeignRelations Committee

wanted answers from Blinkenon why the administration

didn't foresee the collapseof the Afghan government

and what's being doneto get those Americans

still in Afghanistan out.

Capitol Hill CorrespondentAbigail Robertson has more.

- While both Republicansand Democrats seem to agree

the withdrawal fromAfghanistan was a disaster,

each side has a differentidea of who is to blame.

- The rushed and embarrassing retreat

is a stain on America's credibility

that will have implicationsfor years to come.

(people shouting in foreign language)

- [Abigail] Democrats claimed the result

was years in the making due to a backlog

in the special immigrant visa process

and no clear plan to leave the country.

- Let's stop with thehypocrisy about who's to blame.

There are a lot of people toblame, and we all share in it.

- [Abigail] Senator Ted Cruz disagreed.

- The Biden administrationcaused this disaster.

You own this.

- [Abigail] Cruz also criticizedthe Biden administration

for abandoning Bagram AirForce Base, our Afghan allies,

and billions of dollarsin military equipment.

- When you're looking at the Taliban

potentially having 64,000 machine guns,

33 Blackhawk helicopters,16,000 night vision goggles,

we will see American blood spilled

because of these colossal mistakes.

- [Abigail] Secretary Blinken argued

President Biden was faced with a choice

to end the war this year or escalate it.

- By January of 2021,

the Taliban was in itsstrongest military position

since 9/11 and we had the smallest number

of US forces in Afghanistan since 2001.

There's no evidence

that staying longer would'vemade the Afghan security forces

or the Afghan governmentany more resilient

or self-sustaining.

If 20 years, hundreds ofbillions of dollars in support,

equipment, training did not suffice,

why would another year,another five, another 10?

- [Abigail] Blinken claimsthe emergency withdrawal

was sparked by theshockingly fast collapse

of the Afghan government.

- Even the most pessimistic assessments

did not predict that the government forces

in Kabul would collapsewhile US forces remained.

- [Abigail] An excuse SenatorMarco Rubio wasn't buying.

- This wasn't a failure of intelligence.

This was a failure of policy and planning.

We have the wrong people analyzing this.

Someone didn't see this.

Either someone didn't see this

or someone didn't want to see this

because we had established this,

we wanted to be out by September 11th.

- A few senators stressedthe need to stop looking back

and start coming up with solutions.

That would include how toget the remaining US citizens

who want to leave out of Afghanistan

and how to support the Afghan women

facing an uncertain future in the country.

Reporting from Virginia,Abigail Robertson, CBN News.

- All right, thank you, Abby.

California Governor Gavin Newsom

solidly defeated a recall effort

in the overwhelmingly Democratic state.

His main Republicanchallenger, Larry Elder,

conceded early this morning

while Newsom thankedvoters for his victory.

- Thank you to 40 million Americans,

40 million Californians,

and thank you for rejecting this recall.

- Let's be gracious in defeat.

We may have lost the battle,

but we are going to win the war.

- Newsom is up for re-election next year

and still faces heavycriticism for rising crime

and a homeless crisis in the state.

Elder's speculated to run again,

telling his supporters,quote, "to stay tuned."

Well turning now to the South,

where Texans are cleaningup after Hurricane Nicholas,

many giving thanks thatthe storm wasn't worse.

Meanwhile, people in Louisianaare bracing for days of rain

and potential flooding asthe remnants of Nicholas

slowly move across the state.

Charlene Aaron has the story.

- Cleanup has begun afterNicholas roared ashore.

The storm knocked out power

to more than half a millionhomes and businesses

and dumped more than a foot of rain,

leaving behind a path of destruction.

Nicholas roared ashorenear Galveston, Texas

as a Category 1 hurricane.

Powerful storm surge turnedHouston streets into rivers

and winds up to 95 milesper hour toppled trees

and tore homes apart.

- And it was just howling,like the craziest howl

I'd never heard in my entire life.

It was like a tornado thatlasted for seven hours.

- Right now, what we're doing

is damage assessments throughout the city,

identifying what areas are gonna need,

what areas have been damaged.

- [Charlene] Destruction reported

even before the storm touched down.

- Fences down, trees down, roofs off.

It's coming.

It's built up big.

- [Charlene] But HoustonMayor Sylvester Turner

is thankful for no reportedinjuries or fatalities

and the heavy rains didnot cause massive flooding.

- We were prepared,

but quite frankly, wewere blessed last night.

I'm not gonna even say lucky.

You know, the Lord justsmiled on the City of Houston.

- [Charlene] As residentspick up the pieces,

they're also counting their blessings.

The roof of this man'sbusiness was torn off.

- We've been here maybefour years and God is good.

That's why we named it blessing.

A lot of people think that wefrom a town named Blessing,

but no, Blessing just comes from God.

- [Charlene] A tree barelymissing this woman's house.

- We had actually justgotten done praying. (laughs)

So I'm glad it went the other way

instead of on top of the house.

- [Charlene] While Texaslargely dodged a bullet,

as the storm weakened, in Louisiana,

widespread rainfall still poses a threat

as the storm crawls to the east.

- Slow moving systems inthe tropics can do this,

produce lots of rain, and we're afraid

of excessive rainfall today,

central and southernparishes of Louisiana,

all the way toward the Florida panhandle

by the time we get into tonight.

- [Charlene] Many of theseareas still cleaning up

from Hurricane Ida two weeks ago.

Nearly 100,000 customersin Southeast Louisiana

are still without power andthe streets are full of debris,

which could make the flooding worse.

- There's still more garbageto come to the street

and still a lot moredamage to be taken care of.

- Meanwhile, President Biden

has issued an emergencydeclaration for Louisiana,

along with the one thatalready exists for Ida.

Charlene Aaron, CBN News.

- Thank you, Charlene.

Gordon, such a need for help and relief

after so much devastation.

- And Operation Blessing is there.

It's there in your name onthe ground in Louisiana,

deploying into Texas.

We want to be there forpeople and help them

in their moment of need.

And whether that's withmuch needed supplies

like cleaning supplies,clean-out supplies,

also tarps for roofs, food and water,

we want to help peoplein their time of need.

If you want to be a part of it,

all you have to do

is give to the OperationBlessing Disaster Relief Fund.

You can write us at CBN Center,

Virginia Beach, Virginia, 23463.

All you have to do is putOperation Blessing Disaster Relief

on the memo line of a check.

Or you can call us andsay, "Here's my gift."

1-800-700-7000.

You can also visit CBN.com.

There's a place on the giving page

where you can designate your gift

to Operation Blessing Disaster Relief.

Be a part of it.

Be a part of helping people in need.

Ashley.

- Well, up next, the Talibanhave retaken Afghanistan

and the reign of terroris already underway.

So what does it mean forthe women and Christians

in the country now?

Plus, a doctor in debt.

This surgeon was halfa million in the hole.

How did he manage to pay it all off?

Well, he'll give you theRx later on today's show.

(dramatic music)

- Well, it's called theMinistry of Virtue and Vice,

and with the Talibanruling Afghanistan again,

this feared and hated police department

has returned with a vengeance.

So what does this mean forwomen and for Christians?

George Thomas explains.

- [George] Maryam, not her real name,

emerged after days ofhiding to withdraw money

from a bank in Kabul whenshe, along with dozens

of other women standing inline, were suddenly surrounded

by armed Taliban fighters.

- [Interpreter] They told me

and the women standing around me

that they wanted to kill us all.

- [George] In an exclusiveinterview with CBN News,

Maryam, a Christian convert from Islam,

told us she thought she was going to die.

- [Interpreter] They called us infidels,

that we weren't Islamicenough, and wanted to know

why we had left our homeswithout our husbands.

(gunshots popping)

- [George] The Taliban firedtheir weapons into the air

to disperse the women.

- [Interpreter] God really protected us.

The owner of the bankquickly opened the doors

so we could rush in for safety.

- The frightening moment happening shortly

after the Taliban announcedtheir new government leaders.

Among them, by the way,four radical Islamists,

and one served in Guantanamo Bay

on terrorism related charges.

- This is a cabinet thatonly Al-Qaeda could love.

- [George] The new man tapped to run

Afghanistan's internalsecurity, Sirajuddin Haqqani,

is on the FBI's Most Wanted List

and comes from a familyaccused of killing Americans

and Afghan civilians.

- The Haqqani network isone of the most formidable

and murderous terroristnetworks in the world.

- [George] The FBI hasa $10 million reward

for information leadingto Haqqani's arrest.

- The FBI no longer needs towonder about his location.

He's gonna be helpingto govern from Kabul.

- [George] Secretary ofState Antony Blinken warning

that this new Taliban government

will have to earn its legitimacy.

- We understand theTaliban has presented this

as a caretaker cabinet.

We will judge it and them by its actions.

(protesters shouting)

- [George] On the streets ofKabul and other big cities,

protests and outrage againstthe new hard line government.

- [Interpreter] These aredark days in my country.

These are all dangerous people.

These are terrorists who are blacklisted.

- [Gordon] Tawfiq, also aChristian convert from Islam,

told CBN News in an exclusiveinterview from Kabul

that neither the United States

nor any other foreign government

should give the Taliban legitimacy.

- [Interpreter] How can they?

The Taliban have crazy Islamic ideas

and don't believe in human rights.

- [George] The all maleleadership also disbanded

the Ministry of Women's Affairs

and reinstated the Ministryof Vice and Virtue,

one of the most fearedand hated departments

during the Taliban's last regime.

Its forces would regularly beat, stone,

and hang women in public.

- The Ministry of Vice andVirtue has a horrific history,

and some of the worstatrocities under Taliban rule

in the '90s can be tracedback to that ministry

and people associated with it.

They're the ones that were responsible

and putting women in soccer stadiums

and stoning them to death.

- [George] The Taliban has also,

once again, banned women's sports,

claiming that it goesagainst Islam's Sharia law.

- [Interpreter] Islamand the Islamic Emirate

do not allow women to play cricket

or play the kind of sportswhere they get exposed.

We will not ignore Islamic values

even if it causes opposition.

We will not leave our Islamic rules.

- [George] Maryam says the encounter

with the Taliban fighters atthe bank really shook her up.

She, along with 20 other Christians,

are crammed in a house in Kabul,

hiding from the regime's fighters

and pondering their uncertain future.

- [Interpreter] I know that the Taliban

are strict Islamic believers,but I'm asking Christians

around the world to pray for the Taliban,

that the Lord would touch their hearts

and, someday, they willknow the real Kingdom of God

and the real King of theworld, and that's Jesus.

- [George] George Thomas, CBN News.

- Well, let's join with those prayers

and join with the prayers ofChristians around the world

who are facing persecution,facing an uncertain future,

but especially for those in Afghanistan.

There was a brief shiningmoment of rights for women

where girls could be educatedand learn how to read,

go to school, have hopes and dreams,

actually be able to goto a bank on your own

and withdraw your own money.

What a wonderful freedom that is.

But in Afghanistan, thatfreedom no longer exists.

So let us pray for them.

Let us pray that they could be delivered.

Ashley.

- Well up next, a surgeon whosebank account was in the ICU.

$500,000 of debt.

How can he save hisfinances from flatlining?

Well, he'll tell you himself coming up.

Plus, they're twin brothers,

but only one was known as a monster.

So what was wrong with him?

And who stepped in to help thisboy when he needed it most?

Well, stay tuned to find out.

(inspirational music)

- Cory Fawcett had a health scare

and it served as a wake-upcall in more ways than one.

He had racked up a debt load of $500,000.

And Cory knew if he died,he would leave his wife

with a burden she could never pay off.

- [Narrator] By October of 1988,

Cory Fawcett finished medical school

carrying $18,000 of student loan debt.

He started his medical residency,

married his fiancee Carolyn,and then two weeks later.

- I called her in the morning

and I told her that Ihad atrial fibrillation,

"I'm in the intensive care unit."

- I was a little concernedabout what would happen

if he should pass away.

People can have thisand live a normal life.

That event created a lotmore trauma in her than me.

- [Narrator] Cory andCarolyn moved forward

and started their married life together.

Now that Cory was collecting a salary,

the couple discussed tithing.

- I knew about tithing,

but I kind of thought it was for people

that had their life all together.

- He wasn't sure he had enoughmoney to continue tithing,

but I wanted to tithe.

- [Narrator] Cory was only willing

to give 2% of his income to their church.

- I didn't really think that us beginners

who just got our first jobwere supposed to be tithing,

- [Narrator] However, overtime, the Fawcetts moved up

to tithing 10% of Cory's income.

- I was amazed that it seemed fine.

- [Carolyn] We weren't having any problem

living on his income.

We had everything we needed.

- [Narrator] Within six months,

Carolyn landed a job asa corporate accountant.

The Fawcetts decided to putCarolyn's salary in savings

and continue livingsolely on Cory's income.

- We could save for the future,have a nicer life later on.

- [Narrator] By 1993, Coryfinished his residency

with only $6,000 left in student debt.

His next step was to becomean attending surgeon.

Life for the Fawcettschanged dramatically.

- Cory's salary went upabout four or five times

what he was making.

- Over the next few years, webought a house, a motorhome.

I bought into my practice.

We bought a piece of property

that we were gonna build a house on.

And within about three years,we went from $6,000 in debt

to around a half amillion dollars in debt.

- [Narrator] Although Corywas making enough money

to support his family comfortably,

Carolyn was becomingmore and more concerned

over the increasing amountof debt they were racking up.

- I wasn't sure why my wife wasso concerned about the debt.

As far as I was concerned,

we could easily make thepayments, so what's the big deal?

- [Narrator] Even thoughCory had only one AFib event

several years earlier, theirdebt brought back renewed fears

for his health and their livelihood.

- It was very concerningthat he could die,

and I would be responsibleto repay the $500,000.

And we did not have $500,000 in savings.

- [Narrator] At a loss for what to do,

Carolyn took her concerns to God.

- I prayed about how wecould get out of debt

and ran across an advertisement for a book

of how to get out of debtand showed it to my husband.

- And in there, it saidthat we could be debt-free

in just a few years if we decided to.

Half a million dollars, thatjust didn't make any sense.

But the math worked out.

- We stopped a lot of our savings

and funneled the money toward the debt,

knocked off one debt at a time.

- [Narrator] In 3 1/2years, the Fawcetts paid off

a half a million dollars in debt.

- [Carolyn] Becoming debtfree was very freeing.

- All through this period whenwe were getting out of debt,

we did not stop tithingbecause it belongs to God.

- [Narrator] Then in 2004,when a tsunami hit Indonesia,

the Fawcetts wrote acheck in support of those

who were devastated by the storm.

Within two hours of writing the check.

- Somebody who I had loaned money to

wanted to pay off the loan.

And then I went to workand sitting on my desk

was a check from aninvestment that I had made

as a physician.

I had received 30% more than I gave away.

And I got goosebumps.

- That was really excitinghow the Lord gave us back

way more than we had given.

- [Narrator] Today, Carolynand Cory enjoy teaching others

how to become financially successful.

They believe their faithfulgiving to God through the years

has changed their lives for the better.

- When we tithe, it showsGod that we love Him.

- 90% of your incomeplus God is always better

than 100% of your income without God.

Giving changes your life.

- It's a principle we callthe law of reciprocity

and it's laid down by Jesus in Luke 6:38:

"Give, and it will be given to you.

A good measure, presseddown, shaken together

and running over willbe poured into your lap.

For with the measure you use,it will be measured to you."

Now, these are the words of Jesus.

And when He speaks,

He's talking about the lawsof the Kingdom of heaven,

how things work in heaven.

And here on earth, sometimes we think,

"Well, when I haveenough money, I'll give,"

but that's not the principle.

The principle is give, put it into motion,

and then it will be given back to you.

And then He adds to it.

The measure you use determines the measure

that will be measured back to you.

So for Cory and Carolyn, here they are,

and Cory's saying, "Well, you know,

I've got this great income

so let's go out and get awhole bunch of consumer debt.

Let's buy the big houseand the cars and everything

and we'll just pay it off over time."

And then he has a health scare

and suddenly they're looking at

"Well, what if you're not here?

How does all this get paid off?"

And that's another principle.

I encourage people, pleaselive within your income.

So there's a thingcalled the 80-10-10 rule,

where you live on 80% of your income.

You avoid consumer debt.

You just avoid it altogether.

Now there is mortgage debt,

but the good thing about mortgage debt,

if you run into trouble, youcan always sell the house,

pay off the mortgage.

Now you've got to finda new place to live,

but at least you're not in debt.

But if you are livingon 80% of your income,

then you have plenty ofroom for a 10% tithe.

And here's the piece a lot of people miss,

is are you paying yourself?

What are you working for?

If you're not paying yourself,

if you're not put putting 10%of your income into savings,

then you're not building for your future.

That 10% over time isa game-changer for you.

Imagine 10% of your yearly income

going into stable investments.

What happens in five years?

What happens in 10 years?

What happens in 15 years?

What happens in 20 years?

Then instead of your moneygoing out in interest payments,

well, you're actuallygetting interest payments

coming in to you.

You're having your money work for you.

These are wonderful principles.

And these are principlesthat Jesus laid down.

He said, "These are therules of the kingdom.

If you give 10%, the measure you used

will be measured back to you."

Now, if you want to start doing that,

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

This isn't some get rich quickscheme or anything like that.

This is something where ifyou live life consistently

on God's principles, then He is rewarder

of those who diligently seek Him.

If you want to start doingthat, join the 700 Club.

How much is it?

Well, it's just $20 a month.

That breaks out to 65 cents a day.

Some of you can join at higher levels

and so we have them for you.

$40 a month is 700 Club Gold.

1000 Club is $1,000 a year.

That's $84 a month.

2500 Club is 2,500 a year.

Founder, $5,000 or more a year.

At whatever level, call us

and say, "Yes, you can count on me."

If you want to see the gospelpreached around the world,

join the 700 Club.

A portion of every gift goes into the work

of CBN's international outreaches.

We're now in over 100countries, over 70 languages.

We want to preach thegospel around the world.

You're a part of that.

Another portion goes into thework of Operation Blessing

to help people, to feed people in America,

to respond to disasters inAmerica and around the world,

to provide drinking waterfor people who don't have it,

to provide surgeries for peoplethat don't have the funds

to pay for doctors.

You're a part of all thatOperation Blessing does

when you join the 700 Club.

Now, if you call and join,pledge right now, 1-800-700-7000,

it's our gift to you,"The Nearness of Heaven."

Wonderful discussion between Ashley and me

about stories of people whohave died and gone to heaven.

But then more importantly,

this isn't somethingabout the sweet by and by,

what awaits you when you die.

This is to convince you

that the Hingdom ofheaven can be near to you.

That's what Jesus taught,that we would pray

that God's will would be doneon earth as it is in heaven.

We can actually bring His laws

and His dominion down on earth.

And so this teaching willencourage your faith.

This is not some thing that'sgonna happen after you die.

You can have His presence

and His Kingdom with you right now.

And then at the close of this,Ashley and I pray for you.

So this will encourage your faith.

I want you to have it.

It's yours when you join.

Give us a call right now, 1-800-700-7000.

Ashley.

- Well, ZheJun's motherthought he was an angel,

but most everyone elsethought he was a monster.

That's because ZheJun was bornwith a cleft lip and palate

and it would take 10 years for his parents

to save up enough money for his surgery.

So how did ZheJun get help?

From people just like you.

- [Terry] When friends andfamily saw the Mo's boys,

some said they didn'tbelieve they were real twins.

- [Interpreter] One relative came over,

hugged ZheFeng and gave him toys.

But when she saw ZheJun, her face changed.

- [Interpreter] She just ignored him

and didn't want to hold him.

- [Terry] That's because ZheJunhad a cleft lip and palate.

- [Interpreter] Everyonethought he was a monster.

I saw him as a treasure, my angel.

- [Interpreter] Meanwhile,ZheJun had a hard time eating,

and he cried a lot.

But that didn't scarehis brother, ZheFeng.

- It seemed like he couldfeel his brother's pain,

so when he cried, ZheFeng cried too.

He gave ZheJun his toys andtouched his head and hands.

He cried "Brother, brother,"and wanted him to get better

and play with him, butZheJun had no strength.

- [Terry] He just gotsicker, weaker, and thinner.

- [Interpreter] He began to reject food

and stopped gaining weight.

I was afraid he would die of malnutrition.

- [Interpreter] He started to notice

his mouth was different.

Sometimes, he covered his lip and cried.

We were worried that he wouldbe insecure in the future

and wanted to get him surgery.

- [Terry] But it wouldtake Mr. Mo 10 years

to make enough forthat, and at that point,

doctors said ZheJun wouldmiss his prime opportunity

to learn to speak.

Then, a neighbor told the Mos about CBN.

Mrs. Mo wrote us, asking for help,

and we quickly set upand paid for surgery.

- [Interpreter] It was unbelievable.

I began to imagine ZheJunwith a fixed mouth.

- [Terry] Today, ZheJun iseating well and gaining weight.

- Now my boys not only havethe same kind of eyes and nose,

but their mouths look the same, too.

- [Interpreter] At first,

ZheFeng didn't even recognize his brother.

Then the two children hugged and laughed.

I cried tears of happiness

because my son's mouth was mended.

Now, he talks a lot andhe's healthy and happy.

- [Interpreter] My sonsfinally look like real twins.

I thank the CBN donors.

It's your love that's givenmy boy a bright future.

- Yeah, thank you to our CBN partners.

When you're a CBN partner,

you are bringing hope topeople who are desperate.

And the Bible tells us tohelp the least of these.

And Jesus said Himself

that "Whatever you doto the least of these,

you're actually doing to me."

So when you were helping the poor,

when you're helping people like ZheJun

and his family in China, youare doing that unto Christ

because we're all imagebearers of the King of Kings

and the Lord of Lords.

So if you want to make a difference,

if you want to bring hope topeople all around the world

and do it in the name ofJesus, join with CBN right now.

It's super easy.

All you have to do is giveus a call at 1-800-700-7000,

or you can do my personalfavorite, text messaging.

You can text CBN to 71777.

And there are differentlevels that you can join at,

whatever you feel God calling you to.

There's the 700 Club levelwhich is $20 a month.

You can go up from there, $40 a month,

$84 a month, $209 a month.

Whatever the Lord has put on your heart,

be obedient to that today.

And when you join with us, weare going to give you a gift,

our way of saying thank you.

This is the latest teaching from CBN.

It's Gordon and I, and we just chat

about the nearness of heavenand how, a lot of times,

we forget that the Lord instructs us

to pray heaven down on earth,

and it's not just somethingthat we dream about

and a place that we'll go to, but paradise

and heaven can be right herein our lives every single day.

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

Join with us to make adifference in the name of Jesus.

Gordon.

- Well, when you join the 700 Club,

you're helping people all over the world

and Americans right here at home.

Inflation is on the rise.

That's putting an extra strain

on people already livingpaycheck to paycheck.

Many families are turningto food banks for help,

and many of those foodbanks are getting help

from CBN partners just like you.

- [Narrator] For many families in the US,

paying for groceries is a struggle.

- Being a single mother, it's really hard.

Just having to keep the food on the table,

and just keeping thelights on and the water.

Just me and my kids.

Like, I've tried to do thebest that I can for them.

You want to do everything for them,

and sometimes you just ain't got it.

- [Narrator] When the pandemic began,

many faced the additional challenge

of having to shelter in place.

- There's many of us here,we don't have the money

or we don't have the abilityto get to places to get food.

We're all so much in need,especially during this pandemic.

It scared me, and I knowit scared many of us here

to even step outside.

- It's been really hard.

I know that we're all in binds right now,

so I try to pay attention towhat I really, really need.

- [Narrator] Beverly Wright,

who runs Jonathan Cares in Virginia,

knew this was an opportunityto serve her community,

but she also knew shecouldn't do it alone.

- When we decided to reallyget busy and feeding people,

we went right to the people we knew,

and that was Operation Blessing.

I think that partnership is phenomenal

because it gives us an opportunity

to give people non-perishableand perishable items.

Some people are home

and they just don't have transportation.

So we are their transportation.

We pick up their food, we bag food,

and we take it directly to their houses.

- When we receive this,

it takes a lot of pressure off your heart.

It helps you not to be depressed so much.

It just lifts your heart up,

and we appreciateOperation Blessing so much.

- If you're a member of the 700 Club,

you're the hero of that story.

Because of you, we're ableto do all these things.

Because of you, millions ofpounds of food is delivered

to over 4,000 locations righthere in the United States

to help people in need.

During the pandemic, we saw a real surge

in the need for food as layoffs increased,

and now that inflation is coming,

many people have a whole lot more month

than they have money.

We want to be there for them.

We want to make sure that theyhave the food that they need.

You're a part of that whenyou join the 700 Club.

If you're not a member,

I encourage you to call usright now, 1-800-700-7000.

Just say, "Yes, I want to join."

If you're already a member,consider increasing.

Consider going to 700 Club Gold.

Consider going to 1000 Club, $84 a month.

At whatever level, do it now.

Now, when you call, make sureyou ask for Pledge Express.

That's electronic monthlygiving, bank doing all the work,

and we can send Power forLife monthly teaching CDs.

You can also get them downloaded now,

so if you don't have aCD player, don't worry.

We've got a way to getthe teaching to you.

You can ask for PledgeExpress when you call.

You can go to CBN.com.

When you give monthly on the internet,

you're already enrolled in Pledge Express.

Or you can do it the wayAshley likes to do it,

which is text the letters CBN to 71777,

and when you text togive and give monthly,

automatically you signup for Pledge Express.

Either way, do it rightnow, 1-800-700-7000.

And when you call, when you text,

when you go online and pledge,our gift to 700 Club partners

is this brand new conversationbetween me and Ashley

called "The Nearness of Heaven."

The Bible says we are citizens of heaven,

ambassadors of heaven,and Jesus commanded us,

He instructed his disciples to declare,

"The Kingdom of heavenhas drawn near to you."

So what is heaven like?

Well, here's the story ofone girl who's been there.

- [Narrator] Pastors Dave and Kathy Powell

realized the drowned girl

was their nine-year-old daughter, Annie.

Annie needed to be life-flighted

to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital.

While in the helicopter, Annie died.

- I saw butterflies.

They were colors youcouldn't even imagine.

I felt very happy andjoyful and very loved.

- [Announcer] "The Nearnessof Heaven," available now.

(bright music)

- [Gordon] You can experience

the Kingdom of heaven right now.

- [Announcer] CBN presents"The Nearness of Heaven."

- We're going to be talkingabout people who went to heaven,

who had encounters withthe Kingdom of God.

- He let me experience what it felt like,

and there's more lovethan you can imagine.

- [Announcer] In this brandnew teaching from CBN,

you'll discover what theBible has to say about heaven

and our lives in eternity;

how to know for certain thatheaven is your future home;

how seeking God's presence now

will satisfy your heart's desire

and prepare you for what's ahead;

plus, how to experience thereality of God's Kingdom

right here, right now.

- You're gonna experience peace and joy

and life to the fullest.

- [Announcer] Get this excitingnew teaching from CBN today.

Call 1-800-700-7000 or go toCBN.com to become a CBN partner

and receive your copy of"The Nearness of Heaven."

- [Gordon] Coming up.

- It just was horrific.

- [Gordon] A seven-year-oldis run over by a lawnmower.

- [Angie] I just was just freaking out.

- [Gordon] The blades chop his chest.

- I could see how much ofhis chest wall was missing.

- [Gordon] A centimeter from his heart.

- He would've never madeit a minute after that.

- [Gordon] How did hemake a full recovery?

- That was a miracle becausehis hand was cut off.

- [Gordon] Later on today's "700 Club."

(soft dramatic music)

(tense music)

- Welcome back to Washingtonfor this CBN newsbreak.

The Justice Department hasasked a federal judge in Texas

to temporarily stop enforcingthe state's new abortion law.

It bans abortion after afetal heartbeat is detected

about six weeks into pregnancy.

That outlaws most abortions in the state.

In its filing, the departmentsaid the law prevents women

from exercising theirconstitutional rights.

Last week, the DOJ sued tohave it declared invalid.

Other states have considered similar laws.

Well, the pro-life group LiveAction says

Google has taken down all of its ads

and forbidden it frompromoting a new video

on how unborn babies develop in the womb.

Lila Rose, the group's founder,

said, "Google isn'thiding its bias anymore,"

adding, "Google's censorship badly reveals

that the corporation is in the pocket

of the abortion industry," end quote.

Well you can always getthe latest from CBN News

by going to our website at CBNNews.com.

Gordon and Ashley will be backwith more of "The 700 Club"

right after this.

(tense music)

- Kenny Batson was mowing thelawn when the engine jammed.

He didn't know why until he looked down.

His seven-year-old son wasunderneath the lawnmower

with his chest hacked open by the blades.

- I said, "God, don't let my son die."

It's the first thing I said.

I could see my son laying there.

I could see his heart and his lungs

and his intestines and his ribs.

It just was horrific.

There's no other way to say it.

- [Narrator] On a summer evening in 2010,

Kenny Batson was mowing hislawn on his riding mower

when he noticed two of hiskids playing near nearby.

- Something caught my attention

and I knew they were behind me.

I turned around and Ikind of gave them a glare

and they knew to quit and they both quit.

- [Narrator] A moment later,his seven-year-old son, Josiah,

snuck up behind himwhen he wasn't looking.

- I was hitting reverse to back it up

and get closer to the tree,

and all of a sudden it just hit something

and it killed the engine.

It scared me. I didn't know what it was.

And I looked down and I could see my son

underneath the lawnmower.

- [Narrator] The mowerblades struck Josiah

on his upper body and arm,cutting deep into his chest.

His hand and half of hisribcage had been nearly cut off.

He clung to life as his dadrushed him to a nearby hospital.

He was then life-flighted

to Kansas City Children's Mercy Hospital.

His mom, Angie, rememberswaiting for answers.

- I just wanted somebody totell me he was gonna be okay.

I just was just freaking out'cause my baby was laying on a,

you know, laying on atable and I didn't know

if he was even gonna make it.

- [Narrator] Dr. Carolien deRoode was one of his physicians

at Children's and saw howcritical his condition was.

- Basically, I couldsee his heart and lungs

because of how much of hischest wall was missing.

And a centimeter more and hisheart would have been open

and he would have nevermade it a minute after that.

He would not have survived.

- [Narrator] Josiah'sdad, Kenny, is a pastor.

In the anguish of watching his son suffer,

he struggled to understand God's plan.

- Is God mad at me or judging me,

or am I under a curse, orwhat's the problem here?

'Cause I still can't figure out

how God would permitsomething like that to happen.

I felt like I was gonna lose my mind.

- [Narrator] As word spread,many from their church family

made the long drive to the hospital

to pray for Josiah's survival and healing.

- And when I got to the waiting room,

I couldn't believe all thepeople that were there.

It was people from church andanother church I pastored,

a lot of them came up.

I could literally feel the grace of God

and I could feel prayer.

That's the only way I can explain it.

I just could tell peoplewere praying for us.

That's what got us through.

- [Narrator] By the next day,

their prayers were being answered.

A surgery to reattach Josiah's hand

went beyond doctor's expectations.

- As soon as he woke up, thevery first thing he said to me,

he said, "Mama, I can move my hand,

and I was like, "Sure, you can, baby."

I was just kind of like,just talking to him.

And then looked overthere and there it was.

It was just going just like this.

- That was a miracle becausehis hand was cut off.

All the tendons andeverything was cut off.

- There are wonderful things in medicine

that we get to witness

that don't always have a good explanation.

The fact that he had any motion at all,

with everything thathad gone on in that arm,

I agree, is really amazing.

- [Narrator] Josiah spentweeks in the hospital ICU

and burn unit enduring numeroussurgeries and skin grafts.

- He had dirt and grass in his bone,

like pounded into hisbone, segments of his bone,

that we then, over time, have to debride

and take out and remove.

- [Narrator] Every surgery was successful

and Josiah's condition soon stabilized.

The family found hope inthe prayers of God's people

and their Lord Jesus.

- I truly know Him as my Lordand Savior, so that helped.

That helped. That was everything.

But as far as his recovery,it's been wonderful.

It's a miracle.

- There was just alwaysso much love around them

that I think that lifted him up

and helped him through all of this.

He really has an amazing spirit.

- [Narrator] After 40days in the hospital,

Josiah returned home to continue healing.

Over the following year,

Kenny and Angie made peace with God.

- And I remember laying on my face here

just praying that morning,and all of a sudden,

I found myself saying, "God,I thank you for the accident."

I was really more thankfulthat God saved his life.

I saw it differently.

I saw it as God saved his life

rather than God let something bad happen

that He shouldn't have let happen.

He doesn't get taken by surprise.

He's sovereign.

And anything and everything in our life,

if we're trusting in Jesus Christ,

every single thing goes through Him.

He is good.

He doesn't just do goodthings. He is good.

- God taught me to trust Him completely

and to forgive and torealize that I need Him

just as much as anybody else needs Him.

And that I've got to lean on Him

in the hard times and in the good times,

and that He's good nomatter what is going on.

- [Narrator] It's been over10 years since the accident

and Josiah has lived ahealthy, active life,

thankful for God'sgoodness and the prayers

that brought him througha terrible situation.

- Just 'cause somethingseems bad or looks bad

doesn't mean that Godcan't use it for good

'cause I believe that Godcan use anything for good.

And if I could go back

and made it where it neverhappened, I wouldn't.

'Cause I feel like, overall, it's just,

you know, God made it a good thing.

- I just keep on thinkingthat God is still good

and Josiah's still here and he's healthy

and he's ornery and (laughs),

so, and he's smart andjust God has blessed us so.

- I like hugging him andI squeeze him real tight

all the time.

He probably just thinks,"Oh, my dad loves me,"

but he doesn't understand.

I'm so glad I get to hug him.

I'm just so thankful.

- What a beautiful reminder

that whatever situation youare facing, God is sovereign.

Let's change our perspective

from not just, oh, Godlet something bad happen,

but God is using this for His glory

and there will be atestimony of His goodness

that comes out of this situation.

I hope that that story encouraged you,

and Gordon and I are gonnapray, but before we do,

we have some more amazing miracle stories,

answer to prayers.

This is from several years ago.

This is from Beverly ofEastern Pennsylvania.

Several years ago, felt anagging pain in her left knee.

There was also a clicking inside her knee.

Beverly was watching "The 700Club" and heard Gordon say,

"You are laying your lefthand on your left knee.

There is severe pain onthe outside of that knee.

God has touched you and that pain is gone.

Do what you couldn't do before."

Beverly claimed the word in faith

and the pain stopped immediately.

Praise God.

- Okay, here's Charlotte from Georgia.

Had a terrible toothache.

Her entire mouth ached.

Watching "The 700 Club," Ashley said,

"Someone is watchingwith terrible tooth pain,

especially in the upperfront part of your mouth.

The Lord is healing you."

Well after the prayer,Charlotte felt no more pain

in her gums and teeth and is praising God.

What a wonderful miraclestory we just saw.

And I love what the father said,

that he didn't blame God for it.

He said, "God is sovereign,

but he wasn't responsiblefor the accident,"

which lines up with scripture.

So often we want to blame Godfor the accidents in our life.

Don't do that.

Within His sovereignty,you have His sovereignty,

but then under His sovereignty is,

number one, our free will,we get to have free will,

and then time and chance happen to us all.

So when a man born blindwas brought to Jesus,

why did this happen?

I love what Jesus answered.

He didn't want to blame anything.

He said, "Well, this happened

so the glory of God could be revealed."

When you look at accidents in your life,

situations in your life,sickness in your life,

start declaring over it,

"This happened so the gloryof the Lord can be revealed."

Don't blame God for the problem.

Look to Him for the solutionfor His glory to be revealed.

Let's pray.

Lord, we just come to you.

In accordance with your instructions,

we declare that the Kingdomof heaven is at hand.

That means we can reach up and grab it.

So Lord, we reach up and we grab it.

And we ask now that yourwill would be done on earth

as it is in heaven.

Stretch forth your hand to do miracles,

for we ask it in Jesus' name.

There's a young man, you've been diagnosed

with an unusual conditionwhere your sternum,

it's like it's growing inwardsas opposed to laying flat

and your chest is bowing.

God is able.

You just actually felt apressure and a release.

God is healing you right nowand setting you free from that.

You're going to be normalfrom this day forward.

Ashley.- Amen.

Somebody's watching with severe injury

on your left shin.

There's massive bruising andswelling and inflammation.

The Lord is healingthat for you right now.

There's also somebody watching,you've got some issues,

some concerns, spots on your lungs.

The Lord is healing that,that cancerous tumors,

He's healing that for you

in Jesus' name.- Yeah, that spot

is on your right lung inone of the upper lobes.

God's healed you now in Jesus' name.

Amen.

If you've been healed, let us know.

Here's a word from Colossians:

Devote yourselves to prayer

with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

(uplifting music)