Testimony of Sister Alice Dykes

This beautiful letter was written -by Alice Dykes of the Church of God.

Dearest Barbara,

I have been trying to find a minute to sit down and gather my thoughts together, to send you a written description of the vision the Lord gave me regarding His work on the cross. 

A GIFT FROM HIM
It seemed best to me to write down the whole picture of why God was so wonderful to reveal this the way He did, so I will try to give you, to the best of my recollection, a summary of those events which led up to this Marvelous Gift from Him. 

Do you remember in 1968, right after we started attending St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Perry, Georgia? There was a spirit-filled priest there at the time, serving as Rector. His name was Graham Glover and he had been filled with the Holy Spirit in Alabama after Charles Simpson, a Baptist minister, had prayed for him and laid hands on him. Graham preached every 4 day, it seemed, about the cross. 

One day at the table in our Kitchen, I expressed my dismay to Harvey about this, saying to him, "You know, honey; I just don’t see how Jesus dying two thousand years ago on a cross could have anything to do with my sins, committed so many years later. . . I just don’t get it, do you?"

Harvey said, "No, not at all." I said I was not going to go back to church because I was sick and tired of leaving church every Sunday morning feeling "like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs." In effect, I was admitting my blindness and denying I was a sinner.

That year of church absence was spent reading all kinds of occult books, pondering about reincarnation, and wondering what really was true. Confusion was reigning. But in about a year, because our two girls were teenagers, I really felt we should be in church; so we returned to St. Christopher’s.

Graham graciously invited us to Join an evening study group where they were gathering together to review a book, entitled "Receiving the Holy Spirit," written by an Episcopal priest, Fr. Hall.

I was amazed to find that all the people in the study group had given up smoking and seemed so spiritual. The idea that we could actually know God intimately and fellowship with Him was foreign to me and I wanted that more than anything. Primarily, I wanted to stop smoking, but was hopelessly addicted to nicotine.

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
I read the book by Fr. Hall and some other writings by Christian authors which Graham and the group lent me. Included among these were articles regarding the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (something completely new to my knowledge) and now looking back, I am sure many unfamiliar passages of scripture as well. Why had I never heard Ye must be born again?

We then began a study of Sheldon’s book "In His Steps," in which an idea was presented of a total consecration of one’s life to the Lord Jesus. I remember wanting to do that so much.

It was during a week when Harvey was on alert at the Air Force Base and I had a lot of time, with the children in school, to seek the Lord. But somehow, all I could think of was my sinful past; I went under such conviction. I couldn’t be happy; although, according to the world’s standards, I should have been happy. I had a lovely home, a dear, and wonderfully devoted husband, and two beautiful teenage daughters. We were not rich, but we were nevertheless reasonably secure financially. Still, I was miserable and empty.

As I tried again and again to consecrate my life to God, and tried to give up those cigarettes to no avail, I went into my bedroom and invited the Lord to sit down in the chair - and wept my heart and soul out to Him. Somehow I sensed His presence. He was there and listening to me, and I felt a sweet peace and His loving forgiveness.

Dimly I remember having a vague impression of the cross of Jesus; but it was almost a fleeting recollection. A deep sense of His love for me and His total forgiveness was felt. I arose from my knees so at peace. But then I saw Harvey’s pack of Winston cigarettes on his dresser, and the overwhelming desire to smoke one came over me. I cried aloud, ‘Lord, please help me." 

A LITTLE BLACK BIBLE

My eyes fell upon my little black Bible which was rarely opened. Sometimes the children and I would look at the pictures. I was very unfamiliar with the contents, for the most part, and could be considered Biblically ignorant. if not particularly illiterate in God’s Word. But I felt led to go over and pick up that dear book bought at least ten years earlier in Homestead, Florida, at the church bookstore.

It fell open to Galatians 5:1 and God sent this Word alive and powerful into my heart and mind. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 

Well, I was so astounded! The Lord was speaking directly to me! He was calling me "set free," and all along I thought I was still enslaved to the sin of cigarette addiction. But Jesus said He had set me free - and I was completely delivered, never to smoke again nor to desire to do so.

I felt so clean and thought no more about my sins. Oh, Glory! It was wonderful and I was so fascinated with the Bible. It seemed everywhere I turned in God’s Word, He was talking personally to me! It was as though each verse was preceded by "Dear Alice," and ended, "Love, the Holy Spirit." Oh, how I began to fall in love with Him. The Bible says it best, We love Him because He first loved us.

My heart was so full I wanted to totally consecrate myself, my whole life, to the Lord Jesus. I remember it so well, it remains as vivid to me as though it had happened yesterday.

I was again alone in my bedroom and just stretched across the bed to rest and to quietly reflect on these wonderful events which were occurring. I freely gave my heart to Him who had created me, yielding to Him my entire life.

WAVES OF LOVE
When I had done this, waves of the most Precious Divine Love suddenly began coming into my body and washing over me continually. A holy golden light filled me to overflowing and it was as if each cell of my body could actually see this beautiful golden light. The sensation of being washed in God’s Dear and Wonderful Love just kept on and on for I do not know how long. I could only repeat, "God, God, God!" for He had truly come into my body, soul, and spirit, and was living there.

I never knew we could have these feelings in our spirit, for truly I had been dead in trespasses and sins, never having been born again of the Spirit of God. Now I was alive unto God and could talk with Him and He with me. Oh, glory to His Name!

I felt His presence deep within my heart, and joy unspeakable arid full of Glory was mine as the Holy Spirit began His beautiful work of sanctification. It seemed the very bloodstream of my spirit was bubbling; bubbling until sometimes I felt I might have to ask God to help me bear this Glorious sensation of His Divine Presence.

I share this with you, Barbara, because I know you love Him too and that you can appreciate how tenderly patient our Lord is with our weaknesses and frailties.

A few months after this wonderful experience, God healed me of a ruptured disc and through this He arranged in His most mysterious and wonderful way to introduce me to some of His other Spirit-filled children.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES
One in particular, whose name was Dot, a former Baptist, had received a mighty Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. She invited me to a prayer meeting where other ladies were gathered. There was a Presbyterian, a Methodist missionary, and another Baptist. Each of these women had received this Baptism in the Holy Spirit and I yearned to have more of God’s fullness with this freedom to pray both in English and in tongues if it was what the Lord had in mind for me.

They gathered around Dot’s coffee table and she laid her hands on my head and prayed for Jesus to baptize me with the Holy Spirit. Immediately I saw the Lord Jesus standing before me in vision. He was holding an old oaken well bucket in one hand and a large ladle in His other hand. When I saw Him standing there before me, I lifted my hands up to praise Him and received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.

A SCRIPTURE
After arriving home later that day, I asked the Lord to give me a scripture from Him, verifying this last experience He had blessed me with. As I picked up my Bible, it fell open to the twelfth chapter of Isaiah and the third verse leapt out at me. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. Oh, how glorious this was to me! I was so thrilled with this new gift from the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit had come in, in a new and living way, showering me with unexpected blessings of  a deep spiritual walk with Him. Visions and Dreams of Jesus, wonderful living examples of His beautiful teaching Hand. The ecstasy of praising Him with a heavenly language as He guided me and opened the door to His supernatural work. The whole chapter of Isaiah 12 seems somehow fitting to me to relate to you how explicitly the beauty of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit was described to me by Jesus:

Isa:12: And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

He graciously appeared to me in a second vision, standing in front of me with a large serving tray heaped high with golden-topped white biscuits. I found even greater freedom now to praise Him and again I was led by the Lord to open my Bible and have these words from the book of  John in chapter six, the fiftieth and fifty-first verses, just come alive to me.....

Joh:6:50-51 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

As I was marveling at His graciousness to me and quietly praising Him for all this, He  appeared again in vision, this time seated on a magnificent shining white throne. He was dressed all in purest white, holding an enormous book, white with golden lettering on the cover. He leaned forward as though to show me the open pages of the book when the vision faded. I remember feeling a slight bewilderment about this when again I was led almost miraculously to the first Chapter of the book of John and this verse: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

THE LIVING WORD
My heart was so touched, and then Jesus spoke to my heart by His Holy Spirit and said, "I have shown myself to you in three ways: As the living water, as the living bread, as the living Word."

From then on I rejoiced in His triune glory revealed so dearly to me, the most unworthy of His children. This walk with our Lord Jesus has been the most wonderful experience in all of my life. He is the dearest and most patient of teachers, the kindest of friends to all suffering humanity.

One day in Oct. 1971, I was seated at our kitchen table in Georgia, following a three day fast which I had been impressed to undertake, solely for the express purpose of drawing closer to the Lord. I had my Bible with me but had not started to read in it. I asked the Lord to please show me something in His Word that was special from Him to me. Well, all of a sudden it seemed a slide had been slipped into the front of my head, and the most. outstanding picture began to unfold before my eyes.

I saw myself standing before an upright beam of wood. A piece of paper was brought to me and written on it was a list of all the sins and sicknesses of my entire life, one after another. Then I saw two hands take the list and nail it to that wooden beam. As I stood there looking up at this taking place, I suddenly was aware that I was not alone; someone else was standing at my left side, reading my list of a lifetime of sin and seeing all of my sickness which I bad suffered.

When I turned to look at this person I realized he was a very prominent prince, regally dressed and somehow frightening to behold. He just stood there looking up, watching the scene unfold. I looked back up to the list securely nailed to the beam and saw a red liquid begin to flow down over the first written line and then the next and the next, on and on until soon it could not even be distinguished as hand writing. I looked up in curiosity to see where the red liquid was coming from, and saw the nail-pierced feet of our Lord Jesus. I looked again and saw my list, now completely soaked and covered by the blood of Jesus!

UP THE HILL
Then, to my right side, the Resurrected Lord appeared and reached to take my hand. He began leading me up a little hill, and I knew he was taking me to our Heavenly Father. I looked back at the scene We had just left and there standing still was Satan, the prince of the power of the air, the accuser of the brethren, completely defeated by our Lord Jesus. He was looking up at the only thing he had against me, with which to accuse me before the Father in Heaven. A completely vanquished foe, as the blood of Jesus had obliterated my list of sins! Oh, Hallelujah!

I looked down at my Bible and there before me, in the second chapter of Colossians, were these words from the Holy Spirit to me, confirming again as He always has, His heavenly vision.

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of  your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against  us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Remember when I told Harvey three years before at that same kitchen table that I just didn’t get it about the cross? Well, God was right there listening to our conversation. And in His own dear time, He showed me as only He could have done, what He did for me personally and also for the whole world.

Later in the weeks and months to come, as I pondered about that list and wondered how I was able to understand that all of my sins and sicknesses of a long lifetime could be contained on that one piece of paper, God again reminded me that he had only given us ten commandments, and when we break one of them, we are guilty of having broken them all, along with suffering the consequences of this disobedience. Oh, isn’t He wonderful? He fills the seeking heart with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. I love Him with all my heart.

This is for you to keep. You can use it prayerfully for His Glory and Honor.

With much love to you and may God richly bless you.

 

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