Strengthened by Calling on the Lord, Alicia Cox

I was raised in a Christian home; I received the Lord at age 10, and ever since then I was a “good Christian girl”. Then, when I was 19 years old on November 10, 1971, a group of young people invited me to a Christian conference in Dallas, Texas. At first I was hesitant to go, but after praying about it I had the peace to attend. Witness Lee was the main speaker at the conference. It is hard to put into words what I experienced, but after that weekend my life would never be the same. I had always been a good person and was even somewhat faithful in preaching the gospel to others, but I had never felt that I was experiencing the abundant life mentioned in John 10:10. As Witness Lee spoke, veil after veil was removed and I saw that Christ is Life Colossians 3:4. I saw I had a spirit and by calling on the Lord's name (Oh, Lord Jesus) I could contact God anytime and anywhere (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Romans 10:12).

After attending the conference I returned to the University of Houston. One day one of my classes had a guest speaker by the name of Madeline Murry O'Hare, a well-known atheist. The auditorium was filled with several hundred students and I was sitting about five rows from the front. As Ms. O'Hare walked out on stage I experienced a sense of oppression and darkness that I had never felt before. Ms. O'Hare began to blaspheme the Lord again and again. I am not a very courageous person, but I begun to call, “Oh, Lord Jesus”. At first it was a whisper, then I began to call louder and louder. Eventually I stood up while she was speaking and declared, “Jesus is Lord!”, as loud as I could. Then I walked towards the exit. The teacher's assistant physically blocked the exit and told me not to leave or else my grade would be lowered. I walked past the TA and out of the auditorium filled with joy. I realized that through the ministry of Witness Lee I had learned to be empowered by Christ's person by calling on His name. Later I heard that all the students had eventually walked out during Ms. O'Hare's speaking and the professor apologized to the class for asking her to come.

That was 28 years ago and the ministry of Witness Lee is still supplying me with truth and light. Through this ministry I am enjoying this abundant life of Christ. Every day I thank the Lord for bringing me to the ministry of Witness Lee.