CHAPTER FOUR
One day while at work, the call to preach came very strong. I said, "Lord, if you want me to preach, give me a text and a place to preach it." After I went home I was reading the Bible and came across this verse of Scripture, "Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me" (Psalm 36:11). That night, as I entered the Mission, Sister Hilliard, the one in charge of the Mission, came to me and said, "Brother Poe, I feel you are called of God to preach, and would like for you to take the service on Sunday afternoon." I prayed over the text God had given me, and asked Him to meet with us in a great way and to put His seal on the message, if I were called to preach, by giving me two to be saved and two to be sanctified. Another thing I prayed was, "Lord, don't let any preachers come."
When I arrived at the Mission, there was a full house and no preachers. After song and prayer and the speaker was introduced, I stepped to the pulpit and started to read my text. The door opened and in came seven "big" preachers! Oh, I thought, God has let me down! I trembled from head to feet, but God strengthened me and in a few moments I had victory over them all. I am glad they came, for I have never feared man from then to now. Soon those preachers were backing me and saying "Amen" and shouting. God cut me loose and for one hour I preached so fast I could hardly get my breath. At the close of the service two people came to the altar. They soon prayed through. While they were praying, Satan suggested to me that I was not called to preach, for I had asked God to put His seal on the call by giving two to be saved, and two to be sanctified. He was putting the damper on. He reminded me that I had asked God not to let any preachers be there. Just then the wife of the man at the altar, said, "We know we are forgiven and Jesus saves us. Can we get sanctified?" I said, "You surely can," and they did. Old Satan went after other tactics while I praised the Lord.
I was saved the third of January, sanctified the thirteenth, started preaching the seventeenth, and from that day until June nineteenth, I missed only three nights in service and preached most of those nights.
I had a fourth grade education, had to spell common words to pronounce them, but God furnished a great Teacher, the Holy Spirit. I read my New Testament through eight times that first year and the entire Bible once, and my teacher in Theology and Homiletics and Doctrine was so perfect in wisdom that I have never cared to change. When I read the best books on these subjects, I say, "Well, the Holy Ghost has already showed me that." Dear readers, there is no substitute for the Holy Ghost. You never will deny the Bible when He is your teacher.
After thirty-four years of being taught by Him and led by Him, I can foresee the fall of any denomination or holiness movement when they go to putting stress upon human teaching and relying upon their own ability, rather than putting the stress on the importance of being filled with the Holy Ghost and led by Him. It isn't long after man starts in the human channel until Satan gets in, causing him to depend upon his learning and higher criticism, lower the standards and permit compromise and worldliness, and the Holy Ghost soon has no place and Jesus gets no glory. Do not misunderstand me; I think we should study and get an education, but we should keep always in the forefront the leadership of the Holy Ghost, and have His anointing and wisdom.
I prayed daily for nearly five months about my call to preach. I wanted to be sure, for I felt the tremendous responsibility of preaching. One evening as I was coming from work, I asked Everett Allen, a colored boy who felt the call to preach, to come down and we would pray until it would be so clear that we would never question it, no matter the test. At 4:00 p.m. we read a few verses from the Bible and got on our knees to pray. We did not stop praying until l:00 am. Heaven and earth never seemed closer -- such power of God, such sacred presence and glory!
After praying for several hours, there came before my vision a wheat field so large that I could not see across it any way I looked. I said, "Lord, what is this vision?" These words came to me, "The harvest is truly ripe. Cast in thy sickle and reap, for one of these sheaves is worth more than the whole world." Just then those heads of wheat became people of every nationality, multitudes and multitudes. Then these words, "Preach the gospel the year around and I will take care of you." I said, "Lord, where shall I start?" A church was shown me, and a number of seekers. We prayed on. My last request was, "Lord, show me my path through life." These words came, "You have asked a hard thing; nevertheless, I will grant it."
Our prayer meeting closed with it settled for all time that I must preach. Many times through these years of preaching I have seen the importance of being sure. I have felt that my first text was for me as well as for others, for many, many times the hand of the wicked has tried to remove me. I have been made to suffer mental agony and physical pain as the hand of the wicked has tried to move me. I have been misunderstood, misrepresented, lied upon, many snares and traps have been laid for me; I have suffered the loss of all things and been left alone to stand on what I knew to be the will of God, suffered perils of false brethren, and had letters written against me, but my God has stood by me. And today, as I suffer loneliness from the human part, I am in an ocean of love of my Lord.
After praying about my call and asking the Lord to show me my path through life, I seemed to be awake. I saw myself climbing a very steep mountain, nearly straight up. I came to a place where I could go no further neither could I safely go back; to try meant that I would fall and be dashed to death on the rocks below. I was holding on by the tips of my lingers. I said, "Lord, help me." I was lifted above that place and found myself standing on a very narrow path. (Let me pause here to say that if you ever start for heaven, you cannot go back when the going gets near impossible.)
On my narrow path, I would say, "Lord, by faith I will take this step and by faith, this one," all the way to the end. This a walk of faith. We are to live by faith, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." Praise Him.
I had not gone far on my narrow path until I stumbled over a small thing. It is usually the small thing that one stumbles over -- not a ten-story building, or a mountain. I then came to an object in my path about waist high. I had some difficulty getting over it. As I walked on by faith, I noticed my path had a light shining on it. I also saw that there were no sides for me to step off on. I was up high and I could see smoke and fire far, far below me. I realized that if I fell from there, I would drop into the fire. I must be careful, but go on by faith.
Soon a very large object stood high on my path. I stopped; I looked at it. There was no way around it. It looked too high to possibly go over. I said, "Lord, I told you I would go through with you at any cost and I mean it, but I cannot go over that." Just then old Satan appeared with a large pick in his hands. He stuck it in the path, which was only about four inches wide. The path gave way and I began to fall backward. When I took a leap, saying, "Lord, I will take this leap," I lit on the path ahead of Satan, and said, "Lord, help me, and I will take this leap." I jumped and caught the top of the object that was in my way. I stayed on my knees until I was across that big obstacle. When I arrived at the other side, I could not see my path, but I could see my light. I said, "Lord, by faith I will go on." I dropped into total blackness up to my neck. When I went to take my first step, there was no path. I reached as far as I could with my foot. I felt the path and said, "Lord, by faith I will take the step." There were several pits in that darkness, but I escaped them all by stepping by faith. Then the darkness began to disappear and just as I could see my path again, I saw a snare and a man's hands. I pushed the snare away and by faith took the next step only to see a big bear trap and a woman's hand holding the chain. I pushed the trap aside and went forward.
Then my path became covered with thorns, sharp briers, and barbed wire tangled among the thorns. I started pressing my way through the thorns. My clothing was torn, and my flesh suffered many cuts and pricks as I pressed on through the entangled mass. It took a long time to go through, and my heart was torn and aching.
I entered a large room in the side of a mountain. Light was coming from a hole in the rock wall. There was no way around this wall. Suddenly, many people, I do not know from where they came, tried to push me back over the edge into the field, but I held my balance. They would pass by and drop over the precipice into the fire -- wave after wave of people going over.
I got up to the small hole in the wall, got down on my knees, and prayed, "O Lord, I have come this far and can go no farther." A voice said, "This is where you die."
It seemed that I was about to pass away when the ceiling above me, like a vapor or steam, then like a white veil, unfolded from the spot. It took form and there stood Jesus. He picked me up in His arms. I was as a little baby. He said, "Preach the gospel the acceptable year around and I will take care of you." He stood me on my feet. I said, "Lord, I am a baby; I cannot stand." He said, "By My grace you can," and I did, and began to run up my path. I then came to full consciousness and was wide awake to think over my path.
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