RR: God, I thank You for Wayman, for his witness and for the athletic ability You’ve placed in his heart. Lord, I thank You for Ted Owens as our athletic director. I pray a double portion anointing to be upon him as he leads our entire athletic program. Lord, we are in athletics for a reason, and that is to be a witness for Jesus Christ, that the young men and the young women who represent this university, Oral Roberts University, would always be a witness, a bold witness. For the Bible says to go into every man’s world, preach the gospel. Lord, there are lots of people that are in the athletic world and they’ve not been reached for Jesus Christ. May we be an extension of Your hand to reach them for Jesus Christ and to make a_ difference, but not just a difference, to make the___ difference in their lives. I thank You, Father, for the Spirit of God that I feel upon me right now. And I want to say a special word to those of you that are young persons and perhaps those of you that are older persons who have either been experimenting with drugs or you’ve been offered drugs and you don’t know what to do. Perhaps there’s been all kinds of peer pressure on you that you must take them or that you won’t be one of the crowd. I want to say something to you. In my lifetime I’ve been offered many things. When I was a high school student, when I was a college student I was offered drugs. Yes, even back in the sixties there were a lot of drugs that were going around. They didn’t make the national headlines like they did in the seventies and the eighties, but they were going on. They were available to me any time I wanted them. And even though I was not serving Christ at the time, something inside me told me not to do it. Now I know now that was not a something, that was a Someone. That was the Holy Spirit. The Spirit moved on me to stay away from that. And then there came a day when I received Christ as my personal Savior. I was deeply involved in athletics. I played basketball in high school. I played golf in high school on teams. I love athletics. I’ve always loved athletics and played sports. But I avoided drugs. And I want to say this word and it’s a strong word and it’s a good word for you, pay no attention to the young person who comes up to you and says, “You’re not going to make it, you’re not going to be in the group, in the click, unless you take drugs.” Pay no attention to that. That’s a lie of the devil. Disassociate yourself with that person. Now that’s what Wayman said. He said, “I didn’t do it to try to be better than anybody else.” He just said, “I knew that wasn’t for me.” Put that thing aside. And also, for the person who would come up to you and say, “You will be a better athlete, you’ll perform better if you’re high while you’re playing sports.” That’s also a lie of the devil. Don’t swallow that. Forget it. Put it aside. God has given you all of the ability that you need. And the way to get more of that ability out is to take the coaches that you work with and allow them to work with you. Here is a young man who is a star in the NBA, but here this summer he’s been here and he’s been some right here on our campus talking and working always trying to improve himself, but not through drugs and alcohol and things of that nature. You can live without it. That’s a good will set you free.” (Applause) Praise God. Wayman, God bless you for your strong witness. Ted, God bless you for your strong witness.
RR: Well, let’s, in these moments we have before we close our program today, let’s join hands together and let’s pray. And I don’t know if this has happened on live television before or not, but I’m going to ask an athletic director and a star of the National Basketball Association and a pregnant woman and an evangelist all to pray together. Let’s all just have a brief word of prayer and just whatever’s on your heart. Ted, would you just lead a prayer first.
TO: Our dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this day and thank You for allowing us to have Wayman on this television show to share his witness for You, Christ. And dear Heavenly Father, go with him in his NBA career and help him continue to touch the lives of many, many people.
RR: Wayman, would you particularly pray for young people that are watching this program right now.
WT: Dear Heavenly Father, just one of Your sons coming to you asking You for help for the young people around the world, asking You to bless them and keep them away from the drugs, keep them away from bad habits and keep them away from all hurt, harm and danger. Dear Heavenly Father, we realize that You hold everything in Your hands and we ask You to bless us as we live each day through this terrible world. Dear God, just thank You for my blessing my career as You have already and just ask You tocontinue to bless it. Thank You.
RR: Lindsay.
LR: Father, I pray for every young athlete. I pray for everyone that thinks that they have to go out and prove something through athletics. But I pray that they will know that God loves them and they don’t have to prove anything. They don’t have to become anything, but first become a child of God. And when they get God s their Source, the rest will become easy. I pray, Lord, for their self-image, that they aren’t trying to go out there to prove to the world who they are, but just as Wayman did, go out and prove something really wonderful, that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. And, Lord, I pray that the young people of this time of athletics would have the boldness to get up and say, yes, I know Jesus as my Lord and Savior and I’m not going to be ashamed of it. And, no, I don’t want anything to do with drugs and Tisdale and say, if he can do it and become a great basketball player, a great athlete and yet a great witness for God, then so can I. I pray that young people today would be encouraged to stand up for the rights in Jesus Christ and put down the drugs and not be ashamed of it, but have holy boldness, in Jesus’ name.
RR: Praise God for that. (Applause) Ted, as the men’s basketball coach and as the athletic director, give us a little preview of this coming year because not long after the NBA season begins, the college season will be beginning and we’ll be right in the heart of basketball by late November here at ORU. Say a word about what, what you feel in your heart about athletics at
ORU in general and also about basketball in particular.
TO: Well, I’m excited about our overall program. Number one, is that we have a group of people that are really working together. Jack Wallace joined us on our staff and is my associate director. We’re just hiring an outstanding marketing man, and so we’re developing a team. And if you expect to have a team on the floor, you have to have a team working in administration. And we’re getting that altogether and we feel that our purpose is just what we talked about earlier, is to serve this ministry. It’s to witness on the court and on the baseball diamond or in whatever endeavor, is to witness for this ministry. We’ve taken some giant strides in the last year. Not only are we a much better basketball team coming into this year. Incidentally, I think that we’ll be 50% maybe better than we were a year ago. I believe then the following year that we’ll be a real national power.
RR: Going to hold you to that, Ted.
TO: You bet. I’m cutting my own throat there.
RR: Wayman, we need your help.
LR: How many brothers do you have?
RR: Do you have any brothers that can play?
WT: No, I’m the youngest.
RR: Oh, you’re the youngest. TO: I’ve been excited, Wayman came out to see me early in the summer and he said, “Coach, I’m no longer the biggest big man on the court. There are the Jabbars and the great big players.” And so he’s converting to being an outside player. And we’ve had a lot of fun this summer. We spent a great deal of time together working on his outside game. And believe me, he’s going to be ever bit as effective outside in time as he is inside. (Applause) But it’s a joy, it’s an inspiration to me to work with him every day and to share, and you can just feel the Spirit of God in Wayman. I tell all our players, when you’re playing don’t let anything bother you. Don’t let your opponent–like the commercial says, don’t let them see you sweat. Well, that’s the way Wayman played. He was the best example of that of any player I’ve ever seen.
And your dad shared something with me. He said, “Terry, the Bible teaches about the gifts of healings. Gifts is plural and healings is plural.” (Yes, it is) And he said, “There are many different delivery systems that God brings healing,” and that’s why we’ve got this beautiful City of Faith here. This is bringing healing to the sick. Your ministry is bringing healing to the sick. My ministry is bringing healing to the sick, all different delivery systems. And that’s why I’m so tied in with the program here. I’m so excited about the university and what God’s doing in the hospital.
We’re saying something to the nation. We’re letting the nation know that God is a healing God. He’s reaching out. He’s touching you. He’s ministering to you right now where you are. And there’s a healing power. Right now this program is dedicated to healing. This young man, the anointing and ministry of God, the touch of God on his life, is dedicated to reach out and touch you. And God’s doing it today. Praise God for that.
You know, Terry, I am reminded. I said it’s not in the Bible, but as you talk I’m reminded of the Scripture where it says, “He sent his word and healed them.” (Amen) Now that’s what we’re doing today on this program. We’re sending forth God’s Word. We’re not bringing you our words. We’re bringing you the Word of God. (Amen, praise the Lord) And the Bible says that the Word of God will not come back void. God watches over His Word to perform it.
And God’s Word, the Bible says in Hebrews 4:12, is alive and full of power. It’s active. It’s active in your life. You say, well I don’t feel His power. Well, friend, just stay tuned. In a moment we’re going to pray. And when we pray, I’m expecting something to begin in your life. I really am. (Amen) Terry, you said that you are tied into this ministry, and I believe you are. You and I have known each other since we attended Oral Roberts University. You’ve been around the world many times preaching the gospel.
And I wish you’d share an experience that has just happened. You’ve taken teams, evangelistic teams throughout the world, especially behind the Iron Curtain. You probably have had more success for Jesus behind the Iron Curtain than anyone I know. And something happened this week. One of your team members, a Soviet citizen, was killed in a plane crash in Russia.
There’s been very little, virtually nothing said about it in the news. But you received word, some special word, and I wish you’d share about that and let the people know and call us to pray for it.
And, friend, I stretch out my hands to you today to pray. I
come against that thing that’s attacking you. I come against the
fear. God has not given you the spirit of fear, but of power and
of love and of a sound mind. I come against that fear, that fear
that has come to attack your faith. I pray in the name of Jesus
for you to be healed. I demand that the fear leave you and I
pray for the faith that God has placed inside you and, yes,
friend, you have all the faith you’re ever going to need. What
you need to do now is to take that faith and let it go to God. I
pray for that fear, that fear to be cast out of your life and for
you to be healed today and for you to know, to know, to know that
the fear is gone. I come against the discouragement. You may be
so discouraged in your life that you say, well what’s the use?
What’s the use? Friend, there is a use. God has something for
you to do. God’s not finished with you yet. And I pray for you
today to be healed, to be healed, from the crown of your head to
the soles of your feet. I speak to the sickness and disease in
your body. I’ve given a number of words of knowledge today.
Terry has. Lindsay has. I know God is confirming His Word with
miracles. I pray for you. I’m called of God to pray for you. I
didn’t start this program just to come out here and sit in front
of the City of Faith just to see what subjects Terry and I or
Lindsay and I could talk about. That’s not why we’re here. We’re
here because of the healing power of God.
Today and I focus my faith in on your needs. Someone is receiving
a healing in your ear and also pain on the right side of your
neck is being healed right now. I focus my faith. In the name
of Jesus Christ, I pray for you to be delivered today. For those
of you who have some habit in your life that you want to give up.
Maybe there’s something in your life you’d like to give up. I’m
not talking about something that’s going to send you to hell. I’m
just talking about there’s something in your life you’d like to
give up. Maybe you’d like to give up cigarette smoking like that
woman whose letter I read. Maybe you’d like to give up alcohol.
Maybe you’re on drugs. Maybe there’s something. Maybe you’ve
been lying. Maybe you’ve cheated somebody. Maybe you’ve taken
something that doesn’t belong to you. Maybe there’s something
else. Maybe you’ve had a cross word with somebody and you feel
like they owe you an apology but inside you know you need to be
the one apologizing. I pray for you today. I pray for God to
deliver you of that thing. And if there’s some situation in your
life that you need to go and make right and you feel like someone
else needs to start first, I pray that you’d do what I’ve made up
my mind to do in those kind of situations, even when I feel that
someone has offended me or hurt me, that I’ll go to them. I’ll
go to them and ask them to forgive me. And, friend, when you do
that, I believe that situation can begin to be healed. I really
believe that. I’m expecting it in your life. I pray for those of
you who have never accepted Christ as your personal Savior. Just
lay your hand on yourself and pray this prayer out loud, as
everyone prays this prayer. O Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.
I’m a sinner, Lord, and I’m sorry. I repent. I change my mind.
I turn my back on the sin. I confess it. I’m sorry. I receive
Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Come into my heart, Lord
Jesus. Save my soul. Fill me with Your Spirit. Put that joy in
my life. I receive Christ right now. Friend, if you’re praying
this prayer and you mean it, I mean you’re sincere, Jesus is
entering your heart and you’ll never be the same again. So many
thousands of people have come to Jesus through this program. Oh,
I praise God. I praise God. I praise God, Terry.