Tonight on The Hal Lindsey Report
Maybe you haven't noticed, but we're in the throes of another election season! It seems there's a candidate debate every couple of days. Debates must really be lucrative for the networks!
Nonetheless, as I've listened to the endless hype and constant harping, it occurred to me that we should pause amidst the bluster to thank God for this wonderful nation and the bounteous blessings He has bestowed upon her.
That simple act of remembrance set me to thinking that it is wise for us to pause occasionally to remember other things that are important in our lives, as well.
That's what I want to do this week. I want to take some time to reflect on how God miraculously raised up "The Hal Lindsey Report." And in so doing, I want to publicly thank Him for His faithfulness to supply all of our needs over the last ten years. And He chose to do it through you.
Recently, "The Hal Lindsey Report" reached a couple of major milestones. We aired our 500th edition in September, 2015. Then, in early February, 2016, we celebrated our tenth year on the air.
However, in late October, 2011, "The Hal Lindsey Report" presented edition #300. This week, I want to present the program we produced in celebration of that milestone.
We launched "The Hal Lindsey Report" in February, 2006. At the end of 2005, through circumstances beyond my control, I found myself without a weekly television program for the first time in almost a decade. I had produced "The International Intelligence Briefing" at Trinity Broadcasting Network since the mid-'90's.
But now, I stood at a crossroads. I didn't feel my television ministry was over, but I did not have the resources to begin a new one from scratch. At TBN, the network provided the production facilities, the producer/director, the crew, and the airtime -- which, alone, was more than I could afford. In return, all contributions received by the network from donors wanting to support the show went directly into TBN's coffers.
As a result, when I made the painful decision to leave the network, I didn't even have the funds to make a pilot program, much less the tens of thousands of dollars it takes to purchase airtime. On top of that, networks require programmers to contract for specified periods of time, which makes the amounts required even higher!
During this time, I was teaching a weekly Bible study at a church in Palm Desert, California. The study was sponsored by a ministry which serves seniors 50 years and older. During the fall and winter season (which is the prime season in the resort area surrounding Palm Springs), up to 700 people attended the study each week.
One night, I casually mentioned that God was speaking to me about starting a new television program in the same "news, commentary, and prophetic perspective" format as "The International Intelligence Briefing" at TBN. I told the audience that I felt God was not finished with this part of my ministry, but I had absolutely no way to begin. So I asked them to pray with me about it. I then proceeded to the Bible study.
A gentleman in the audience was visiting from Oregon. He had come to Palm Springs to purchase a Ferrari. Just in case you're not up on your expensive Italian automobiles, a Ferrari is an expensive Italian automobile!
After the session, my friend who organized and moderated the weekly study came up to me. He told me that after the meeting a gentleman had approached him and handed him a check. This fellow said that he had come to the desert to buy a Ferrari, but God spoke to him and told him to help Hal launch his television program instead. So he did.
When I opened the check, I almost fainted. It was made out for $100,000.
There's an old missionary saying that I believe is the gospel truth: "Where God guides, He provides. Where He leads, He feeds." God had been guiding me to begin a new television ministry, and now He had provided!
With that initial contribution, we were able to secure a place to produce the new program, hire a producer/director, and buy enough airtime on two small Christian networks to get started. And we've never looked back. God has provided every step of the way.
Today, "The Hal Lindsey Report" is broadcast on three major international networks, a regional network, and several independent stations. It is available in more than 90% of the homes in America -- and on multiple channels in more than half of those homes. It is seen around the world in almost 200 nations, territories, and protectorates. It is accessible 24/7 on the internet and is now carried as a radio program 9 times each week in Israel!
God has miraculously provided for this ministry, but He has done it through you. Without your faithful and remarkably consistent prayer and financial support, we could never have made it to edition #300 (and now to #525), much less see this grow into a worldwide ministry. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for your generosity and faithfulness. I thank God; I thank you; and I thank God for you.
In observance of this milestone, I am going to share with you my reflections on a Biblical account that I think holds a special message for viewers and supporters of "The Hal Lindsey Report." When God called Gideon to defend Israel and deliver it from the Midianites and Amalekites, He chose to do it in a way that was guaranteed to bring all the glory to Himself. Rather than allow Gideon to raise a formidable army to challenge the hundreds of thousands that the enemy had assembled, God showed Gideon a simple test that would produce the group that He wanted to use.
When it was complete, only 300 men were left. And those were exactly the ones God wanted. He used that tiny group to win a great victory over a massive army. In doing so, God left no doubt that it was He who had delivered Israel.
You probably think you've already made the connection. 300 men. 300 editions. Well, it goes a bit deeper than that. For me, the parallel is not the number, but the qualities demonstrated by the men Gideon chose. I see those same qualities in you, the regular viewers and faithful supporters of this ministry.
Tune in this week and find out what that real connection is. Maybe you'll learn if you would have been one of the 300 that Gideon chose. I believe those same traits are what God is looking for in us in these last days.
Thanks again for doing your part in reaching this important milestone and for standing with me as a "watchman on the wall." Only God knows the reward you will share in Heaven for your role in winning thousands -- maybe millions -- through the worldwide witness of "The Hal Lindsey Report."
Don't miss this week's Report here Sunday
God Bless,
Hal Lindsey
