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Cold Water Podcast
Cold Water Podcast
Dr Cecil Stewart OBE
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Dr Cecil Stewart has an amazing testimony and has had a remarkable life. Dr Cecil has written a book called "What do you mean its impossible?" He has been to many countries to preach the Gospel and ministered to many; today his preachings are a regular feature of Revelation TV with many viewers reaching out for prayer support.
He also writes literature called Hope Builders which is another way to offer encouragement to others.
His web site ccnorg.com has amazing resources.
Transcript
00:00:00 Nicola
I would like to welcome Doctor Cecil Stuart OBE, The Coldwater podcast Hello Doctor Cecil.
00:00:08 Cecil
Good morning,
00:00:12 Nicola
Good morning, I think a good place to start would be with your testimony.
00:00:16 Nicola
Where are you from and when did your journey with the Lord start?
00:00:23 Cecil
Right, well, as you probably know, I'm now in Belfast area, but I was.
00:00:29 Cecil
Born in the Republic
00:00:30 Cecil
Ireland Monaghan
00:00:33 Cecil
On a farm near Monaghan and my journey with the Lord started very early in life. I my decision card says 1954.
00:00:49 Cecil
But I think I.
00:00:52 Cecil
Probably came to the Lord a little efore that and how hard it was very early in life, so I was privileged being the youngest of nine of a family, seven boys and two girls.
00:01:09 Cecil
To have heard the gospel mainly through my mother, because I was brought up in a church which did not preach salvation.
00:01:18 Nicola
Right?
00:01:19 Cecil
To very ritualistic church where, like you know, church of Ireland.
00:01:25 Cecil
There there are of course there are some very good Church of Ireland where they preach salvation
00:01:31 Cecil
And the gospel, but this particular on the rural part of in our area.
00:01:38 Cecil
There was no real presentation of salvation, and the minister told my mother, you don't need any of these other preachers join your church and that's all you need.
00:01:51 Cecil
But she'd had an encounter with the Lord herself, and she and she knew that each and every one of us need a relationship with the Lord, and that that is what changed my life.
00:02:03 Nicola
That's amazing.
00:02:04 Nicola
She sounds a wonderful, wonderful woman and you've gone from strength to strength with with that faith.
00:02:11 Cecil
Well we had many, many challenges.
00:02:15 Cecil
In my earlier years and I used to cycle to prayer meetings with my brother and brother Herby and he he would have taken me to different prayer meetings.
00:02:25 Cecil
I was quite a lot younger than him and.
00:02:29 Cecil
I was touched greatly in prayer meetings of farmhouses and.
00:02:34 Cecil
Course through the permitting, the farmer said it had a real divine encounter with the Holy Spirit and.
00:02:41 Cecil
Later I received the baptism.
00:02:45 Cecil
And that that was a tremendous change.
00:02:48 Cecil
And then our First Crusade was in my hometown of Monaghan in a big tent.
00:02:57 Cecil
And then at that point been living in Belfast and I was in the motor business.
00:03:04 Cecil
But I had a heart to reach out to.
00:03:07 Cecil
Different community is another. The very first and out of reach, which happened in a big tent near Monaghan and that was 1965 and it was such an awakening of the Holy Spirit that it was to be 3rd to 10th of August. But we've run for three whole weeks.
00:03:15 Nicola
Right?
00:03:28 Cecil
Every night.
00:03:30 Cecil
And hundreds of people queued in that tent every single night, many being touched it saved, healed, filling the Holy Spirit transformed.
00:03:41 Cecil
And it was an awakening.
00:03:44 Cecil
I didn't realize how powerful it was until you know, we saw the results and saw what was happening and so I had said to the Lord before every went there
00:03:57 Cecil
If you make this crusade.
00:03:59 Cecil
Something like I've never known, then I'll take it that you want me to let my motor business go and free myself up to ministerial travel so that was really confirmation of that.
00:04:18 Cecil
But after that.
00:04:20 Cecil
There was a major attack of the enemy, and of course the enemy always comes against us. Whenever we're embarking on a new journey of obedience and dedication for the Kingdom. And so in 1966 I was.
00:04:42 Cecil
Taken ill, very ill first was bronchitis and then
00:04:46 Cecil
tuberculosis and very anxious and it came to a point where I was very depressed and the TB was affecting me.
00:04:58 Cecil
Very bad pain.
00:05:00 Cecil
I was also told to.
00:05:01 Cecil
Isolated from.
00:05:03 Cecil
My work and I'd have to go to the sanatorium for six months at least.
00:05:09
Right?
00:05:09 Cecil
And that was at a crucial time in my life because.
00:05:15 Cecil
Evelyn, who is a nurse.
00:05:17 Cecil
Had just qualified. She was my girlfriend. Then we were planning to get married the next year in September 67.
00:05:26 Cecil
but we were both ill.
00:05:28 Cecil
She took will also having just completed exams and been given the all clear for to receive a certificate for registered Nurse.
00:05:40 Cecil
She was over the moon and delighted, but we were both hit within a matter of months with the same attack, and hers was.
00:05:50 Cecil
Very, very serious because quote Hodgkin's disease, a type of cancer of the glands.
00:05:56 Cecil
And they told her we cannot.
00:06:00 Cecil
We cannot do anything for you.
00:06:01 Cecil
We will give you chemotherapy.
00:06:05 Cecil
And radio, radio and different other treatments looked at the textbook and find out that most people with this particular kind of disease died within two years.
00:06:18 Nicola
Right?
00:06:19 Cecil
And so on.
00:06:20 Cecil
The edge of our wedding plans.
00:06:22 Cecil
We were advised
00:06:23 Cecil
not to even consider that at all.
00:06:27 Cecil
And Evelyn was not expected to live.
00:06:30 Cecil
I will also suffering with TB still depressed.
00:06:34 Cecil
But a man came all the way from England.
00:06:40 Cecil
Arthur Burt
00:06:42 Cecil
You might have heard of him many years ago anyway.
00:06:46 Cecil
He he came and prayed for me.
00:06:50 Cecil
And he said, I've come to tell you that your life is not over 'cause I thought I was finished and this is your life is not over because he said God has a call from you and you're going to travel and win many people.
00:07:05 Cecil
SO would give me a tremendous lift.
00:07:08 Cecil
Then I was reminded of psalm 40.
00:07:12 Cecil
David said I was done in a horrible pit.
00:07:15 Cecil
But he said he, I cried to the Lord in the depths of that despair.
00:07:20 Cecil
And he said he brought me up also out of a horrible pit.
00:07:25 Cecil
And other than mirey clay he put a new song in my mouth, even praises to the Lord.
00:07:33 Cecil
And many shall see it and trust in the Lord.
00:07:36 Cecil
You know I pslam 40 when there was a marvelous marvelous transformation.
00:07:42 Cecil
It wasn't an instant freedom because I still had
00:07:45 Cecil
Pain in my lung.
00:07:47 Cecil
I was still tired over the sanatorium, but I felt so much.
00:07:52 Cecil
Lifted my spirits high.
00:07:54 Cecil
I told him no, I I'm not going to the sanitorium I'm going to be OK.
00:07:59 Cecil
So when went and spent some time with my sister and and cut a Long story short inside, if you want about two to three months, I was totally clear all the TB. I went for test to local.
00:08:15 Cecil
Clinic, government, owned clinic and they checked my long actually add me and said, well the TB is no longer active.
00:08:25 Cecil
The star is still in their lungs.
00:08:27 Cecil
But the TB is no longer active.
00:08:30 Cecil
And so that was at first big step
00:08:35 Cecil
back to health.
00:08:37 Cecil
And Evelyn at this time going through her treatment, she was devastated anyway to take times down at all too long, but the end of the story is that I was such free and depression lifted over a period of weeks and months.
00:08:56 Cecil
And Evelyn
00:08:57 Cecil
With others we went together and prayed and she was healed.
00:09:06 Cecil
They they couldn't believe it went on for quite a while actually.
00:09:11 Cecil
We went ahead with the wedding, but the told her it would come back again and they wouldn't.
00:09:17 Cecil
Give any hope.
00:09:18 Cecil
And even the specialist later on in years later it did.
00:09:24 Cecil
When it did return, he told he told me that her days were numbered.
00:09:31 Cecil
But anyway, we had a prayer meeting with friends and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon her and healing work.
00:09:39 Cecil
Jesus flowed to her and the growth in the throat which had
00:09:45 Cecil
I think she had not been able to eat of drink for about.
00:09:49 Cecil
Close to three weeks, right?
00:09:51 Cecil
She was desperately ill.
00:09:53 Cecil
But anyway, we came back home after that prayer meeting and found her.
00:10:00 Cecil
Her throat lump was gone and she was able to have.
00:10:05 Cecil
Normal breakfast and the specialist couldn't understand it.
00:10:09 Cecil
It kept bringing about every week and every month.
00:10:15 Cecil
I went on for years and all traces of cancer was gone totally from her body and after all these yea
00:10:25 Cecil
You know, we've traveled.
00:10:26 Cecil
Probably, you know, in Africa ministered, and this is like Romania, Italy.
00:10:33 Cecil
Earlier than that I administered in Germany and Sweden.
00:10:39 Cecil
And on and on in places like.
00:10:44 Cecil
What do you call it?
00:10:47 Cecil
Brussels and we still ministered
00:10:51 Cecil
Although with the lockdown it has restricted us
00:10:55 Cecil
So I'll stop here.
00:10:58 Nicola
No, absolutely not
00:11:00 Nicola
And it's an amazing testimony and and you have ministered to me on lockdown because I've been watching you.
00:11:07 Nicola
And so, yes, so you know I'm I've seen you on on on on Facebook so you know you're still ministering.
00:11:17 Nicola
And you know, I'm I'm I have.
00:11:19 Nicola
I've done some research and I I know that you.
00:11:22 Nicola
I learned you had successful company.
00:11:25 Nicola
And how has being a Christian helped you with the industry that you've been in, and would you like to talk about that, you know?
00:11:32 Cecil
Sorry, could you repeat that?
00:11:34 Nicola
Yeah, and yet.
00:11:35 Nicola
Has God helped you in your industry?
00:11:38 Cecil
Oh my goodness, my goodness, help is a is an understatement caught us in everything to me.
00:11:47 Cecil
We we we need to start with the nursing home Evelyn and me in 1968 and and you know people asked me for years in Africa in different places. How can you be a man of God and be in business?
00:12:03 Cecil
And I said, well, I couldn't tell you anything much about that except to say.
00:12:09 Cecil
God has allowed me to minister and preach and also blessed me in the business world and we have developed what became the largest nursing home groups privately owned in the UK.
00:12:22 Cecil
Yeah, and and God has guided us and lead us in terms of even how to find the right sites and even appointing key people to new position for when we developed the various homes over over a 30 year period.
00:12:42 Cecil
So God.
00:12:43 Cecil
Guidance is absolutely.
00:12:46 Cecil
Crucial in every area of our lives.
00:12:48 Cecil
Whether it's.
00:12:51 Cecil
Personal family life, or whether it's our own decisions about ministry.
00:12:57 Cecil
Our business God is.
00:12:59 Cecil
He is the maker of all things and he is Lord of all
00:13:02 Nicola
Yeah, yeah, that's that's right.
00:13:04 Nicola
And we've got proverbs 31 to prove that.
00:13:07 Nicola
And the proverbs 31 wife you know she's quite lucrative, isn't she?
00:13:15 Nicola
You know she and it's God wants us to be successful.
00:13:20 Nicola
He breathes in to us that, our days are to be successful and you know, for him for his glory.
00:13:28 Nicola
So that is absolutely wonderful that you've done this and what what aspects of being an evangelist have you enjoyed the most.
00:13:37 Cecil
Well, I I love I love the crusades of course, and when the.
00:13:44 Cecil
I suppose adventures of Lord is knowing that the Holy Spirit with us at the word of the Lord.
00:13:51 Cecil
He's alive that when we get on that platform others in Africa locally or wherever it is whether its thousands or where ever it is or a small Group One thing you know when you're speaking.
00:14:03 Cecil
Under the annointing that that word is going to change lives at the seat of that word will bring light and and the gospel is the power of God
00:14:13 Cecil
Unto salvation to everyone who believes and so to see people responding and coming to salvation.
00:14:21 Cecil
That is fantastic.
00:14:22 Cecil
That is the most fulfilling thing you can ever do in life.
00:14:27 Cecil
And when you're scattering the seed of the word on you see people responding to the word and being set free and not only are we seeing people feed, Holy spirit people filled.
00:14:42 Cecil
And healed from diseases, depression, anxiety and seeing the works of the Devil broken off people lives.
00:14:51 Cecil
And families reconciled.
00:14:53 Cecil
It's all part of the gospel.
00:14:55 Nicola
It is and how do you find preaching in the UK as opposed to preaching somewhere like Africa?
00:15:03 Nicola
What's the difference?
00:15:04 Nicola
Do you find in in in our response.
00:15:10 Cecil
Sorry
00:15:10 Nicola
The difference, what's the difference in response that?
00:15:13 Nicola
We have in the.
00:15:14 Nicola
UK to Africa, for instance.
00:15:17 Nicola
Our attitude to the Godfather.
00:15:17 Cecil
Yeah, it it it it?
00:15:20 Cecil
It is, it is completely different.
00:15:22 Cecil
I mean when we first went to Africa.
00:15:26 Cecil
And we were asked to go to Niarobi
00:15:28 Cecil
There will be and.
00:15:31 Cecil
We were absolutely amazed because.
00:15:34 Cecil
And hunger when they've been broadcasting on television there for years.
00:15:38 Cecil
And as the hunger of the African people for the word was amazing and the the response was amazing because when you preach, for example, in the big crusades and you pour.
00:15:54 Cecil
Their heart out and pour messages like the light of life Jesus is the light of life
00:16:01 Cecil
And when people hear that and hear the word and the testimonies, they immediately run to the front.
00:16:10 Cecil
You may have seen some of the footage, but they they run when they don't have to be coaxed and they receive healing very easily and they respond to the Holy Spirit
00:16:20 Cecil
Of course, many of these people.
00:16:22 Cecil
In countries of Africa have suffered with demonic oppression, they have sometimes been under curses and been mixed up in the occult they see the deliverance of Jesus brings.
00:16:37 Cecil
And they are absolutely 100%.
00:16:41 Cecil
Yes, I love ministering where there's a great hunger and thirst and we've gone through many many different country like Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana and all over Africa.
00:16:56 Cecil
Wherever we've gone in Africa especially the response has been.
00:17:01 Cecil
Amazing and and the pastors conferences as well, where we would have several 1000 leaders and pastors to see then encouraged or example one in Uganda.
00:17:14 Cecil
A pastor who was.
00:17:16 Cecil
Leading a very large church, he came to me at the end of the meeting in Kampala and he said I have been so blessed to be here, he said, but I'm I'm giving up the ministry.
00:17:30 Cecil
He said I cannot take it anymore.
00:17:33 Cecil
He said too many funerals people dying from AIDS.
00:17:39 Cecil
Depression and suicidal, the poverty.
00:17:44 Cecil
It says.
00:17:44 Cecil
I have so many.
00:17:46 Cecil
Feeling I can't cope with it all and he said I'm giving up the ministry.
00:17:52 Cecil
And I I was totally shocked.
00:17:55 Cecil
So without even giving it much thought.
00:17:57 Cecil
I I said out of my heart.
00:18:00 Cecil
Pastor why, why he's giving up because who was it that had called you to the ministry and he said oh the Lord definitely called me because I've seen such life change.
00:18:13 Cecil
I said look, did the Lord take away the call?
00:18:16 Cecil
I I said no.
00:18:18 Cecil
I said well then we're going to pray that you’ll given the strength and power, you will not be giving up the ministry God is going to give you a renewal and and you're going to see greater things in the future.
00:18:31 Cecil
And this is the work of the enemy.
00:18:33 Cecil
And anyway cut Long story short.
00:18:36 Cecil
We spent time with him and he kept coming to conferences and which were in the morning and then we'd have their crusades in the afternoon.
00:18:46 Cecil
When he told us a year later.
00:18:48 Cecil
He said, I remember running into the platform and saying I'm not the same man as I was a year ago.
00:18:56 Cecil
I was going to give up, he said.
00:18:58 Cecil
But I'm a new man.
00:19:00 Cecil
And I'm better at heart with the Lord than ever before.
00:19:04 Nicola
He needed batteries.
00:19:05 Nicola
Recharge really.
00:19:06 Cecil
That's right, they needed.
00:19:08 Cecil
They needed to just share the burden and and to receive the power of the Holy Spirit.
00:19:14 Cecil
Those kind of stories are than people who thought they were onto to affect many, many others?
00:19:22 Cecil
And you know, we're telling many stories.
00:19:26 Cecil
Hey, you know, like like the one in?
00:19:29 Cecil
I think it was.
00:19:34 Cecil
What the big city David?
00:19:39 Cecil
Mombassa
00:19:43 Cecil
There was such strife between the leaders and there was about 6000 leaders had come together, but they've never met like that before, and.
00:19:52 Cecil
And they were all surprised that the people who had been working with were surprised anyway.
00:19:59 Cecil
The Bishop said I want to tell you before you come into reach that we love to hate each other here I I said, well, that's a bit of Northern Ireland I, I said, but God can change all that.
00:20:15 Cecil
So anyway, I spoke in Mombasa.
00:20:19 Cecil
I believe it is overcoming offence and the Holy Spirit just flowed and it was amazing how how the culture divide and the difference between the different tribes.
00:20:33 Cecil
And political differences.
00:20:35 Cecil
Yes, all of that.
00:20:38 Cecil
And then at the end I made an appealing the holy Spirit just over ruled the whole thing, and crowds of leaders rushed to the.
00:20:47 Cecil
Front, he'd never been under the one roof before and and they repented and put things right and wept
00:20:54 Cecil
It went and reconciled with each other.
00:20:57 Cecil
And and the beginning of a revival in Mombasa.
00:21:02 Nicola
That's wonderful.
00:21:02 Cecil
Yeah, because several months later we were in Arusha and.
00:21:09 Cecil
InTanzania and they came to tell us the transformation that happened and then started regular and leaders conferences every couple of months.
00:21:23 Cecil
And the Lord was moving in a mighty way.
00:21:26 Nicola
Wow, well yeah I'm going cold
00:21:30 Nicola
I would like you to close.
00:21:32 Nicola
As with with appeal please if that's OK.
00:21:35 Nicola
And then he he doesn't know, know the Lord, and he got perfect vocabulary for that.
00:21:41 Nicola
So thank you.
00:21:42 Cecil
Certainly for anyone today who does not know Jesus.
00:21:43 Nicola
Thank you.
00:21:48 Cecil
You've never really had any encounter with the Lord and known his power.
00:21:54 Cecil
You may not have assurance of salvation.
00:21:57 Cecil
I would invite you right now to say from your heart.
00:22:02 Cecil
Lord Jesus I repent of my sins.
00:22:07 Cecil
I thank you that you died on the cross for me.
00:22:10 Cecil
You took all my guilt and all my sin.
00:22:14 Cecil
And I surrender to you today.
00:22:17 Cecil
Acknowledging that you died and rose again and you now my savior, I received the gift of eternal life.
00:22:26 Cecil
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
00:22:30 Cecil
Amen
00:22:30 Nicola
that was perfect.
00:22:33 Nicola
Thank you
00:22:34 Nicola
Yeah well I'll say goodbye and hope to see you again.
00:22:38 Nicola
Thank you.
00:22:39 Cecil
Yeah, thank you and if you want to have let these be seen by your people, yes change in choice.
00:22:47 Cecil
Yes, settling uncertainties and.
00:22:52 Cecil
Divine awareness.
00:22:55 Cecil
You have a website CCN website.
00:22:59 Nicola
Thank you, thank you, thank you Doctor Cecil
00:23:02 Cecil
Thank you for the opportunity.
00:23:04 Cecil
God bless you.A