Creflo Dollar - Loving the Unlovable
Good morning. In 2015, we featured a young woman on "Your World" who showed everyone what forgiveness really means. She survived unthinkable horrors at the hands of her father, including sexual molestation and the horrific murder of her mother. She appeared on the program and spoke to him through our cameras and let him know that she was now living within the grace of God, and she was filled with love and forgiveness for him. Since then, she has put this forgiveness into action by loving the unlovable. Now, our guest is returning to "Your World" after the recent death of her father. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here before you now to tell you that you will not find a greater example of the forgiveness and grace of God than in this woman's actions. I'm Creflo Dollar, and this is "Your World".
Creflo: Our guest today has nearly redefined what it means to forgive someone. Ladies and gentlemen, would you please help me welcome our guest, Alese Jackson, back to "Your World". Good morning. Man, I can't believe it's been almost four years, hasn't it?
Alese: It has.
Creflo: It's four years. Good to see you.
Alese: Thank you.
Creflo: Almost four years since we did that last show. Well, you know the drill, then, and let me tell you that show impacted me. Since you made a decision to forgive your father, do you ever regret the decision you made to forgive him?
Alese: No.
Creflo: And to catch our audience up on what we're getting ready to talk about today, this is gonna be pretty amazing. Some of the things that we shared on the last show, for you to get ahold of what she's getting ready to share with us, I wanna review just the level of forgiveness. For example, you know, we talked about your father beat your mother to death, sexual molestation since eight years old, near-death beatings, pregnancies that ended up in abortions by her father, attempted to kill her.
I remember when you were talking about jumping out of the window, then how you were forced to enter prostitution to try to make money and how your friend was abducted for two days. I had to recall all of that. Kidnapped your friend and raped her for two days, and it just seems like even though he would get to prison, it just seemed like it was not long enough, and he would just keep getting out. What would you have us to know, some of the things? Because I want them to see the power of God's love in what you're gonna share today as you update us. What are you thinking is important for people who hadn't seen the last show, some things for them to really know to get the heartbeat of what you have gone through?
Alese: Well, yes, to at four years old to be traumatized watching, you know, your mother get beat to death in front of you and not to understand what was happening, but to see that there your father, who's the monster that's supposed to be your father, is the one that's doing it. And then, to go on after he goes to prison for a short, limited time and come home, to then start coming after me, showing me, you know, nude photos of himself, and beating me for no reason. And then, finally, you know, having his way with me, and then to be pregnant at 12, then to have people thinking that I was out sleeping around when it was his, then to have the baby who was stillborn, and then to become pregnant three more times after the fact.
And me going to get abortions for it, which really tore me apart and my self-esteem, and so when I finally did get the opportunity to run away I went from the frying pan into the fire, 'cause I went from there to... I actually went to go run away with my savior who I thought was a boyfriend in Jersey, and I ended up getting raped and beat there and then from there I went to the Bronx and then I ran into my son's father. Ultimately, he turned out to be a pimp, and I was on the street from 17 to 19, and then all the while I'm blaming my dad, because if you hadn't done what you'd done from all the abuse, then I wouldn't have ended up where I was, and all the beatings, and even on the street got kidnapped. So, I am just so grateful to God to even be here and, you know, my dad just was a monster to me, because, again, he would be quoting Scriptures from the Bible, so that made me not even look at God. And so...
Creflo: So, he would quote Scriptures. You heard the Scriptures, and so, I mean, that had to do something and have an impact on when you heard people talk about God and how you need to have God, because it's like, "Hey, it's like a monster is quoting Scriptures to me. Are all you guys like him"?
Alese: Exactly.
Creflo: Wow. It has the same impact on me hearing this and recalling all this as it had four years ago. I'm really excited about today because I wanna know how you do this. Did you ever hate him?
Alese: I hated him to the point... well, not only did I try to kill myself. I tried to kill him, too, and he was like, "No, this tastes funny. Give me something else". And I was like, "Mm," you know? My attempt was, "Can I kill you and get away with it? How can I kill you and get away with it? Because, you know, the beatings, there was times when he would beat me so bad to I couldn't even recognize my own face in the mirror. When I say he was a monster, he was a monster.
Creflo: You eventually got away from that situation. I remember, I think, you either wrote a letter or you called him and told him, "You know, I'm born-again now. Jesus has come into my life. I'm getting things together". Because I'm thinking, "Well, bravo. She's away from him. It's over. She never has to see him anymore. It's done. She's gonna get her life completely together and that's in the past. It's not gonna happen anymore". But that's not quite what happened, right?
Alese: I had gotten a few calls from my brother, and he was telling me, "You know, well, Kit, Pop is not doing so well". And, you know, of course I already have forgiveness in my heart for him, and I had accepted him back into my life as a father, as if it never even happened.
Creflo: You did that as a result of what, your transformation in Christ?
Alese: After I came to the church, so I called him up and let him know that I forgive him for all that he had done to me, and I asked him for his forgiveness if I caused him any hurt or harm and...
Creflo: See, Alese, I know, but I know that there is somebody watching this broadcast, and they just heard just the summary of everything that you have gone through, and I wanna ask this question on behalf of some of those people who are thinking and feeling some kinda way. How do you do that? How do you do that to somebody that killed your mother, tried to kill you, impregnated you, how do you forgive somebody like that?
Alese: The love of God.
Creflo: Yes, the only way. See, that is the only way that you can forgive and reconcile, is the supernatural love that God pours on the inside of you. So, if you're in a similar situation or you've been betrayed and hurt and all these things, and you're trying to forgive, and somebody told you, "I'll never forgive," the only way you can do what Alese has accomplished is through the supernatural love that the Holy Spirit pours into your heart when you get born again. That's the only way. Natural love won't be able to accomplish this. Only supernatural love of God can forgive what's ugly, can forgive what's egregious, can forgive what's painful, and only God's love. And I knew you would say that, is why I asked, because I'm thinking but a guy who they don't know Jesus Christ, they will carry that with them all of their lives, and they think that they're hurting someone else, but they're actually drinking poison that will eventually deal with their lives, right?
Alese: That is correct. Yeah, there is nothing that you can't forgive, but you have to choose to forgive.
Creflo: Even though it's available, you still have to choose.
Alese: You have to choose it.
Creflo: Wow! That's powerful. I hope you guys got that. Even though it's available, it's not like God is gonna make you do it. Okay, so you get the news from your brother your father is not doing too well. Tell us what happens.
Alese: I begin to travel, get in a car and drive 14 hours up to New York to see about him there at the hospital. And, of course, he was, you know, being his self, fighting with the doctors. He didn't want any blood transfusions. He just didn't wanna... to live, so to speak. Our relationship has just been restored. I want to see you here. Like, I don't wanna see you go anywhere, so my brother was telling me, "Kit", 'cause he called me Kit. He said, "Kit, I can't take care of him. I'm gonna need you. Listen, I know I'm asking you a lot, but I'm gonna need him to come and stay with you". And I thought about it. I said, "Don't even worry about it. I got him. God got me, so I got him". And...
Creflo: So, he moves in with you?
Alese: I went up to get him, and I brought him back down. It was tough. It was tough. It was tough. It was tough watching him deteriorate in front of my eyes, in front of my eyes.
Creflo: And how long was the process that you had to watch that?
Alese: Over six months. Six months we were going back and forth to the doctor, and so when he would say things to trigger things that happened in the past and I got frustrated we would have our moments. I'd go back upstairs and knock on the door, "You need anything"? And I would see my father 'cause he was no longer a monster, and he would say to me, "Lisa, I appreciate you, and I thank you for all that you are doing for me, 'cause you don't have to do it". And I was like, "Well, yeah, Pop. All right, I got you. I got you. You don't have to worry about nothing else. I got you. God got me, and I got you".
Creflo: And, see, that's so powerful, and you said that the first time, "God's got me, which is the only reason that I can get you". And, you know, I'm sitting here thinking you went from here is the man I wanted to kill, to see dead, to now here is the man I'm trying to give life. That transformative attitude can only come through Jesus Christ, and I don't know who's watching this broadcast today, but I really sense in the name of Jesus that you're here for a reason and a purpose, and this testimony and Alese's life is really speaking to you because you're in a situation right now. And you're using as an excuse all of the things that have been done to you and the reasons why, you know, you're acting this way towards that person, but I'm telling you...
I said at the beginning of this broadcast I've never met such an example of the love of God changing and transforming a broken heart. And I'm telling you that same love is available to change and to transform your life and your heart. I really believe that. I really believe that. You know, I was coming back and thinking, "Man, she's gotta put this in a book. This is like, you know". But were you surprised of the way the love of God challenged and changed you to deal with this situation and, if so, in what ways?
Alese: I was surprised I didn't know the true power of God until I began to see it being transformed in me.
Creflo: Could you sense a freedom when you made the decision to walk in this type of forgiveness?
Alese: Yes, it was complete freedom for me, and I stopped condemning myself. I stopped looking at things in a negative eyesight. I stopped blaming other people, 'cause as I had that one finger pointed out, all the other ones that was pointing back at me, 'cause, again, I was still making these bad choices. When I ran away from home, I could have chose to go to the authorities, but because the enemy was telling me, "They didn't help you before. Go here," I went out to Jersey. Those things happened to me. I was making all these bad choices at the same time, so although, yes, the enemy used him as a catalyst, I still had a role to play in it, and then by me admitting to that thing I was able to be completely free and not be in bondage to things and people.
Creflo: Powerful story. Powerful story. So, let's go to that day, the day when he passed. Four years ago might have been a day where you threw a party, a day where you celebrated, a day where you said, "Good for you," a day where back then you might have even spit on him and said, "Whatever". But because of this invasion of God's supernatural love, talk to us about that day.
Alese: It was January 29, and he was like, "Mama, I'm not really feeling so good, so I think I really need to go to the hospital," so we drove down to Piedmont, and they got him in the emergency room, and the doctor came back and told me, "He has an aneurism". And I said, "Aneurism? What is that"? "Well, he has a large growth that's on his spinal cord and if it ruptures it could kill him, so we need to fly him down to Atlanta". They flew him down. I went down there. I got down there, and the surgeon said, "Well, I stayed here," it was 3 o'clock in the morning, "and he's refusing surgery". So, I'm like, "Pop, why don't you just let them work on you? What is wrong with you? Don't you wanna live"? He's like, "I'm tired". And so, the doctor was saying, "Well, if we don't operate on him now he has two months, maybe two weeks".
That was on July 29, so I left. That was... January 30, 10-something I get a call. I get a call. I get a call from a nurse saying, "Your dad has went into cardiac arrest". And I was like, "Don't touch him. I'm coming. I'm coming". I got down to the hospital. I raced upstairs. When I came around the corner I see the notice on the door saying that he had transitioned and as I walked into the room he was laying there with the thing out of his mouth from when they was trying to work on him. And I just wrapped his hand, and I laid on him, and I just cried, and I cried, and I cried because it wasn't a monster laying there. It was my father. It was my father. It was my father.
Creflo: It was a monster laying there. It was your father. You know, ladies and gentlemen, only the power of God's grace can transform a relationship to where you can look at someone as a monster, but God's love causes them to be a father, so there's nothing in your life, nothing in a relationship that Jesus cannot change. There is no way that natural love can do what we're talking about being done right now, and so what we're saying to you today and the reason why I wanted to share this testimony with you is because wherever you may be and whatever may be going on in your life God's love can make the difference. Audience, don't you appreciate this testimony? I wanna take some time. I wanna pray with you right now, wherever you are, whatever you're going through, and I just wanna, you know, thank Alese for taking her time and sharing this with us, but right now, as you're watching this broadcast, I want you to pray with me.
Heavenly Father, I pray for every individual who has gone through hurt, betrayal, abandonment. That your love will minister to that individual right now. That the power of your love will transform relationships right now. That the power of your love will begin to impact that life right now. And, Lord, while we hear this testimony we are so grateful that whatever may be now doesn't always have to be that way, so I thank you for your transformation and thanksgivings, for your healing power. That every broken heart will be made whole in Jesus's name. Amen.