Battle Briefing | June 2023

In 2012, Bill Seale attended a Noble Warriors Iron Sharpens Iron Conference and left impacted. But it was another attendee who made the biggest impression on him.

Bill listened as the gentleman, Sonny, stood and shared his testimony in one of the sessions. Sonny confessed that he had just been released after spending over half his life in prison. God met him there and called him out of his darkness, and Sonny gave his heart to the Lord. 

Sonny’s testimony so blessed Bill that he has been sharing it with others since then—he estimates about 50-75 times. What a ripple effect one man’s story has had on others he will never meet! Bill also continued to pray for Sonny whenever he thought of him. 

In April, Bill was excited to attend The Noble Man Conference again. He was looking forward to attending a mentorship workshop, but something happened on his walk to the room where it was being held. Instead, he turned toward a different workshop he hadn’t planned to attend but suddenly felt pulled to. During the workshop, a familiar-looking man sat down directly in front of Bill. Could it be? He tapped the man on the shoulder. “Are you—Sonny?” 

It was indeed Sonny! Eleven years after sharing his testimony, Sonny was back and has been serving the Lord as a pastor since 2012. The two men connected, and Bill got to share how he was impacted and had shared his story with others – a ripple effect. They exchanged numbers and have been staying in touch, encouraging one another. 

We won’t fully know the aftershocks Sonny’s story has had on others. Like Bill, how many other men heard his testimony and blessed others by sharing it? 

When we hear conference stories like these, we know we could not have orchestrated them if we wanted to—only God can. We do the planning and the work, you sow seeds with us through your giving, and God bears the fruit! 

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:7 

• Let’s praise God for this story of conference impact! 
• Thank God for his faithfulness in Sonny’s life (and yours)!
• Ask God to help us listen and respond to his Spirit as Bill did in this story. The Lord is always working. Live expectantly!

This article first appeared in the Noble Warriors® Battle Briefing, a monthly letter to our partners. Click here to learn how you can partner with us.