Pastor Travis Johnson shared his remarkable testimony of courage and spiritual breakthrough during a Daystar interview, recounting a 2007 encounter that transformed both his ministry and community.
While baptizing new believers at a Miami-Dade beach, officials shut down the event, calling it “offensive.” Johnson remembered being told by the parks director, “You have to come in before 5 a.m. to do baptisms.” Undeterred, he responded, “We’ll cooperate… but we’re going to have another baptism on this date. If you arrest us, I’ll cooperate. I’ll tell the whole church: OK everybody in the cop car.”
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Officials never showed, and a year later, one of the same lifeguards who tried to stop them got baptized in those same waters.
From that bold act of faith, God continued to move in surprising ways.
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Johnson shared how a small group in his church rallied to help a Coast Guard family adopt a little girl from Ethiopia. One member suggested selling Christmas trees to raise funds, and the Buy A Tree, Change A Life, initiative was born.
“We gave 100% of that money away,” Johnson said. “God just blessed that… I think He said, ‘Yeah, I can pour some gasoline on that fire.’” What began as a local fundraiser became a national movement now active in churches across the country, raising nearly $13 million to support children both globally and locally.
Reflecting on the journey, Johnson encouraged viewers not to wait for qualifications before stepping into their calling.
“God is looking for people who are available,” he said. “You don’t know how to do it, then you do it, then you know how to do it.”
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His story is a call to bold obedience and a reminder that what looks like a giant may actually be “your next platform.”
To view the full interview with Pastor Johnson, watch the video above.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
