A Life Lived Wholly Unto God - Chapter 1: Early Years

A Testament of the Grace of God on His Servant
by Kathryn Currier with Doyle Davidson

He was born, Doyle Eugene Davidson on April 1, 1932 to Lyle and Alba Davidson, the second of four children and the only boy. He was born with a heart defect which in layman’s terms was called blue baby syndrome and the doctors told his parents there was nothing they could do for him. A neighbor told Lyle that he might as well be prepared to find him dead in his crib some morning. Lyle’s reply to her was, “He won’t die, he will live!” Family members have shared with Doyle that when they brought him home, his mother being very distraught threw him on the bed and said, “Take him Lord, he’s yours!” At that moment, she surrendered him to the Lord and the Lord took him up. He didn’t die, he lived and God healed him. Doyle learned from his mother years later that she had told the Lord if He would give her a son, she would give him back to Him and God required her to do just that, much like Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:

27) For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition, which I asked of him:

28) Therefore also I have lent (returned him of whom I have obtained by petition) him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord…

Doyle was born again, as a small boy. He was almost 6 years old, playing outside on a gravel pile and was talking to Jesus, when his mother called him to come in because it was cold. He remembers he didn’t want to go in, he was talking to Jesus. The Lord has shown him he was born again that day, but it would be many years later, that Jesus would become his Lord.

He was raised in southwest Missouri in Jasper County, near Sarcoxie, born on land joining where his great-grandfather had settled. His grandfather, Luther Davidson was a dirt contractor and a house builder. Luther along with his four sons, and son-in-laws, built roads, dams, and straightened creek beds; whatever dirt work needed done, he could do it and it was all accomplished with horse drawn equipment; he owned fifty head of draft horses. He and his crew were contracted to build a section of Hwy. 66 in the Rolla, Missouri area. During that time, Luther and his entire household were born again. Not long after that his grandfather told his family and all his crew, “When we finish this section, we’re going home,” and they did. Doyle believes that his grandfather’s heart was changed after he was born again, and he could no longer conduct business as usual to secure government contracts. They returned home to Jasper County and what a sight that must have been to see, a wagon train of fifty horses and all the equipment coming across the Missouri prairie.

Doyle’s dad, Lyle, was also a successful contractor with a business of moving houses all over the state of Missouri. He was also a carpenter and did some farming along with his construction business. Doyle was raised by a father who had faith and believed God to some degree. When Lyle was about eighteen, God took him down to the gates of hell three times and when he related this to Doyle he said, “I saw people in the flames that I knew. I knew fear that day, like I had never known and I wasn’t just born again, I was converted.” You can read, The Faith of Lyle Davidson on Doyle’s web page (http://www.doyledavidson.com/news/testimonies/the_faith_of_lyle_davidson.shtml). Doyle asked the Lord once, “Where did my Dad get his faith?” and he said God clearly spoke to him and said, “I gave it to him when he was born again, just as I gave you the faith to do what you do.” Lyle demonstrated his faith by his works and he ministered that faith to Doyle and Lyle’s testimonies continue to minister to others today.

“Doyle you are going to have to preach the gospel” his Dad often said. “I did not want to hear that, I wanted him to be still,” Doyle said, “Because I thought that meant I would have to be like the preachers I knew.” He was raised in Redwood Holiness church, where they taught John Wesley Methodism. It was built by his Grandfather Luther and his sons and the neighbors, cutting and felling the timber and hauling the logs with teams of horses, according to a cousin’s memory. Doyle always knew he was different as a child, not necessarily understanding why. People would encourage him to go to the front for the altar call to “be saved” and he always shook his head “No,” rooted to his spot in the pew. “I wasn’t about to tell anyone I already knew Jesus. Maybe I just didn’t want to be honest with myself—that in my heart, I knew Dad was right; there was a call on my life and I didn’t want to acknowledge it.” When he turned eighteen, he asked his Dad if he could stop going to church because he didn’t believe it was doing him any good. His dad’s reply to him was, “Well if you don’t think it’s doing you any good, then you ought not to go.”

Other chapters of "A Life Lived Wholly Unto God:"

Introduction
Chapter 1: Early Years
Chapter 2: Heritage
Chapter 3: Like Jonah and the Whale
Chapter 4: Sell Out and Obey Me
Chapter 5: Return to the Land of Your Fathers
Chapter 6: Florida
Chapter 7: Back to Texas
Chapter 8: Israel - Called Into the Ministry
Chapter 9: Argyle
Chapter 10: Carrollton
Chapter 11: A Prophet to the Nations
Chapter 12: Water of Life Ministries
Chapter 13: Terry Mai
Chapter 14: Radio and Television Ministry
Chapter 15: Live Stream Broadcasting
Chapter 16: The False Anointing
Chapter 17: Water of Life Christian Training School
Chapter 18: Africa
Chapter 19: Medicine is Witchcraft

Posting Index