Internet evangelist Bryce Crawford is known for his viral videos of evangelizing strangers, but it all started with a literal dream.
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“One night in May 2023, I had a dream,” he told CBN News. “In real life, I was wrestling with, ‘God, what is my business? God, what am I doing?'”
In my dream, I saw the late Lauren Cunningham, founder of Youth with a Mission, a man who traveled the world for Christ. That image had a huge impact on Crawford.
“I woke up from the dream and cried a lot,” Crawford said. “In that dream, God revealed to me to record these conversations I was already having with people to encourage believers to be bold in their faith. And from the very first video we posted, God used it and, lo and behold, kept using it.”
He continued, “It was just a miracle.”
This taught Crawford to pay more attention to dreams and how the Lord spoke to him. Today, with a large and viral ministry, Crawford wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn’t taken the time to listen to the Lord’s call on his life.
“Maybe I’ll end up doing a job that God hasn’t called me to do, and I’ll be miserable and out of touch with God’s will for my life,” he said. “I think it would have happened if that had happened. It wouldn’t have been a great place. … So I’m very grateful that they said yes.”
Crawford grew up in a Christian household and grew to become a huge Christian influencer online. Anguished by what he saw as the church’s hypocrisy, he developed what he called “a grudge against God” despite its influence.
“I suffered from depression and anxiety for many years,” he said. “And then, when I was 17 years old, I planned to end my life because I thought it was the only way to relieve the pain. And then that night I had a supernatural encounter with Jesus that God revealed to me. Maybe the reason I don’t know that God loves me is because I haven’t given myself the opportunity to love God.”
Realizing that he had been “slapping God in the face,” he recalled praying a “radical prayer” to the Lord.
“I said, ‘Jesus, if you are real, please take away my anxiety and depression, because this is why I want to die,'” Crawford said. “Since that day, I haven’t had any severe anxiety or depression.”
Five years have passed since that prayer, and Crawford said he is living a peaceful life.
Now, Crawford said he relies on the Holy Spirit to guide him to the people he needs to talk to, people who often appear in his viral videos.
“Actually, my goal is to see who is the most lost, who is the most confused, who is the darkest, what would society label them?” he said. “That’s my man. Because how would people treat a person if they were prejudiced against them? Perhaps with bitterness, perhaps with favoritism, perhaps with reservations. And I don’t want to do that. I want to do the exact opposite of that.”
Along the way, Crawford said she has seen physical healing, words of knowledge and miracles of God speaking to people.
“We’re seeing a lot of people being healed,” he said.
Crawford is currently on his “I Love Jesus” tour across the United States, with many shows selling out. He told CBN News that he hopes people will hear a message about the Lord that will help them solve their problems.
“All we do is ask Jesus to come to our streets and theaters and respond to the specific needs of the people who gather,” he said. “And that’s ultimately what people can expect.”
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