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Thank you Jesus, through youn i have come to the Father. My Testimony for you Father God

Godsfollower68

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My Testimony of finding God as a child, running away from Him and returning home to our Father

Psalm 71:15-18 ESV

“My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and grey hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”

My name is Jacob Philip Daniel Yardley. I am married to my Noble Blessing, Heidi Danielle & she would follow me into this world 2 years, 8 months and 18 days after I was born. I am sure I was doing a happy & joyful jig that day at almost 3 years of age without knowing why. I have two boys, Philip Gordon 21, Daniel Jacob 13 who by the way is not afraid to lie down with the lions and a beautiful daughter Emilie Teresa 16.

Heidi & I would take the road less travelled until we met at 8:35 PM on the 4th of February 2004, a short 35 years, 5 months & 30 days later after my birth. I thank you God, His son whom He gave on the cross & the Holy Spirit for this gift.

We attend Riverview Church www.riverviewchurch.com.au in Burswood, Perth, Western Australia. This house of love as we have come to call it, through God and His work, has been a place of healing & self-discovery. We have found so much love, patience, acceptance, help and just JOY, JOY, JOY here, thank you God.

This is my testimony of how I came to the Lord, ran away from Him for many years until the 14th of November 2013 when my Father God put a man of God into my life again. I feel His words were “My son it’s time to come home, your days in the wilderness is breaking my heart son, come home”

So begun an amazing journey from that day 577 days ago to now this night, 14th June 12015. I have been putting this off for a while and as God works, I think He was saying to me today as I thought of it once again. “Time to get it done Son” We were going to be picked up this afternoon for Church but that didn’t happen so HEY PRESTO, here I am listening to Hillsong 2003 Cornerstone concert at The Sydney Entertainment Centre typing away with a happy heart.

John 3:16 says For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Look at those words in John 3:16, that God “SO LOVED” us he gave up his Son, our Lord Jesus. What a sacrifice eh, would you or do you know any person that would give up their child to die in such a way for me or you. I don’t think wearing the belt of truth I wouldn’t, I’m sorry to say.

John 3:16 also says if you believe, you will have eternal life. God gives so much and he asks so little. What an amazing God my friends. God is love and love is God, it’s not that God needs us; it’s that he WANTS us, is not that the amazing thing. What better a way can you show love than to die for someone? THANK YOU GOD, THANK YOU JESUS.

In God for a short period of time I found peace as a child but this was short lived. I was asked last year why did I run away from God at 10, my answer was very simple "Because the devil and his soldiers came back to play with me.”

This is how I came to the Lord at the age of 9 after spending a year in a boy’s home, sexually abused, tortured, beaten, locked in a cage under the house when you wet the bed. Those days, their water was my water, their food my food.

After the boys home I started going to a church run youth group on Friday nights and I was one very angry boy. One Friday night once again after another fight with a few others boys Chris, who ran this Friday night church youth group from his home, found me bruised, beaten and screaming obscenities at these other boys who I had been in a fight with.

I remember clearly that night as I went to run he grabbed me in a bear hug and held me tight. His words were “Jacob you’re an angry boy, why my son, why what’s going on in your life” I just fought him with all my strength screaming abuse at him but he held me firm.

When I had calmed he put me down and said to me “come inside I want to give you something.” I followed him into his home and he gave me a tape, he said “Jacob listen to this and give it back to me next Friday.”

That night I played this tape and I played it over and over all week. It was the story of a drunk and an addict an, an ex-Viet Nam vet who for entertainment spent his night beating up gay men. His story was about this night he was drunk and found this gay man on his way home. He beat him up and this man just kept getting up and saying “I forgive you because my Father God forgives you; I love you for He loves you.”

His attacker just kept saying “don’t get up, you’ll get more” but he just did every time, repeating the same words. I remember like today His voice on the tape in his mind this last time he hit this gay man so hard it just smashed up his face, broken jaw, nose, his face was a mess.

But the gay man got up again and said the same words through his smashed face. So this guy just gave him one last whack so he wouldn’t get up, and he didn’t. He left him there; face smashed in in a pool of blood and walked off home.

Early that morning he broke down crawled into his closest of all places in the darkness and said these words ‘God forgive me PLEASE MAKE ME LIKE HIM” Profound eh!! This man I am not sure of his name but I believe he went on to be a Pastor. I have searched high and low for his name or anything about him but to no avail.

I listened to this man’s testimony on tape all week and Thursday night or the early hours of the morning I can’t remember but I too crawled out of bed and went into MY closet and through my tears I said “GOD PLEASE MAKE ME LIKE HIM”

The next night as I walked up to Chris he said “did you listen to the tape I gave you Jacob” I said “yes Chris” he said “did it help you son” The tears just started flowing and I said these words “Chris please make me like him” He spent most of that night with me asked me many times what was going on in my life but I couldn’t answer. It would be 28 years before I would in a broken state, a drug fuelled day, to burst into tears and tell for the 1st time someone what that was that I was such an angry boy. That person is my wife my Noble Blessing Heidi. I thank you Father for that gift, that blessing your daughter.

Chris that night spoke of Jesus and that he would carry me through life, he would heal me, he would teach me to forgive those that hurt me. At the end of that night he asked me if I would like to be baptised. I said “yes. MAKE ME LIKE HIM”

So two days later in the morning he picked me up and we went up to a lake nearby and he baptised me. I will never forget it standing in the cold water as it was the holidays, people watching and laughing I looked up at Chris and he said “Do you believe Jesus died for you on the cross, will you follow Jesus for the rest of your days” I just said “yes please Make ME LIKE HIM” and down and under I went, up I came smiling like a Cheshire cat.

For the next 12 months or so I went to bible study with adults like Chris twice a week and church every Sunday. It was awesome I had peace from what was going on in my life; I immersed myself in His word. I knew the name every book in His book of love.

When I was ten my birth father used to take us all weekend to a nudist beach. (It was one of his hunting grounds, just as the church was) During the day one of these weekends, I was caught and raped by a fat hairy man up in the sand dunes. So after this day I packed up my bags and ran from my heavenly Father as far as I could. I lost my faith; I took on the well-known and said mantra its all bull, if there is a God how could he let this happen to me again. My sister said these same things a few months ago, mocking my faith in a God.

There began my many years lost in the wilderness. In 2001 Chris was living up the rd from me and he asked me if I would come to church again as he had found this new church and it wasn’t like any other. They had a band and the sermons were amazing. I said Chris I respect your faith but I don’t and NEVER will believe again. It’s all false and not for me, this church was RIVERVIEW.

The significance of the name of this church I will get to later. I’m sure all who read this will smile at the way our Father works. Father God as I write this I have the Holy Spirit rocking in me, tingles, good feeling, smiling. I thank you Lord Jesus for walking with and carrying me all these years.

I lost contact with Chris then until 3 weeks before we were baptised at Riverview on Easter Sunday 2014, I had been trying desperately for 6 months to find him to tell him I had come home to my father. I had given up and said to Heidi we have learnt to just ask Him and you shall receive. So I prayed for help in finding Chris. 10 minutes later on FB I got a message from his ex-wife who hadn’t been on Facebook in months and found my message I had sent her in December, asking for his phone number. How great is our God, all in His timing!

I rang him & told him all, even admitted I was high and had just had a huge hit with the needle & I remember him sobbing for me. Weeks later he drove 1300 km’s to see us get baptised at Riverview Church then spent Easter Sunday with a roast at our home in fellowship. Beautiful

On the 15th of November 2013 we met a man at the casino. He was one of the 1st in so many years i let into my space let alone spend 3 days with us; he was a singer and guitar player.

His name is Stephen; we spent that time over those days getting high going back to the casino to lose more money, spent many hours listening to him sing and play in-between him listening to my story of the past ten years. I must add nobody knew except God and my blessing my Noble wife Heidi the things in this letter. I kept those things out of my talks with him; it was mainly about the last ten years.

And Saturday morning he said “Guys I am going away for the day and I will be back tonight. I will have something for you.” He came back that night we all got high again and in the early hours of the morning I put the radio on, it was JJJ FM and I heard the announcer say this “This is Rosie and let’s get started we will be here with you until to the end until it’s done however long it takes, so let’s get started eh,”

Drug fuelled audio delusions, or God speaking to me, who knows. Though I stopped in the kitchen looked over at Stephen he was leaning against the wall with an IPad now in his hands. He said “bro have look at this” I walked over and on it was hundreds of scriptures, he just started rolling the screen and bang stooped at one and said “ Take a look at this Brother, Psalms 23 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green [1] pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Now I hadn’t spoken over these days at all about God or faith I didn’t even know he was a man of God, Heidi said later she picked up on a few things he had said over these days. I never told him of my past as a child. The amazing thing was the two scriptures I have kept with me all these years since running away from my Father God is Psalms 23 and John 3:16.

Over the course of the night he just kept showing me scripture after scripture and they all were a defining answer to the ones I had cried out to God all these years. In 2004/ 06 hile an addict, I always screamed out to God “Please put a human being in my path and give him the answers to all I need Please”

That night he delivered what I had been pleading for. I got through these scriptures that night all the answers I had screamed out for, delivered by a HUMAN as I had asked for. So started my healing and recovery, my renewal of my faith, my new mind, and my new body!! THANK YOU GOD

As the sun came up Stephen said “Brother, will you come to the temple with me this morning” and that is when I said, “Oh no way I can’t go into church I ,am an addict I am high, I have been sticking a needle in my arm for 5 days not slept or eaten, how can I go in like that. His reply was “Jacob who better to bring an addict back into the house of the lord than another addict”

The feeling I got after this night cannot be explained I was in the shower and I just went to swear, I couldn’t and I couldn’t swear for about 3 days it just wouldn’t come out. I had this feeling of a new life, a new future but was petrified of going back to church.

As we got out of the car 40 minutes late for the 11am service at Riverview Church on the 17th of November I was fighting the intense urge to run for the hills. I believed I was entering the enemy’s camp. Just up at the threshold I was turning to bolt when this man put his hand out shook my hand and said. “Welcome back to church Jacob”

Once again drugs fuelled audio delusions or God putting those words in my ears to get me over the line but I thank Him for that humble volunteer who welcomed me with a warm hand shake and for me those profound words “welcome BACK to church JACOB”

We sat up the back; I just sat their sobbing so hard it was hard to breath. I was in a bad state, physically & mentally. At the end of the service the senior Pastor Haydn Nelson was saying that he is going to say a prayer and if you are new to, have RETURNED to church after many years or exploring the idea of this faith, while every head is bowed put your hand up so I can see you and include you in this prayer.

When he started saying this I noticed even in my state that this man I did not know, was getting emotional and at the end before saying this pray as my hand went up he had got to the point in front of over 1000 people he was just completely sobbing.

I leaned over to Stephan and said “bro I think those tears are for me” he replied “yes Jacob they are for you, he feels your pain, but happy tears that you have returned home to our Father” So what did I do? I cried like a baby even harder.

When Haydn started saying this prayer I was included Stephan leaned over and said “Brother stop mumbling, listen to what the man is saying” My reply, “I am not mumbling, I am saying his words before they come out of his mouth” and I was, as God is my witness to this.

Two weeks later I bailed Haydn Nelson up on stage after church and introduced myself, I talked about those tear, that sobbing and asked were they for me. “yes Jacob they were for you” I said thank you but I am going into a private clinic to deal with a few issues but I don’t think I will be back, as I truly believe evil has been done in God’s name to get me back to church.

He looked puzzled at this and said that when I get out please ring the office of Riverview and make a time to see him. I will sit down and spent some time with you going over this belief you have. I never did make that appointment. I just came to Church, that’s where I received more answers.

Each and EVERY sermon at this place we call Gods big house of love we feel has been just for us, in the moment and 100% at all times related to what we were or are doing or going through, at that point in time. Isn’t He amazing how he works like this to deliver His message to us all? God works in and through all things or people to get the message to those that need it. Amen.

I am a new creation, THANK YOU GOD!! I truly am a new creation with a new mind; new spirit (The Holy Spirit) & I pray you will take this Testimony for what it is, of how I came to, from and back to God.

There is so much more to the testimony of my life so far I feel. My book will tell my life story, but this testimony is simply about God NEVER giving up on one of His children.



Jacob Yardley

www.godsfollower68.com

bethel.jacob@minister.com
 
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Gentle Lamb

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Wow, what a story Jacob! Thank you so much for sharing your testimony here, I'm so thankful for what God has done to restore your life! It truly does hurt the heart of God when we are lost out in the world, not knowing where to turn, when we are hurt and angry. Testimonies like yours are so powerful because there is so much hurt and healing behind them, they show God's power & majesty just for what they are! May God continue to bless, strengthen, and uphold you!!!
 
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Godsfollower68

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Wow, what a story Jacob! Thank you so much for sharing your testimony here, I'm so thankful for what God has done to restore your life! It truly does hurt the heart of God when we are lost out in the world, not knowing where to turn, when we are hurt and angry. Testimonies like yours are so powerful because there is so much hurt and healing behind them, they show God's power & majesty just for what they are! May God continue to bless, strengthen, and uphold you!!!

Thank you for your feed back sister for your kind words, I'm going to tell the world of Gods love for us all for HIS glory not mine :)
 
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LaSorcia

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That is a beautiful witness! But evil was not done in God's name to get you back to church. It's just that God is calling and saving people from all walks of life, including mainliners, skinpoppers, snorters, drinkers, etc. HE LOVES US ALL!
 
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