Hello
I was so inspired by all the testimonies here that I wanted to share mine. It wasn't overly awe-inspiring like some other ones, but it did what it was supposed to do and I've dedicated my heart and soul to Jesus since then and will never look back..
So here's my simple tale of a gal who liked reading about the occult, loved haunted houses and hauntings in general, tried other avenues to get ahead in life and more or less sat on the fence when it came to Christianity.
Picture it... June 2008. a small house in a mid sized city with a young adult female alone in her living room around midnight. *thank you Sofia Patrillo (golden girls reference) LOL
I had gotten a book for my birthday that I had wanted forever.. It was called "The devil in Connecticut" and it's a true story of a family being tortured by evil entities and the eventual possession of the familys youngest son. The book itself is out of print, so it had been ordered for me from some website that sells out of date and out of print books. I was beyond thrilled! I read the book cover to cover in one night!
But anyways... on the book was a protective sleeve that had an ad saying more or less that once I've read this book, I should check out this website for this guy called the "traveling preacher" so I was intrigued.. I had gone to church as a kid, did the vacation bible school thing, went to a church camp etc, knew my Bible stories etc, so I was no stranger to God and what he is and what he stands for. But.. years of having bad luck, having to struggle for everything, having a family that had no solid religious background had made it very easy for me to be neutral. God at that point was white noise to me. Plus, I never felt like I was good enough. I had Christian friends, but they were so good.. so nice.. so everything I wasn't. So I just felt that I wasn't a good fit for being a Christian.. I wasn't good enough to pull it off and I didn't have the discipline to be perfect and be like they were. Looking back, I only knew God as an acquaintance, not as a friend or a Saviour even though I knew darn well he was but I just didn't get it.
But moving on.. So I check out this website and the guy exclaims that he can teach the word of God in a way that was beyond life changing (for a nominal fee of course... ) So, in a daze of surfing through this guys site and some other links, I stumble across this one lone site that says that I've literally found God online... and that I can ask only one question. So I do.. I'm not a bad person. I'm loyal, I'm nice, I'd give my last dime and the shirt off my back to anyone who needed it, so I ask.. how am I doing? My answer shocked and surprised me. The answer was that I'm not doing so great and I'd better get my act together before it's too late and I spent my eternity in a place I'd rather not go. I read those words and felt like my heart had been ripped out of my body. I believed in God... sort of... I just wasn't active! I was a decent person wasn't I?? Ok.. so I swear a bit and do things that I really shouldn't do.. That doesn't make me a horrible person!
Now here is where it literally does become life changing.
I'm sitting at my computer in tears. I'm so beyond shocked that this "god" thing was telling me that I'm not a good enough person that I felt so isolated and alone. Then I'm not kidding, I felt this peace.. this presence. Without turning around, I knew God was sitting on my couch in my living room and speaking to me telepathically. He said. " I know that what you were told hurt. I know it wasn't what you wanted to hear, but it did what is was supposed to do. It brought you to me and now I'm here. And now you have to chose. You are no longer allowed to sit on the fence. Here is your chance to come with me. Right here, right now"
I felt the presence of Jesus and God... they were waiting, they wanted me they loved me.. and it didn't take long. I gave my heart to God right then and there. And we all rejoiced. I was welcomed like the prodigal son. And I was also warned... I was told that I would face some serious battles with my choice and was I prepared to give up my marriage to follow God. *My husband and I had only been married a little over a year and he is a very angry athiest who has firmly made his choice* I did not hesitate to say yes.. I'd give up everything. I didn't even think about it. And today,two plus years later, that prophesy still holds true. My husband is very unsupportive of me being Christian, he mocks me, gets this abnormal anger when God is even mentioned (borders on scary.. inhuman almost) calls me a psycho religious zealot, tells me I'm insane, has screamed at me for talking to our kids about God, has threatened to leave me etc, but I have not hesitated for one second and I will never budge in my choice to follow Jesus. If anything, I've told him to trust me, come with me and find God. He's there.. he's waiting and he'll never say no, you can't come, even if you're bitter, hate filled, miserable or you think you've done something that's unforgivable. Let me assure you, Even the worst things, God will forgive. If you don't believe me, read up on some testimonies of people in prisons being saved, people heavily involved in the occult being saved and even regular joes being saved. If God can trust and accept the apostle Paul, a early persecutor of Christians, Peter, who betrayed Jesus, or Matthew, a bitter and angry tax man, then everyone is welcome! No one is ever turned away!! Praise God!!!
So after this glorious night of giving my heart and soul to God, I felt a thirst and a hunger I'd never felt before. I wanted to know everything about God. I wanted to read and study and be a part of this thing that I never even knew existed. It still resides in me today. I can't get enough of his word. I want to do everything in his name. I want to scream and shout to everyone I know about how alive God is in me and in the world. I felt a joy I'd never ever felt in my life. I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot! I can't stand missing Church now. I get excited when I get to talk about God and spread his good news. I get weepy with joy when I hear and sing music dedicated to God. I find peace and put my complete trust in him when my life is in turmoil. I've learned to put faith in God, not people or circumstance. I've also learned that it's ok to not be perfect, that no matter what I do, I'm still going to end up sinning somehow but that's ok. Jesus died for me! He died on my behalf *all our behalf really* so that I didn't have to pay the horrible price for my sins and he knows that I'm always sorry, and that I'm also human and I live in a sin infested world.
For all those who may read this and who are neutral in their beliefs, let me tell you this. You do not have to be perfect to be Christian. You do not have to pretend to be something you're not, you don't have to be a martyr. God loves you, will always forgive you (when you ask for it) and accepts you just the way you are! Only through him will you change but the thing is, you'll want to.. After all, he created you! What God is not, is some sort of genie or spiritual ATM who will dump loads of money, things, and popularity on you, he will not cowtow and give you every single thing you want because you demand it. (He is the Heavenly Father.. did your earthly father give you every single thing you wanted???) He will though answer every single prayer. He will give you strength, peace and comfort through the rough times, and he will surround you with joy. He will open your eyes. He will always be there, He is constant and unchanging.
Bless you all, and I wish you the best in your walk through this life with God : )
Maggie.
I was so inspired by all the testimonies here that I wanted to share mine. It wasn't overly awe-inspiring like some other ones, but it did what it was supposed to do and I've dedicated my heart and soul to Jesus since then and will never look back..
So here's my simple tale of a gal who liked reading about the occult, loved haunted houses and hauntings in general, tried other avenues to get ahead in life and more or less sat on the fence when it came to Christianity.
Picture it... June 2008. a small house in a mid sized city with a young adult female alone in her living room around midnight. *thank you Sofia Patrillo (golden girls reference) LOL
I had gotten a book for my birthday that I had wanted forever.. It was called "The devil in Connecticut" and it's a true story of a family being tortured by evil entities and the eventual possession of the familys youngest son. The book itself is out of print, so it had been ordered for me from some website that sells out of date and out of print books. I was beyond thrilled! I read the book cover to cover in one night!
But anyways... on the book was a protective sleeve that had an ad saying more or less that once I've read this book, I should check out this website for this guy called the "traveling preacher" so I was intrigued.. I had gone to church as a kid, did the vacation bible school thing, went to a church camp etc, knew my Bible stories etc, so I was no stranger to God and what he is and what he stands for. But.. years of having bad luck, having to struggle for everything, having a family that had no solid religious background had made it very easy for me to be neutral. God at that point was white noise to me. Plus, I never felt like I was good enough. I had Christian friends, but they were so good.. so nice.. so everything I wasn't. So I just felt that I wasn't a good fit for being a Christian.. I wasn't good enough to pull it off and I didn't have the discipline to be perfect and be like they were. Looking back, I only knew God as an acquaintance, not as a friend or a Saviour even though I knew darn well he was but I just didn't get it.
But moving on.. So I check out this website and the guy exclaims that he can teach the word of God in a way that was beyond life changing (for a nominal fee of course... ) So, in a daze of surfing through this guys site and some other links, I stumble across this one lone site that says that I've literally found God online... and that I can ask only one question. So I do.. I'm not a bad person. I'm loyal, I'm nice, I'd give my last dime and the shirt off my back to anyone who needed it, so I ask.. how am I doing? My answer shocked and surprised me. The answer was that I'm not doing so great and I'd better get my act together before it's too late and I spent my eternity in a place I'd rather not go. I read those words and felt like my heart had been ripped out of my body. I believed in God... sort of... I just wasn't active! I was a decent person wasn't I?? Ok.. so I swear a bit and do things that I really shouldn't do.. That doesn't make me a horrible person!
Now here is where it literally does become life changing.
I'm sitting at my computer in tears. I'm so beyond shocked that this "god" thing was telling me that I'm not a good enough person that I felt so isolated and alone. Then I'm not kidding, I felt this peace.. this presence. Without turning around, I knew God was sitting on my couch in my living room and speaking to me telepathically. He said. " I know that what you were told hurt. I know it wasn't what you wanted to hear, but it did what is was supposed to do. It brought you to me and now I'm here. And now you have to chose. You are no longer allowed to sit on the fence. Here is your chance to come with me. Right here, right now"
I felt the presence of Jesus and God... they were waiting, they wanted me they loved me.. and it didn't take long. I gave my heart to God right then and there. And we all rejoiced. I was welcomed like the prodigal son. And I was also warned... I was told that I would face some serious battles with my choice and was I prepared to give up my marriage to follow God. *My husband and I had only been married a little over a year and he is a very angry athiest who has firmly made his choice* I did not hesitate to say yes.. I'd give up everything. I didn't even think about it. And today,two plus years later, that prophesy still holds true. My husband is very unsupportive of me being Christian, he mocks me, gets this abnormal anger when God is even mentioned (borders on scary.. inhuman almost) calls me a psycho religious zealot, tells me I'm insane, has screamed at me for talking to our kids about God, has threatened to leave me etc, but I have not hesitated for one second and I will never budge in my choice to follow Jesus. If anything, I've told him to trust me, come with me and find God. He's there.. he's waiting and he'll never say no, you can't come, even if you're bitter, hate filled, miserable or you think you've done something that's unforgivable. Let me assure you, Even the worst things, God will forgive. If you don't believe me, read up on some testimonies of people in prisons being saved, people heavily involved in the occult being saved and even regular joes being saved. If God can trust and accept the apostle Paul, a early persecutor of Christians, Peter, who betrayed Jesus, or Matthew, a bitter and angry tax man, then everyone is welcome! No one is ever turned away!! Praise God!!!
So after this glorious night of giving my heart and soul to God, I felt a thirst and a hunger I'd never felt before. I wanted to know everything about God. I wanted to read and study and be a part of this thing that I never even knew existed. It still resides in me today. I can't get enough of his word. I want to do everything in his name. I want to scream and shout to everyone I know about how alive God is in me and in the world. I felt a joy I'd never ever felt in my life. I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot! I can't stand missing Church now. I get excited when I get to talk about God and spread his good news. I get weepy with joy when I hear and sing music dedicated to God. I find peace and put my complete trust in him when my life is in turmoil. I've learned to put faith in God, not people or circumstance. I've also learned that it's ok to not be perfect, that no matter what I do, I'm still going to end up sinning somehow but that's ok. Jesus died for me! He died on my behalf *all our behalf really* so that I didn't have to pay the horrible price for my sins and he knows that I'm always sorry, and that I'm also human and I live in a sin infested world.
For all those who may read this and who are neutral in their beliefs, let me tell you this. You do not have to be perfect to be Christian. You do not have to pretend to be something you're not, you don't have to be a martyr. God loves you, will always forgive you (when you ask for it) and accepts you just the way you are! Only through him will you change but the thing is, you'll want to.. After all, he created you! What God is not, is some sort of genie or spiritual ATM who will dump loads of money, things, and popularity on you, he will not cowtow and give you every single thing you want because you demand it. (He is the Heavenly Father.. did your earthly father give you every single thing you wanted???) He will though answer every single prayer. He will give you strength, peace and comfort through the rough times, and he will surround you with joy. He will open your eyes. He will always be there, He is constant and unchanging.
Bless you all, and I wish you the best in your walk through this life with God : )
Maggie.
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