My Testimony - How God Found Me

[sk8brdkd]

I feel like I've shared my testimony on here, but, I can't find it, so I'm just going to share again.

I grew up in a Christian home, church and school my entire life. But, I didn't care about God at all.

I stayed far away from God --- I listened to the worst type of music you could imagine. Never prayed. Never did anything. Even though I knew it all in my head and heart, I didn't care about it.

When I was in high school, I started attending this small youth group. Only had about 15 to 20 kids who attended the youth group. I LOVED it for the most part. I mainly went there for the fellowship and food beforehand and the games/food and fellowship after youth pastor gave the message.

The message, I HATED. I wished I could just skip over it. I barely listened to it and I never paid attention. I couldn't wait for that 20 min-30 min to be over w/ so I could go back to talking, having fun/games and eating food.

Well, this one night... had a great time playing the games and what not. Came in, went back in the room where the meetings and messages are given. Well, that night was different and it changed my world upside down. The youth pastor sat down and said, tonight, we are going to discuss the Rapture. Well, as soon as he said Rapture, it felt like I was struck by lightning. My whole body just shook violently but the funny thing is, no one else saw that happen to me but I felt it. I also felt this nervousness, fear, shakiness come through me. I sat in that seat for a few minutes but, I couldn't take it. I got up and excused myself. I went out to the main area (no one else was around) and I was thinking, what's going on, what IS this, why is this happening to me, how can I get rid of this. Well, inwardly, I figured it had something to do w/ God but I didn't know what yet. I went back to the room and finished hearing the message from the pastor. I didn't say anything to anyone. Went home, didn't say anything to my parents either. I went to bed thinking, this will be gone by morning but it wasn't. I woke up w/ it. That fear/shakiness stayed w/ me on a continuous basis. I couldn't get rid of it. I let this all stay w/ me for about a week. Finally, I contacted a pastor wanting to talk to someone about what I was feeling. At the time, I was going to church even though I didn't believe it --- it was a form of habit nothing other then that. Well, this pastor couldn't help me. This one day at this church, they had a guest speaker. A pastor and the president of Touch the World Ministries. He was talking about how he works w/ teens all the time and helps them find their way to Christ and, I was thinking, maybe he can help me figure this out.

I had emailed him and he gave me both his phone number and his email address and his screen name so I could talk to him. This one day while I was at school, I called him, but when he picked up, I hung up lol bc I was so scared, BUT, he called me back. I did pick up and ended up talking to him for about an hour and a half. He challenged me to go speak to someone I knew and trusted. The only person I knew and trusted at that time was my high school teacher, Mr. Lamitola. I made an appointment w/ him and went to see him and told him what was going on. He asked me if I was a Christian, I said, no, I'm not. He told me I need to find some Christian music to listen to and he gave me a few CD's. So, I began listening to the band Audio Adrenaline.

Btw, this entire time, I was still feeling that nervousness and everything else. But, I found this one song by AA called REST EASY and it was off their live album. Well, this song hit home to me. I listened to it over and over again and I told that pastor, Jeff Boucher about it. He gave me the sinners prayer. He told me to say it when I feel ready to and that he'd be praying for me.

I had been so depressed several days over this whole thing w/ how I was feeling. I must've listened to that 1 song by audio adrenaline over 30 times. It just meant so much to me and this one day, I just gave in and I said the prayer. Nothing actually happened right away. I was still deeply struggling but I accepted Christ. Beleive it or not, that feeling of nervousness, depression, fear, stayed w/ me for years. I became a Christian in 2001, but, that nervousness and fear and trembling stayed w/ me until around 2004/2005 which is when God started to speak to me through peace and although I often did get that peace, I still had that trembling as well. The last time I can remember having that trembling is around 2007 when I went on a missions trip to Africa. But btwn 2004-2007, I was experiencing internal changes which no one I spoke to understood. At one point, I was receiving 21 changes a day, everyday. I can't explain those changes but, some were extremely difficult. Those changes stopped around 2012. Then they started again in around 2016 -- where I experienced changes on and off for about a year. Some were Extremely difficult. Others were good changes and helpful. I have no idea what God was doing or is doing through me and no body else understands any of this.

The one pastor I spoke to a year ago, told me that I"m very sensitive to the spirit and God is working on me in ways that only I can feel. That most Christians don't go through what I'm going through which means he most likely has a special plan for my life.

I have spoken to so many people during my journey. God found me. I never would've turned to look at him or turned towards him at all if it wasn't for him doing this to me and finding me.

7 years ago, God started me on a new journey. I won't go into that on here unless you want to know. I've shared a lot of this story in the prayer requests area but, God started speaking to me in 2011 both audibly and internally about this specific situation and although things are going south w/ this friendship right now, God is still keeping the door open and is still speaking to me about this situation and about this guy. God has a plan. This relationship/friendship btwn me and this guy isn't over yet. I feel it's just beginning, but, right now, God wants this break btwn us for some reason YET he's telling me to be frineds w/ him still.

If anyone wants to hear the remainder of that story too from the last 7 years, I'd be happy to share it. I just don't want to make this text longer then it already is right now.

But, God has done an amazing work in my life so far. He's still speaking, still teaching, still working in and through me evne though times are extremely tough right now.

 

[DennisTate]

I personally did not even believe in the rapture until I read it explained by a near death experiencer............ and then it started to make sense to me. Until then I had thought that the Rapture.... and the Second Coming.... were the same event.... but I now know that I could be way off in thinking that they are the same thing.

Dr. Richard Eby, near-death.com :
He paused as though the joy of that thought had overwhelmed him for the moment.

"My Father assures me that the time is yet a little while, but very little. Soon he will call those already in paradise to surround me as we descend from this third heaven to the first heaven around the Earth. The souls of all my saints will be instantly clothed in their new resurrection bodies, as will the living saints on Earth who rise to us in the glory cloud! At the sounding trumpet they all receive new bodies and rise to meet us in the air. We return as my body to my throne room with the Father. Now do you understand why I called this place a temporary abiding place? Do you grasp what it will mean to be one with me and the Father in your incorruptible bodies? My book states that I assumed mankind's sin so you 'might be made the righteousness of God' in me!"

I can clearly recall how Jesus' voice paused at this moment. He was savoring an anticipation too intense and private to be revealed. Was he pre-living that moment at which he would enjoy the victory which his Father would give him as the eternal reward for his own long-suffering? His own sting of death would be swallowed up, and he would be the omniscient Head of a completed and compliant body for whom he had shed his blood on a terrible cross. He would reign as KING of the Jews after these days of grace. Then his thoughts returned to me.

"My son, when that time has come, my Father will call to me. The applause of the heavenly hosts will be deafening; they too have been awaiting that day, ever since they announced my birth to the shepherds at Bethlehem so long ago. Scoffers will gaze with fear and wonder as my angelic hosts watch me fulfill my promise to my earthly body of believers at my soon return to Earth.

"My book records the many signs which will precede my coming for my family. I tried to explain those events to my disciples, very carefully. I promised them that I was leaving my Holy Spirit as a comforter to instruct them as they studied my word, and to tell them of the things to come. I want my children to be informed about our plans in advance. I want them to be filled with my joy. After all, they are mine: I created them and bought them back from satanic slavery. I told them that I would come for them so that we could be together forever. My Father wants them all to believe Me."

This truly is an important topic.