YOUR Story....YOUR Testimony!

[johnc]

I became a Christian at a young age (I think about 8) after watching a Billy Graham crusade on TV.

[WISDOM]

Great stories so far....I'm enjoying this immensely!  However, let me back up for a moment for the sake of FFC15 and BFly, and others who may be thinking the same way...listen:

I didn't start this thread for people to try and impress one another with how much harder or better they had it than others in coming to the LORD.  If it appeared that way, please let me be the first to apologize.  That was never my intent.

My sole purpose for starting it was this...no matter who YOU are, or where YOU came from INTO the Body of CHRIST, YOU have a story.  Your story may be the very outreach that someone outside of CHRIST needs to hear in order to make a decision to choose life (eternal) over death (eternal).  I use to be so ashamed of my background and wouldn't tell people about it for the longest, until one day the HOLY SPIRIT dealt with my heart about wearing the TRUTH instead of HYPOCRISY, which I was.

Now, everyone in the Body DOESN'T come from a bad background.  Neither does everyone come from a good upbringing, however ALL of US fall somewhere between the two poles.  In and throughout the Bible are the same type of people as YOU and I.  Since the fall of Adam we've ALL been seeking a Messiah, whether or not you want to believe it.  Fact is HE knew us BEFORE we knew HIM, which means to me that NOTHING has happened in our lives BY ACCIDENT!  Read all of Romans Chapter 8 and you'll get a better understanding of what I'm trying to relate to you.

YOUR STORY, as a Christian is good no matter whether you think so or not.  There is someone out there right now who is in the same situation you came out of and what you tell them could be the breaking point for them to fully understand that GOD wants them no matter how bad they may think they are in the eyes of others orif they feel they're already "good enough" for Heaven.  Each one of our Christian lives is a walking epistle.  YOU are read MORE than the Bible you study...trust me!

So ladies (FFC15 and BFly), and any others reading this please try to remember that all we do and say is written openly by the AUTHOR of the Word.  HE wants to share the truths, good/bad about your life with others in order for them to truly see that HE is no respecter of persons.  Believe me, I don't "glory" in my past, but I've come to relize that without it I may not have been able to reach the people GOD crossed in my path with HIS message of LOVE and SALVATION through the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

[Lanakila]

Amen Wisdom well put. I gave my testimony on another thread on the board before it was changed and I can't find it, so here goes.

I was raised with no religious upbringing at all, the product of divorced parents. I was a pretty compliant child until my teen years and then I decided I was unfulfilled and tried to fulfill my life with drugs, alcohol, and guys. This started at the ripe young age of 14, when I thought I knew everything, but boy was I nieve (sp). I basically confused sex with love and wanted love and acceptance so bad I was involved with way too many guys. (this was before aids) When I graduated from HS I went into the Army as a way to get out of my hometown and bad reputation.

What is amazing is that soon after joining the Army I acquired a bad reputation all over again (as a drunk). This was before the drinking age had changed to 21 and as a soldier I was allowed to buy booz on base. My second duty station was Hawaii and I continued in the party lifestyle. After breaking up with my boyfriend and him moving away I spent a Christmas almost entirely alone. Now in my family we do Christmas up big and this was the loneliest time in my life I think. In January of that same year I went to the Big Island for 2 weeks on a training mission. While there this friend of mine (old party buddy) who had been transfered there invited me to church with him. There just so happened to be an evangelist there doing a revival (who knew). Mark had gotten religious before he left and I wondered why.

Well, that sunday morning I heard the gospel, but I wasn't ready to accept it. I went that night with Mark also and he invited me the next night. My response was: do you go to church everyday? LOL. Of course I had no idea what revival meetings were. Well, Tuesday morning I got up and turned on the tv to watch the space shuttle take off. This was still a new thing back then. This was Jan 28th 1986 the day the space shuttle challenger exploded on takeoff. I was in shock, this was the first shuttle trip with a civilian on board, a teacher. I just started thinking what if I had died on board, where would I be? I had always thought that although not a real good person I would make it to heaven because my good deeds would outweigh my bad ones. I hadn't murdered anyone, so God would have to let me in. Well, after hearing the truth at church the sunday before, I knew this wasn't true. No one is good enough, thats why Jesus had to die on the cross. If we could be good enough to make it into heaven, then Jesus death would have been in vain.

Mark asked me to go to church with him on Wed night and I just had to go. I don't have any idea what the sermon was about, but I was almost running down the aisle to accept Jesus. When I got back to Oahu I was baptized and got involved in the bus ministry, and street witnessing (downtown in Waikiki) right away. I was so excited about what Jesus had done for me I am sure I scared some people away, but I had found the truth and I had to tell everyone. Of course I didn't know anything from the Bible so all I could give was my testimony. About 6 months later I met my hubby at the post office on Schofield Barracks, he was waiting for a bus to go to church, and I invited him to mine. Soon after I surrendered to be a missionary and planned to go to Bible College. Alan had been recently converted watching Jimmy Swagert on tv. We later dated, and became engaged. We both got out of the Army and went to Bible college.

Our burden is still the mission field, but the mission field of the Army is where the Lord has placed us. I hope that anyone reading this who isn't entirely sure of his/her salvation makes a committment to Christ, soon.

[WISDOM]

Lana....

Isn't it good to know that there is no shame in the truth?!  I wish more Christians would come clean about their life, while turning over what they say to the LORD for HIS use of it and HIS glory through you because of it.

Years ago I use to "hide" behind my Christianity, and wanted all to see how much I'd studied the Word and how much gleem was in my smile.  In the process I didn't realize that this wasn't what GOD had called me for.  HE wanted to use my good as well as my bad to show just how dependant I am on HIS love and righteousness.  It wasn't until I began to be honest both with myself and others ABOUT MYSELF that GOD was able to start using me to lead others to HIM.  You see...it's NOT always about how many verses of Scripture I can/could quote, or how much doctrinal avenues I could prove/disprove to impress others.  Granted, those things are good and have helped me to become shaped into the Christian I am thus far, however, our FATHER demands much, MUCH more than that.

HE wants you and I to be the PERSON HE called, so that HE can call others by THAT PERSON!    Anything and everything about YOU, CHRIST already knows..and the beauty is HE knew it BEFORE HE called YOU and I.  :thumb:

So we don't have to try and impress HIM....it won't work. *lol*  The song says, "Just as I am".  All the baggage we bring with us to HIM in our "story" HE says "Come with it...DON'T try to change a thing.  I'll take care of that, just come as YOU are".  If we now as Christians would only STOP where we are in life and take a look back we can see where HE disposed of a lot of that baggage, but it remains a part of our story because others are out there in the world with the same load.  And the load I speak of may be the VERY load which YOU or I once (and in some cases still do) carried/carry.  If our FATHER can bring into the Body of CHRIST a man like a Billy Graham (with his baggage) as well as a "Son of Sam" (with his baggage) it tells me that EVERYONE's story is important and can be used as an outreach for others feeling they're too blemished or too "goody-goody" for CHRIST to pay attention to.

Thank you so much Lana for sharing your story.  Me?  I'm just keeping it real.  People out here want the truth, and they WON'T find it with the "X-Files".  They'll find it in YOU and I...brothers and sisters in CHRIST! (Romans 10:9-10,13)

[Lanakila]

Well, Wisdom I did debate whether to put the parts about my sinful lifestyle down. I am a new creature in Christ, praise God. My memories are more like a movie I watched instead of my real life. I don't like to glorify evil and I don't want other Christians to judge me incorrectly either, but you are right. God may use my testimony to reach someone, and this is why I decided to come clean and put it all down.  

[johnjackofmn]

Not quite ready for my testimony yet, but I have to ask this for the sake of the young ladies.........do you FEEL saved all the time? Ladies, salvation does'nt depend on feelings. I sure don't FEEL saved, or christians all the time, but I do know that I am.

[gepeto]

My story is long but I can share the clift notes. I started doing drugs when I was 15. Drinking, smoking pot, shoting meth and coke and all kinds of crime as well. I was sent to prison at 17 for robbery and also I had burgleries and other stuff. I got out at 19 became a dad and then got married one year later. I should say that when I was 12 I did give my life to the Lord but as you can see I went my own way. I went back to the Lord for a time during the mid 1980's but then in 1992 got back into the drugs and lost everything. I was tied up in the world of meth and stayed in it for five years! I lost my family and ended up in Teen Challenge up in Oakland,CA. I stayed there for 14 months. After I got out I stayed clean for 18 months and then back into the drugs again! I was dealing meth and turning over about 4 ounces a week and smoking PCP at the same time. I was involved in pornography and lots of really bad situations, it was hell. I did it all, theft, possesion of drugs, DUI, spouse battery, assult on a police officer, burglery, robbery. Through the grace of God I ended up back in jail in 1997 and the state wanted to give me six years in prison. Without going into many strange and bizarre details I am free today and have been cleaned up for five years now. I play my guitar with the worship team at my church and have wrote many songs about the Lord and what he does for people. My kids have been through lots of junk but I am now chasing after the Lord with the same effort that I used to go chash the bag and the devil. The Lord is good and now I am just trying to be the dad that God commanded me to be. Thanks!

[Butterfly634]

Thanks, everyone I suppose I might as well post my story as well.

I was born into a Lutheran family. My father had been attending a small, country church all his life and so I became a member when I was born. When I say small I mean about 100 people came on Sunday mornings. And that's a large crowd. I was sent to a private school (Zion Lutheran) and attended it from pre-school through 8th grade. We had Wednesday chapel there, and had a religion class every day. I usually didn't want to get up on Sunday mornings and go to church; I never really got anything out of church anyway. During this time, I always thought I was a Christian. Although I lived a good life and was always an obedient child, I never was really sure of my slavation. I just kind of figured I'd make it to heaven, because that's what I was being told every day. I wondered how anyone could be so sure of their future when it was in some powerful, unknown beings hand. Then I began hanging out with my cousins. They'd always lived about a mile down the road from me, but I was never very close to them, except for the youngest one; Lacey and I would play together all the time when we were little. I then became closer to her older sister, Vicki, and as a result of this, became closer to the eldest sister, Amanda. She had recently come to personally know God, and had brought Lacey to him as well. They were often urging Vicki to accept him. I had also been reading the Left Behind series, which urged me to turn back to my bible. I became very interested in reading and studying my bible. For the first time in my life, I actually WANTED to learn about God and what the bible said. I became a believer soon after. Since then, I have grown in my faith primarily thanks to Amanda, and my other cousins. She has shown me a good church, one where I can grow and truly worship God, and they have always been there to discuss what I am learning in my bible. Vicki and I were saved around the same time, so we have been learning together. Praise the Lord for cousins!

[WISDOM]

BFly....TAHT is a GREAT story!!  Our FATHER has HIS timing perfect, doesn't HE?  Man, I enjoyed reading your post...simple and to the point!

And guess what?  There are a lot of lurkers and professed Christians out there who needed to hear/read your story.  Thank you so much for hearing the call of the HOLY SPIRIT! :thumb:

[WISDOM]

Gepeto:

I understand your story quite well, and it's a strong one bruh.  But thank GOD we heard the "calling" on our life and accepted the free gift HE provides.  Isn't it a great feeling knowing we have eternal life because HE has wiped the slate board clean of our filth, and given us salvation, which includes HIS riches in glory?!!  Great testimony bruh!!