I grew up in a Christian home where my parents took me to church and modeled a Christian lifestyle. I was always taught Biblical principles and I saw my parents live these priciples out daily. We attended church every time the doors were open including while on vacation.
I was at a Backyard Bible club when I prayed to receive Christ. I believed He was the Son of God and that I was a sinner. I believed that He died on the cross for my sins and was buried in a tomb and on the thrird day he rose again. I believed this and trusted this. I continued to grow in my faith through church, Bible study, and youth trips.
I have made a lot of mistakes and made a lot of wrong choices, but I never have doubted that Christ is in my life. I desire to serve Him and grow in Him. I am convicted when I make bad choices and I know that conviction is the Holy Spirit. Even though I made a decision early in life, I know He came in because of the deep desire He has placed in me to live for Him.
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I, along with my 2 sisters and 2 brothers, grew up in a very good home with parents that loved and nurtured us. Our parents taught us about God and the difference between right and wrong. When I was 12 years old my Mom took us to a church service. The preacher helped me to understand that all people are sinners (choose to do wrong things) and that sin separates us from God. The Bible says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, Romans 3:23, and “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”, Romans 6:23. The preacher went on to explain that I could never do enough good things to gain God’s acceptance into Heaven when I die. In the Bible Isaiah 59:2 says: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Then he explained about what Jesus did for us. My parents had told me about Jesus; that he died on the cross and then rose from the grave. But I had not understood before what this meant to me. Jesus was our sacrifice. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and people. 1 Timothy 2:5 says: “For there is one God and mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Next, the preacher told us that if we want to spend eternity with God (go to Heaven to be with God when we die), we must trust in Jesus and personally ask Him to come into our life and be our Lord. The Bible says in Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” And in Revelation 3:20 the Bible tells us that Jesus is waiting for us to ask Him to come into our life: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” So that day I prayed and admitted my sin to God and asked for his forgiveness. I told Him that I believed that Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead and that I was willing to turn from my sins. And then I asked Jesus to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior.
My life changed after that day, but I did not become perfect! I still did things wrong. During my teen years, especially, I chose to go my own way. But eventually, realizing my need of God, I turned back to Him. Then, in my 30s, I questioned God. I asked, “Is there really a God?” and “Did God really create us?” Well, I didn’t question God as Creator for long, because when I considered the intricacies of our body and the world, I couldn’t deny that we had to be created by an intelligent being. Then I questioned the various religions of the world and if people just believe in something, “wouldn’t God honor that?” and “wouldn’t we all go to Heaven?” I came to realize that Jesus is the only way though. As I mentioned earlier, without Jesus and his taking our place for the punishment of our sin, we would be separated from God. Plus the Bible says in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father (God) but through Me.’” Jesus is the only way to God. Today, I am still a sinner. I do not always obey God. I am only made right before God because Jesus stood in my place and took my sin upon himself. I can go to him and ask for forgiveness and for his help in choosing to obey in the future. I also have a friend in Jesus. By spending time praying and reading the Bible, I am able to grow and gain a closer relationship with God. And I know I will spend eternity in Heaven!
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I grew up in a really good home. My dad was a pastor for 25 years. So I grew up knowing about Jesus and God’s love. I came to know Jesus as my personal savior about age 7 or 8.
It was at a tent meeting in California that I knew I loved Jesus, but had never publicly asked Jesus to come in to my heart and be my Lord and Savior.
I had heard of King David and how the Bible said he was a man after God’s own heart and I wanted so much to be like David. I wanted to be a boy after God’s own heart. I loved singing to Jesus and praising his name. I will be sixty one in December and looking back on my life, I am so glad that I came to know Jesus at an early age. As a kid I don’t believe anyone could have enjoyed life and had anymore fun than I. I always had a peace and joy inside. I didn’t smoke, curse, drink, or do any drugs. My dad told me to be careful what you do; God sees everything and knows everything. If you don’t want anyone to know what you are about to do then don’t do it.I don’t mean to sound like I was perfect, because I wasn’t. When my dad was in his 70’s he told me he was sorry he whipped me like he did. I then told my dad not to feel bad about that, because he never gave me a whipping I didn’t earn. Yes I have failed God, but he has never failed me. I know that I have been truly blessed. I asked Jesus to come in to my heart again at age 18. He has helped me through a lot of tough times.
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Before I met Christ, I thought I was a good Christian. My family went to church (almost) every Sunday. I went to Sunday school, was involved in youth group, and sang in the choir. I was baptized as a baby, and then confirmed when I was twelve. On the outside, I was living a “good Christian life”. There was something missing, though, but I didn’t realize it until I was 34 years old.
I had heard the pastor’s invitation to pray the sinner’s prayer many many times, but never accepted this invitation because I thought it wasn’t necessary for me. After all, I was living a “good Christian life”. However, as a new mom, I began to analyze my entire life. I realized that my actions (or lack of actions) impacted not only me, but someone else, too. I was overwhelmed with a desire to do the right thing for my child. It was then that I realized that I desperately needed to pray the sinner’s prayer. I had been a sinner my entire life and was remorseful for my sins, but had never truly asked for forgiveness. In 1999, I finally accepted the pastor’s invitation and prayed the sinner’s prayer.
I had finally found that missing piece in my Christian walk. Since then, I have enjoyed a closer relationship with Jesus. I also have comfort in knowing that I am finally doing what I need to do to be that “good Christian” I always thought I was. God is so good! Every day is a gift from Him!
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I was only 11 years old when I entered into a personal relationship with Christ. I had been in church all my life. My Mom made sure that my brother and I were in church everytime the door was opened. Even though I went to all the meetings and did the all the things I was expected to do, I knew there was something missing.
When my Dad was 30 yrs old he accepted Christ. His life immediately changed. He began going to church with us and we as a family began seeking a church that was really seeking God’s will. We would eventually join New Pisgah Baptist Church. One night we went to a church meeting where Fred Lowry was preaching. Because of the things he said and the change I had seen in my Dad’s life, I realized I needed Jesus as my Savior. That night in my living room my Dad led me in a prayer asking Jesus to be the Lord of my life.
That was 23 years ago, and things have not been easy. Since then I have been divorced, losing a marriage of 10 years with four children involved. If I had to admit it, though at 11years old I trusted Christ with my eternity, I never really learned to trust Him in my day to day decisions. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean on his understanding in the things you do acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Though it took 23 years and a failed marriage, I have finally begun to learn how to trust God with everything. This has given me a totally new outlook on life. For the first time, I can now say I am acknowledging and trusting in Him and not my own abilities.
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