Post by Gr8tful on Mar 23, 2015 16:25:31 GMT
My testimony isn't some come to Jesus moment, but rather a slow 'peel the layers off' over time before I really 'got' it way. I always believed in God, went to church as a kid due to the bus ministry, my parents didn't go except for Easter sometimes Christmas. I said the 'I lay my head down' prayer every night for as long as I can remember. As a little kid if me or my sister who shared a room got scared at night we'd put our Bible on the floor believing it kept the devil out! Don't ask where we got that idea, but it helped! Quit going to church of course when I was around 11 tho still believed but just that, believed in God. I had gotten 'saved' and baptized when I was in church so guess I felt 'covered'. Not sure how much I really understood it. Early teen yrs were rebellious, got married in my teens and became a mom. I started feeling a pull to God and a pull from evil hard to explain, but it kinda scared me. So somehow I got it in my head that I need to wear a cross at all times. So I got a cross necklace and never, ever took it off! That brought me comfort.
A few yrs later, hubby and I moved out of state to where my parents had just moved. I decided in order to meet people, have friends, me and my mom and my sister's all started going to church and started bible study classes and all that. We went to a very strict, legalistic church who preached hell and damnation. We SO did not want to go to Hell so we gave our lives to Christ and got baptized. I knew I had done that earlier but knew I needed to do it again becuz I really didn't understand it before. Our first yrs as Christians was hell, fire, damnation, as well as we were grounded in Revelation. If you didn't leave church feeling like scum and like you just got screamed at, well then, you didn't go to church that day! We moved back after 2 yrs becuz it wasn't for us but we held on to our religion. Eventually the layers started peeling off and started to know God as a loving Father, Savior, Redeemer, merciful and full of grace. He just kept revealing Himself to me in ways I never understood and for the most part against what I had been taught! That is considered 'dangerous' ground to believe that way. But in my heart we began to see the truth. Started going to a church that did worship and taught about God's love a whole lot more than I had ever heard. And an extremely important thing that really changed my life forever was accepting the Holy Spirit 100% into my life. Up until then I knew when I gave my life to Christ His Spirit was in me, but that's it. It wasn't He was actively involved or anything, just in me. The more I read the Word the deeper my relationship grew. It took yrs to strip away all the religious stuff and just get down to that awesome, sweet relationship w/Him! So for me it was a process, but since then I have seen Him do amazing things in my life, now that my faith is deep and real. It's all becuz of Him who never once let me go my way...but gently and lovingly revealed who He really is and guides me to this day even closer to Him. This is a good time to Thank Him for that....so Lord I thank you w/everything in me for all you have done, continuing to do and the things that You will do! I love You Lord! PS the moment I 'really' got it I took that necklace off, understanding that was just 'crutch', I didn't need it anymore cuz He is always with me no matter what!