What I really want you to know...

My Story

I grew up going to a church that was very formal with a god that seemed distant and uninterested. And as long as I followed the list of do's and the list of don'ts and refrained from commiting murder or something like that one day I would probably get to Heaven, or at least I knew I wasn’t evil enough for Hell. Being somewhat of an under-achiever, I lived like you might expect, for the pleasures this world. I always kindof knew there had to be more, I really did long for a better relationship with God. I think about all the ways I was trying to fill the voids in my life. Something was really missing in my life. I was craving the Father’s love, and acceptance. I longed to be valued. I tried so hard to satisfy that longing with the wrong things. They didn't fill that need. I didn’t feel like I was worth anything. I felt so worthless! In my attempts to gain value... I lost it.

I was once told by a co-worker that I needed to be a “Christian” to go to Heaven….In a huff I snapped off my best version of Webster’s definition of the word Christian and walked off, very annoyed... but it was then I really started to think about what is there after death.

While working a a gas station after a rush of customers cleared I looked down at the counter, and there was a little booklet. (it wasn't the first time this had happened) I was always glad to read them, they were interesting, kindof like little comics. It showed a guy after he died before God, being judged. While he was judged by a Holy God, his life played on a giant movie screen; it read "This Was Your Life" (click to see it) As I read it and saw these words from the Bible, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God…” and “the wages of sin is death”, and the real clincher “except a man be born again he can not see the kingdom of God”,this "movie" of the man's life reminded me a lot of my life if it were to be viewed on a screen before God... see I was always told that those “born again” Christians were wackos. And after reading these verses from the Bible, especially when Jesus himself said I must be born again, I realized at that moment I was going to hell because I was a sinner. On the last page of the booklet was a prayer that you could pray if you wanted to put your trust in Christ...I said “the prayer”, like the words were supposed to do “something”. They did not. I didn’t understand, since I really agreed with it. But I did know that nothing was changed. I still though that I could "do" something, say a prayer, give up sinning, something.


Then I was invited by a friend to her church. I heard the Bible preached for the first time. I returned several more times. One Thursday night, I heard the preacher say many of the same things that I read in that booklet, I heard him tell me that I was a sinner! That Jesus, the Son of God died to pay for my sin on the cross, that unless I accepted his payment for my sin, by putting my trust in Him alone and nothing else, I would spend eternity in Hell.

For the first time I really knew that I was worth something to someone, God! I knew at that moment that it was for me personally that He died not just an abstract God dying for and abstract world. And I went down to that alter and I confessed to the Lord that I was a sinner, I told him that I knew that I could not do anything to earn forgiveness, that only His shed blood could cover my sin, and I asked him to forgive me and save me, and I knew that the Christ that was raised from the dead made me a new creature at that moment, I just knew.

I have been a Christian for 19 years now . I am so humbly thankful for the way He has developed in me a great love for His Word. I now live for Him, and pray I always do. I am a work in progress...I know I fail my Lord more often than I please him! I am so thankful that because I am His, he forgives me and is patient with me. (soooo patient) I have a heart to reach those who are living without Christ, especially those who think they have him, or do not need him, for they are deceived as I was. My desire is that when others hear my testimony and that they see the real Jesus and what He can do with them, as he has done so much for me and through me. Do you know Jesus? Have you ever had that moment in time where you repented (that means to turn from, or to change your mind about) your sin, and put your trust in Jesus Christ to save you from the punishment that you deserve, which is an eternity in Hell?

I hope that you will trust him. Give your life to him. The good news is that salvation is free!!! All you have to do is to change your mind about sin, confess to Jesus that you know that you are a sinner, believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the son of God, died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, was buried and rose again in three days, like the scriptures said he would. Then ask him to forgive you and to save you.

HE WILL. JUST PRAY TO HIM NOW.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story....my hope and prayer is that it will shed light on the truth for you.

If you would like to give your life to Christ by trusting His sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sin to save you from spending eternity in Hell, please pray.

Pray from your heart to God. Tell him you know you are a sinner. Tell him that you believe in your heart what the Bible says about his son, Jesus, that he died on the cross for your sin, that he was buried and rose from the dead three days later, like the scriptures said that he would. Ask him to forgive you and save you from the punishment which is Hell.

If you sincerely prayed this to the Lord, then you are forever forgiven...born again, and your eternal life has just now began! Your body will one day die, but you will live forever with him in Heaven!!!!!!!

Please leave a comment.

Please let me know if you have made a decision to believe and trust Jesus Christ as your own personal savior. If you already have a personal relationship with him, I would love to hear your story. If you have read this and still do not believe that you need this kind of relationship with Jesus, but would like me to pray for you, I would be honored to do so.