I Love hearing a Testimony!

[Glory]

Revelation 12:11 * And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

We all have a testimony of how our blind eyes were opened. I believe that by sharing our testimony, it not only brings glory to the Lord, but it also could be read by unbelievers who stop into the RR Forum.

I also believe by sharing your story, it brings the Body even closer together. Sometimes we tend to forget that some are baby christians, and some perhaps suffered an extremely difficult life... enduring much pain, and thus we may be too quick to judge or use harsh words against someone who offends us.

So please share, how did you come to know the Lord Jesus Christ? :)

[lostsheep]

My journey is one of many twists and turns. Just recently I have been studying the sovereignty of God and his “elect”. This study has changed my entire perspective of how a person becomes “saved”. And I believe that my story reflects the fact that I am one of his “chosen” people. He new me before I was even born! He chose me first, while I was dead in my sins. I believe this is the reason why I have always felt like his child. In fact I could not give you a date or time that I have had a “life changing” experience from some “sinner’s prayer” that I said. I do believe people have these experiences but I never have. God drew me closer and closer to him a little at a time.
So my belief now is that those of us who are the elect are, were and will always be, his children. I believe that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we do this because of the drawing of the Holy Spirit which God placed inside of us. I believe that it is not some special prayer we say to God that saves us. What if we said it wrong or didn’t use the right words? How do we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart? How does one come to this place of TRUE belief? I’ll tell you, God put it there FIRST!!!
I believe that we are “awakened” in a moment of clarity somewhere in our lives as to who Jesus really is. Life experiences lead us to recognize our sinfulness and selfishness which causes us to be broken in his presence. We realize that we fall so short of the glory of God. We realize that we will never be good enough. We realize our total dependence and our need to be forgiven and “saved”. This is only done through the blood of the Lamb on the cross. Jesus died for me. He felt the pain of my sin on that cross. He paid my debt once and for all. I am forgiven because He calls me his child. I am forgiven because God chose me in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. (Ephesians 1:4). I am forgiven because it pleased God to do so. I love him. I TRULY love him, because he first loved me!
I believe in Jesus because he has shown himself to me. His spirit that dwells inside of me has always been there, talking to me, and teaching me. However I have not always listened to him. In fact I believe that he let me “do my own thing” for a time to teach me the things he wanted me to learn. I believe that my father dieing when I was six months old was in his plan. I believe that having an abusive step father was in his plan. I believe the miscarriage of one of my children was in his plan. I believe that ALL of my paths have been directed by him to lead me to where he has me today.
Today I thank God for taking my father when I was a boy. I thank him for my step dad who taught me so very well how NOT to treat my wife and my children. I love them so much in part because of what my step dad did. I thank God for taking one of our little ones, my wife’s parents came to know Jesus because of what they saw in us during that time. I thank God that he has given me three sons. I get to be the father I never had! I thank God for his word that says he is a Father to the fatherless.
So here I am today 3 years removed from drug use. Jesus is now my daily “high”. He has placed me in a job at an automotive repair technical school that involves being around young adults who have a past just like mine, but they have never heard of this saving grace that we know of. I have a voice at work because I can relate. People listen to me when I talk because I am a teacher and I am very knowledgeable in my area of the field. God has given me a special talent for fixing cars and I believe this talent was given to me so that people would respect me when I talk and they will listen to me when I speak about him. Especially when I share my past with them and tell them what Jesus has done for me!!
In conclusion I want to do, above all, what is good and pleasing to him in everything that I do. In all that I say, in all that I speak, in all that I think. I want to share with the world how much Jesus loves us! I want to hear these words “well done my good and faithful servant”. I want to be with Jesus forever!
Thank you God for your great love for us, that you made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our sins. Thank you that it is by grace we have been saved.




P.S. To my brothers and sisters on this network. I wanted to let you all know that regardless of your view of election, whether you agree with me or not, does not change my love for each and every one of you.
I still believe man is responsable for his actions. Somewhere in this doctrin is some sort of paradox and I'll admit I do not fully understand it all.
Finally I do not think that God caused my step father to abuse me, but he sure made it right. Some how, it was exactly what I needed to make me who I am today. Again, another paradox.
As far as my dad dying when he did at the young age of 27. Was this Gods plan? In this case I think it was. My half brother and sister would NOT exist today had my father lived. I love them so much! So again, thank you Jesus for taking my father when you did.

[Glory]

Lostsheep, I do believe He begins drawing us to Him from the beginning of our lives. He reveals Himself to us from the very beginning. But it takes that very moment of realizing exactly WHY The Word was made flesh. Why He died on a cross. Realizing that He paid the price for our many sins.

I don't believe either that a "sinners prayer" is what saves us. Repenting means, turning around. Making an about face, to follow Him.

I LOVE your testimony. It so touched my heart. Hallelujah for how He has worked in your life!! Yes, He uses the good and the bad to work in us. To break us, shape us, and mold us into His image. That work in us continues until the moment we take our final breath.

Thank you Lostsheep, for sharing your story with us. :hug

[Jesse]

My testimony can be viewed through the following link: http://members.tripod.com/jdlarsenmn/testimony.htm

[Brokenjar]

I hope GOD can use this. I have never shared this much before, mostly out of fear and shame. I think it will explain a lot about why I am brokenjar. Here’s my story about how He took hold of me.
I was born to life on a farm. My parents, my aunts and uncles were all together and my grandfather was the center of it all. In the beginning, like the rest, my life flowed around him and I enjoyed his light. But then cancer stole that life away and the glue was gone. His children went separate ways, the farm was sold, and the glue for my parent’s marriage went with him as well. War. Both my mom and my dad remarried. My step father was an angry man and nothing never seemed to be enough for him. My father was too busy and in his new family my brother and I had to deal with lies and humiliation from his new wife and kids. More war and prisoners of war. I grew up searching. My step father had his stack of porn and it seemed to be a life line to me, a lonely boy with no close friends or place in the world. Oh how I was wrong. It led me to molest someone and it went on for a couple of years. I graduated and went to college, empty and mentally broken. I was so sure at times that I alone existed or that everyone could read my mind. Someone asked me about myself and I remember saying I felt like a red ball that is pretty on the outside but empty and dark on the inside. Kind of freaked him out. GOD had plans for that broken thing and a couple of guys came to my room and shared Christ with me and I prayed. Summer came and I decided that my decision was nonsense and drew away from the Christian crowd. I got a job casting aluminum for the summer. One day it was very hot, I was running three molds and I started getting sick and realized that all it took was me to faint and part of me would be in that big pot of molten aluminum. It was then that GOD came to me and told me that I wasn’t in a good place and I agreed. The next thing I knew, one mold malfunctioned and froze solid and the controller on the second shorted out. I was down to one mold, and I was on fire. I an opportunity to molest that person again but GOD said “It’s time to end”, and GOD took the madness away. I returned to college on fire. Years went by, I graduated, entered the Navy and then returned home. The fire still burned but shame and Satan was beating me up all the time over sin and the evil I had done. I was so sure that I was worthless and useless, especially to GOD. But GOD had other plans. He brought a woman from an abusive marriage into my life. He said, “I want you to love and cherish her and be a father to her daughters.” You have no idea what that meant to me…I tear up just thinking about it. I have continued to grow, but porn was still dogging me. I climbed the ladder at my new job, but within a couple of years my stepfather died, a daughter was gang raped, my son was born, my brother committed suicide, and 911. I topped it off with looking at porn and lost my job. I was so sure that was the end, but again GOD had other plans. He showed my mercy and love through my wife, and within a short time gave me a better job than I ever had before with a raise! God took my fall and made it into something good, put my kids out of a bad school environment, and gave my wife the opportunity to start school for Nursing. 2 Corinthians 4:6,7 “For GOD, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from GOD and not from us…” I am a broken jar, but GOD chose me to show His glory. It is my prayer and hope that He shines through all the cracks and holes in me. I now burn with a desire for my home with Christ and leave this world and its things behind. GOD is my life, my savior, my redeemer, my healer, my hope, my joy, and my song. Now my story is in His hands. I pray that He is glorified by it.

Blessed be the name of the LORD.

[yeshua'sbride]

I hope GOD can use this. I have never shared this much before, mostly out of fear and shame. I think it will explain a lot about why I am brokenjar. Here’s my story about how He took hold of me.
I was born to life on a farm. My parents, my aunts and uncles were all together and my grandfather was the center of it all. In the beginning, like the rest, my life flowed around him and I enjoyed his light. But then cancer stole that life away and the glue was gone. His children went separate ways, the farm was sold, and the glue for my parent’s marriage went with him as well. War. Both my mom and my dad remarried. My step father was an angry man and nothing never seemed to be enough for him. My father was too busy and in his new family my brother and I had to deal with lies and humiliation from his new wife and kids. More war and prisoners of war. I grew up searching. My step father had his stack of porn and it seemed to be a life line to me, a lonely boy with no close friends or place in the world. Oh how I was wrong. It led me to molest someone and it went on for a couple of years. I graduated and went to college, empty and mentally broken. I was so sure at times that I alone existed or that everyone could read my mind. Someone asked me about myself and I remember saying I felt like a red ball that is pretty on the outside but empty and dark on the inside. Kind of freaked him out. GOD had plans for that broken thing and a couple of guys came to my room and shared Christ with me and I prayed. Summer came and I decided that my decision was nonsense and drew away from the Christian crowd. I got a job casting aluminum for the summer. One day it was very hot, I was running three molds and I started getting sick and realized that all it took was me to faint and part of me would be in that big pot of molten aluminum. It was then that GOD came to me and told me that I wasn’t in a good place and I agreed. The next thing I knew, one mold malfunctioned and froze solid and the controller on the second shorted out. I was down to one mold, and I was on fire. I an opportunity to molest that person again but GOD said “It’s time to end”, and GOD took the madness away. I returned to college on fire. Years went by, I graduated, entered the Navy and then returned home. The fire still burned but shame and Satan was beating me up all the time over sin and the evil I had done. I was so sure that I was worthless and useless, especially to GOD. But GOD had other plans. He brought a woman from an abusive marriage into my life. He said, “I want you to love and cherish her and be a father to her daughters.” You have no idea what that meant to me…I tear up just thinking about it. I have continued to grow, but porn was still dogging me. I climbed the ladder at my new job, but within a couple of years my stepfather died, a daughter was gang raped, my son was born, my brother committed suicide, and 911. I topped it off with looking at porn and lost my job. I was so sure that was the end, but again GOD had other plans. He showed my mercy and love through my wife, and within a short time gave me a better job than I ever had before with a raise! 2 Corinthians 4:6,7 “For GOD, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from GOD and not from us…” I am a broken jar, but GOD chose me to show His glory. It is my prayer and hope that He shines through all the cracks and holes in me. I now burn with a desire for my home with Christ and leave this world and its things behind. GOD is my life, my savior, my redeemer, my healer, my hope, my joy, and my song. Now my story is in His hands. I pray that He is glorified by it.

Blessed be the name of the LORD.

Bless you for sharing that, Brokenjar. The love and gratitude you have for our dear Savior is so evident from your post. Praying with you that He is glorified by it. :hug:pray

[Glory]

Brokenjar, the Lord uses every testimony. There is someone out there (many someones) who needs to hear or read your testimony! Someone who THINKS that nobody will understand (but YOU WILL!). Your testimony can help to change a life! It will bring them hope! Hope that the Lord will forgive, heal, deliver, restore, and save them!

I know it must have been difficult sharing your story. Thank you! God bless you brother. And may God continue to use you, and your testimony, to bring glory to Him. :hug

[Glory]

My testimony can be viewed through the following link: http://members.tripod.com/jdlarsenmn/testimony.htm

Jesse, I love your testimony. Praise God! I am quite familiar with the music you once listened to. I have 2 son's who also listened to those same groups. I just posted on another thread under "Anything Goes" about MUSIC. Then I read your testimony here! Coincidence? I don't think so. :)

How I praise God for the work He has done within you! And will continue it until He calls you Home.

I love the scriptures you ended your testimony with:

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Jesus, from Mark 2:17).

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (The apostle Paul, from 1 Timothy 1:15).

Hallelujah to the Lord!

Thank you Jesse for sharing your testimony with us! God bless you! :hug

[lostsheep]

Brokenjar. Thank you for sharing. I know it was not easy. I just wanted to share a verse with you.
Romans 8:28
[ More Than Conquerors ] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Also remember this one.
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west,So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

God bless you my brother.

[Brokenjar]

Good testimony Jesse