My life is forever changed by the grace of God
I grew up in a fairly loving, though secular home. My only experience
of attending church was with my mother as a small child, but this did
not last long. I remember seeing a group of people being baptised, and
thinking to myself that I would also like to get baptised. I maybe
attended church a handful of times while growing up, but I always knew about
Jesus, and believed in Him, from what I had learned from my mother,
grandmother, and school. My parents have done everything they could for
myself and siblings. I had a fairly happy childhood, though not without
trials in our family. There were terrible fights between my parents at
times, and a time when my parents almost got divorced. We worked through
these times as a family, and my parents are still happily married
today.
Everything changed when I became a teenager. When I was thirteen years
old I read a book about drugs and became obsessively curious. By the
time I was sixteen years old, I was smoking marijuana daily, living in
fornication with my boyfriend, had had one abortion, using cocaine weekly
and started dabbling in the occult. I was very depressed, dependant on
drugs and a chain smoker. I remember not attending my art college
classes, wandering through the streets, being very high. Many other bad
things happened to me as a result of my drug habit.
During this time when wandering through the streets, I remember often
reading a sign posted outside a church building, which I now know as a
verse from the psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." God
started drawing me to Himself. Soon I started reading a number of Christian
books, and started feeling convicted of the sin in my life. However, I
still continued living the way I was: Drugging, fornication, drinking,
partying, dabbling in the occult. I landed up being rushed to hospital,
thinking I was overdosing on Cocaine. It was so frightening, and I
cried aloud to God, begging Him for forgiveness, and asking Him to not let
me die. I believed the bible and knew I would have ended up in hell,
for I hadn't made peace with God by receiving Jesus and my sins were not
covered by His blood, and I hadn't repented of my sins. I did not die,
but soon continued living the way I wanted.
In this time, my brother had also died in a car accident and I was
devestated. I had never experienced such intense pain and heartache in my
life. My brother's death brought many changes to our family. My parents
and sister were soon baptised. This started me thinking about becoming
baptised as well. A month later after having a dream warning me to
leave the drug world as soon as possible, I decided to get my life right
with God.
Arrangements were made for me to get baptised. On the day of my
baptism, while being driven there I knew my life was about to change forever,
a sweet presence overwhelmed me and I started laughing and weeping at
the same time. Upon entering the home of the Christian man I was so
aware of the precious presense of the Lord Jesus. He explained many things
to me before the baptism, that I would now belong to Jesus, and that He
purchased me with His blood, and God would become my Abba Father. He
prayed with me and annointed me with oil, and I confessed all my sins to
God and repented of them. Then I was baptised in the name of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The old me, filled with sin and shame
was buried under those waters and I arose a complete new creation. I was
filled with an indescribable, deep peace, and aware of living waters
flowing deep in my heart. I now know this to be the Holy Spirit Who will
be given to everyone who believes and receives Jesus.
I now had a hunger and thirst for God's word, to meet with other
Christians and attend church. The first Sunday after being baptised I
attended a church close to my home. Upon entering the church I was awed by the
holy presense of God among His people, and was deeply aware of His
love. I can only describe it like warm sunrays shining on your skin, but my
soul was drinking in the warmth. The service began with praise and
worship, the people were singing and clapping. I also sang with all my
heart, my heart overflowing with love, and thankfulness and joy. All of a
sudden I was baptised again, but this time with the Holy Spirit. At the
time I was not aware of exactly what was happening to me,It was a very
powerful experience, I knew I was being touched by God, but after
reading my bible more, and reading a booklet that I received, I learned
about the baptism and regeneration of the Holy Spirit, which is a free
gift, and I learned about being born again. I left that church fille
d to the full with the love and joy of God.
Since my baptism, repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Lord
and Saviour, I have been fully set free from smoking, drug abuse, lust,
depression. I have had many very difficult trials, tribulations and
tests, but God has been faithful and has carried me through, never leaving
me nor forsaking me. I have made many mistakes, but God has always
lifted me up and forgiven me when I turn to Him. I am now married to my
then drug addicted boyfriend, who also experienced the grace of God
through Jesus Christ, and is a new creation, and we have a beautiful baby
girl that God has blessed us with.
All glory, honor and praise be unto God and to Jesus Christ the Lamb of
God that takes away the sin of the world. Because of God's grace and
mercy, an undeserving sinner like me has been given freedom and the gift
of eternal life, which is God's free gift to every man who will believe
in Jesus Christ, and repent of his sins.
My life is forever changed.
I love You Lord Jesus, blessed be Your Holy name.
JOHN 3:16 - 17
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but
that the world through Him might be saved .
JOHN 3:5-6
Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit.
1 TIMOTHY 1:16
However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus
Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to
believe on Him for everlasting life.
JOHN 7:37b-39
Jesus stood and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and
drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his
heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the
Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive, for the Holy Spirit
was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
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