I have grown up in a Christian home all of my life. I have known who Jesus was for as long as I can remember. At age four, I prayed to receive Christ into my life. I understood that Jesus died but, I didn’t really understand why I needed a Savior because I was blinded to my sin. My parents had no reason to doubt that I was a Christian because I knew the answers to simple biblical questions, yet I didn’t believe what I preached to those around me.
Sinful patterns of rebellion were beginning to be planted into my heart during the very early teen years. I did not show it outwardly because I didn’t what people to think badly of me. In my heart I rejected God. I had no desire at all to attend church and would even volunteer to do nursery very often to skip the sermon. I was sinning and being content to live in my sin. At age 13 (2005), God was beginning to draw my heart, yet I was not ready to follow Him. In early 2006, my eyes were slowly being opened to my sin. I didn’t talk to my parents about it because of my sin and my pride! I did whisper a prayer to God to change my life. Little did I know that I was in for a shock.
During this time God was working drastically in my parents. My Dad was feeling God calling Him to leave his 13 year job as a pastor in Iowa and be evaluated to become a pastor under Sovereign Grace. We as kids were somewhat aware of this and the possibility. On May 6th 2006 when my parents shared that we were moving to Minnesota, we were all in shock. God continued to work in my life and in the life of our family during our last 4 months in Iowa. On September 3rd 2006, we headed up to Minnesota to move the first truck full of things into our new house. That Sunday was my first week visiting what would be our new church. I was amazed by how everyone cared for our family. That next weekend, we moved the rest of the stuff up. During our first months, we were blessed with gifts, prayers, meals, and God’s grace was very evident and continues to be!
God used the kindness of of our church, the faith of my parents, the passionate worshiping at church, and the convicting sermons to finally draw me to my knees in Fall of 2006. I was broken over my sin and finally was open to my need for a Savior.
That Savior is Jesus Christ. Even when I was against God he chose me and drew me close to Him. We as sinners are under the JUST wrath of God, but He sent Jesus to die for our sins in our place. We also get Jesus’ righteousness! So when God looks at us, He sees Jesus’ perfection! We will always struggle with our sin but, God has conquered it and it no longer has any hold on us. We are FORGIVEN! Praise God! If you trust in Jesus’ work on the cross and that it is enough to save you from your sin, you can be forgiven! As Christians we await Heaven!
In the past three years, the Lord has changed my desires and my heart. He alone is to be praised and worshiped. I am no more than a sinner saved by the amazing, unchanging, and never-ending grace of God. GLORY TO GOD for he alone has replaced my heart of stone and given me a heart of flesh. Seek Him!!
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” -Colossians 1:13-14 (ESV)
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. -Ephesians 2:1-5 (ESV)
