Testimony

Sharing your testimony can be a powerful act. Someone may be wandering foreign lands, but no longer deaf at the sound of your tongue. Let the Lord use you.

I must say, tonight's Bible study was powerful. Having said that, I will tell you why...Perhaps the promise I made to myself for the new year is the reason why I took the risk of sharing my personal testimony. On the other hand, the cognizant effort to take risks wasn't really on my mind. The whole thing took me by surprise. I suppose the Lord was doing a work in me.

Each of the 3 women before me shared their testimony on how they came to know the Lord, and they shared key aspects in their lives that allowed them to maintain a relationship with Him through thick and thin. Some items that were shared were ideas of youthful purity, struggles with relationships with boys (notice I didn't say men), and what it meant to grow up in the church.

For instance, my sister in Christ said that she felt more "pure when [she] was younger." She went on to explain that different college experiences led her to such things as dating unequally yoked men, consuming alcohol, not attending church regularly, and the like. All experiences causing her relationship with God to falter. However, as a result to her Christian upbringing, she was able to access the Spirit of the Lord that beckoned her.

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of His covenant. "For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great." Ps 25:10,11

In addition, we learned that we truly do serve a jealous God and that no matter how far our curious selves stray, He'll never let us go. This was especially highlighted in one testimony about how God's place in our hearts could never and can never be filled. We may have tried to find satisfaction and validation from the men we meet, but in the end, they are only temporary. God's patience for us putting Him on the side burner is impeccable! Glory Be To God! We know that no matter how attractive he is, how many times he opens the door for us, or how much we tell our girlfriends "He's such a good guy," if his heart is not for the Lord, first, then with him neither will ours.

We often try to rationalize things in our heads, but when we finally say things aloud, we see it in a whole new perspective. Praise God for having Christian brothers and sisters who allow us a safe and positive place to speak, and help us recongnize the path of the Word versus the desires of the flesh. Amen!

It's great how no matter what the circumstances in our lives were, the constant was God. Repeated was the gratitude we had for being raised in the church, because we always knew who our heart belonged to even though we foolishly played hard to get.

Not all of our experiences were negative. Fortunately, we didn't have to share struggles with alcohol, drug, or pornography addiction. Although, those testimonies are strong and need to be shared. Instead, we had uplifting revelations such as how our struggles caused us to lean on God and learn to love and serve. Showing love to everyone and humbling oneself to serve others is not always an easy feat. But God bless the child who's on her knees. One of the testimonies shared was how the church taught how to be of service to others and exude love. This lesson, although not immediately realized, was carried through duties of (present-)eldest sibling responsibilities. It's a struggle to be the role model and caregiver at a young age. Thoughts of "why me" and "how will I accomplish my dreams" are only two comments that came to cease toward the absent mother who provided an ample house and home, food, clothing, transportation, education, support, vision of strength, and most importantly love. This realization of love initiated an admiration for an absent mother who wasn't really absent at all.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Prv 22:6

Grateful are we to have been raised in the church that we may recognize God's voice when He calls to us. I'm believing that anyone who gives their heart to the Lord will distinctly hear His voice regardless if they were raised in the church or not. Is it booming with authority, or smooth like the ripple in a calm sea? For you, I'm not sure. Just open your Bible and hear His voice. Trust in Him! God is Able!

My Testimony

Fortunately, I was born into the church, raised in the church, and liked it. I didn't feel any reason to rebel against organized religion because it didn't hinder me from living life. In other words, I did not want to steal or get drunk so when the Bible and those in authority said "don't do it," it didn't phase me. Fortunately.

Now, that's not to say I've never stumbled on this path that's straight and very narrow. But, no matter the stumble-whether it caused scrapes or bruises-I always found myself in the arms of the Father. And I was not only healed, but forgiven and redeemed.

I look at life a little differently than my Sisters in Christ, and most of my friends, because of the different curve-balls pitched to me in life. Most of them I hit foul, some of them I'd like to say I hit home, and on record, there's only been one to strike me out. (Does that make any sense to you?) Regardless of how I reacted to the pitch, including striking out, I always had a reason to stay in the game. The Lord can applaud His faithful angel, my mother, for that.

The fact that I knew my mother's heart belonged to the Lord, and that He would claim her, is the only reason I've never completely turned away from God.

It didn't matter how much I hated (seriously mad at) God, or how long it took me to regain my personal relationship with Him. I always knew that Jesus was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jn 14:6 As a result to this knowledge, I was able to rebuild my confidence and, soon, develop a relationship that was no longer "religious" but truly spiritually connected.

I've found that the more I know about Jesus, the more I don't know. But I can honestly say that when I finally come to understand even the smallest aspect of Him, I've find myself in complete reverence embracing all of His joy. And it's a GREAT joy!

So, the conclusion of our study and time of sharing truly emphasized the incessant presence of the Lord in our lives. He never left us, or resented us for giving Him the cold shoulder. In fact, He loved us more. He showed us a warmer embrace than anything our flesh sought after, and because of this we are humbled and grateful.

Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart....I will speak of your statutes before Kings and will not be put to shame. Ps 119:2,40

These are our testimonies.