In 1961, my parents became believers and we started going to church. This is when I heard the gospel message for the first time and came to faith in Christ at 6 years old. I had a strong faith as a youth.
In my teen years, I became disillusioned with other Christians and drew away from church. After high school, I stopped going to church altogether and followed my own selfish desires. I was a “casual” Christian, who only thought about Christ on Christmas and Easter. I thought I could live the way I wanted, ignore Christ, and still be a Christian.
Over time, the pressures of life began to take it’s toll. The life I was living was unfulfilling. I lost my assurance of salvation, I couldn’t articulate my faith, and I didn’t have peace or hope.
Like the prodigal, I came to realize I needed to turn away from living for myself and turn back to God. I needed to ask his forgiveness and live according to the Bible. At 24 years old, I repented and turned back to the Lord.
Since then, life has not been perfect or gotten easier, in fact it has been more difficult in many respects, but my life has definitely changed. The Lord brought other Christians into my life that have given me encouragement. I have peace that the Lord is with me during difficult times. I know that God has a plan and purpose for my life, and that he accepts me for who I am, and changes me in ways that I can’t on my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment