Thursday, July 19, 2007

Psalm 107:2

Psalm 107:2 "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."

Bro. Tim taught a lesson in Sunday School recently that if we are a child of God that we have a testimony and that we need to share it. People need to hear our story. Many are not giving their testimony for whatever reason. But if truth be known....if we're saved we have a story and we need to tell it. That being said I just want to testify and brag on the Lord in my post for today. It might be quite lengthy but it's hard to put my testimony in a short version for even in its short version it is lengthy.

I lived 24 years without ever even hearing the name of Jesus. I knew there was a God since my daddy told me as a little girl that there was a God but he didn't know to tell me anything more than that. When I was 24 years old I had a friend who had her pastor come by to visit me. He talked to me for a few minutes about the Lord then asked me if I wanted to go to Heaven. I of course told him yes. He lead me in a prayer (and that is all it was). I repeated what he told me to and then told me I was going to Heaven. Nothing in my life changed after that day. I still did the same wicked things I was doing. I lived that way going to church whenever my husband and I felt like it (about twice a month).

When I was 28 years old my husband left me. I took my son to a baseball game one Saturday morning and felt the need to go home and check on something. My husband didn't go to the game. When I got home I found a not on my pillow in our bedroom telling me he was leaving me and that he wasn't coming back. I was devastated. He didn't leave a contact number or any other info to let me know how to reach him. I had to wait to hear from him when he decided to call. He finally called days later. My life was in total turmoil.

I was working at a bowling center at the time. I would go to work and a lady by the name of Jackie would witness to me and tell me I needed the Lord. I kept telling her that I had TRIED Jesus and I still lost my husband. She was so kind and loving as to tell me "No Julie...the Lord will help you if you will just let Him" and then she would invite me to church. You see...I thought I was already saved. So I didn't have much confidence in Jesus at that time. She stayed on me for about a month about having Jesus in my life and going to church with her. I called her (and still do today but praise God for her now) my "persistent pest". She didn't give up on me. And I'm so glad she didn't.

One day I was at my in-law's house and was telling my mother-in-law about Jackie inviting me to church and my sister-in-law said she would go with me if I wanted to go. I wasn't going to get help from the Lord but was going to shut Jackie up. So that Sunday morning I went to church. From the moment I walked in those doors at church I was under conviction. I sat through the entire service just crying and crying. I don't remember what the preacher preached only that I knew I needed help.

At the invitation another lady that worked at the bowling center who had also witnessed to me came and got me to go to the altar and pray. She wanted to pray with me but while she was praying with me I was getting saved. Now there are people who say it is what you say that saves you. If that were the case then I would have gotten saved when I was 24 years old. My mouth didn't ask Jesus to save me but my heart did!!! (It wasn't till months later that I even realized that was the day I got saved). When I got up from the altar that morning I felt free. The burden and weight that I had carried for so long was gone!!! And at this point I knew that I was going to be okay no matter what happened. After that day God began to work on me about many different areas of my life.

It wasn't long after that time that my husband called me to say he was going to see a divorce lawyer. Deep down I was so hurt but I found myself telling him that the kids and I would be fine if that was what he did. What he didn't know was that my church and myself were praying for him. I prayed and asked the Lord to help me with this situation. As a new-born babe in Christ I was learning to trust the Lord. In two hours he showed up at home and said he was not home for me but for the kids. He told me that he didn't love me like a man should love his wife. He said we would give it three months and see what happened. I said okay of course. Well...two weeks later my husband was sitting in our garage at the house pondering on things and he got saved!!! He knew what he needed to do cause he had gone to church as a boy and made a profession of faith at the age of 14.

Not too many months later he felt the call to preach on his life and one year later he surrendered to that call. My husband now pastors Eagles View Baptist Church in Rex, GA. My son plays piano in our church and my girls and I sing. All I can say is TO GOD BE THE GLORY...GREAT THINGS HE HATH DONE!!! To be in church and serving the Lord as a family when our family was almost destroyed is a miracle and is something I never dreamed would happen. I give Him all the glory for the results He has brought about in our lives. God has blessed us abundantly in so many ways.

I thank God for the MANY chances He gave me to be saved. He didn't just give me a second chance to get saved but MANY chances. I'm so thankful He never gave up on me. And although I still fail Him now He still hasn't given up on me!!

Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."

You have read my testimony. Now I'd like to hear yours. I've done this before on my previous blog that I had and got deleted before I started this one. If you are a child of God....you have a testimony. I'd love to read your testimonies of how you came to know the Lord. Don't worry about how long your comment will be when giving your testimony. Length is not an issue...I just want to read how you came to know Him. I know from having had my readers do this before that my readers got blessed by others testimonies as well. Who knows...maybe someone will come by and read all of our testimonies and want for them what Christ did for us.

Psalm 107:2 "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mrs Julie I love hearing your testimony and what God did for your family. What a testimony of God's grace. I am so glad he did what he did because he has allowed us to not only be church members together but friends. What a great God we serve. Now I don't remember if left my testimony or not last time but I will give it on here today.

The first time I remember going to church as far as more than on occasion was when I was around the age 9 we had neighbors that invited our family to an assembly of God church. I remember one time we had a camp out and they had a special preacher come in that preached on Hell around a camp fire. This is the first time I remember that God convicted me to being saved. However I was scared to go in the middle to where they were going to lay hands on people that needed to be saved. Pretty crazy to me. Well we stayed there for about two years when I got in trouble and my punishment was not going back to that church. Praise God for that! Well at the age of 12 Liberty Baptist Church knocked on my door and wanted us to ride the bus, we thought cool get a treat to go to church. We went. My mom got saved, and the preacher came over the house and asked me if I was saved. I told him that I had done that several times. He asked if I meant I said sure, and he put me through a eight week class before getting baptized. So I was baptized and thought I was alright. {Sorry so long but this is what the Lord is telling me to put.} Lets fast forward to age 16 I was frustrated and really didn't want to live when we got a new youth pastor at our church. He became my friend. Thank God that youth pastors can preach yet me a friend to his youth. He asked me if I wanted to got to the Wilds Camp I said sure. The church began praying that God would lead me into his service, however I needed Jesus. We left on August 8, 1993. First time out of Ohio or Michigan. We are in the mountains and the Lord spoke to my heart and said if you were to go off this mountain where would you go. I just went to sleep. The day was Tuesday Aug 10, 1993. I woke up and something was not right. We had a morning service and the Lord was all over me. We played games that afternoon and the Lord was all over me. That night the Preacher preached on The Spiritual Mask. He asked us to bow our heads before the message and immediately the Lord convicted my heart, and I realized I needed Jesus. Half way through the message I told my couselor I needed to talk he said after the service needless to say I fell under more and more conviction immediately at the altar call I got up grab my counselor and went to the back. I don't know what I said but I do know the burden of sin was lifted and I had such a peace of God that I had never felt before. Now a year later I went back and surrender to full time Christian Service, I went to Bible College got called to preach, and the Lord has given me the pleasure of being a youth leader for several years, and I can say is Praise God for what he has done in my life. He saved me from a Religious LIfe and gave me a relationship. I promise I was not planning on being that long.

Sis. Julie said...

I always enjoy hearing your testimony as well. You are as much of a miracle as our home was just because you were saved out of religion. To God be the glory!! Thank you for sharing your testimony Bro. Tim. I told you not to worry about the length of the testimonies left here. Besides...yours was shorter than mine!!

Theresa's Notes said...

I posted my testimony once on my blog. If you wish I'll find it and send it to you so you may read it.

Your testimony touched my heart. Thanks for posting it. Hugs :-)

Sis. Julie said...

sis. theresa...I'd love to read it. I was hoping that others could read it as well. Can you copy and paste it here in the comments so others can read it without going to your site to find it? If not then that is fine. Thank you for letting us know.

Theresa's Notes said...

How I Got Saved, Here you go. I hope it blesses you.
----------------------------
Most of you know about my testimony, how I got saved. But some of you may not know so I thought I would make a post of it. I hope you all will be encouraged by it.

I guess I need to start at the beginning. I was born in Michigan, lived in Niles Mich. until My Mom and step Dad moved us to Texas, I was about 10 years old. My life was not a happy one, my brothers who never wanted to get high by themselves always shared with their little sister,,, me. I was young, but I was on drugs, and I drank a lot. My mom and dad may or may not have known what I was doing, because they never said any thing to me about it. I was mean and angry at the world and at God. Why,,, when I was about 3 years old my birth dad pass away, and I never knew him. I was mad because I thought God took him from me. And I never wanted to do anything that I thought would be pleasing to Him or anyone else. So I fought with every one and every thing I could. In my lost state I wished I would die, never understanding that I would be in Hell. I was so blind with all the hate in my heart. I knew God was there, because I never believed that the world was made by accident or by some cosmic boom. No,,, I knew God was there, and I thought because of my loss, that God did not love me.

My sister Carol, meet a boy who's name is Tino. They meet in the Freeport high school, and Tino was going to church there. After they meet they fought a lot. Carol not wanting to give in and dragging me to the Catholic church in Lack Jackson. But one day, a group of people in that church in Freeport, went to Huston for a church youth meeting. The name of the church was Bayou Bbaptist church. I was 16, and thought I would tag along. Huston,, I thought,, would be the best time to run away and get away. Not understanding again that my pain would go with me. So I went,,, and I was board out of my mind. I had nothing in common with any one and way to shy to start talking to people. When finely it was time for the preaching to start.

There was some teens coming up one at a time and singing a special song for every one. I had an attitude, wishing it was all over so I could make my get away. But then this young boy got up and sang. It was a song by Ray Boltz "Watch the Lamb" this boy could sing and the song really hit my heart like a ton of bricks. After he sang the preacher got up (I wish I could remember his name) and preached about a young girl who in EVERY was like me. This girl learned of God's grace, love and mercy, and was able to receive His forgiveness. Until that moment I never knew of God's love. Oh, I knew about His dieing on the cross, being a catholic, but never knowing that it was with love he did this for me,,, for me. My heart was broken, I knew, at long last I knew. God did not take my dad from me, sin did. And I knew I had sinned. I wanted His love, love I never knew was there for me, if only I just ask Him for it. That December night, at the age of 16, in the year 1989, I just Theresa, no one of great importance gave my life to Jesus. I had gotten His forgiveness, His love, His grace, washed in His blood he shed for ME?? I knew then that He really did love me. All the hate and anger was gone, and I was filled with peace.

The following January I turned 17, not yet a member of Faith Baptist Church in Freeport Texas, I still had a lot of bad people dragging me down. I finally decided that, I was going to get rid of those people and live for God, who loved me. And they,,, my so called friends did not. And boy did I ever get rid of them,,, by preaching to them. They scattered like roaches when you turn on a light. I was determined to live the life of an Old maid for the rest of my life so that I could serve God like I was supposed to. I got baptized by the same Pastor I have today, and three day later I meet his brother, Jeremy. We went out, and at the age of 18 in the year 1991, we got married. I have been serving God every day since then. We had 4 children together, and are members in good standing with our church in Freeport.

If you have been touched by this please let me know, leave me a comment. Love to you all, and I can give love, because of the Heart God has giving me today.

Sis. Julie said...

sis. theresa....thank you...thank you...thank you!! That was such a blessing. You never know...someone might come by and read your comment who are struggling with the same thing and they might begin to question about the Lord here so I can help them. Thank you so much for posting your testimony here. It truly is a BLESSING!!! Amen!!

TO BECOME said...

Garden Oaks Baptist church started a mission in our neighbor hood in Houston Texas. My sisters and I started going to this church. I had a mom and dad that loved us very much. My mom was saved but my dad was lost. He drank. I was so afraid when he would come home drunk and even as a very young girl I would go down to the barn and pray that God would take care of my dad but I was too afraid to stay in the house. I couldn't stand to see my dad in that condiction. I was very hurt by the drunken condiction of my dad so much of the time. I had a Sunday Schoold teacher that told me about Jesus and how much he loved me and that He had died for me on the cross. I just had to be sorry for my sins and ask Him to save me and I could be saved and have a home in heaven when I died. I remember asking my mom if I could be saved back then children did what their parents said and did not quesion them. She told me I needed to wait until I was older, I was too young to understand. She was not a very mature christian and years later she realized how wrong she had been concerning my salvation. She knew several years later, that when you reach an age to know right from wrong then you stand accountable for your sins. SO year after year went by and I was so afraid because I knew that should I die I would go to hell because I knew that I was lost. The year I was ll, My heart could not stand it anymore so I asked her again and she told me this time that I could. I wish I Had known then that it is a personal decision that every one has to make. It is just between you and the Lord. The next service of the church I walked the isle and told my Pastor, I wanted to be saved but I didn't know what to do. He took me to the altar, lead me through Rom. 10:9-10 and some other verses. I remember as I prayed and ask God to come into my heart and save me, I felt the burden of the world lifted off my shoulders and to this day it has never returned.God saved me that day and He gave me a home in heaven when I die or He comes back to get me. I still had the same circumstances at home. MY dad drinking still caused me to have scares that I still have today.The difference was I knew the Lord Jesus was with me and He was going to take care of me. My dad was saved shortly after my oldest son was born. We had prayed for him for 15 years. So never give up, God wants to answer our prayers. I have never again felt alone. Since that time I have failed the Lord but He has never given up on me.As soon as I prayed and ask for forgiveness He was quick to forgive and His joy would feel my heart. Our fellowship was restored. I am truly just a sinner saved by the grace of God. I thank Him with all my heart for the salvation he has given to me. connie from Texas

Sis. Julie said...

sis. connie...thank you so much!! What a testimony!! Thank you for sharing it with us.

Anonymous said...

I love reading your testimony it is a true testament to the power of God in people's lives. It is why I wrote my posts on being born-again...it has to be real we have to actually mean those words of repentence and we have to really believe that Jesus is Lord.

I'd write out my testimony too but I have to go out now.

Blessings.

Sis. Julie said...

sis. sarah....thank you for commenting. I understand not having time to type out your testimony. I hope you'll come back and do it later for us. Love you!!

Karen said...

Sis Julie, thank you for sharing your testimony, it was a blessing to read it. Here is mine..

I was raised a Roman Catholic by name but my parents were not what you would call Practicing Catholics.
Although i had attended sunday school at a church when i was younger i never recall hearing the gospel message.
It wasn't until my dad died that i actually started to think about eternity. I was 16 years old at the time and i remember thinking will i ever see him again and where is he. This went on for some time. Then one day my uncle and his Pastor came to our house and they started to witness to my husband and i. Anyway we both agreed to visit this little baptist church and i remember hearing the sermon on hell and for the first time I heard John 3;16.
I was very scared after hearing about hell and my husband told me he wanted to get saved that night and he did. I made a profession the same night because my husband did but i knew deep down that i still had that great burden and fear.I remember the transformation that took place in my husbands life and i could see how happy he was. We continued to attend the services at the baptist church. The more preaching i heard the more i realised that i wanted to be saved. I remember one morning taking my Bible and opening at the book of John chapter 3 and i came under deep conviction and i realised for the first time that Christ died for ME and in the quietness of that morning i accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour. I still remember the relief and joy i felt that i finally knew i was saved. I remember crying tears of joy.
The Lord really began to work in our lives after this and my husband began to preach and we have had the blessing of seeing 2 of our children get saved; we are still praying for our youngest, i don't think he's ready yet.
I would never go back to my old life even though both my husband and i are facing alot of opposition from our families but that makes it even more important for us to share Christ with them at every opportunity. My sister told my mom that she wishes i was normal again; the way i was before i got saved. I praise God that they can see a change in my life; i must be doing something right.

If your not saved and reading this i would like to encourage you to accept Christ as your Saviour; trust me you wont regret it.
If you have already accepted Christ as your Saviour then God Bless and I'll be seeing you in heaven.

Sis. Julie said...

sis. karen....thank you so much for sharing your testimony. What a blessing!! My father-in-law was saved out of Catholicism. He wasn't what you would call a practicing Catholic either. His mom is to a point I guess you could say. He got saved the December after I got saved and was a COMPLETELY new creature!! What a blessing that God would have such mercy on us don't you agree?? Praise the Lord for what He has done in your home and in your life!!

Jerry Bouey said...

It is amazing the various ways the Lord works in our lives and brings us to Himself.

My Personal Testimony

Sis. Julie said...

bro. jerry....yes it is!! Thank you for leaving the link for others to go read your testimony. I've read yours before but I'm going to read it again!!

Unknown said...

Psalm 34:1 has a pretty tune you can sing that scripture to. Have you ever heard it sung?

Sis. Julie said...

sis. pam...no I haven't.

VERY IMPORTANT!

Are you a good person? Take this test and find out.

Swidget 1.0 6

Audioministries.org