John 14:6

This is my personal testimony about how I came to accept Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. Again, every word of this testimony is true, and all praises and glory go to Almighty God.

I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior at age 12 in a small, rural church in my (still) hometown. I would like to tell the story behind that acceptance, if you will indulge me, because it is the key component of my testimony. I was always very shy, almost to the point of panic. I was very introverted growing up, and crowds scared me silly.

Months before my eventual deliverance, I began having very powerful dreams about God, Jesus, and spirituality in general (angels, demons, etc). I had been struggling for months with God. Every altar call I could feel His Presence, His gentle prodding . . . I knew beyond any doubt it was God prompting me to accept Him. I knew He was knocking at the door of my heart, but I was simply too scared to do anything about it. Truth be told, I was a coward, and the Devil had me convinced I would be ridiculed and laughed at if I ever accepted an altar call during Sunday services. Sad, I know, but to a 12-year-old introvert very powerful stuff.

The dreams continued, nearly every night.

One dream (and it turned out to be the dream before my deliverance) was particularly powerful and amazing. In this dream I was walking down a dirt and gravel road. Up ahead of me, three angels were standing in the road. They were simply beautiful. The middle angel smiled warmly at me and said “God wants me to ask you if you want to get saved?”

I immediately screamed out “YES!!!! More than anything!”

The angels said nothing, but they were all very pleased by my response.

“Then you know what you must do,” the middle one told me, but not in a demanding or demeaning way, but with a great compassion that touched me deeply. I have yet to experience that feeling here on Earth.

I woke up, shaken but somehow relieved and at peace.

Well, the next morning was Sunday, so here I am, in church. The altar call at the end of the service. I lose my nerve and start listening to the same old lies about rejection, ridicule, and mockery. I leave, and when I get home, I am completely crushed. I have let God down now for sure and He’ll be done with me! Now remember, looking back I really think God wanted me to walk up in front of everyone and go to the altar – I still think this was important for me to do (for some reason I have yet to fully understand). I think God wanted me to learn about overcoming fears, because I could have been ’saved’ at any moment by just confessing my faith to God.

Okay, now, here we are in Sunday night service (of the same Sunday). At the end, another altar call. The song is finished, and I think I’m free again, as the fear has got me. The preacher then asks that the last verse be played again (he rarely, if ever did that). As it starts, he is standing there like he’s being told something, then he starts down the aisle. He walks right up to me, looks me right in the eye, shakes my hand and says, “God just told me that you wanted to be saved tonight. Is that true?”

I was stunned. I didn’t even answer, I just bolted from the pew and right up to the altar I went. I was crying. My father saw me and bolted out to join me. The preacher fell to my side and began praying over me. I just kept asking God over and over to use me, to make me a new person. I kept apologizing for not listening to His calls. I apologized for being a coward.

Needless to say there wasn’t a dry eye in the building. Everyone formed a line and shook my hand and hugged me. It was the greatest moment of my life, and a fellowship I have never forgotten. I remember telling people that God had called me, that He had led me to the altar. I cried for two hours straight as everyone came and welcomed me into God’s Kingdom. I remember the preacher stating that Angels were now rejoicing in Heaven and another soul had been saved.

Now what makes this even more miraculous is that I had told no one about my struggles. No one knew – not my family, friends, anyone. God told the preacher, knowing that would be the last little poke I would need to move. And boy did I move!

I have always felt a great warmth over that event. More than anything in my life, it proved to me that God would do anything He had to do to get through to those who would really heed Him. I mean something to God, and that thought alone makes me giddy and in complete awe of His love. The Creator of the Universe cared enough for little old me that he sent angels, and then sent a man of God in a dusty old church in West Virginia. If He cared that much for me, He certainly cares that much for every single human being on Earth today. His Holy Words makes it abundantly clear in John 3:16.

I don’t tell this story to gloat or seek to appear ‘better’ than anyone here. God forbid! The Scriptures tell us that God is no respecter of person. Please don’t take this as anything but my very personal and real testimony of what God can and does do every day here on Earth.

My testimony is always that God is real and I have proof.

Now, have I been the model Christian since that glorious moment 20+ years ago? No, I have not, but God forgives me, works with me, and loves me as only He can. And let’s not forget that I am covered in the precious blood of Jesus, who died for all of our sins so that we could all spend eternity worshiping and fellowshipping with the Most High.

AMEN!

God bless you all, and may your walk with Christ bring you abundant blessings!

Maranatha!

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