A Testimony I Just Had to Share….

My youngest son called me very late last night.

"Mom, if I asked you about doing something for me, would you think about doing it?"

I told him I would certainly try my best.

"If I sent you my testimony, do you think you might post it on your blog? Somebody might need to read it"

You KNOW what I said...

Growing up I don't think I was a bad kid. I tried to maintain good grades in school, and did not smoke, drink or party. With that being said, I still had my share of demons and temptations to deal with like everyone else. I had a hard time dealing with some things for years. I was raised in a godly atmosphere thanks to my wonderful parents, and went to church for most of child and young adulthood.

I got saved when I was 15 or 16, and even though I knew what being saved meant, I never really did anything to maintain my relationship with the Lord. I would go to church, but I would not pray or read the Bible like I should, among other things. Also, I would let my temptations overtake me at times.

It wasn't until I recommitted myself to God that all of this changed. It is amazing how much your life can change if you maintain a faithful relationship with the Lord. When I started going to the Graceland church a few months ago, I decided that it was time for me to make a few changes in my life. Again, I did not consider myself a bad person, but I had my problems. Most importantly, I needed a good relationship with God, and I wanted to get closer to Him.

Backing up a bit, a couple of years before Graceland, I was sort of "in between" churches. Some weeks, I would go to my wife's grandparent’s church, and sometimes I would go with my mother. However, there were so many days that I did not make an effort get out of bed to go to church. I would even make up excuses not to go. Even though this did not bother me in the beginning, over time it made me hate myself.

Fast forwarding to this year, I had a few issues going on in my life, and needed some guidance. There were a few situations that came up that I did not know how to handle properly. A few of them I reacted on with my own ill-advice, and I was really in a mess. Until one day, I decided I needed help. I started praying about my problems and asked God for some guidance in my life. At this point, I did not know exactly what to do, so I just put all of my faith in God.

I did not get an answer for months, and the problem was that I was looking in the wrong places. I wanted answers that satisfied me and was not thinking about what God might have in store for me. One day, my brother, who plays in the worship band at Graceland, asked if I could play the drums at church. They were in need of a drummer, and I always liked the drums. Because I was so shy, and still looking for an answer to my problems, my way, I fought with the opportunity for months. Finally, I decided to give it a shot and see what happened.

I remember how nervous I was the first Sunday before playing our worship set. I kept trying to talk myself out of playing, but I ended up asking the Lord for help that morning. And He did help me. I have never felt comfortable praising God or just letting Him take over me in church because of my personality, but I felt the Lord's hand on me as I played at that service. I found that even though I was shy, I loved praising God through song.

After that first week, I decided to continue playing in the worship band, and attending church. With the help of my new focus on God and the Word from our pastor, I began building my relationship with the Lord again. Even though I still have to deal with my demons, this time I am not alone. If I feel susceptible to something or have an issue, I have the faith that God will have His hand in it and will make it work out how it should. In fact, the Lord recently helped me solve an issue by literally "knocking" on my door. I was struggling with something in my life and I heard a loud knock on my door, and I immediately knew what it was for afterward. That happening is what made me decide to write this testimony down, and got me thinking about a few things.

First, I realized that the Lord was knocking on my door the whole time, I just wasn't listening. I had my own agenda and did not have the time or patience to listen otherwise. Now that I have grown stronger spiritually, I just put all of my faith into the Lord. Sometimes you may feel like you are fighting something by yourself, but if you have your heart right and faith fully in God, you will never be alone. I know most people know that the Lord can speak to you if you listen, but I really feel like I should stress that statement. Put your faith in God, and really open your eyes and heart to the Lord’s ultimate plan and also the one He has for your life.

Can you say AMEN!!