Not only did I work a lot in the last several months to grow as a Christian I began to see how from my new belief that I began to change and what differences I noticed because of Faith. It's not that you ask Jesus into your heart and repent your sins that will automatically give you a solve to all your problems in life. It's not a magic genie bottle and it's something that you work toward that makes it Awesome. You ask Jesus into your heart and you begin to grow your love with him & God. You work to fuel your holy spirit. I did that. Church two times on Sundays and reading and listening to Gospel. It's about making my life new and different and living the Christian Way. It's about giving and surrendering yourself to God and what he wants for you. It's letting him show us to work through our life and stop trying to fix everything ourselves. We want to take care of ourselves it's a survival thing; yet we are not alone. When we are broken God wants us to use him to fix ourselves. Perhaps with him from the get go we would never be broken to begin with.
I adventured into my Baptism with all seriousness. This was radical to me! Just the past 5 months have been Awesome & Beautiful and I surely wanted to make my Baptism Representative of shedding the old to welcome into the new! The old me full of sin, regrets and transgression. The new is cleansed and forgiven walking in the path that God sets before me.
I did a 3 day Fast. It was a fast of multi facets. First I was to pray more, study scripture, give to others and give up particulars so that I was closest to my experience as possible. I gave up Business, Facebook, Blogging, twitter, Running, Exercise - and FOOD for Three Days.
Prayer- Increased Prayer. With my Husband, Alone and with my Children.
Biblical Study- God sent me Galatians
Giving- We gave ourselves to family and friends. We spent time shopping for the local food pantry and we set out to donate the children's left over toys for the holidays.
Food Fast- Two Days we did a Fruit/Veggie Juice Fast. It involved 1 cup of fruit juice, 1 cup of veggies juice and broth for the first 48 hours. It was actually Very Comfortable for us. We definitely have deep belief it was God in fact that kept us steady in our Fast. I never suffered hunger and surely there were temptations a plenty as I prepared all the meals in the home and such but when you are doing this for GOD it was so Easy! Day 3 we decided to do Water Only. This too was easy till about Hour 73 (hour 25 of water only portion of the fast) when I began to experience a major fatigue (I had spent the entire day active- morning services, shopping- cleaning getting ready for the after party celebration) I began to have heart palpitations which can be normal for me but I grew very scared and I set myself into a panic attack. I endured the entire panic attack at Wegmans grocery store to pick up two last minute things right before the Baptism. Well I kept steadfast prayer as I envisioned passing out in the store. To declare what others might think as the "crazy lazy that didn't eat for 3 days and didn't have anything for 25 hours for GOD" Will he protect me? Will he keep me on my feet? Will God Save and Protect me. I begged him to take care of me and I told him I trust him. I was doing this for him and I asked he keep me up on my Feet and keep me Safe. Through temptation I bought a Cliff bar in check out and I was shaking so badly the checkout clerk must of have been worried. I got to my car and looked at my husband and broke down in tears saying "Don I think I need to eat this as I'm crashing fast and I'm scared" I ripped it open and he looked at me said "Connie lets get home real quick and get you some juice. lets stick to our liquid fast" I prayed for God to give us Green lights the whole way home- instead all we got was red lights. God was showing me "TRUST ME YOU WILL BE OK" I got home and guzzled 16 oz of juice and I recovered quickly. if Jesus can go into the desert and fast for 40 days with his trust in our Father surely I can go 3 days! What an Amazing Experience!
I do want you to know that I did BREAK FAST for Communion at Services that Morning of the Baptism. Morning Services are at 10:15 and our Baptism at 6pm services. Well I ate bread with Jesus (his flesh) and I drank Wine (his blood) and the experience Blew my Mind. It was an HONOR to break Chewing and EAT for him! I don't think there will ever be a Communion that will compare!
I wrote my testimony. I re-wrote a mini version and when I got up to speak I TREMBLED AND UNCONTROLLABLY SHOOK.....THE HOLY SPIRIT ROLLED THROUGH ME ....I COULD BARELY MUTTER A WORD AND SENTENCE...OVERCOME- FILLED...HAPPY...EXCITED...BLESSED.... I'm a Great public speaker but today I was blown away at the Excitement and LOVE that was filling me and it's AMAZING that this is EXACTLY how I felt up there ↓
My Message to my Husband - Thank You so Much for your Love. Your Love never fails on me. You keep me steadfast. You adventure through this life by my side. As though we are never perfect and we are so uniquely different you balance me, you set me apart from the world and you place me on a pedestal. I honor you for your loyalty and I respect it deeply. I am blessed by you and all that you provide me in this life. God has you here for me. He wants you as my life mate and that is so exciting. I love you and it's simply real and no matter the tides, evil and wicked people and circumstances that try to rock us from our path; we must trust that God will keep us together and we will cast away all that is impure. No matter what I know what God Wants and that us Together and there is NOTHING that can break that!
I am Thankful to my Church. I am Thankful to my Friends that came out to watch and support me. I am Thankful to my Sister and nephews for being there for me. It was Don's and I ONLY family there!
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| Lauren my great friend who told me to Ask Jesus into my Life! So Simply Easy! |
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| Amy is so Beautiful and Awesome. God's Instrument at work! |
My Testimony
I remember my whole life looking up when I was troubled, lonely and scared. That happened to me a lot as I suffered from childhood and adolescent depression where I spent countless years wondering what life was about and searching for a solitary purpose that made any sense at all. Even as a young child and teen I suffered greatly in my soul with feelings of being alone and disconnected from the world around me. I spent my life confused and truly believed I was an atheist with no real belief at all. I took the scientific approach to why we all existed. I felt if there was a God why did I hurt so much. Then about the age of 21 I began to overcome what one might call depression laced with suicidal wishes. It was then that I truly accepted a belief that there was a God. I’m not even sure why other than I felt there had to be a higher power that kept me alive and living a life somewhat worthwhile. I even bought a cross, bible and started to pray at random and always for others or when I struggled deeply. I managed through the next 6 years focusing on one thing only “existing” this time without as much hurt and despair as my younger years.
Just as I was about to make a life altering decision God truly showed himself to me for the very first time when he blessed me with a Miracle and it was the pregnancy of my first daughter after ten years of infertility. 9 months later I gave birth to an Angel here on Earth and her name is Whitney. and once she was put in my arms I can only describe it as an instantaneous touch of “GOD” And my heart poured open and I remember “feeling LIFE for the very first time” She was my purpose and I was forever changed. Only set out on a path of self discovery with whom God Was, what was religion, where do I fit into his divine way of living? After being blessed with twins and going through lots of personal triumphs I kept digging for answers to this deep need to grow with God.
Life never got easier and as I changed so did the world around me. Life got tough and answers got harder. I struggled a lot while I worked on bettering myself for my children. It was not about losing 150lbs and becoming fit & healthy ….there was something grander missing in my life still and I knew that what I was missing a REAL close Relationship with God. I knew and recognized that I was a sinner. I was seeded in selfish desires and made poor choices that left my heart broken and confused. Evil and Temptation at every corner. Yet I continued to call out and pray to a God that I didn’t even know yet (just as I always had my whole life)
Set forth where people in my life that answered questions and stood by me as I worked through my spiritual journey. Only to find out after it was them and countless more that were praying for me to find Jesus Christ. Knowing that through him I would find my salvation.
Then just as simple as a Sunny day at a park a friend whom said to me “if you want to get to God you have to ask Jesus into your life. Ask him for a relationship & repent your sins” I didn’t know Jesus, was he real, who is this person? I had to take the biggest leap of Faith. Something I never wanted to do for fear I would be let down. But I made him real in my mind, heart and soul and on July 31st, 2012 during my morning prayers to God I began to speak to Jesus. I asked him for a relationship and I told him I learned he died for me and because of him I could be released of all my sins. I repented to Jesus and thanked him for the very first time.
I grew in my relationship with God & Jesus Christ there was this amazing cleansing of my soul. I build my relationship with them through reading my bible, listening to Christian radio, talking with my believing friends, coming here to church….I was filling myself daily with the holy spirit soon I found All my sorrow, loneliness, soul deprivation was gone. It had been washed away! I owe it all to Jesus Christ as he died for my sins. I have kept God & Jesus in my heart every second of every day. I ran 26.2 miles with them by my side where I let my heart and soul be spiritually open to them as I ran and their gift to me was my finish time of 4:13 which was scripture Phillippines 4:13 of which I had been self preaching inside my mind all week in preparation of this long endurance run. I can do everything through him which gives me strength. I have prayed deeply and believe me when I say I have laid in the arms of Jesus and wept and truly let go of all my transgressions and in my heart I felt him say “Your Father is here” God is all that I need. I am here today to show my friends and family that not only do I believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and through him I will continue my relationship with God but I am vowing to walk the rest of my Life in his word. I will be open to what God wants from me and not what I want for myself for it because of them that I have been given this new life. I will share his Glory so that others too may feel this spiritual re-birth. I am vowing to be a GREAT Christian and lead by example for my family and community. I want others to see God working in me everything I do and I want to inspire them to walk with me hand in hand as brothers/sisters in Christ and children of God. Where there was darkness ~ there is now abundance of life for I have taken Faith.
Welcome to the family, Connie! Beautiful testimony.
ReplyDeleteYes, welcome to the family! Awesome testimony :)
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