Out of Dry Ground
I hereby testify that any good that may come out of my life is due to the working of the Lord Jesus Christ within it.
It was the summer of 1967, I was praying before I fell asleep, and I couldn't get the idea out of my mind that I didn't know for certain there was a God, and if there was one, would I go to Heaven. I can remember thinking, I don't know if there's a God, but if there was one, please help me go to sleep cause I don't want to think about this anymore.
Sometime before, I was sitting in class in a Catholic School, and the teacher said that because we were catholic, we were going to Heaven. Another student in the class asked about people on desert islands who have no access to the Catholic church. The teacher said they couldn't go to Heaven; I remember thinking, I'm glad to be a Catholic. But that class left a hole in my understanding, and it bothered me greatly. It may have been, perhaps subconsciously, why I couldn't get Heaven out of my mind.
My brother invited me to watch Billy Graham on TV one evening, but I ran out with my friends. But the following evening, I found myself alone in the den sitting on the couch, glued to every word that was proceeding from his mouth. I inched down the sofa as he spoke. Finally, I got up from my seat with the world's weight pressing down on my shoulders, went into my bedroom, looked up to the ceiling, and said God help me. The consequence was my sins aggravating my conscience and causing grief in my heart. Then as though God had reached down and lifted that weight off of me and placed peace in my heart so that looking up to Heaven, I said, I'm glad that's over. From that day on, I had complete peace that God was, and even though I didn't completely understand, I was given assurance.
What is a person do without a mature Christian to lead them? How could I survive the battlefield of the world, the flesh, and the devil?
There were convictions from the Holy Spirit and fear that kept me drug-free during my high school years. I lost my friends when I said I believed in the Bible. It wasn't a great loss. Lust was a considerable struggle until I finally lost the battle and was again overtaken by guilt and shame. Having had thoughts of suicide, I ran to the Billy Graham organization, which sent me to Calvary Baptist Church in Manhattan. I was shown grace and given no option but to live a godly and obedient life. With the Lordship of Jesus Christ firmly fixed in my mind, the Bible began to make sense as I read the word from God.
My first lesson as an authentic Christian was the importance of discipleship.
To Be Continued...
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