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One night, after the usual routine of classes, basketball
practice, dinner and more practice, I began reading a book
called “The Power of Living.” The author of the book talked
about God and what Christ had done for us on the cross. He
spoke of a way to know for sure that your sins were forgiven
and that when you die, you could go to heaven. That night, I
asked Jesus to come into my life. Honestly, there wasn’t any
real emotion, no thunder or lightning, just a peaceful
confidence that I wasn’t alone anymore. Jesus Christ filled
the void in my life.
The Bible says when you become a Christian, your heart
changes. No longer are you the same, the old has gone and the
new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we make that decision,
we are also no longer under the condemnation of the world or
the enemy (Romans 12:1). Because of these truths, we can walk
in freedom! We can begin to fulfill the purpose of our
existence, to bear fruit and to make His name famous.
I am certainly not without fault or sin, but I know I strongly
desire to grow and have a teachable spirit. In that growth
process some scriptures have come alive for me. One is John
15:5, where Jesus talks about being the vine. If we stay
connected to the vine, we can bear much fruit and it is that
fruit which is used for the benefit of others. I know I can
not truly do anything without the power of Jesus Christ and
his spirit in my life. That verse has become a life verse.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because
anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that
he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Hebrews 11:6 is a verse that has also become very special to
me. If you’re like me, you have spent some time or a season in
your life trying to please someone. I have also learned the
hard way that trying to please anyone except for God is
useless. I am moved by this verse because His word tells us
that one of the ways we can show our love and appreciation for
Him is to HAVE FAITH, to trust Him in all things and for all
things. If we do this, He promises He will reward us (although
He doesn’t say how or when). All we need is to pursue Him
passionately, and we will see His Spirit begin to transform us
from the inside out.
There are times in our life when we need to have faith. We
can’t see it, we can’t feel it, we can’t touch it and we don’t
know what is going to happen. God will honor that faith. If we
want to please God, we need to have faith and that principle
has carried me through some rocky “seasons” in my life.
I am excited about what God has done, but am even more excited
about what He is doing and what He continues to do. I hope
people can be encouraged by knowing that it is kind of funny
how a chapter can make a whole story change. I went from being
dead in my sin to alive in Him, and now growing in Him toward
an even greater ending.
In this section, I hope that you will be inspired by the
messages and testimonies of others. I believe heaven has no
“divisions” and pays no respect to race, gender or financial
worth. Heaven is beyond our wildest imagination, but until it
is our time to go, I hope we can be encouraged to create our
own neighborhood of heaven on earth where we reside. |
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