Roughly six months ago I wasn't a follower of Christ and didn't belong to a church.
Despite growing up as a kid in a Methodist Church, I was convinced that I was "too good" for Church if I carried out the beliefs and values that were taught to me growing up. With that being said, I saw no need and had no interest in following Him.
I couldn't reconcile the idea of God with everything I felt was going on in my life. At the end of my second year of college I was worried I was living an unfulfilling life. So, I ventured out into the party crowd since that's what seemed to be the thing to do according to people my age. I tried to convince myself that this feeling of happiness and completeness would come from going out, drinking and partying. Maybe it would be bumping into some cute guy at the bar, meeting new people or just simply fitting in with those around me.
But I then eventually came to the conclusion that my life was going nowhere on this route and the happiness and completeness I was looking for was not where I was searching.
And when I thought I was at my very lowest in life, that's when a coworker of mine invited me to his Church that following Sunday - and I have been going since. The first two months I was just going to Church, I wasn't talking to anyone really and would just come and go for the service. It was great, but I knew I was wanting more deep within.
I remember my cousin inviting me to Cru a year ago and I never went through with actually going, but I reached out to her about it to see if the offer of going was still there. She was ecstatic that I had reached out about going and ended up attending where I then met the most incredible people. People I have not only been able to build friendships with that glorify Christ, but those who truly followed Jesus and I could share that with.
Through the people I had met, they were able to answer my questions and shared the Gospel with me. Slowly I began to see the truth in Christianity and things started to make sense. As I began to understand, I then came to God wanting a lot of things - one of which being happiness. As I learned more about God and Jesus, I finally realized that I had already been given everything I could ever need. In coming to know that God created me, I saw how I’d been living my life for the past twenty-two years. I had been doing what I wanted to do in my life instead of what God wanted. I took all the good things God had given me and lived a life separate from Him. God had created me to have a relationship with Him and I rejected Him.
I never thought I was selfish, but ultimately everything I was doing was for me.
I realized how far away I was from God but, also learned that despite everything I had done and all the times I’d rejected Him, He still loved me.
I am still amazed that despite living my life the way I did, I could come to God because of what Jesus had done for me on the cross. He died on the cross and took the punishment for my sins and the sins of the world, to save us, so that we might come back to God.
In death, Jesus saved my life. And in knowing that, I put my faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
It has changed my life. I am now in a relationship with God. I have a deep sense of joy and fulfillment in my life, even when times are tough.I am not living for myself anymore, but for His glory and purposes. I know my purpose in life is bound to God, and it is to know Him and do His will.
6 Ways God Has Worked His Way In My Life:
1. Changed Heart
God actually has the super-amazing ability to change hearts. At times he has changed my heart to conform with His perfect plan. At other times I have seen him change the hearts of others in order to accomplish His will in my life. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1, ESV)
2. He Provides
One of the most amazing things I have discovered over the years is that God truly provides even in the midst of extraordinarily difficult circumstances. And He generally does so in ways that I never would have expected. Many times He has taken me through a path of loss only to bring me into pasture of abundance. God gives, and He takes away. But I have always found that He ends up giving me more than He has taken. And most of the time, He would not have been able to bless me if He had not first taken away those things I thought I needed at the time.
3. He Empowers
Another profound thing I've noticed is that God has the ability to empower me through challenging events in a way that I never could have experienced otherwise. God will never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6), and He tends to give us the greatest amount of his divine power when life is in those darkest hours.
4. He Strengthens
A famous theologian once made the statement, "Whatever doesn't kill us will make us stronger." Okay, that was not actually theologian. It was Arnold Schwarzenegger! But God clearly uses adversity to make us stronger. The key is to run TO God and not AWAY from Him in times of trial. God has used trials to strengthen me over the last year or so to the point that I can now withstand hardships that would have crushed me when I was a younger. I am thankful for His spiritual strength which He has imparted to me through those trials.
5. He Builds Your Character
Nothing purifies our character and motives quite like the fiery furnace of trials and tribulations. And it is important for you to know that we all NEED that type of refining. God uses pain to turn us into clean, pure vessels for His use.
6. He Heals
Just as God allowed Lazarus to die so that He could demonstrate His power over death by raising him back to life (John 11), at times God allows us physical maladies so that He can heal us for His glory. He is the Great Physician and has the ability to heal when that is what is best in your particular situation. And I have seen His healing in ways that have convinced me that He is truly in control.
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