My Testimony
I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home. My family went to church three times a week, and we did our best to be involved in all the different church activities. I attended a Christian school as a kid, and yet, despite being surrounded by Christianity, I was still a teenager on my way to Hell.
When I was ten years old, I went to a Bible camp for children. Each night, the camp director preached about how a person can know they’re going to Heaven. I’ll be honest—I wasn’t really paying much attention during the week. But on Wednesday night, he preached on Hell, and that got my attention. He read from Mark 9:45b, “the fire never shall be quenched.” I didn’t want to go there—but I was too proud to talk to anyone about salvation. I knew enough to understand I needed to ask the Lord to save me, but I didn’t truly grasp that I deserved Hell, or that I needed a Saviour. Still, I prayed and asked the Lord to save me, and for a while, I clung to that profession.
Why didn’t I understand my need for a Saviour? Because in my eyes, I was a good kid. I went to church. I could quote verses like Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” but I hadn’t really applied God’s Word to my heart. I didn’t understand that God’s holiness demands perfection—and that there’s no such thing as a “small” sin in His eyes.
So, I carried that profession of salvation into my teen years. The problem was, I had no real desire to serve God. When I sinned, there was no conviction—unless I got caught. I didn’t care about God’s Word, and church was just a place to hang out with friends. As a teenager, I sank deeper and deeper into the grip of sin. At 16, I came to realize that I wasn’t saved—but I loved my sin too much and was too proud to admit to others that I was lost. When conviction came, I would often drown it out with music, trying to distract myself from God’s call. I couldn’t bear to sit in silence, because I knew what I needed to do.
One Sunday night during a preaching service, the conviction in my heart became overwhelming. I told myself I’d take care of it when I got home. But once I was home, I rejected God again. I still wanted to be in control of my life.
But the Lord didn’t give up on me—even though I had shut Him out so many times. II Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The next day, under deep conviction, I finally turned off the music. In the silence of my room, alone, I surrendered. I no longer wanted to live in sin or hold onto control. I put my faith in Christ, and He immediately saved me—giving me a peace that is both unexplainable and amazing.
I held out for so long because I wanted my sin. But I was never truly happy. I wanted control—but none of us really have control over our lives. We don’t get to choose what will happen from one moment to the next. There’s no valid excuse to say no to Christ—yet I said no many times. I’m so thankful God didn’t give up on me. Now, I can honestly say that II Corinthians 5:17 speaks of me: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
When I was ten years old, I went to a Bible camp for children. Each night, the camp director preached about how a person can know they’re going to Heaven. I’ll be honest—I wasn’t really paying much attention during the week. But on Wednesday night, he preached on Hell, and that got my attention. He read from Mark 9:45b, “the fire never shall be quenched.” I didn’t want to go there—but I was too proud to talk to anyone about salvation. I knew enough to understand I needed to ask the Lord to save me, but I didn’t truly grasp that I deserved Hell, or that I needed a Saviour. Still, I prayed and asked the Lord to save me, and for a while, I clung to that profession.
Why didn’t I understand my need for a Saviour? Because in my eyes, I was a good kid. I went to church. I could quote verses like Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” but I hadn’t really applied God’s Word to my heart. I didn’t understand that God’s holiness demands perfection—and that there’s no such thing as a “small” sin in His eyes.
So, I carried that profession of salvation into my teen years. The problem was, I had no real desire to serve God. When I sinned, there was no conviction—unless I got caught. I didn’t care about God’s Word, and church was just a place to hang out with friends. As a teenager, I sank deeper and deeper into the grip of sin. At 16, I came to realize that I wasn’t saved—but I loved my sin too much and was too proud to admit to others that I was lost. When conviction came, I would often drown it out with music, trying to distract myself from God’s call. I couldn’t bear to sit in silence, because I knew what I needed to do.
One Sunday night during a preaching service, the conviction in my heart became overwhelming. I told myself I’d take care of it when I got home. But once I was home, I rejected God again. I still wanted to be in control of my life.
But the Lord didn’t give up on me—even though I had shut Him out so many times. II Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” The next day, under deep conviction, I finally turned off the music. In the silence of my room, alone, I surrendered. I no longer wanted to live in sin or hold onto control. I put my faith in Christ, and He immediately saved me—giving me a peace that is both unexplainable and amazing.
I held out for so long because I wanted my sin. But I was never truly happy. I wanted control—but none of us really have control over our lives. We don’t get to choose what will happen from one moment to the next. There’s no valid excuse to say no to Christ—yet I said no many times. I’m so thankful God didn’t give up on me. Now, I can honestly say that II Corinthians 5:17 speaks of me: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”