My Testimony
“although I grew up in a Christian home, I never truly understood the concept of having a personal relationship with the Risen Lord”
About 13 years ago, I fell prey to the secular world–I blatently turnedmy back on the Lord. As I look back now, that is when my life began to slowlyfall apart. But it was so subtle at first, hardly noticeable. And the numbnessthat transpired as a result, nearly cost me my wonderful wife and beautifulchildren. You see, although I grew up in a Christian home, I never trulyunderstood the concept of having a personal relationship with the Risen Lord. I praise God for my second chance and I WILL NEVER TURN BACK !!
About a year ago, my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. Eventhough radiationand chemotherapy put the disease in remission for a few months, it stormedback and ultimately led to his death—and his New Life!!! My father wasa staunch Catholic who observed all the laws and doctrines of the Church,but I couldn’t help but wonder if he might open his mind and heart to thispersonal relationship with Jesus. So I began to meet with him and read Scriptureto him, which he often found difficult to read and understand. For monthswe would meet at the kitchen table of his humble home, and he would strugglewith much of what I told him about confessing his sins to God, repenting,and believing that it was ONLY through trust in Jesus that he could be assuredof eternal life.
I spent many hours studying Scriptures and trying to find the right wordsto convince him to surrender to our Saviour—and what I found out is thatI wasn’t trusting God myself. I was trying to save my Dad instead of lettingthe Holy Spirit do his Holy Work. When that fact dawned on me, I prayed earnestlythat the Lord would use me to reach my Dad.
That evening I drove to my parent’s house prepared with verses that I thoughtwould break the barrier. As I sat in the living room, waiting for the eveningnews to end, the Lord answered my prayers!!! You see, that evening followingthe news, the Reverand Billy Graham was to be televised. I said, “Dad, thisman can say it so much better than I. Let’s give him a listen.”
An hour later my strong, proud earthly father was laying on his face insubmission to God! He asked Jesus into his heart, and my heart soared!!!He went on to confess some dark sins to me and others that he had sinnedagainst; things that I suspect he had planned to take with him to his grave!!!
And throughout the final week of Dad’s life on Earth, the Lord made himselfknown to me in ways I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend, if the HolySpirit hadn’t come and filled me up with His comfort. Praise God!
Well, let me finish this by saying that I also decided to confess the manysins (one of which was adultery) I had committed against my Lord, and mywife, to both of them. I was sure that God would forgive me, but I wasn’tsure that my beautiful bride would. But I trusted God…He helped me decidethat the truth was the right remedy and that I would live with the outcome,even if it meant losing her, and, potentially my children. And not only didshe not leave me, but we are falling in love all over again!–and this timeit is a New Love–the kind that can only come from the Truth, the Way andthe Light. The transformation of my family is nothing short of a miracle!!!Andit is with tears in my eyes that I say