Post by LDM on Jun 22, 2009 11:59:52 GMT -5
Hello!
I am a wife, mother of three and Christian. My life is probably not too different from many others. I was lost in sin when Jesus came and drew me unto Himself.
I was raised a Roman Catholic and believed very much that the RCC was the "one true" church it proclaimed to be. Even though a I considered myself a devout Catholic, I was a rampant sinner. Somehow, my life of sin never felt at odds with my faith in the RCC. Sin was almost expected, it was the norm for existence. I simply went to confession to work off or do penance for my sins and all was okay. As long as I followed the dictates of the church, I was fine.
As I grew older, I began to notice a lot of hypocrisy in the RCC, i.e. homosexual activity amongst priests including the spreading of AIDS, priests molesting children, parishioners fornicating, committing adultery, and having abortions, the congregation exalting and almost worshiping the pastors, catholics who considered themselves catholic, but disagreed with much of what the church taught, etc.
These things I witnessed shook my faith in God (afterall, this was supposed to be God's church). I became overwhelmed with a need to actually get to know who God was. To accomplish this, I became more active in the church. Somehow, I had come to believe that if I could do enough, learn enough, work enough...I could finally come to know God personally. So, I joined the breast cancer ministry, the AIDS ministry, I led the dance ministry, taught Sunday School, sung in the choir, etc. Yet, none of it worked. I was no closer to knowing God.
In spite of all these works, there was still no conviction of sin. I was shacking up with my boyfriend at the time and never once did that seem to be an obstacle in my search for serving God. I personally believe that all false religion can do to compensate for sin is offer works and performance. One begins trying to earn salvation instead of repenting and receiving it in faith through Jesus Christ.
I was very concerned about what I was seeing in the church. While I didn't know how to define it at the time, the word was religious. We all went to church, we spoke the "church speak" and said all of the right code words, we went through the rituals, but there was no change of heart - there was no life. None of it was real.
I finally called out to God and said, "OK, if you are real, you need to show me. Because at this point, I might as well go out to the world. What is the difference? I am about ready to give up on you, so if you exist God, I am asking you to reveal yourself to me." As always, God was faithful. When I was ready to stop trying, He was ready to start His work.
By this time, I had gotten married - both of us unsaved. Before we started a family, we decided to relocate. I found a job in the new city first, and went ahead to wait for him to join me. What I didn't know was that God had to get me from under the influence of all that I knew in order to show me what I didn't know.
The first thing I did was find a catholic church, yet there was still something just not right. God would not let my soul at rest and I knew that this was not where I was supposed to be. Through the co-worker of one of my cousins, I came into a Christian ministry tape that changed my life. For the first time, I knew I was hearing the truth.
I went to the first Christian bookstore I could find and bought everything I could see on Catholicism and on Christianity. I even bought my first bible. As I spent time studying and praying in my room, I realized that what I had thought was true actually was not. Virtually nothing I had been taught by the RCC lined up with the Scriptures. God had to re-orient my mind to know who He was and to stop following traditions of men. He began to lead me through the Scriptures and gave me understanding about what was in them.
God answered my question and revealed Himself to me. Once I came to know who He was, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior and gave my life to Him. True to God's word (I Peter 3:1-2), my husband even eventually gave his life to the Lord as well (although it was not an easy road and that is perhaps another testimony).
My purpose now is simply to be what Jesus wants me to be, go where He wants me to go, say what He wants me to say, and do what He wants me to do.
I am a wife, mother of three and Christian. My life is probably not too different from many others. I was lost in sin when Jesus came and drew me unto Himself.
I was raised a Roman Catholic and believed very much that the RCC was the "one true" church it proclaimed to be. Even though a I considered myself a devout Catholic, I was a rampant sinner. Somehow, my life of sin never felt at odds with my faith in the RCC. Sin was almost expected, it was the norm for existence. I simply went to confession to work off or do penance for my sins and all was okay. As long as I followed the dictates of the church, I was fine.
As I grew older, I began to notice a lot of hypocrisy in the RCC, i.e. homosexual activity amongst priests including the spreading of AIDS, priests molesting children, parishioners fornicating, committing adultery, and having abortions, the congregation exalting and almost worshiping the pastors, catholics who considered themselves catholic, but disagreed with much of what the church taught, etc.
These things I witnessed shook my faith in God (afterall, this was supposed to be God's church). I became overwhelmed with a need to actually get to know who God was. To accomplish this, I became more active in the church. Somehow, I had come to believe that if I could do enough, learn enough, work enough...I could finally come to know God personally. So, I joined the breast cancer ministry, the AIDS ministry, I led the dance ministry, taught Sunday School, sung in the choir, etc. Yet, none of it worked. I was no closer to knowing God.
In spite of all these works, there was still no conviction of sin. I was shacking up with my boyfriend at the time and never once did that seem to be an obstacle in my search for serving God. I personally believe that all false religion can do to compensate for sin is offer works and performance. One begins trying to earn salvation instead of repenting and receiving it in faith through Jesus Christ.
I was very concerned about what I was seeing in the church. While I didn't know how to define it at the time, the word was religious. We all went to church, we spoke the "church speak" and said all of the right code words, we went through the rituals, but there was no change of heart - there was no life. None of it was real.
I finally called out to God and said, "OK, if you are real, you need to show me. Because at this point, I might as well go out to the world. What is the difference? I am about ready to give up on you, so if you exist God, I am asking you to reveal yourself to me." As always, God was faithful. When I was ready to stop trying, He was ready to start His work.
By this time, I had gotten married - both of us unsaved. Before we started a family, we decided to relocate. I found a job in the new city first, and went ahead to wait for him to join me. What I didn't know was that God had to get me from under the influence of all that I knew in order to show me what I didn't know.
The first thing I did was find a catholic church, yet there was still something just not right. God would not let my soul at rest and I knew that this was not where I was supposed to be. Through the co-worker of one of my cousins, I came into a Christian ministry tape that changed my life. For the first time, I knew I was hearing the truth.
I went to the first Christian bookstore I could find and bought everything I could see on Catholicism and on Christianity. I even bought my first bible. As I spent time studying and praying in my room, I realized that what I had thought was true actually was not. Virtually nothing I had been taught by the RCC lined up with the Scriptures. God had to re-orient my mind to know who He was and to stop following traditions of men. He began to lead me through the Scriptures and gave me understanding about what was in them.
God answered my question and revealed Himself to me. Once I came to know who He was, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior and gave my life to Him. True to God's word (I Peter 3:1-2), my husband even eventually gave his life to the Lord as well (although it was not an easy road and that is perhaps another testimony).
My purpose now is simply to be what Jesus wants me to be, go where He wants me to go, say what He wants me to say, and do what He wants me to do.