I was saved, accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, at a young age of seven during a Baptist church Vacation Bible School the summer between my second and third grade year. My parents were also recently new Christians, having left the Catholic church a few years before. I always thought I was living a "good Christian life." Later would I discover how I wasn’t really "Living" at all, compared to how "Alive I am now!"
Through four years here at the University of Denver God has transformed me and is continuing to mold me from a self-centered "average getting-by" individual into the Christ-centered "joyful, overcoming and victorious" person he designed me to be even before I was born. My life is a testimony of God’s love, patience, mercy and power.
I began college as a "rebellious closet Christian." My freshman year you couldn’t really tell that I was a Christian, unfortunately a lot of people considered me a ‘real Jerk.’ I was ashamed of my Christian faith so I made little attempt to share or grow in my faith outside of a few Christians I knew who invited me to some activities. I went to church very infrequently and never read or studied the Bible and rarely had fellowship with others.
My sophomore year I really began to struggle with school and other personal issues. When I was struggling the most, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t even know what the problems were. The first time God stepped in and dramatically changed my life was that Christmas. My younger brother said to me over break, "You say you are a Christian, but you don’t act like one! You need to change." Well, I wanted to change, but didn’t know how. Over the next two weeks God brought two people into my life then to guide and help me. One was a friend who happened to be the preacher’s son of the church I attended when growing up. I picked him up at the airport and during the hour drive home we talked and I shared and we prayed for God to breakthrough. A few nights later, my brother’s friend from his Bible College and I went to Denver to watch a Christmas play. On the way home, I again shared and we prayed. He said that I needed to "renew my covenant with God" I told him I already accepted Jesus when I was little, he said I should "renew" anyway.
A few nights later, in prayer I did. Immediately I felt an indescribable change. The next night, my mom, my brother and his friend, the pastor’s son, and myself gathered hands and prayed for over and hour. I shared and confessed that I had been ashamed of my faith, but God had released me and freed me from my fears and I was no longer ashamed of the Gospel. When I went back to school, God sent several other Christian people into my life to guide me and help me grow ‘spiritually.’ For the rest of the year and through my Junior year I overcame most of the struggles and issues in my life. The problems that weren’t solved, I was given a peace and a confidence that one day they too would be conquered.
The second time God stepped in and again dramatically changed my life, my thinking and became even more real to me was this past summer before my senior year. I learned what Easter really is about. To me personally as a more mature believer in Christ, what’s more significant than Jesus going to the cross and covering my sins with His blood, is that Jesus is Alive, He raised from the Dead, Conquered this Evil World and Now gives Me Power to Overcome the world too! This was the first time I really believed that I could "Master Life" and be good at it because I was made complete in Christ Jesus who makes me victorious.
For the first time, I began reading the Bible daily, not because I was commanded to, but because of the joy and confidence it brought me. I went to the alter for the first time in my life after one Sunday sermon; there I repented and turned from my sin vowing to change my life in a new direction. When I came back to school, people could tell I was a believer just by looking at my face. I learned much and grew closer to God that summer. I’m most grateful for learning how important fellowship with others is when maintaining a well-balanced "Christ Centered, Mission Driven, Purpose Filled Life." I realized that I had faith, prayer, Bible reading and the Holy Spirit, but I need to listen to the preaching of the word and spend ‘quality’ time with others. I am sorry I didn’t know this life secret as a freshman, but by God’s grace I’ve changed and am experiencing an "awesome" senior year, where people are much higher on my priority list. I thank God for everyone He has brought into my life at just the right time.
Thank you for letting me share with you this Easter morning! May you have a joyous, victorious life!
2 Peter 1:2 and 1:4-8
"Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord" "He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." "Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 John 5:3-5 and 5:11-12
"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
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