reply to post by TheBlueShiroux
TheBlueShiroux, I would like to share a little testimony with you.....
When I opened your thread and started reading your first post, a few words into it my eyes wouldn't stop watering for some odd reason. I know God is
reaching out to you, without a doubt. I don't have all the answers (or most of the answers, or probably even a few of the answers) about God, or
life, or why bad things happen to good people or you name it. But 7 years ago my life completely changed at the age of 28.
I never grew up in a religious home. I was born 4 months early as a child and almost died more time between the time I was born to age 2 that you
couldn't keep track of all of them. My grandparents raised me, and there was no talk of God, church or any other religion in my home growing up. I
was a normal kid, who played sports and liked to get into some mischief now and again. I joined the military while still in high school (National
Guard) and while I went to a trade school. After I graduated, I went active. I did 3 tours in combat, 2 in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan. I ended up
having knee surgery multiple times and it ended my military career. I became an alcoholic and a drug addict while I tried to lock away everything
I've ever went through in life, and hoping I could completely forget about my experiences in combat. I wasn't a bad guy...I gave to the homeless or
less fortunate all the time, I was nice and polite to people, I always took up for the elderly, children or those who could not defend themselves, I
was a typical good guy who had problems with his experiences in combat. One of my family members became really sick, so I moved back to my home town
to try and help take care of them. During this time, I found God...
I never believed in God, or Satan for that matter. I thought people who went to church just needed something to believe in, or "hope" for something
better. After all, I've lived pure hell in combat. How could a loving God allow all of these bad things to happen? Children starving, murder, rape,
just about everything bad thing one could think of...how could God allow this? But this whole "God" stuff?? Not my cup of tea, at all. Growing up, I
always remember weird things happening. There was a house my mom lived in that was super haunted and the craziest stuff would happen in it. Anytime I
would stay over, the room I stayed in, the closet door would always open and a ghost with red eyes would come out and stand in the room as I pulled
the covers over my head in fear. Stuffed animals would talk and I would hear voices, or they would make noise. I would always see things, along with
my sister and my mom. I never lived there as I lived with my grandparents, but man that was a crazy house. There would always be some kind of weird
stuff going on, like seeing ghosts, or the old black and white TV would come on and there would be a face in it talking to us, or the back door would
have someone pounding on it (and there was no one around), etc. One time my grandmother and I just came back from McDonalds in our town and when she
pulled into the house a UFO came down into the field across the road and just hovered there. I've seen 3 UFO's from the time I was 8 years old to
the age of 16, but I haven't seen one since. Weird stuff. I was big into metal music, played in a band, always played acoustic guitar and sang in
bars while stationed in Germany, you name it. When I moved back home, my sister had these dvd series called "they sold their soul for rock and
roll"....man, I didn't want to hear about that garbage. I told my sister, come on...that stuff isn't real. They make that stuff up so they can sell
more records. Satan isn't real, it's all a fake, you name it, I told her. I ended up entertaining her and told her I'd watch the entire first dvd
before I would throw them all in the trash. I stayed up that entire night and watched all 4 dvds. Could this God stuff be real? Could there be a
Satan, fighting for my soul? It got the wheels turning, that was for sure. I took all of my cd's at the time and threw them all away after watching
those dvds. That week, I went to church and when the pastor gave an altar call, I went forward. As I walked up that aisle under my breath I kept
telling God..God, if you're real I need to know...over and over again. I've tried everything to fill this emptiness inside me at this point and I
needed help, in every area of my life. That day, I met Jesus. As I stood with my arms raised, repeating a prayer after the pastor with my eyes closed
I say a bright flash and it felt like a million pounds lifted off my shoulders. I felt the loving arms of my savior, Jesus Christ hugging me, pure
love I felt at that moment. I knew it was Jesus Christ. I can't really explain how I knew it was Him, I just knew. At that moment, I knew God existed
and that He sent His son to die on a cross for all of us. My alcohol and drug addiction, gone in the blink of an eye. I haven't craved a drink or a
drug since that day. I was completely delivered on the spot. I cried more at that moment than anytime in my life. I grabbed a hold of the pastor,
tears pouring down my face, with the most joy I have ever had in my life. I was set free that day, a prisoner of sin. I had an encounter with Jesus.
Since that day, I've read through the bible and have tried to learn as much as I can about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I don't believe in
"denominations", but in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Once you've felt the love of Jesus, you just know you know. It's really hard to
explain. But I know this. God loves you more than anything in this world, as God is love. And giving your heart to Jesus Christ will be the greatest
thing you'll ever do, I promise you. Everywhere I go, I share my testimony, I witness about Jesus, I spread the gospel...and sometimes its hard,
I've been mocked and you name it, but I used to be one of those mockers. I know God is real, I've been healed 3 times in my short time as a disciple
of Christ and I've been through many a trial and fire. I've learned a lot, grown a lot and have seen a lot. I know a lot will pick my post apart,
and bash me along with whatever else..and that's ok, because I know the truth and will stand before God one day and not be ashamed. This is just a
short to the point testimony, as I have plenty that I could share with you. I will be praying for you, and while I don't know all the answers, I am
here for any questions or support for you in anything you decide.