New Testimony!! (2/14/00)
Hey everyone,
I haven't written a real e-mail/testimony in quite some time. The reason for that is that I haven't had a lot to say as a Christian. I haven't acted like a Christian in the longest time, I can't remember the last time I was truly happy as a Christian, until lately. I have come to realize something more than I ever have, that when we have hardships in our lives, we should be thankful for them, rather than to say, "Poor me" and have a pity party. We should ask God to show us what He wants us to learn from this temporary trial. Yes, temporary. Knowing myself so well, I don't know where this Scripture is located, but in the Bible there is a phrase I hear a lot, "This too shall pass". That is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. When I get depressed or bummed out about something that is "wrong" in my life, I remember that, and I am not hardly as upset. I don't really have a miraculous testimony about what has brought me back to God. I think it was mainly that I got tired of complaining and feeling guilt every time I saw an email pertaining to God, or hearing something in church that convicted me. I wanted the feeling I had over a year ago when I could honestly say that I felt right with God & the joy of knowing that nothing people could say negative about me could effect me!! Lately I have been walking outside, yes, believe it or not, I am becoming less lazy! :D But a kinda corny thought came to my mind, but I guess I will say it anyway because it does have a good point. I was listening to my headphones and thought about how I am absolutely terrified to walk without listening to them, because I think a sabertooth pig is going to come out of the woods and get me if I hear any little noise! hahaha. I compared the comfort of earphones, tuning out the outside noises to how it is when you are walking right with God. If you feel like you are where you should be with God, then you are listening to God, not the world. So it is the same thing, God tunes out the world, and everything that could possibly bring you down, it can't, ultimately. We all fall, but if WE don't walk away from God (Remember, He will never leave nor forsake us), then nothing in this world could possibly conquer us!! :) I have told several of you that I talk to regularly that I have realized that life is as simple as this: Follow God & have true happiness; follow the world & have temporary happiness, which will probably hurt you in the long run. In the Bible it says that you can't serve two masters, so it really is either the world or God. I am not trying to force someone to believe in God, but only to encourage those who were once with God, who knows what it feels like to be truthfully happy, if they have drifted from God as I did, that you absoultely must find a way back to Him!! You just have to walk away from what you THINK you "need" in life, which is usually just what you are wanting in life. Pray, even if you think you have forgotten how to. Praying is simply a conversation with God! God isn't someone who looks down on us like we are nothing, He understands no matter how stupid we think we may sound!!! :) I have been trying for the past 7 months to get back to God. I would go to church and hear one of those sermons that would inspire me to change the way I had been doing things, but I guess I didn't want back with God as much as I thought, because I went back to how things were. It is really crazy because I go to a Christian school, and for the first semester I wasn't even into God. That is such an ackward feeling. Our preacher said something about how we need to take this advantage we have to draw closer to God, while being at a Christian school. I thought to myself, "I don't know how to draw closer to God, I have fallen so far away!" Things were up and down for the longest time. I'd think I had a breakthrough in my Walk, but it wasn't what I thought, things remained the same as usual. :( And they got worse!! The only thing I can say is that if you see how much you need God, don't put it off or expect God to do everything, you have to seek Him. You have to put away the things you find so "important" in the world. God is sooo much more important than a relationship or a social status!! I am kinda rambling, I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching, I'm just trying to encourage anyone who is in the situation I had been the past year!!
If any of you want to talk to me about your Walk with God, or need prayer, please email me and I will be glad to respond :) Take care & God bless!!! :)
-IN CHRIST-
Cody
