We all come from very different backgrounds. Sin is all around us in this world, dividing us, and tempting us in our own personal lives. Often we are living in this world without realizing that we are being called out of it. But the beautiful thing is that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can die to our former selves, turn away from that lifestyle, be born again of the Spirit and be united as children of God. None of those burdens of our past are counted against us. Jesus wipes our slate clean. It is by no works of our own but because of our faith and the mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Below are testimonies of the powerful transformation Jesus has done in the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters. All glory to God for His love, mercy, power and grace. We pray for those who haven’t surrendered, to allow the Holy Spirit to do a work in you. He waits to lift the weight of your burden and give you the peace you need.
A verse for Daniel's testimony
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I was raised Catholic and came from a loving family. My parents have been married for over 45 years. I knew I was loved but my parents did not show their affection to me or my sisters. We moved to the US from Mexico when I was 9 years. That was a challenge learning a new language and adapting to a new culture. I knew I was different back then so I never really fit in anywhere. At the age of 18, drugs were introduced into my life. After two failed suicide attempts, I turned completely to drugs, partying, and sex.
I am not proud of these years of my life. At the age of 21, I ended up getting sick with HIV and multiple sexually transmitted diseases. All because of my actions and choices. I made stupid mistake after stupid mistake. The devil had a grip on me and had convinced me that I was unlovable, that I was a drug addict and will die that way. I truly believed that lie. My mother kept praying for me since my first suicide attempt. But it was in a way of condemning me as a way of forcing me to believe. I love my mom so much but the more she forced religion onto me the further we grew apart. After years of praying she finally gave it all up to God for Him to get my attention.
Time passed and around the year 2014 I met a young man named Steven whom I was selling crystal meth to. He was so kind and caring and I never understood why he took the time to get to know me. Even though we were lost in drugs you could see his love for people. He introduced me to Jeff and Sarah, who were involved in a network marketing business. They were interested in having me join their team.
From the moment I first met them I felt a connection with them. Finally, someone was taking the time to get to know me without any strings attached. They wanted to see if I would be a good fit for their team. Without thinking about it, I was sensing a peace that my soul was craving. They asked questions in an effort to get to know me. Then they ask me if I believed in a higher power. They had a strong Christian faith and they believed in God. I was very confused as to why they would bring God into a business conversation. They said that in order to build a successful business you have to give it all to a Higher power. I tended to try and control everything myself, so this was a shocking surprise.
The more I got to know them, the more I noticed that their faith is what kept them at peace. And I saw it through the way they spoke to the broken man that was me. I told them all my life stories, since transparency was part of building a relationship. They introduced me to John Maxwell's books about leadership, communication, and mentorship. I was so drawn to these books. They didn’t force their faith on me but I came to find out that all these books I was reading were written by followers of Christ.
In April of 2018, I was invited to attend a three day business conference in Las Vegas. John Maxwell (the author of those books) was the keynote speaker on business leadership. At that time I was still addicted to crystal meth. This had been going on since I was 18 and now has been gripping my life with 20 years of abuse. I decided not to take any drugs with me that weekend and I was craving the drug. So Friday night and all through Saturday night my body was feeling the need for meth. On Sunday there was a non-denominational church service at the Thomas Mac Arena that I was encouraged to attend. John Maxwell was going to be the pastor (John Maxwell had been a pastor for over 20 years and all his books are inspired by the Bible). During the service he gave an altar call in front of 17,000 people. I got up and walked down to the steps to where the stage was. I was crying and I wasn’t even sure why! When I said the sinner's prayer, I gave my life to the Lord and I felt this weight off of my shoulders and the urges that I had were gone. April 8, 2018 was the last time I had an urge to use crystal meth and my 20-year-old drug addiction was gone!
Without knowing I was reading the Bible through John Maxwell's books. Two months later I was at a Starbucks near John Wayne Airport, waiting for Jeff and Sarah so they could meet someone I wanted to bring into my business. While I was waiting for them I was reading a book called Boundaries. As I was reading this girl asked me how the book was. This took me by surprise so we got to talking and she mentioned that her friend had just sent her a picture of that book. Her name was Jasmine and she invited me to attend her church (Harvest Church) that evening. I told her I would have to check with my partners Jeff and Sarah since I was there to meet them. Jasmine gave me her number and left. I met Jeff and Sarah and we waited for the guy that I was going to introduce to them, but he did not show up. So I mentioned the invitation from Jasmine to go to church (this was Thursday, June 14, 2018). They told me to go because God wanted my full attention. Since I had given my life to Christ in Las Vegas, it was time to find out more about it.
I decided to go and when I got to Harvest I realized this was the first time stepping into a church in over 20 years. I did not know what to expect and it was nothing like any Catholic Church I had ever been to. The worship started with Cory Ashbury’s Reckless Love and I started to cry at that moment. Then the whole sermon was about boundaries and the pastor made a comment about meeting someone at Starbucks and inviting them to church. I looked at Jasmine with surprise and tears and she pointed up towards God. Then they invited us to come to Sunday service as they were going through the book of Daniel. It was all becoming very personal to me. My name is Daniel. I didn't know what to think at this point. They gave an altar call, and I again said the sinner's prayer and surrendered my life to the Lord.
They wanted to pray for me and asked everyone that prayed to come forward. I went over and met with a member of the follow up team, named Chris. He listened to me as I told him my life story and he prayed for me. I have been attending Harvest ever since.
Now that I look back at my life I could tell you that I had a guardian angel sent by God to take care of me after all my stupid decisions. He was there on my failed suicide attempts. He was there when I got sick and has been there all along and I was just too blind to notice.
Now I have Jesus in my heart and He leads everything about my life. GOD will get your attention one way or another and He will bring people into your life to help you. He never forced me to listen until I was ready. Now I am ready to do whatever He calls me to do.
- Daniel
A verse for Mike's testimony
John 16:33
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
In a little town, not Bethlehem, but Lakewood, CA, a child was born. The last of 8 kids (with one younger half sister, 18 years later to come). My parents divorced when I was five but we were a close and loving family who were taught to believe in Jesus Christ. I grew up my whole life hearing about Jesus. I went through first communion to confirmation. My father devoted much of his time and energy into church and singing in the choir. He would make sure we went to church every Sunday. But I didn’t know my understanding of Jesus was limited. I tried to read the Bible but I didn’t get far and I didn’t study it. I had no knowledge of the word of God for myself.
I lived my life with the bare facts that Jesus loved me, He was there for me, He would forgive me of my sins, He died for me so I could go to Heaven. I wasn’t even aware that I was walking in disobedience. I thought I was a “good” person because I was comparing myself to worldly standards and not to God’s standard. I knew He was my savior but my actions showed he was not my Lord. I was living in the world and for it. My lifestyle led me to having a child outside of marriage, a marriage that would end in divorce and a life after divorce that was spiraling deeper into partying, conforming to the world and away from God.
But the Lord has perfect timing and His plan for me was better than my own. In 2019, my friends and I began reading the Bible together. I was seeking truth and answers. This grew into the Zoom Bible study group we have been blessed with today. In May of 2020, the Word of God penetrated my worldly understanding and awoke my spirit inside me. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes and my heart and I was born again of the spirit. I realized I was living lukewarm this entire time. I grew up in “religion” and never knew I needed a relationship with God. I wasn’t even truly repenting of my sin. I was just sorry I did it but I wasn’t cutting the sin out of my life. But the Holy Spirit filled me and transformed me from within. I became a child of God, seeing that I was in this world but not of it. I was set apart. I learned to lean on God daily and focus on Him and His will, not my own. I thank God for this every day and pray I can be used by Him to help others see His truth for themselves. I pray for the Holy Spirit to help me grow closer to Him and understand the gifts He’s given me. I thank Him that suffering and trials are never seen the same way again now that I know His strength in my weakness. That we have already won because of His sacrifice.
Thank you Jesus for the peace, comfort, strength, joy and hope You have given me. And You did not require me to do works to receive it. You gave it to me freely. Praise to You LORD! Forever and ever!
- Mike
A verse for Michelle's testimony
Matthew 6:33
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
I grew up in a Jehovah's Witness family. My mom and dad did not fully practice the religion. I guess you can say there were too many rules you had to follow to be able to be a Jehovah's Witness (JW). The JW doctrine did not teach a belief in Jesus, nor did they believe in the Holy Trinity. With the JW religion, there was a big part of me that could not understand why they had specific rules, why they did not observe certain holidays or why they were against receiving a blood transfusion that could save their life. I saw the passion my aunt had for the JW religion, but I was still left with many questions of ‘why?’ and my life was empty. As I began to seek out the Lord more, he taught me that there was nothing else I could do. Many religions leave you with a to-do list. Later I would come to know that Jesus died so I can live. Some of His last words on the cross were, "It is finished."
My husband was raised Catholic but later began attending a Christian church when we first started dating. A few years into our dating relationship he invited me to a Christian church. That was the first time I experienced the Holy Spirit. It was an indescribable, piercing of my heart that showed me that I needed to surrender to Him. But my story of God's saving grace did not begin there and I was not yet born again of the Spirit. I began to attend church regularly on Sundays with my husband and the children. It was not an option in our household. My husband would also do 30 min Bible studies with me and the children and we would talk about the word of God. Yet I wasn’t paying attention, nor did I let the word of God actually change my life. I wasn't giving Him the honor and glory He was worthy of, and I was definitely not meditating on His Word. I was living a day-to-day life of goodness in my heart and good works for others.
So, when did my walk in true faith with the LORD actually begin? It was during the beginning of the year 2020. We were in a pandemic and Covid shut everything down just like that. In that time of fear and waiting, my desire for the LORD grew stronger. I knew that we were in a season that was in uncontrollable fear, panic and worry. I had just a "mustard seed" of faith and a foundation that was shaky. So I decided to shelter in His grace, in His love and in His mercy. I knew that the One who made everything in the entire universe was and still is in control of my life. My husband had been doing Bible studies with a few of his friends and a part of me wanted to finally experience what this fellowship was. I wanted to experience the same faith as the people in the Bible and have their boldness. I wanted to finally submit and leave the life of being a "lukewarm Christian" and surrender it all to my Father in Heaven. I cannot even put in words all that Jesus has blessed me with and none of it is anything material. He has been giving me wisdom and discernment. Most importantly He gave the world JESUS! A loving Father who gave His only begotten Son in place of my sinful self in order for me to experience life here on Earth and in eternity with Him. He gave me a God-fearing man, my husband Joseph and four beautiful children who are also walking with the LORD! With the help of Jesus, our Christian clothing company (Holy Defiance) began in the midst of the pandemic. By God's grace I have met many sisters in Christ who share the same love and desire and I joined Sister Nancy in the Women's Bible study. The LORD also led us to start a youth Bible study. I thank God every day for Jesus, for the moments of humility that only He could teach, the people He graciously put in my life, the times of divine intervention all in His timing and the continued desire to bear the image of Him. Jesus is the love, peace and joy that I have been searching for my entire life. In the words of Jeremiah, the prophet 31:3," I have loved you with an everlasting love: I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Thank you Jesus!
-Michelle
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