When I was about 8 years old, during Bible School at church one summer, the pastor gave me a real "talking to" and told me I should "ask Jesus to come into my heart"...so one morning, along with my little class and my bible school teacher, we all went into the sanctuary and prayed and I felt pretty secure for some time..
But...
WhenI was fifteen, I was attending a revival at the church where I had gone for some time (a different church, by the way) and I really listened to the messages! And I came under such strong conviction that I was NOT saved…I knew that if I died right then, I was bound for hell! When the invitation was given on Wednesday night, I went down to the altar and asked forgiveness for my sins and asked the Lord to come into my heart and save me, really save me. I felt such peace after that! This time I knew without a doubt that God had saved me!
I lived so close to God for a few years! I went to church a lot, sang with my friends at singings and revivals, and tried to do what I thought God expected of me. But nobody had ever explained to me about being "unequally yoked" and I married a man who was not a Christian. Yes, you guessed it...in a short time I had stopped going to church, and was totally out of the will of God.
In time, God blessed us with three children. When the children were old enough, I sent them to Sunday School, and mentally patted myself on the back for being such a good mother... I was SENDING MY KIDS TO CHURCH! So I must be doing the right thing, right? But as for me, I went to church (sometimes), read my bible (sometimes), prayed (sometimes) and all the time,I thought I was doing God's will for my life. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a "bad" person…I just wasn't doing what God was telling me to do! And deep down, I had that nagging feeling that something just wasn't right in my life.
In time, my youngest daughter got saved, and she was going to church regularly, and singing in the choir. One Easter morning, she really begged me to go with her to church. The choir was giving a "special" program that morning and she wanted me to be there. I gave in, and went with her. And, boy! did that preacher ever ring my bell that morning! I wound up going back that night, and the conviction was so strong in my heart that God was NOT pleased with the way I had been living, that when the invitation was given, nothing could have stopped me from going up to that altar! To make a long story short, that night I re-dedicated my life to God. That was over twenty years ago, and since then I have been so happy and so secure in my salvation! I love the Lord with all my heart and I feel that I finally am doing what He wants me to in life!
My older daughter came home from the Army not too long after that, and she began going to church with me. One Sunday morning when the invitation was given, she looked at me and I took her by the hand and walked down to the altar and prayed with her, and Praise God! she was saved that day!
And God just kept blessing! Not too long after that, my husband was also saved! What a joy it is for us to be in church together every Sunday now! I play the piano, and he sings in the choir, and sometimes my heart just overflows with happiness when I look up there and see him singing away in that choir! God has truly blessed us and I always remember, that even though I turned my back on Him for many years, He NEVER turned his back on me, and He was just waiting for me to return to the fold!
Thank you, Lord, for all you have done in our lives, and all you have blessed us with. May I always do what you want me to, and may I never again stray!
