Thread: When did you come to the Lord and what prompted that decision?

Originally Posted by fuego

If you have not read my testimony in post #3 go read it. :)

Wow! Just, WOW! Amazing that God placed the same book in our hands that brought us each such great spiritual impact!

Originally Posted by Lively Stone

Wow! Just, WOW! Amazing that God placed the same book in our hands that brought us each such great spiritual impact!

I suspect God used that book with a lot of people.

Originally Posted by fuego

Not too long afterward he gave me a book by Harold Hill called 'How To Live Like A King's Kid' (you can find an online version of it for free now on Google books). So I began to read that and it was the first time I had every read anything about God still doing miracles and that one could actually be changed. The book actually started with the author relating a supernatural story he was involved in. I devoured that book. I remember thinking that if someone had told me about THIS God, this supernatural God that still does miracles and can change you, I would have gotten saved a lot sooner...

Originally Posted by Lively Stone

I read the book, "How To Live Like a King's Kid" by Harold Hill. (I just bought another copy this year, as it had become threadbare!) It was the one book that taught me about the freedom we have in Christ and the wonderful authority we have in Jesus! No fear! I highly recommend this book to all! (I was delivered of a demon of fear sometime later).

I've never read that book...Fuego, do you have a link for the free online version?

Read the first chapter from my viewpoint as a former Baptist and still not saved.

https://books.google.com/books?id=w_...%20kid&f=false

BTW, he's a big proponent of tithing, but nobody's perfect. :)

1979, my best friend stopped by to tell me she had a new best friend and his name is Jesus. I was divorced, had a 2 year old and a 9 month old. I thought she was a bit off her rocker. I was raised Catholic, Catholic school and eating fish on Fridays etc. I was 26. I had not ever heard anyone say their best friend was Jesus and had no idea of what she meant. A few years later I had met someone and got married. We lived across from the city park. Driving home from work one evening, I saw a movie screen set up and a lot of people waiting for a movie to start. I walked over and then made sure each night I went and watched movies about The Rapture and the series that went with it. I had not heard of this before and did not know what to really think about it, but it stuck. Now, going back in time....I was 5 and my gr aunt took me on vacation with her to the ocean, we drove to Walla Walla WA to see a relative. We spent the night and got up to go to church in the morning. I went to Sunday school and she went upstairs to adult church. I had not ever been to Sunday school and I am assuming they told about asking Jesus into your heart and I most likely prayed that child prayer. When we moved to Walla Walla a few years later, and I was a teenager, we drove by that church. The church is still there today in Milton-Freewater OR, about 10 miles from Walla Walla. The memory of going there hit me. Fast forward to the summer of 6th grade and a neighbor asked me to go to Vacation Bible School. That church is still there on that corner. I don't remember a lot but I do remember the bracelet we made that had little hanging circles we colored with green, red, white, black and one other color. I assume again I prayed that kid prayer of asking Jesus into my heart. I do not remember ever hearing about asking Jesus into your heart all those years in Catholic school. So fast forward to working and the movies at the park. One Saturday morning a husband and wife knocked on our door asking if we had children who would be interested in going to Sunday school on the bus. I knew it was where my best friend went to church so I knew it was ok for my 4 year old daughter to go. The bus picked her up each Sunday. At work in the parking lot, that same church AoG set up a tent to draw teenagers in on Friday and Saturday night as they were cruising on the street. After work I went out to see what it was about and met Toby Tobin, a youth pastor who was raised Catholic to. We talked about my life, and the second night he told me to get a Bible and read Job, which I did and did not understand it at all. My life continued on the being a huge mess list. I called and told my best friend about talking to him, of course she and her husband were really good friends with Toby and his wife. My bf asked me to go to a special church event and I said ok. When I got there she told me "you might hear people speaking in languages you don't know about and people raising their hands when they prayed. Ok, thanks and I did not close my eyes when they were praying and it was a good thing because I saw a guy I worked with there. After church I walked up to him and asked mr. party boy what he was doing at church. I found out his dad was a minister and he sometimes went to church. I wondered about that because I knew from talking to him what all he did. Not long after that we moved to Lawton OK. In the newspaper on Saturday they had one whole page that was religion, churches etc. I always read it. One Saturday there was a article about a speaker that was going to be at the AoG near me. I wanted to go and so I did. I took the kids and we went to church. Someone helped me get the kids to where their ages of classes were and then I went and sat down. Church started. The speaker was talking and he stopped suddenly "there is a lady here that is going through..... and you need to come up so we can pray for you". I froze. How did he know what was going on in my life? I sat there frozen in my seat. "It is ok, we can sit here and wait for you all day". I wondered how he knew my life and I did not want to cause everyone to sit there all day, so I stood up and then 2 other women stood up. We walked to the front and got in line. He put his hand on my head and started to pray for me and suddenly my body felt like I was a bowl of jello shaking and I started to fall down, I instantly locked my knees and stayed standing and he just kept praying. I had not idea of what was going on. In the next weeks I took the kids and started going to Mass. I went to talk to the priest about confession (the Catholic way). He told me that since I had never been married in the Catholic Church and was divorce and gotten married again "I can not forgive your sins". Now that struck me like a wake up call. I had started watching the 700 Club daily, as well as Oral Roberts and Jimmy Swaggert (before he was busted). I called for prayer all the time to the 700 Club and asked lots of questions to. So when the priest said that to me, it did not seem right at all. I had also started going to Charismatic prayer meetings on Wednesday nights at the Catholic Church and again, not really understanding but I kept going. We moved to Elk City OK. I went to CC 3 Sundays and it was like being in a empty room. Not one person said hi, it was just empty to me. I called the AoG and talked to them about what time church was and told them I did not have any dresses to wear to church. Maybe that is why no on talked to me at the CC, I was in jeans. :). They told me that I did not have to dress up at all. I knew since my bf went there to AoG it would be ok to start going there. One of the first people I met was a ex-nun who a few days later brought me papers about Catholics and told me all I had thought was true was indeed not true at all. She told me if I got defensive to put them down and read them in a few days. I did get defensive and did as she told me to do. When I read them again I saw what I was reading was true. All I had been taught growing up was not true at all. Also, I did not close my eyes while they prayed in church for weeks and I was at the alter for weeks asking Jesus for forgiveness and to be my Lord and Savior. It took me a while to get that part. I went to the young marrieds Sunday school and I was the only basically single gal there. I think the other women in there must of thought I was on the prowl for a man because they ignored me totally. I went to a dinner without my husband to and got the same frozen ice being ignored feeling, but I continued to the young married Sunday school. I wanted my husband to someday find the Lord and go with me and thought I could learn things I need to know. I met a few nice people there. I also started speaking in tongues in Elk City. So....we moved back to Walla Walla Wa. I took the kids and went to AoG there. Life was hard and contained things that were not good. But I was going to remain in church and take my kids. ( I just remembered something. When I was a senior in high school 1969/1970, I used to stay up and watch Johnny Carson, a habit I picked up. After Johnny was a show called the 700 Club with a two guys, Pat and Ben. After their half hour show was a show with a women called Kathryn Kullmen and I know I spelled her last name wrong. I watched those two shows a lot and did not understand it all). I took my kids and left, moved across the state and learned in the few churches we went to that a single mom with kids were not welcomed the same as a family or single man. I also saw that in the AoG's I went to. Oh well. Life for me was in such a mess and more, long story, but I did not give up going to church and continued watching the 700 Club where ever I lived. They were my life line and I could tell a lot of awesome things. Looking back on all of it now, I realize what having a mentor would of meant in my life to help me learn and grow instead of the struggle I had. My life was not so good with all that was in it and I hid behind a mask of smiling and all is ok when it wasn't. But, God did not leave me in all those years. I do believe that when I went to Sunday school as a child and prayed that simple prayer that Jesus did in fact come into me and my life and never left me despite that facts of my life and all that took place until I really understood and asked Him in again. He was there thought it all and was drawing me and drawing me in all those years in the places I was living at and in all that took place. There is so much more I could write, but....He is faithful to me and I am continually growing closer to Him and I am so thankful, just so thankful....

I did not proof read so am saying sorry for the mistakes if any are there...

Originally Posted by Lindaeverchanging

I did not proof read so am saying sorry for the mistakes if any are there...

Can you say 'paragraphs'?

I don't know how to do paragraphs on my computer, there has to be something such as the line of options on top of the quick reply :)

I thought this thread was about when you came to the Lord and why? I must have missed something. (granted I haven't read the whole thread)

I came to the Lord and the young age of 17. Because it was right, I knew that it was right, the truth, that I needed to be set free.

Originally Posted by Lindaeverchanging

I don't know how to do paragraphs on my computer, there has to be something such as the line of options on top of the quick reply :)

You just hit 'enter' twice to start a new one. You're just putting a line space in and starting a new paragraph. :)