I guess introductions are what come first. My name is Paul, I am currently 41 years old and have been a born again believer for about 19 years. I was raised in a Christian home by believing parents and attended an Elim Pentecostal Church from the age of 6-12 years old. I was a Christianised worldly boy who believed he was saved because I said a sinners prayer (about 50 times over the years just to be sure) in response to an altar call at one of the church services.
I believed the bible was the absolute Word of God, believed Jesus died for my sins and could talk religion fairly competently by the time I was 11, having listened to many godly conversations with my parents and their friends and also many sermons and lectures. I even told my school friends many things about the last days and the need to escape what was coming. I feel very emotional thinking about those times because I know for all this knowledge and child like sincerity I was not born again! How many people must be in this state that I was in? It hurts to think about it but I believe very much that the current state of the church can be attributed, (in a decent portion at least) to many people in similar positions in our churches and worse still standing at the pulpits.
Well in any case as I went into my teens I fell heavily into sin and lived as worldly a life style as anyone else, I never rejected the Lord or His word with my mouth but I did with my life. I was sinking heavily under my sin burden always wrestling with my conscience and God’s word, the knowledge of this was crushing me – I knew God could see everything I did and thought and shame constantly came up but was pushed back down. One morning (when I was 21) I walked outside and saw the most beautiful blanket of snow and I said to the Lord please make me as white as snow (I knew it was scripture but had no idea where), then things started to happen over the coming weeks and months, i started reading Christian books my mom had given me, I started coming across tracts on the bus and reading them and taking them home. The things of God weighed on my mind a lot and I tried to be good but kept failing, one evening after work whilst waiting for a bus, alone with my thoughts I just despaired of trying and prayed to God to take my life and do with me as He will , I admitted my sin to Him and confessed my faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, I acknowledged my utter helplessness to be good enough and asked Him to save me. That was the moment I was saved, God really got to work in my heart massively but gently often without me even realising the changes He was making.
I tell you He is so wonderful, if you just surrender to Him completely and trust in His love and goodness he will change you and speak to you in so many ways, you will be a new creature.
Anyway thanks for reading – it’s not easy to put into words the touch and presence of God’s Spirit in your heart and to describe what He does for you. This blog will mostly touch on addressing current issues within the church and world and I will also share some of my thoughts on the scriptures – I don’t have a clear plan at this point but lets see how it goes.
Epistle to Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Biblical Faith in these Last Days 