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Here's my story of How I came to Christ, or more accurately, how Christ came for me!
I was 19 years old and at a very dark time in my life, though at the time I didn't see it. Just a few days prior to all of this I had attended an electronic music festival and had taken ecstasy two days in a row. I was a pot-head, a drug dealer, I loved to party, I took advantage of girls, and I was an atheist. All I wanted to do was party. I had a crazy-big ego and thought very, very highly of myself.
One day I was over a friends house working out and practicing martial arts, which was a hobby of mine. Another friend came over and we decided to grapple down in the basement. It was a pretty intense fight, and at one point this friend picked me up and slammed me on the ground, hard. I got up and was enraged, wanting to keep fighting, but my other friend stopped me. He pointed to my shoulder with a look of panic on his face. I felt my shoulder and my collar bone was poking out of it.
The pain didn't set in right away because of all the adrenaline, but I was warned that it was about to hurt really bad. I went upstairs, sat down, lit a cigarette, and called my mom. As soon as I got off the phone all the pain set in at once, and it was the worst pain i've ever experienced. I was going into shock and I started to lose my consciousness. Everything was going black and I felt as if I was dying. I had lost all sense of power and control over my life and for some reason, under my breath I just cried out, "Jesus help me!". As soon as I called on Jesus my vision began to return to me, my pain subsided a bit, and I remained conscious.
I was driven to the hospital, given some morphine, and then told I would need surgery. I had my arm put in a sling and it was going to be immobile for a while.
I had about a week to wait before my surgery so I was just stuck at home, not able to do much of anything. It was at this time that the experience of calling on Jesus really began to rack my mind. Why had it worked? If Jesus wasn't real, and I never thought he was, why was there power in his name? I just felt as though I had experienced something very real, and I was kind of scared, because I knew that if he was real, I was in trouble.
I began to explore the gospel for the first time in my life with an open mind. As I read the gospel it began to effect me powerfully. It was the greatest story I had ever heard and it touched me in a way I can't describe. Part of me tried to resist it's truth, but I could not deny the power that is in the name of Jesus. The gospel made sense, and I could now see just how sinful I was. I knew that if I was to die during surgery I would go to Hell. But I also knew that, if the gospel was true, this same Jesus I had called on was offering me eternal life in him.
I tried to ignore this as long as I could but one day, while I was driving, this conviction I felt became too much for me to bear. I was trying to hold back tears and it wasn't working. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, I knew I needed to be saved.
At that point I turned around and headed for a local church, the same church I used to ridicule back in the day, the same church who's members had preached the gospel to me in the past. It wasn't even a Sunday, it was Tuesday afternoon. I pulled in, parked, and walked in the door. There was the youth pastor and a couple other people hanging out in the front.
I didn't know what to say, so I just asked if he'd show me around. As he was giving me the tour I just started crying. I told him that I felt that God had led me here, and I asked how I could be saved. He said that he would be happy to pray with me right then. I paused for a moment and then said yes, that's what I needed to do.
I prayed and asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins, I confessed him as Lord and Savior, and I gave him my life. I realized I had been in rebellion against him all my life, and I just surrendered. After this I thanked the pastor, told him I'd be there on Sunday, and left the church.
As I was driving home an inexpressible joy fell over me, and I felt for the first time in my life the love of God. I cried tears of joy knowing I was saved and it was at that moment that I truly fell in love with Jesus Christ.
That Sunday I went to church and the pastor (not the one I talked to) gave a sermon about how God uses tough circumstances to bring people to himself. During the worship I felt the presence of God and was absolutely filled with joy. A man sitting next to me put his arm around my shoulder, asked my name, and prayed for my healing. I had never felt such love from other people. After the service this kid came up to me, introduced himself, took me to a back room, and gave me a free bible. We hung out that day, he introduced me to some friends of his, and I began to delve into the word. This was the beginning of my Christian walk.
I got home afterword and, miraculously, the pain in my shoulder had greatly subsided. I even took off my sling and had greater mobility of my arm! I never wore that sling again.
I share this story with you all so that you can see how powerful and glorious God is, that he would take a rotten sinner like me and save me. I didn't seek him, I wasn't religious, I was perfectly content in my sins. But he came for me, he grabbed hold of me, and he changed me. Praise be to God! How merciful and great is he! Blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ, my precious Lord and Savior!
I was 19 years old and at a very dark time in my life, though at the time I didn't see it. Just a few days prior to all of this I had attended an electronic music festival and had taken ecstasy two days in a row. I was a pot-head, a drug dealer, I loved to party, I took advantage of girls, and I was an atheist. All I wanted to do was party. I had a crazy-big ego and thought very, very highly of myself.
One day I was over a friends house working out and practicing martial arts, which was a hobby of mine. Another friend came over and we decided to grapple down in the basement. It was a pretty intense fight, and at one point this friend picked me up and slammed me on the ground, hard. I got up and was enraged, wanting to keep fighting, but my other friend stopped me. He pointed to my shoulder with a look of panic on his face. I felt my shoulder and my collar bone was poking out of it.
The pain didn't set in right away because of all the adrenaline, but I was warned that it was about to hurt really bad. I went upstairs, sat down, lit a cigarette, and called my mom. As soon as I got off the phone all the pain set in at once, and it was the worst pain i've ever experienced. I was going into shock and I started to lose my consciousness. Everything was going black and I felt as if I was dying. I had lost all sense of power and control over my life and for some reason, under my breath I just cried out, "Jesus help me!". As soon as I called on Jesus my vision began to return to me, my pain subsided a bit, and I remained conscious.
I was driven to the hospital, given some morphine, and then told I would need surgery. I had my arm put in a sling and it was going to be immobile for a while.
I had about a week to wait before my surgery so I was just stuck at home, not able to do much of anything. It was at this time that the experience of calling on Jesus really began to rack my mind. Why had it worked? If Jesus wasn't real, and I never thought he was, why was there power in his name? I just felt as though I had experienced something very real, and I was kind of scared, because I knew that if he was real, I was in trouble.
I began to explore the gospel for the first time in my life with an open mind. As I read the gospel it began to effect me powerfully. It was the greatest story I had ever heard and it touched me in a way I can't describe. Part of me tried to resist it's truth, but I could not deny the power that is in the name of Jesus. The gospel made sense, and I could now see just how sinful I was. I knew that if I was to die during surgery I would go to Hell. But I also knew that, if the gospel was true, this same Jesus I had called on was offering me eternal life in him.
I tried to ignore this as long as I could but one day, while I was driving, this conviction I felt became too much for me to bear. I was trying to hold back tears and it wasn't working. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, I knew I needed to be saved.
At that point I turned around and headed for a local church, the same church I used to ridicule back in the day, the same church who's members had preached the gospel to me in the past. It wasn't even a Sunday, it was Tuesday afternoon. I pulled in, parked, and walked in the door. There was the youth pastor and a couple other people hanging out in the front.
I didn't know what to say, so I just asked if he'd show me around. As he was giving me the tour I just started crying. I told him that I felt that God had led me here, and I asked how I could be saved. He said that he would be happy to pray with me right then. I paused for a moment and then said yes, that's what I needed to do.
I prayed and asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins, I confessed him as Lord and Savior, and I gave him my life. I realized I had been in rebellion against him all my life, and I just surrendered. After this I thanked the pastor, told him I'd be there on Sunday, and left the church.
As I was driving home an inexpressible joy fell over me, and I felt for the first time in my life the love of God. I cried tears of joy knowing I was saved and it was at that moment that I truly fell in love with Jesus Christ.
That Sunday I went to church and the pastor (not the one I talked to) gave a sermon about how God uses tough circumstances to bring people to himself. During the worship I felt the presence of God and was absolutely filled with joy. A man sitting next to me put his arm around my shoulder, asked my name, and prayed for my healing. I had never felt such love from other people. After the service this kid came up to me, introduced himself, took me to a back room, and gave me a free bible. We hung out that day, he introduced me to some friends of his, and I began to delve into the word. This was the beginning of my Christian walk.
I got home afterword and, miraculously, the pain in my shoulder had greatly subsided. I even took off my sling and had greater mobility of my arm! I never wore that sling again.
I share this story with you all so that you can see how powerful and glorious God is, that he would take a rotten sinner like me and save me. I didn't seek him, I wasn't religious, I was perfectly content in my sins. But he came for me, he grabbed hold of me, and he changed me. Praise be to God! How merciful and great is he! Blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ, my precious Lord and Savior!
