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Teachings of the Catholic Church

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Questions & Biblical Answers

My Testimony

I was still growing up. I was sixteen, in high school, and basically carefree. I didn’t know I was about to experience the most difficult year of my life. My father passed away in May of my junior year of high school and my mother and I had a very difficult time dealing with his death. It was sudden — a massive heart attack. Within a matter of hours my life was dramatically changed forever.

Six months later, on Thanksgiving Day, my sister was killed in an accident. She was only 25. She had been married for only five months.

I started to wonder “What’s going on? What is happening to my life? My Family? What will happen next?” I was scared. I didn’t know where to turn.

I remembered my sister had told me that it was

important to read the Bible. So I began looking for answers in the Bible. Answers about life, death, and loneliness. Answers I hoped would give me hope for life.

I grew up going to church, almost never missed a Sunday, and I thought I knew Jesus. Then I came across this verse in the Bible: “Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me you wicked people.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

This really concerned me. If people who did amazing things were not known to Jesus, what chance did I have for Him to know me? Sure, I went to church a lot, but I never once did any kind of miracle. So I continued to search the Bible for answers.

At first, because of something I heard someone say, I thought that just making Jesus the number one priority in my life was the right thing to do. So I prayed and promised to make Jesus the number one priority in my life. And for the next six months or so I prayed more, I read the Bible more, I talked about Jesus more. My friends would ask me, “What has happened to you?” I would tell them that I decided to make Jesus the number one priority in my life. And even though I’m sure they thought I was being weird, we remained friends.

Over the next several years however, I ever so slowly began to turn away from God and without realizing it, I had made Him one of the lowest priorities in my life. Anything that brought pleasure to me was first. Jesus was still a part of my life, but now He was part of my life only when it was convenient.

Then one day I saw someone I had known for a very long time, who I had thought was a godly man, act in a very hypocritical way. This really bothered me. The next day when I woke up it still bothered me. I thought, “Man, he is such a hypocrite. I can’t believe he treated that person like that!” Then, for some reason I started to think about my life—how I treated people and how I acted. I thought about the things I did and the things I said. And although most people thought of me as a nice guy, I realized that I was a hypocrite. I said I believed in Jesus, yet the life I was living denied that I even knew who He was. I was still going to church just about every Sunday, but what I was doing outside of that was not very good and I realized that it was, in fact, sin.

For the first time in my life, not because of what I heard someone say, but because of what the Bible says, I realized that I was a sinner and that I needed forgiveness. I needed Jesus. I wasn’t doing Him a favor by letting Him have the number one priority slot in my life, because it was He who had done everything for me. He gave his life for me. He had died for me and paid the full price for my sins. And I knew He could forgive me of all my sins if I would just ask Him to. So I did. I prayed, “Oh dear God, I have been such a hypocrite. I have done so many things I shouldn’t have. I am a sinner and I need forgiveness. I am sorry for the things I have done and the way I have been living. Please, dear God, forgive me of my sins. I need you in my life. I need Jesus. I believe the Bible is true and I believe in You, even if no one else does—I know You are real and alive. Please, dear God, lead me to a church that teaches the Bible. And God, I need friends who believe in You, too. Please, dear God, give me Christian friends.”

That day my life changed forever. Jesus came into my life that day and has answered my prayers and more. He has given me hope in the darkest of times and strength to make it through the difficulties of life.

But most importantly, since He has forgiven me of my sins, I now have His promise of eternal life in the kingdom of heaven where there will be no more sorrow, pain, or loneliness. The Bible tells us that it is our sin that separates us from God and that Jesus, God’s own Son, paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross for us. He then rose from the grave proving His victory over sin and death, after which He was seen alive by many eyewitnesses—and He is alive today! So if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness—allowing us to be born again as a child of God!

The Bible also tells us that if we believe in Him, we can KNOW that we have eternal life (1 John 5:13), not because of our “good” works, but because of what Jesus has done for us (Eph 2:8-9). But the Bible also tells us that if we deny Jesus before others, He will deny us before God the Father. But if we confess our belief in Jesus before others, He will acknowledge us before God the Father (Matt 10:33).

I now know that not only do I know Jesus, but He knows me! Jesus tells us, “My sheep know my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish.” (John 10:27-28) I was on the broad path that leads to hell, but now that I follow Jesus, I know that my eternal destiny is heaven. I thank God for all that He has done for me and so I have surrendered my life to Jesus, who is now my Savior and Lord. If you have already given your life to Him and acknowledge Him as Lord, praise God! But if you haven’t, I pray that you will so that you also will know the hope, joy, and peace that only Jesus can bring into our lives, even in and through difficult times, as we follow and trust Him.

I encourage you to read the Bible and to check all this out for yourself. If you’ve tried to read the Bible before, this time try starting in the book of Matthew. Think and pray about what it says. Consider where your life is, where it is heading, and where is your eternal destiny. If you have questions about Jesus, or Christianity, pray, read your Bible, and find a good Bible teaching church.

If you have not already done so, I encourage you to confess your sins to Jesus, turn away from them and turn to Jesus, surrender your life to Him and trust in Him alone as your Savior and Lord! Then continue praying and reading your bible daily (starting in Matthew in the New Testament and asking God each time to help you understand what you read) and apply what you learn to your life so you can follow Jesus and live with purpose for Him—and He will show you the Way, the Truth, and the Life He has for you!

“Indeed, God is ready to help you right now.

Today is the day of salvation.”

(2 Cor. 6:2 NLT)

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Some additional ways you can learn more about Jesus:

Check out:

► www.TheNarrowPath.com

► www.AreYouAGoodPerson.org

Read:

► More than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell

► A Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

► Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray