I dread to think where I would be today if God had not saved me. My drug and alcohol abuse started when I was 14. First, I was experimenting with tobacco and Marijuana, and quickly began using harder drugs. It wasn’t long before Satan was in full control, and I was heavily involved in taking and making drugs. This led to extreme violence and robbery. I had been in and out of jail since I was 18.
I can not help but weep, when I think of all the men and women’s lives I led to destruction. Everything we do in life, good or bad, right or wrong affects EVERYONE around us.
Then, while I was sitting in a prison cell, lost, hopeless, and without direction, at the age of 34, God began to work on me. Upon my release His divine direction led me to cross paths with a backslider from the Rialto church, who invited me to one of their services.
In 1997 I met my Redeemer. By March of 1998 I had received the Holy Ghost was baptized in Jesus name. I carried a lot of baggage to the altar that day. But after laying it all down, and giving it all over to Him who is “Altogether Lovely”, He made all my burdens roll away.
I cannot begin to express the love and peace I felt that day, and still do today. Now I am 40 and I thank God every day for His Blood, His mercy, His loving kindness, and this church. Bro. Dwayne Davis. You Just Never Know!!!!
Bro. Joseph Conroy is a missionary to the Middle East. Almost two years ago he shared his testimony at Victory Tabernacle, Burbank CA, about how God led him to the Bible truth of the gift of the Holy Ghost.
By posting this testimony it is not our intention to insult Catholics or people of other religions, but as Bro. Conroy says in his testimony “I just want you know what life was like inside this thick head, what the world looked like to me.”
This testimony is long, but well worth the listen!
And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord… All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto Thee Ps.35: 9-10
It was another gorgeous , lazy summer day, another day to swim, just relax and have fun. My family was on their annual vacation at Lake Mohave, in August of 2000. It was great to be young and strong, able to run, swim, dare each other to dive off the large rocks out in the lake. I especially wanted to soak up this fun, peaceful time, for in a month I’d be back at school, hitting the books and dealing with pressures and grades.
That fateful afternoon my cousins and I were having a blast trying to get my Aunt Kathy to jump off the Big Rock, other members of my family were out in the boat enjoying the water. Our camp was in a cove with a huge mountain cliff to the side. As Grandma Goldie (Emilee) sat there enjoying the day, a rustling noise made her think a snake might be in the brush. The rustling noise sounded again and fearing a snake, she made for the water.
From the rock that we were on, about 30′ away, we heard a rumbling sound and even though it all happened so fast, we were witness to the most bizarre of events. The entire mountainside was crumbling down, an avalanche of approximately 700 tons of rocks and dirt, plunging straight for our campsite, where my Grandma had just been sitting, seconds earlier. Read More »
“It was an incident that was drug related… A person would call a ‘bad trip’… upset with everything that moved. It was that I found myself driving into a cemetary, when the cemetary was closed, and the gates where closed. So the only way into the cemetary was through the gates. So that’s where I ended up, driving through the gates. And it was like I was having a connection or a spiritual encounter. I guess what we called it at church it’s… I was going through… feeling that it was, I was in the rapture. So when I was in the cemetary I was driving my car through there and was like angels or things coming out of the ground… people coming out of the ground. I’m not into the church yet, I’m barely, I’m just trying to find my way. And then all the sudden I know that I have so much illegal stuff in my pocket. What am I gonna do?”
Bro. Jesse D recently shared the testimony of God’s process in his life, changing him and bringing him to salvation.
I was born in 1952 and lived in Colorado, mainly in the city of Pueblo. My mother raised my older brother and me by herself. At times we were reduced to very dire circumstances. My mother married my step-father when I was in fourth grade. He adopted us, and my mother, loved, cared, and provided for all of our needs. I have no complaints or sad tales from that point on concerning my upbringing.
In spite of all my parent’s efforts, when I reached my teen years I “spinned out” as did so many young people of the Sixties era. From the age of 14 until nineteen, my life became completely captivated by the drugs, alcohol, rock music, and rebellion that earmarked that generation. Read More »
“I walked into the men’s prayer room and I said, “If you see where I’m not mature enough or lack character; if this would go to my head; I would backslide, be a reproach to your church, then I want you to let me lose and lose miserably. But if I can be a witness, if I could bring kids to church, if I can let my light shine,” And I said “Then I want you to give me a speech.” And I want you to know when I prayed that, the anointing began to flow and ya see this is… this was unnatural to me for something like this to happen and ya know. And so I’m writing, I mean I am writing so fast and I’m thinking about that nine year old prayer meeting and I’m thinking about other things that happened and I’m writing and it’s just coming and it’s just.. I mean I remember literally my wrist hurting and I’m saying “God would you slow down, this… just slow down!” It was just ya know. And so in about thirty minutes it was all written. Folded it up, went home, got in the bed, went to sleep. [The] next day I go to school, and I’m walking down the hall. Now I had heard by way of the grapevine (now the grapevine is when you hear something you ain’t supposed to hear). And I had heard by the way of the grapevine that Randy Angsworth who was the assistant student council sponsor to Miss Nichols, had been meeting during the student council hour in the library, working with Mike Connelle on his speech. They were collaborating and writing a speech together. So I’m walking in the hall between class, and Mr. Randy Angsworth comes beside me and, “Hey Scott, how ya doin?” I said, “Oh oh yeah, I’m doin great.” He said, “Well ya know… uh, just a few days here we’re gonna give speeches. You ready?” I said, “Well, I’m gettin ready.” And I don’t know if his conscience was bothering him or what but he said, “Is anybody helping you write your speech?” And I looked at him and I said, “Yes sir.” And he said, “Who?” And I said, “God!” … He looked at me… like I had fell out of tree!”
Bro. Scott Smith is the pastor of Christ Center United Pentecostal Church in West Columbia, South Carolina. On May 15, 2005 he shared his personal testimony entitled “Taking A Stand And Running To Win” at Victory Tabernacle in Burbank, California.
Growing up I didn’t have a father figure in my life to guide me, to love me and to show me how to be a man. Even though my mother and I lived with one of my older brothers and his family, I didn’t have a close relationship with him. Maybe because he had his hands full raising two kids of his own. My mother was the love of my life growing up. She spoiled me rotten and gave me all that she could afford. She taught me to respect people and to be the best kid that I could. My mother also taught me about God according to what she knew and what she was taught. I can recall my mother reminding my siblings and I to pray at night before going to bed. Even though my mother didn’t know the whole truth she still made sure that we prayed.
I had many friends in the neighborhood where I lived, but one specifically that I would always go play with, who lived across the street from me. We would stay out late playing innocent games like “Tag” and “Hide and go seek” with other kids in the neighborhood. This friend of mine had an older brother and an older sister who were very influential in his upbringing. He looked up to his brother and sister who were already partying and drinking. My friend at a young age began to be interested in sex and in drinking also. I know he just wanted to feel like he was part of something and wanted to be considered “cool” or “hip.” Since I would always hang out with him, he began to slowly start influencing me and I began to be curious about the things that we would hear the older guys talking about. Most times if kids don’t have an adult that they feel comfortable talking to they will go to their friends with whatever questions they have and more than likely are going to learn everything about life the wrong way and that’s what happened to me. Read More »
