IS GOD....
At the end....
Critical / vital....
Is God Real? My Personal
Story of God's Grace
Is God real? Does God really love us? These are questions many people ask. In this personal testimony, I share how God transformed my life through His amazing grace and mercy. After surviving a life-changing accident and flatlining twice, I came to understand the LOVE of Jesus Christ and the incredible gift of salvation through Jesus. My prayer is that my story will help anyone searching for answers about God, Jesus, faith, and eternal life discover God's love and faithfulness. No matter where you are in life, it is never too late to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and begin a personal relationship with Him.
I Flatlined Twice on the Way to the Hospital - My Story
Talking about personal things has never been easy for me. Being real and transparent is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Sometimes the things that happen in our lives aren't easy to understand, and they can be even harder to talk about.
I know that God Almighty gave me another chance at life—one I did not deserve. I am able to tell my story today because of what I believe was a real miracle. Without God, I would not be here to tell it.
Someone recently saw my sign along the highway and called me at work with a very personal and unusual question. They didn't know me, but they got my phone number from the billboard. This person desperately needed someone to talk to, and because of the message and phone number on that billboard, they reached out hoping I might be able to help answer a difficult question they were struggling with.
That conversation reminded me why I need to share my Christian testimony and what God has done in my life. If you'd like to read more about that conversation, you'll find it farther down this page under “The Lord's Really Been Talking to Me About This Lately!
I was 19, a few days after getting home from college my freshman year. I was at my cousins house messing around and a friend happen to be out in the yard riding his 4 wheeler. Well, I always like to ride motor cycles pulling wheelies and things but had never ridden a 4wheeler, so I ask him if I could ride the ATV, he said sure. After getting on it riding around in my cousins yard I wanted to try and pull a wheelie. I seen a little mound in the yard so I thought I would hit it, pull back on the handle bar and see what kinda wheelie I could pull. Well, if I only would have new that would have been my last day/minute/second here on earth for all of eternity! When I pulled back on the handle, I didn't pull back hard enough and it landed on the front 2 wheels and it already had a forward momentum therefore kept going forward upside down landing right on top of me. It weighed around 5 or 600lbs landing right on top of me and I wasn't wearing a helmet. After it landed on me, it bounced 1 more time and landed back on its wheels, that's how much momentum it had going forwarded using me as the trampoline.
My cousin saw it happen and ran down to the spot in his yard I was at. I was lying on my back not moving. He looked into my eyes and they had rolled back, all he could see was the white of my eyes and he knew it wasn't good. He ran up to the house to get his parents and just so happened(Lords plan) there was the dad of my friend there that had been in the military and knew about this kind of stuff and he ran down and kept me from swallowing my tongue. I started spitting up blood so they knew the 4 wheeler had crushed things inside of me, not to mention my head, that had been landed on. Luckily the doctor at the bottom of their driveway just happened to be home also (Lords plan again) and he came right up and kept me alive until the ambulance got there. I more or less died twice going to the hospital well, my heart stopped beating and they had to put those electrical blaster things on my chest and shocked me to get my heart to start beating again, which without the shocker things I was a goner. After arriving at the hospital emergency room, they got me out of the ambulance and inside and did tests on me to see what was happening. At the hospital, my family was informed that there was only a slim possibility that I would even live and if I did live I was for sure to be brain dead due to my extensive brain injury. They've gone through these kinds of accidents before so they knew the usual outcome of the patients and were just trying to be real with my parents. I was in a coma for 11 days, they had me on life support systems giving me oxygen, food, etc.....tubes all in my arms. They weren't for sure if I’d ever even come out of the coma. My body got down to about 115lbs and I was 5'10" there was nothing left of me, just skin and bones.
How Do I Know God Is Real - The Prayers That Changed My Life What I thank the Lord for so much today is that I had so many people praying for me, including the Gideon prayer chain my dad started, which reached people all across the United States and possibly around the world. I thank God for those prayers because I believe they were heard, and through the Lord's mercy, my life was saved. God not only listened—He mercifully answered those prayers. I am living proof that He exists. I should have died that day. In fact, my heart stopped twice on the way to the hospital, but God had other plans for me. Thank the Lord! Before that accident, I did not truly know Him. I was a good guy, and I had good, loving parents who raised me in the Lord and taught me right from wrong. I am extremely thankful for the godly parents He gave me. But even though I knew about God, I did not yet know Jesus Christ personally as my Lord and Savior. I believe the Lord gave me another chance—not only at life, but also the opportunity to truly know Him and accept His gift of salvation. I knew about God very well. I knew the Bible stories, learned the books of the Bible, and went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. But knowing about God was not the same as personally knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. God convicted my heart time and time again, but I kept putting Him off because I thought I had plenty of time. That accident showed me just how quickly our time can run out. If I had died that day, there would have been no more opportunities for me to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I believe I would have faced Judgment Day without Him and spent eternity in Hell. I want to be crystal clear about this: I believe Hell is real, Heaven is real, and our decision about Jesus Christ has eternal consequences. God, in His mercy, gave me another chance—not only to live, but to accept Jesus Christ and receive His gift of salvation. I was only 19 and healthy. I didn't think I needed to worry about dying or eternity yet. Looking back, I believe one of Satan's greatest lies is, “You've got plenty of time.” I kept putting off the most important decision of my life. Today I know how amazing it is to have Jesus Christ as my Savior—to know that He forgives my sins and offers eternal life and a home in Heaven. God already knows every mistake I will make and every time I will fail, yet He still loves me. His love, grace, and forgiveness are greater than I can fully understand or put into words. Thank You, Father! What Happened After I Woke Up From an 11-Day Coma One I'll never forget! After coming out of my coma, I was still in the hospital with tubes in my arms and chest and partially paralyzed on my right side because of a left frontal lobe brain injury, which affects the opposite side. I knew my friends were on their way to see me, so I came up with this big idea. I was going to sit up in my bed with my legs hanging over the side. I thought that would look so cool, trying to act like everything was OK! I could barely lift my left arm above my waist because I had lost so much muscle and had almost no strength. My right arm was almost totally out of commission after being in a coma for 11 days. But I was going to do it anyway because my friends were coming to visit me, and I wanted them to think I was all OK! I started putting my legs over the side of this huge bed that seemed like it was 10 feet off the ground—or at least it looked that high to me at the time. I was so weak, and the guardrails weren't up yet. Before I knew it, I lost my balance. The next thing I remember, I hit the floor hard. I had no strength to catch myself. After the pain from the fall subsided, I tried and tried to climb back into that bed, but I couldn't do it. I was too weak. After a few minutes of struggling, I completely wore myself out and passed out right there on that hard, cold tile floor. As you may know, when you're in the hospital, all they give you is one of those little thin gowns that's open in the back. When I fell, my gown came off. After struggling to get back into bed, I passed out right there on the floor with absolutely nothing on. Mom had just left for a little bit to run to McDonald's to get me a sandwich because I hadn't eaten in almost two weeks. When she came back and walked through that door, there I was—lying on the floor, completely passed out, with nothing on! There was no telling what she thought. I would never in a million years just fall asleep on a hard, cold tile floor—especially without a stitch of clothing on, right in the middle of the hospital with the room door wide open! I forgot to tell you, Mom didn't want to leave me because I had just come out of the coma and was still kinda not all there, if you know what I mean. Before she left, she made sure to tell all the nurses, “Make SURE you keep a watch on him, because you know how he is!” So you can imagine her surprise when she came rushing back through that door and saw me lying on the floor looking like a dead person—with nothing on! No telling what went through her mind. Then came this piercing scream that echoed down the hospital corridor! All the nurses came rushing into the room to pick me up off the floor and make sure I wasn't hurt. Well, I had been sound asleep, and the next thing I knew, all these nurses were frantically grabbing me and trying to lift me back into bed. But me? I was fighting for my life! All I knew was that I was down to the bare essentials and all these women were grabbing me while I was desperately trying to cover myself! I'm trying to cover myself with one almost-paralyzed hand while, at the same time, fighting for my life with my other arm that only worked about halfway. Not an easy task under the circumstances! Especially with six crazy nurses coming at me when I didn't yet understand that their intentions were actually good. Finally, after all the commotion, they got me back into bed. I was totally embarrassed, to say the least, while the nurses walked out giggling! Looking back on it now, it's funny, but when I was 19 and kinda insecure, it definitely wasn't one of my better days! :o) But what happened afterward wasn't funny at all—it was a miracle. The Lord took control of my life, and even the doctors were amazed at the progress I made in such a short time. I still had a long road ahead of me, but God wasn't finished with me. He had given me another chance at life, and today I know exactly Who I have to thank for it. I forgot to tell you why I asked you earlier to please overlook some of my grammatical errors. I suffered a left frontal lobe brain injury. I was told that the area of my brain that was injured affected things such as my language and memory. When I woke up from the coma, I had lost so much of my memory. I still recognized people, but I couldn't remember the names of everyday things. Things like the seasons—winter, spring, summer and fall—Christmas, the months of the year and even the days of the week. It felt like I had to learn so much of life all over again. And the forgetfulness—oh, that was frustrating! Something could happen, and five or ten minutes later I couldn't remember it. I was in a wheelchair at first because I was paralyzed on my right side and had very little movement on my left. The doctors didn't even know if I would ever walk again. But if you had seen me later pulling wheelies in my wheelchair going down the hospital hallways, you probably wouldn't have guessed that! Ha!
I've had some really close friends pass away so quickly. The truth is, none of us knows when our last day here on earth will be. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. You can have a home in Heaven today! Please don't give the devil another minute of your life by thinking, “I've got plenty of time.” I thought I had plenty of time too. I was only 19 years old, healthy, and had no idea how close I was to eternity. You're on this page right now reading this for a reason. The Lord has put this message on my heart because you never know when you may be talking to someone for the last time—or when your own last day may come. Please don't put Jesus off. Make sure you know where you will spend eternity. Heaven is real, and Hell is real. Jesus Christ is the only reason I can tell you this story today. If I never get the opportunity to meet you here on earth, I truly hope and pray that someday I will meet you in Heaven!
I was 19, a few days after getting home from college my freshman year. I was at my cousins house messing around and a friend happen to be out in the yard riding his 4 wheeler. Well, I always like to ride motor cycles pulling wheelies and things but had never ridden a 4wheeler, so I ask him if I could ride the ATV, he said sure. After getting on it riding around in my cousins yard I wanted to try and pull a wheelie. I seen a little mound in the yard so I thought I would hit it, pull back on the handle bar and see what kinda wheelie I could pull. Well, if I only would have new that would have been my last day/minute/second here on earth for all of eternity! When I pulled back on the handle, I didn't pull back hard enough and it landed on the front 2 wheels and it already had a forward momentum therefore kept going forward upside down landing right on top of me. It weighed around 5 or 600lbs landing right on top of me and I wasn't wearing a helmet. After it landed on me, it bounced 1 more time and landed back on its wheels, that's how much momentum it had going forwarded using me as the trampoline.
My cousin saw it happen and ran down to the spot in his yard I was at. I was lying on my back not moving. He looked into my eyes and they had rolled back, all he could see was the white of my eyes and he knew it wasn't good. He ran up to the house to get his parents and just so happened(Lords plan) there was the dad of my friend there that had been in the military and knew about this kind of stuff and he ran down and kept me from swallowing my tongue. I started spitting up blood so they knew the 4 wheeler had crushed things inside of me, not to mention my head, that had been landed on. Luckily the doctor at the bottom of their driveway just happened to be home also (Lords plan again) and he came right up and kept me alive until the ambulance got there. I more or less died twice going to the hospital well, my heart stopped beating and they had to put those electrical blaster things on my chest and shocked me to get my heart to start beating again, which without the shocker things I was a goner. After arriving at the hospital emergency room, they got me out of the ambulance and inside and did tests on me to see what was happening. At the hospital, my family was informed that there was only a slim possibility that I would even live and if I did live I was for sure to be brain dead due to my extensive brain injury. They've gone through these kinds of accidents before so they knew the usual outcome of the patients and were just trying to be real with my parents. I was in a coma for 11 days, they had me on life support systems giving me oxygen, food, etc.....tubes all in my arms. They weren't for sure if I’d ever even come out of the coma. My body got down to about 115lbs and I was 5'10" there was nothing left of me, just skin and bones.
How Do I Know God Is Real - The Prayers That Changed My Life What I thank the Lord for so much today is that I had so many people praying for me, including the Gideon prayer chain my dad started, which reached people all across the United States and possibly around the world. I thank God for those prayers because I believe they were heard, and through the Lord's mercy, my life was saved. God not only listened—He mercifully answered those prayers. I am living proof that He exists. I should have died that day. In fact, my heart stopped twice on the way to the hospital, but God had other plans for me. Thank the Lord! Before that accident, I did not truly know Him. I was a good guy, and I had good, loving parents who raised me in the Lord and taught me right from wrong. I am extremely thankful for the godly parents He gave me. But even though I knew about God, I did not yet know Jesus Christ personally as my Lord and Savior. I believe the Lord gave me another chance—not only at life, but also the opportunity to truly know Him and accept His gift of salvation. I knew about God very well. I knew the Bible stories, learned the books of the Bible, and went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. But knowing about God was not the same as personally knowing Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. God convicted my heart time and time again, but I kept putting Him off because I thought I had plenty of time. That accident showed me just how quickly our time can run out. If I had died that day, there would have been no more opportunities for me to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I believe I would have faced Judgment Day without Him and spent eternity in Hell. I want to be crystal clear about this: I believe Hell is real, Heaven is real, and our decision about Jesus Christ has eternal consequences. God, in His mercy, gave me another chance—not only to live, but to accept Jesus Christ and receive His gift of salvation. I was only 19 and healthy. I didn't think I needed to worry about dying or eternity yet. Looking back, I believe one of Satan's greatest lies is, “You've got plenty of time.” I kept putting off the most important decision of my life. Today I know how amazing it is to have Jesus Christ as my Savior—to know that He forgives my sins and offers eternal life and a home in Heaven. God already knows every mistake I will make and every time I will fail, yet He still loves me. His love, grace, and forgiveness are greater than I can fully understand or put into words. Thank You, Father! What Happened After I Woke Up From an 11-Day Coma One I'll never forget! After coming out of my coma, I was still in the hospital with tubes in my arms and chest and partially paralyzed on my right side because of a left frontal lobe brain injury, which affects the opposite side. I knew my friends were on their way to see me, so I came up with this big idea. I was going to sit up in my bed with my legs hanging over the side. I thought that would look so cool, trying to act like everything was OK! I could barely lift my left arm above my waist because I had lost so much muscle and had almost no strength. My right arm was almost totally out of commission after being in a coma for 11 days. But I was going to do it anyway because my friends were coming to visit me, and I wanted them to think I was all OK! I started putting my legs over the side of this huge bed that seemed like it was 10 feet off the ground—or at least it looked that high to me at the time. I was so weak, and the guardrails weren't up yet. Before I knew it, I lost my balance. The next thing I remember, I hit the floor hard. I had no strength to catch myself. After the pain from the fall subsided, I tried and tried to climb back into that bed, but I couldn't do it. I was too weak. After a few minutes of struggling, I completely wore myself out and passed out right there on that hard, cold tile floor. As you may know, when you're in the hospital, all they give you is one of those little thin gowns that's open in the back. When I fell, my gown came off. After struggling to get back into bed, I passed out right there on the floor with absolutely nothing on. Mom had just left for a little bit to run to McDonald's to get me a sandwich because I hadn't eaten in almost two weeks. When she came back and walked through that door, there I was—lying on the floor, completely passed out, with nothing on! There was no telling what she thought. I would never in a million years just fall asleep on a hard, cold tile floor—especially without a stitch of clothing on, right in the middle of the hospital with the room door wide open! I forgot to tell you, Mom didn't want to leave me because I had just come out of the coma and was still kinda not all there, if you know what I mean. Before she left, she made sure to tell all the nurses, “Make SURE you keep a watch on him, because you know how he is!” So you can imagine her surprise when she came rushing back through that door and saw me lying on the floor looking like a dead person—with nothing on! No telling what went through her mind. Then came this piercing scream that echoed down the hospital corridor! All the nurses came rushing into the room to pick me up off the floor and make sure I wasn't hurt. Well, I had been sound asleep, and the next thing I knew, all these nurses were frantically grabbing me and trying to lift me back into bed. But me? I was fighting for my life! All I knew was that I was down to the bare essentials and all these women were grabbing me while I was desperately trying to cover myself! I'm trying to cover myself with one almost-paralyzed hand while, at the same time, fighting for my life with my other arm that only worked about halfway. Not an easy task under the circumstances! Especially with six crazy nurses coming at me when I didn't yet understand that their intentions were actually good. Finally, after all the commotion, they got me back into bed. I was totally embarrassed, to say the least, while the nurses walked out giggling! Looking back on it now, it's funny, but when I was 19 and kinda insecure, it definitely wasn't one of my better days! :o) But what happened afterward wasn't funny at all—it was a miracle. The Lord took control of my life, and even the doctors were amazed at the progress I made in such a short time. I still had a long road ahead of me, but God wasn't finished with me. He had given me another chance at life, and today I know exactly Who I have to thank for it. I forgot to tell you why I asked you earlier to please overlook some of my grammatical errors. I suffered a left frontal lobe brain injury. I was told that the area of my brain that was injured affected things such as my language and memory. When I woke up from the coma, I had lost so much of my memory. I still recognized people, but I couldn't remember the names of everyday things. Things like the seasons—winter, spring, summer and fall—Christmas, the months of the year and even the days of the week. It felt like I had to learn so much of life all over again. And the forgetfulness—oh, that was frustrating! Something could happen, and five or ten minutes later I couldn't remember it. I was in a wheelchair at first because I was paralyzed on my right side and had very little movement on my left. The doctors didn't even know if I would ever walk again. But if you had seen me later pulling wheelies in my wheelchair going down the hospital hallways, you probably wouldn't have guessed that! Ha!
I've had some really close friends pass away so quickly. The truth is, none of us knows when our last day here on earth will be. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. You can have a home in Heaven today! Please don't give the devil another minute of your life by thinking, “I've got plenty of time.” I thought I had plenty of time too. I was only 19 years old, healthy, and had no idea how close I was to eternity. You're on this page right now reading this for a reason. The Lord has put this message on my heart because you never know when you may be talking to someone for the last time—or when your own last day may come. Please don't put Jesus off. Make sure you know where you will spend eternity. Heaven is real, and Hell is real. Jesus Christ is the only reason I can tell you this story today. If I never get the opportunity to meet you here on earth, I truly hope and pray that someday I will meet you in Heaven!
Many people have heard the words “born again,” but not everyone understands what they mean. Jesus said, “You must be born again.” But what exactly does that mean?
That's an important question because being born again isn't simply about going to church, trying to be a good person, or knowing about God. I know that firsthand. Before my accident, I went to church, knew the Bible stories, and knew about Jesus—but I didn't truly know Him as my personal Lord and Savior.
So what did Jesus mean when He said we must be born again? Let's look at what Jesus Himself said to Nicodemus.
Nicodemus didn't understand what Jesus meant by being “born again.” He was thinking about a physical birth, but Jesus was talking about a spiritual birth.
Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” — John 3:3
Nicodemus asked how a person could be born when he was old. Jesus went on to explain that He was talking about being born spiritually—being born of the Spirit.
Being born again means putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We receive the Holy Spirit, our sins are forgiven, and we begin a new life with God. Every single one of us can come to Jesus Christ and have that relationship with Him.
This is why I am putting my testimony here. I KNOW Jesus is real, and I don't want you to miss Heaven and everything He has planned for you. There is no way in a million years I would be here today writing this if it wasn't for my Savior's love and power. He gave me another chance that I did not deserve.
You're reading this right now because of His mercy and grace.
We have ALL sinned. I know for me, sometimes it seems like I don't deserve to have a relationship with Jesus, who is HOLY, without sin, and PERFECT in every way. I know how far from perfect I am.
But that's exactly why we need Jesus. We all have temptations and struggles with things that go against God's will. I want to encourage you to take that step of faith and put your trust in Jesus Christ. When we receive Him, God becomes our Father and gives us the Holy Spirit to help guide us.
Temptation doesn't suddenly disappear when we become Christians. But God promises to provide a way of escape when we are tempted. We still have to be willing to recognize that way and choose to take it.
We don't have to become perfect before we come to Jesus. We come to Jesus JUST AS WE ARE!
Tears represent the heart, the spirit, and the soul of a person. To put a lock and key on your emotions is to bury part of your Christ-likeness—especially when you come to Calvary.
You can't go to the Cross with just your head and not your heart. It doesn't work that way. Calvary is not just a mental trip. It's not merely an intellectual exercise or a theological principle.
It's a heart-splitting moment of emotion!
Don't walk away from Calvary dry-eyed and unstirred. Don't just straighten your tie, clear your throat, and walk away cool and collected.
Please... pause. Look again. That's Jesus, our Savior, on that cross!
Those are nails in His hands and feet. That's God's only begotten Son hanging on that old rugged cross. It's us who put Him there. Think about that. He suffered a torturous, shameful, degrading death and unimaginable pain.
Our Father did that for us!
While in my room at the hospital, I was confused. I couldn't understand why I was still struggling with the same weakness I had struggled with before. I thought that after I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and was born again, this struggle that had such a strong hold on me would simply disappear.
But for me, that didn't happen. The struggle was still there, and I became discouraged. I had just come out of a coma and accepted the Lord as my personal Savior, but I didn't have anyone I felt I could talk to about this. It was very personal, and I had never talked to anyone about it before.
The devil tried to use that struggle against me. He tried to convince me that I wasn't really a child of God—that God wouldn't accept a filthy, wretched person like me and that I wouldn't be going to Heaven.
But that was a lie.
Because the struggle was still there, I began questioning whether I was truly saved and whether God would really accept me into His Kingdom. I didn't understand how I could belong to Him and still struggle with something that seemed just as strong as it had been before.
Well, I just want to encourage you. If you have wholeheartedly asked Jesus to forgive your sins and be your Lord and Savior, the fact that you still have a struggle, weakness, or “thorn in the flesh” DOES NOT MEAN HE HAS NOT ACCEPTED YOU!
Paul, one of the greatest apostles in the New Testament, had what he called a “thorn in the flesh.” The Bible doesn't tell us exactly what Paul's thorn was, but we know it troubled him greatly. Paul pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away.
But instead of removing it, the Lord told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
Paul came to understand something incredible: his weakness could cause him to depend even more upon the Lord. Instead of allowing that thorn to drive him away from God, Paul learned that God's strength could be made perfect in his weakness and he was finally able to BOAST about his thorn.
That's what finally helped me understand my own struggle. Having a struggle didn't mean Jesus had rejected me. It meant I needed Him every single day.
After I understood Paul's thorn and how his weakness caused him to depend more upon the Lord, I finally began to understand my own struggle. The weakness I had been so ashamed of no longer had to make me question whether God had accepted me.
The devil could no longer use it to make me doubt my salvation!
The chains that had been wrapped around me for so long were finally broken. That doesn't mean I was never tempted again or that the struggle simply disappeared. It means that struggle no longer controlled me the way it once did.
I learned that when temptation comes, I need to surrender it to the Lord and depend upon His strength instead of my own.
Those chains were broken, and the weight I had carried for so long was finally lifted. Praise the Lord!!!
So I want to encourage you: if you still struggle with a thorn, weakness, or temptation in your life, don't let the devil use it to convince you that God doesn't love you or that you don't belong to Him.
Instead, let that weakness drive you closer to the Lord. Just like Paul, learn to depend upon God's strength instead of your own. Surrender your struggles, doubts, weaknesses, and temptations to Him every day.
Don't let your struggle become a chain that keeps you from Jesus. Take that chain to Jesus and let Him break its hold on your life!
You may still face temptation, but you don't have to face it alone. Keep Jesus first in your life, trust Him daily, and let His strength carry you when yours isn't enough.
There is freedom in Jesus Christ. The weight you've been carrying doesn't have to control the rest of your life. He will be there with you every step of the way!
The Lord Has Really Been Speaking to My Heart About This Lately
It had been several weeks since this happened, and I didn't know how to share the story the Lord had put before me. I believed He had allowed it to happen for a reason, but I wasn't sure how to explain what had happened.
Finally, one night I told the Lord I would at least try to write about it. Before I began, I sat down on the floor in the place where I normally read my Bible and pray. I was looking for something to put my paper on while I wrote.
There was a little door nearby. There were other doors and other books and things I could have used, but for some reason I opened that particular door. Behind some things was a book that was just the right size to write on. I picked it up and saw the title: “The Inspirational Writings of Chuck Swindoll.”
I had never seen that book before and wasn't even sure how it got there. I thought, Maybe the Lord wants to show me something in this book before I start writing.
So I opened it.
I couldn't believe what I read. The first few pages spoke directly to what I had been struggling with and the very story I was about to write.
It was one of those moments that made me stop and think about how amazingly the Lord works.
Chuck was explaining that the Son of Man didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He talked about how, to be the true servants God has called us to be, we need to be authentic, real, and transparent. Those three words have always convicted me because that's what I want to be, yet I know I fall short so often.
I'm not sure about others, but I know there are times when I put on a mask and I'm not as authentic, real, or transparent as I should be.
As I continued reading, one thought especially spoke to my heart: a true servant stays in touch with the struggles others experience. We shouldn't hide our struggles as though they never happened. God can use what we've been through to help and encourage someone else who may be struggling with the very same thing.
That's when I began to understand why the Lord had been putting this story on my heart.
A few weeks earlier, I received a phone call at work that really stayed with me. The person on the other end sounded like he was in a lot of pain and didn't have anyone he felt he could talk to.
One of the first questions he asked me was, “Will all gay people go to hell? Because all the Christians I know think they will.”
I hesitated. I didn't know who he was or why he had called me. I asked if I knew him, and he said no. He told me he lived in a state out West. When I asked how he got my number, he said he had been driving down the highway, saw my billboard, and wrote down the phone number.
I asked him, “Why did you call me?”
He said that after seeing the billboard, he figured I was a Christian and wanted to know what I thought.
I hesitated again and silently asked the Lord to give me the right words. I don't remember exactly what I said, but I told him how much I love the Lord and that I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for His mercy, compassion, and healing in my life. When I was 19, I was in a coma for 11 days after an ATV accident, and God gave me another chance to live.
But I knew he hadn't called to hear only about me. He was hurting, and he wanted an answer to his question.
The Bible says that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That includes me. I told him that we all have struggles, temptations, desires, and areas of our lives that we have to surrender to God. My struggles may not be his struggles, and his may not be mine, but every one of us needs the same Savior.
God's Word gives us boundaries for how He wants us to live, including our sexuality. Jesus didn't come to save people who had already made themselves perfect. He came to save sinners—and that means every one of us.
I wanted him to know that Jesus Christ loved him, that he could come to Jesus, and that forgiveness and salvation were available to him just as they were available to me.
I wasn't saved because I was good enough. I was saved by the grace of Jesus Christ and the same grace that saved me is available to him.
I didn't quote the verse perfectly when I talked to him, but I was trying to explain that God WANTS every one of us to be saved. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that the Lord is patient with us, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
That does not mean everyone will be saved. God wants us to come to Him, but we still have to respond to Him. We must put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, and receive the salvation He offers us.
That's what I wanted this man to understand. God wasn't telling him, “You can't come to Me.” He was inviting him to come to Him. No matter what he was struggling with, Jesus was willing to receive him just as he was—and then begin working in his life.
God wants you to come to Him too. You don't have to clean yourself up first. Come to Jesus just as you are.
I told him, “He wants you just as you are. You don't have to change one thing before coming to Jesus.” You don't clean yourself up first and then come to Him. You come to Him first, and then you allow Him to begin working in your heart and your life.
God wants so much to be your Father, to care for you, and to love you with a love greater than you could ever imagine. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.” But we have to open that door and receive Him.
God sent His only begotten Son to that old rugged cross for our sins. Jesus willingly suffered and gave His life as the ransom for us. That's how much God loves us.
And when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are not left to walk through this life alone. God gives us His Holy Spirit to live within us, lead us, guide us, convict us, and help us as we walk with Him. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
If you take that step of faith, put your trust in Jesus Christ, ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and believe in Him with your whole heart, you can have a personal relationship with Him. He will love you, guide you, and through the Holy Spirit convict you when you're going the wrong way—not because He wants to condemn you, but because He loves you and wants what is best for you.
I told him, “I hope this helps you understand something: it doesn't matter what struggle you are dealing with here on earth. Every one of us has struggles, weaknesses, thorns in the flesh, sins, and temptations that we have to deal with. Some of us battle them every single day.”
But our struggles don't put us beyond the reach of God's grace. Jesus wants you to come to Him, trust Him, and allow Him to work in your life.
You don't have to defeat every struggle before you come to Jesus. Come to Jesus first. Let Him be your Savior, your Lord, and your Father, and let Him begin changing your life from the inside out.
His love is literally out of this world—and He offers that love to you. But you have to choose Him.
He thanked me for talking with him, and then he hung up. Almost immediately afterward, I felt the Lord putting it on my heart that He wanted me to share this testimony. My first reaction was, “Lord, You know I can't do that. That's way too much to ask. I JUST CAN'T DO IT.” So I tried to put it out of my mind. Well, take it from me, I've learned something: be careful telling the Lord, “I CAN'T,” when He is asking you to do something! Not long afterward, He did something I can't even begin to explain. It totally blew my mind and really put the fear of the Lord in me. I felt Him showing me that He had allowed this phone call to happen for a reason and that I needed to talk about it. I knew I had to at least try and write something.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” — Proverbs 9:10 I fear my Father, but I also love Him with all my heart and try my best to do what He wants me to do, even when it isn't easy. Think about this for a moment. Look at the unimaginable size of the universe—the Milky Way alone stretches roughly 100,000 light-years across, and beyond it are billions upon billions of other galaxies. I can't even begin to comprehend the power, knowledge, and wisdom of the God who created it all. But here's what amazes me even more: the Almighty God who created all of that wants to be our loving Father. He wants us to know Him, walk with Him, trust Him, and experience His love. The other day I was reading a poem called “My Friend,” and it really convicted me. It made me think about the people I know and love—and even the people I have never met. I don't want anyone I care about to stand before God on Judgment Day wishing someone had told them about Jesus. And if you're reading this right now, I consider you a possible friend too. I may never meet you here on earth, but if you choose Jesus Christ and Heaven becomes your eternal home, someday we can meet there—and we'll have forever to get to know one another. That's one of the reasons I'm writing all of this. I don't want this message to simply tell you my story. I want my story to point you to Jesus. If you don't know Him today, you can turn to Him. Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, ask Him to forgive you, and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. The decision is yours, and it's a decision that will last for ALL ETERNITY!
He thanked me for talking with him, and then he hung up. Almost immediately afterward, I felt the Lord putting it on my heart that He wanted me to share this testimony. My first reaction was, “Lord, You know I can't do that. That's way too much to ask. I JUST CAN'T DO IT.” So I tried to put it out of my mind. Well, take it from me, I've learned something: be careful telling the Lord, “I CAN'T,” when He is asking you to do something! Not long afterward, He did something I can't even begin to explain. It totally blew my mind and really put the fear of the Lord in me. I felt Him showing me that He had allowed this phone call to happen for a reason and that I needed to talk about it. I knew I had to at least try and write something.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” — Proverbs 9:10 I fear my Father, but I also love Him with all my heart and try my best to do what He wants me to do, even when it isn't easy. Think about this for a moment. Look at the unimaginable size of the universe—the Milky Way alone stretches roughly 100,000 light-years across, and beyond it are billions upon billions of other galaxies. I can't even begin to comprehend the power, knowledge, and wisdom of the God who created it all. But here's what amazes me even more: the Almighty God who created all of that wants to be our loving Father. He wants us to know Him, walk with Him, trust Him, and experience His love. The other day I was reading a poem called “My Friend,” and it really convicted me. It made me think about the people I know and love—and even the people I have never met. I don't want anyone I care about to stand before God on Judgment Day wishing someone had told them about Jesus. And if you're reading this right now, I consider you a possible friend too. I may never meet you here on earth, but if you choose Jesus Christ and Heaven becomes your eternal home, someday we can meet there—and we'll have forever to get to know one another. That's one of the reasons I'm writing all of this. I don't want this message to simply tell you my story. I want my story to point you to Jesus. If you don't know Him today, you can turn to Him. Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, ask Him to forgive you, and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. The decision is yours, and it's a decision that will last for ALL ETERNITY!
Every human being ever born has had one need in common. It is greater than every other need we have—the need to be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God Almighty through Jesus Christ. We can have many important needs in this life, but none of them even come close to our greatest need—the need for salvation, to be forgiven of our sins, and to be born again spiritually.
When we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, our sins can be forgiven, we can have a personal relationship with God, and we can have the promise of eternal life with Him. It doesn't mean that every problem or struggle in this life will disappear, but it does mean that we never have to face this life—or eternity—without Him.
God truly does love you, and Jesus is returning! If you don't know Him or don't understand how He speaks to you, don't expect some astronomical event, earthquake, or erupting volcano. Often, it is that small, quiet voice speaking to your heart. God calls us, convicts us, and draws us to Him—but He does not force us to accept Him.
Think about it: if God forced us to accept what His Son did for us on that cross, then what kind of choice would we really have? Jesus willingly went to that cross and shed His blood for OUR sins because of His incredible love for us. He wants to forgive us, give us His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us through this life, and give us a home with Him in Heaven. But He leaves that decision to us.
If you already truly know Him, I want to encourage you to stay strong and keep going. It's not always going to be easy, but He is worth following through every struggle we face. One day we will have a home in Heaven with our Savior—no more pain, no more death, no more fear, and so much more than our minds can possibly fathom!
This is what the Lord has really been putting on my heart this week to emphasize. Being a good person, living a good life, and helping others are all good things—but those things cannot save us or earn us a home in Heaven. I believe so many people think that if they are good enough, they will make it to Heaven, and I have such a burden on my heart for them. I want so badly for them to understand what the Word of God says.
Then there are others who think just the opposite: “I'm not good enough for Jesus.” This is what I want you to hear: NONE OF US is good enough on our own. That's exactly why we need Jesus! We don't have to clean ourselves up first or somehow make ourselves worthy before coming to Him. Come to Him JUST AS YOU ARE.
After you put your faith and trust in Jesus, He begins working in your life. He loves you, guides you, convicts you, and helps you change the things that need to be changed—not so you can earn His love, but because He already loves you.
And one last thing. Even though we should try our best to live the way God wants us to live, becoming a Christian does NOT mean we suddenly become perfect. We will never be perfect in this life—ONLY JESUS lived a perfect, sinless life! We will still stumble, struggle, and sometimes sin. But when we do, we can come to our Father, confess our sins, and ask for His forgiveness. He doesn't stop loving us because we stumbled. He wants us to get back up, turn back to Him, and keep following Him. This is the most important decision anyone will ever make here on earth! Our time here is less than a blink compared to eternity. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to the cross to pay the price for OUR sins. He willingly suffered and died in our place so that through Him we could be forgiven, reconciled to God, and have eternal life with Him in Heaven. The cross shows us just how deeply and completely God loves us—more than our minds can possibly fathom!
Of everything I'm sharing with you today, if you don't remember anything else, please remember this: God offers us salvation through Jesus Christ, but He leaves that decision with us. We must choose whether we will accept or reject Him—and that decision has ETERNAL consequences.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope and pray that you will listen if the Lord is speaking to your heart right now. Today is the day of salvation! Please don't let the devil convince you that you have plenty of time. None of us knows when we will take our last breath here on earth. I thought I had plenty of time too. I was only 19 years old, healthy as could be, and never dreamed that I could be only moments away from eternity. But God gave me another chance—a second chance that I will never be able to thank Him enough for. Please don't put Jesus off until tomorrow. Tomorrow is promised to none of us.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope and pray that you will listen if the Lord is speaking to your heart right now. Today is the day of salvation! Please don't let the devil convince you that you have plenty of time. None of us knows when we will take our last breath here on earth. I thought I had plenty of time too. I was only 19 years old, healthy as could be, and never dreamed that I could be only moments away from eternity. But God gave me another chance—a second chance that I will never be able to thank Him enough for. Please don't put Jesus off until tomorrow. Tomorrow is promised to none of us.
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The reason I said this is CRITICAL and VITAL at the top is because well over 150,000 people die every day on this earth. None of us knows when our last day will be. When this life is over, each one of us will stand before God and give an account. Eternity is real, Judgment is real, Heaven is real, and HELL IS REAL.
Jesus spoke of the day when some will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and He also gave this terrifying warning of what others will hear: “Depart from Me into Ever Lasting Fire, for I never knew you.” That is why knowing Jesus Christ isn't something we should put off until tomorrow.
Everyone reading this right now, I want SO MUCH to see each one of you in Heaven someday! If He is calling you and knocking at the door of your heart, open the door and let Him in. Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, receive Him as your Lord and Savior, and believe with all your heart that He died for your sins and arose from the grave on the third day. And someday He is coming back to take His children HOME!!!
Everyone reading this right now, I want SO MUCH to see each one of you in Heaven someday! If He is calling you and knocking at the door of your heart, open the door and let Him in. Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, receive Him as your Lord and Savior, and believe with all your heart that He died for your sins and arose from the grave on the third day. And someday He is coming back to take His children HOME!!!
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