“I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” 1 John 2:14
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a young teen when she was called by God to bring our Lord and Savior into the world. Her response to God’s call is recorded in Luke 1:38: “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”
We are also told in Luke 2:42-52 how Jesus was found among the doctors and lawyers, expounding and discussing the Word of God when he was only 12 years old. His response to his parents when he was found was: “49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”
For some reason, people often think that God only speaks to adults, but He speaks to the youth and calls them to salvation as well. We are instructed in Proverbs 22:6 that we are to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Salvation is important for the young because the Scriptures tell us that many of them will stand before the Judgment seat of God on the last day.
Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
Today’s post presents the testimony of a 15-year-old young lady who describes in beautiful detail how God drew her to Himself. Her witness should help other young people and adults alike to realize that God loves them and will reveal Himself to them if they will yield to His will.
My Testimony!
Everyone calls me the perfect Christian-churchy girl, but as my pastor always says it’s more than just going to church all the time. I grew up in church, but I grew up in a church that wasn’t teaching me what I needed. A few years later we moved to the best church I know “Full Gospel Holy Temple “. I didn’t know much about being saved and the Holy Ghost. I never paid attention to the man of God at times. During Church Service, when the Pastor would make an altar call, my mom and sometimes my cousins would ask me if I wanted to be saved, my response would always be “I don’t know” or “No”.
Months would go by and my mom asked me again if I wanted to be saved, and my response once again was “I don’t know”. I said what I said because I was embarrassed and I didn’t want to walk to the altar in front of all those people. One night my pastor preached a sermon, and I can’t recall exactly what he said but he said everyone had to come to the altar the same way you can. After he said that I was still afraid to go down there, so altar call after altar call I would deny it. At the time, I was in middle school and it seemed like I was changing into another person. From when I walked into the schoolhouse from when I got off the bus to walk into my house, I was two different people. At the time, I didn’t want to live Holy I wanted to live my own life, so when I got to school, I felt like I can be free and do whatever I wanted; it was my time. So as time went on, I was an 8th grader going into high school. My grandma told me “You’re going to need a whole lot of Jesus at that High School”. What she said didn’t really touch me ‘til later on.
It was the last day of school and summer had started. It was starting out great until things started happening all of a sudden. My dad was accused of doing something and later on, I had a house fire. It felt like my life was falling apart. Then I thought that maybe God was trying to tell me something. I was confused. It was during the pandemic and again as I went to church I still denied the altar call but during the service, I began to feel something different. My heart and stomach were feeling weird, so I ignored it. Service after another it was the same old thing. One particular service it was like no other, my heart was pumping to the point where I could hear it, I knew God was doing something.
The following Sunday I was going to answer that altar call but there wasn’t any one down there and I didn’t want to be the only one, so I went home the same way I came once again. It seemed like there was some little excuse every time. When I got home that day, I began to think and I told myself the next service I go to, I was going to get saved. On June 28, 2020 I asked my mom if she can walk me down to the altar. On that Sunday morning, I got saved but didn’t get filled with the Holy Ghost. As time went by, I still felt that feeling in my heart, I figured it was God pulling on my heart, so I went and got filled with the Holy Ghost. More time went and I began to slack, I wasn’t fasting nor praying like I used to and I was tempted, then it led up to worse, doing ungodly things. I knew what was right and wrong. The devil kept getting in my head telling me certain things. All I know is that I messed up and needed to come back to God. I was scared to go to sleep at night, again God was tugging at my heart and I was shaking.
My mom and I were reading the Book of Revelation and the things we were reading were – I can’t explain what the word even is, but the things that are going to happen after the rapture was scary. I got fed up and tired with the way I felt all the time, so on February 21, 2021, I got filled with the Holy Ghost for REAL that time and I felt different, in a good way and I now know where I’m going when Jesus comes back! I thank God for the ministry that I’m in today. I think God that I go to a church where I’m being taught the truth. I would’ve been lost and on my way to a burning hell if I didn’t know what I know now. John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
You can be free today. Give your life to Christ, before it’s too late. Don’t be stubborn like me.
So, what we have just seen is the testimony of a 15-year-old young woman who is saved, sanctified, and filled up with the Holy Ghost. She is living for the Lord with her whole heart and giving Him the glory and honor for her new life in Christ Jesus. Whether you are 15 or 50, why don’t you also surrender to the call of God? You will be eternally grateful that you did. This young lady says that she was stubborn and admonishes others that they should not be stubborn. 1Samuel 15:23 says: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” Don’t you be stubborn or rebel. Yield to God’s call.
I almost cried.