Proof in the Puddin’

David Rael:
     There were two definite paths set out before me very early in life. I had several older brothers, and had many bad examples set by them. I am pretty sure that I was only four years old when I first sampled marijuana. Starting at that age, I was exposed heavily to drugs and alcohol. All my friends were into it, and everywhere I went it was there. It was free—all that I would want I could have for nothing. It was in front of me all the time.
     Despite all of this, I was raised to know about God, and I felt that He was by my side all my life. I knew that I would give my heart to God someday, and I hoped He would have mercy to call me when I was ready to give in. Throughout my life I knew I was going to have to make everything right that I did wrong and that kept me from doing a lot of wrong things.
     When I was nineteen years old, I finally gave in to the Lord. There were not a lot of changes on the outside because I had been trying my best to be a good person. However, God made a definite change in my heart, and now I can’t imagine living without Him. There isn’t anything in this world that is appealing to me. I have been around worldly things all my life, and I know that it brings no happiness or joy.
     There is such a joy and peace in knowing God and having Him to lean on and talk to all day, every day, whenever something arises. The Christian life is not a drudgery, but it is a completely happy life. I recommend God.

Jill Baros:
     When I was in the eighth grade, I asked the Lord into my heart. Having grown up in a Christian home, I was given every opportunity to take advantage of the Gospel, and I am so glad I did.
     The Lord took me through school and enabled me to live a victorious life. It was not always easy, and I remember my Junior year especially. A lot of questions came up as to why I went to church, dressed the way I did, and believed what I did. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to this church just because my parents went there. One of the things my dad had always told me was that if you start to struggle spiritually, that is when you should read and pray even more! You need to draw closer to God even when you don’t feel like it. I remember that year being one of long prayer meetings and really seeking God; He did not fail me. God proved and continues to prove His love for me. He showed me that I go to this church because it preaches the truth.
     Lately, God has really impressed upon me that He is coming soon, and we must stand for what is right. I love Him with all my heart, and I want to be found faithful.

Pierre Hancock:
     While I was growing up, my folks always sent us to church and Sunday school, and there I learned the song and the message that “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” At the age of eight, I committed my life to God, and He made a real change in me. Before that time, I had an awful temper, and I had a foul mouth even for an eight-year-old, but God changed that all around. It was a witness to my parents of how God can change even a young life.
     I am sad to say that when I was in my mid-teens I let go of all the Lord had done for me and at the age of nineteen, I found myself miserable, heartbroken, and flunking my first term in college. Even when I was out supposedly having a good time, though, God would remind me of prayer meetings, song services, and times around the altar that we had back home. I would get hungry for that.
     My younger sister and I were pretty close, and one night she told me that she was ashamed to say I was her brother. God kind of woke me up through that, and He said to me, “Do you see where your life is going? Is this what you want? Is this the way you want to go?” I realized it was not.
     I didn’t get saved that night. A short time later, however, I was driving around in my dad’s pickup truck, looking for the guys and for something to do. There, God started dealing with me in a way that only He can do. I realized later that the fact that I couldn’t find any of the guys I hung out with was kind of odd. God had that worked out, and He had some time with just me. As God can do, He got right down to the crux of the matter and said, “Pierre, you are miserable. I know that you are miserable. You know that you are miserable, and we both know that I can fix that in your life.” Finally I said, “You are right.”
     I drove to my pastor’s home even though it was close to midnight. She told me later that she had never seen such a miserable looking young man show up on her doorstep. There I committed my life to God, and He gave me the peace and the joy that the drugs, the partying, and all that stuff had not given me. I am so grateful that God put the peace and joy I had thrown away back into my life.
     Since I had flunked my first term in college and faced going back to college again, and I was concerned about whether I could do that. All of the guys I used to party with would be there. I knew I was different, and I was scared.
     The night before I left home, I was praying in my bedroom, and I said, “God, I need something from you.” I was leafing through my Bible and my eyes fell upon the words, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). I took that promise, and I have clung to it ever since. I went through five years of college and university and had the opportunity to witness to many lost individuals while I was there, some who didn’t even know that they were lost.
     Do I deserve the blessings of God? No, but I am truly thankful for them, and I appreciate all that He has done in my life.

Robin Davis:
    The Lord saved, sanctified, and baptized me with His Holy Spirit, and I am thankful. Recently, a man at my work has had some warts on his foot. He has been having a terrible time and has tried everything to get rid of them.
     His situation caused me to remember that when I was seeking for my baptism, I had warts on my knee and my hands. Though I’d tried to get rid of them, they did not go away. At that time, there was something I had done wrong before I was saved that I knew I should make right. It seemed like a silly restitution, and I went over and over in my mind why I should not make it. During a camp meeting, someone preached about how we just need to do the things God tells us to do. That night I decided I was going to take care of that restitution no matter what, but I also prayed, “Lord, if You really want me to make that restitution, take away those warts.”
     After the prayer service, I forgot about the warts, and in the morning I took care of the restitution. During the next service, I looked down and the warts were gone. God took them away. What a miracle that was! We should not underestimate the power of God.

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