We've all had that burning question inside of us.
We may not admit it, but you know you've thought it. Especially if you didn't have that huge AHA moment when it happened.
That's how it was with me.
I sat at my desk at work, thumbing through websites about the bible, church, Jesus, God, all of it. And then I came across a sight that said, "if you are ready, simply repeat this prayer".
So I was ready, and I prayed.
That was it, no tears, no overwhelming sense of a heart bursting with joy.
I prayed, in faith, and received grace.
Done.
We've all heard the stories, or even seen and heard the people at church who are so overwhelmed by being saved that there is wailing, heartfelt tears of joy that can not be contained. The joyous laughter of a heart that has been set free.
Yeah, I didn't have any of that. And what I have come to realize is that I am not the only one.
Some of us it just happens to. Some of us had already known a personal relationship with Jesus that goes so far back we have no clue when it started. And some of us have always known and believed in Jesus but didn't accept grace until we confessed Him as our savior.
Through tons and tons of conversations with my BFF I have come to realize, a huge amount of people (myself included) think if there isn't that AHA moment, maybe I'm not saved. If there isn't that overwhelming sense of change and relief immediately in your heart, is it gonna stick? Am I really saved?
That's where I was, wondering did I do it right? Did I say the words correctly? I was so concerned about it that anytime the prayer for salvation was prayed out loud, I repeated it. Over and over, you know, just to cover all my bases.
Why didn't I feel different? I had the desire to grow closer to my Lord, Father, Savior, He was in my heart, I could feel Him, but where was my AHA!?Was I saved if I didn't get my AHA?
After months of studying I finally found my answer.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8 ESV
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 3:16 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
There is one recurring theme in all these verses.
Faith. Faith was all I needed, the faith to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, the He carried my sins to the cross, and He rose again to show us the way.
There was my AHA moment! I was saved! I had always believed Jesus and God were real, that Jesus was a perfect man who died on the cross. I simply had to believe that He did it for me. Confess it out loud and that was it! I'm saved.
The rest is a growing process. I learn as I journey down this path. I don't need to worry about it, I don't need to wonder if I am doing it right. I don't need to be perfect (like we ever can be this side of heaven) I was saved, and by the grace given me I would learn and grow.
My BFF has graciously shared her testimony for you today.
I pray you realize that not everyone gets their AHA! But that doesn't mean you aren't saved, you can do like she did and search and search for that AHA, or you can do like we both did eventually and realize, it's not about the AHA, it's about faith.
My Testimony isn't your typical Testimony
I never had that aha moment when I accepted Christ. He just always was....
I remember at age 4 getting angry because I saw my grandmother's reading glasses laying on the table, I made sure no one was looking and put them on, opened up the big Bible in the living room, darnit, I still couldn't read it! These glasses were broken they didn't do what they were supposed to! I wanted so badly to read that Bible.
I remember praying to God on my own at a very early age. Mom sent us to church on occasion, it wasn't a requirement and most times she didn't go. Sometimes she would but rarely. We were mostly picked up by a bus or someone else going to Church.
By age 8 or 9 I was begging my mom to buy me a Bible, it was a specific Bible that I saw people use a lot in Church called "The Way Living Bible" ( I just ordered one for old time sake off eBay). She bought me that Bible and I dug into it, I have fond memories of that Bible and practicing preaching to my empty bedroom from it. It was my first Bible that was all mine.
I stood on a stage at a Salvation Army Church in Pascagoula MS at age 10 and gave my life to my Lord, but still no aha moment, but I was saved. I trusted Him at his Word. It was about 6 years later in the same Baptist Church I got married in that I was finally baptized, I do NOT remember it, but I know that it happened. I was actually baptized again later with another Church because it was their requirement to join the Church.
As a teenager after I got married, I started studying with different religions looking for my aha moment I heard about in every one's testimonies. I studied with Mormons, I studied with Jehovah's witness and others searching just searching.
I remember I used to cry wondering if I would go to hell when I died, and my husband would try to comfort me by saying "Honey if anyone on this earth is going to heaven when they die it will be you because you try so hard to find it"
Eventually in my late 20's and early 30's I even fell into paganism because I gave up on finding my aha moment. But God was always there tugging at my heart saying "you know this isn't right" So after a few years of that I gave back in to God.
I still have never had that aha moment, but I know I am saved. I know my Lord died on that cross for me, to become my sin and the Ultimate Sacrifice. And He was perfect, He was sinless and He suffered so much for ME a sinner. He conquered death when He rose from the dead and I am forever grateful, forever HIS! No AHA moment needed!
So not every one's testimony has to be this miraculous change, mine has just been and ever present God and a continuous growing and learning of Him over many many years time. He has been a constant in my life since I can remember. And I was not raised in a Church family, I was not raised by Church going parents, they cussed, they fought, we were pretty dysfunctional to be honest. But God had his hand on me from day 1 and has never let go.
That's my testimony :)
I pray Father that you would bless this reader with the strong sense of your love for them, and the forgiveness granted them through faith in your Son and the sacrafice He made for them.
Amen.
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