JUST NEEDED TO WRITE AND SHARE MY TESTIMONY. NOTHING SPECTACULAR AND OFTEN WRITTEN SOME HERE AND THERE. BUT I NEEDED TO JUST EXPRESS MY THOUGHTS
I AM BLESSED
So many years have passed; it's hard to believe that I am now 75 years of age.
Oh I have been young, I have been so foolish, I have ran from God many times, and He continued to pursue after me. I received Jesus as my Redeemer and in anger I ran from my first love, seeking after a worldly love. Then came the day I came to my senses, and ran not from Him but to Him. OH what day, when He ran to me and wrapped His arms around me, forgiving me, and He began to prepare for the years to come.
Many times I have experienced not enough finances, yet Jesus was my Provider as well as my Provision, there have been times of great sorrow, yet Jesus never left me. I have laughed and I have cried, but Oh what a Savior I have.
There have been three life changing events that truly were God sent moments that changed me. My salvation that day in 1974, what a day that was; the day I saw Linda for who she is and I saw Jesus and what He had done for me.
But twelve years later, I would in anger turn and run. Oh but Jesus, He let me run but never stop loving me. Ten years of running, ten years under conviction, tried to die and Jesus kept me. Then He put a young woman in my path and I saw her excitement for Jesus and I remembered what that excitement was like. And then I came back to my first love. Two life changing events.
OH but the next one was coming. Here I was praying, and I said "Did I forget anything" and I heard "You didn't praise me!" All I knew was to thank Him and that I did. But I pondered and kept those words in my heart. I understood thanking Him, I understood the singing, but what else did He want me to know! Ten more years and God sent me to clean at a church, now I saw recently He brought me there to introduce me to where He was going to bring me. I cleaned for about a year and another year would pass, and in God's timing He released me from the church I was at and sit me down one Sunday morning in April at the church He wanted to bring me to. And I heard that preacher man say, as he stood up, spread out his arms and said; "Church can't we just love on Jesus a minute". And the harmony of people around softly declaring who Jesus is. And I knew that was where I was suppose to be. And that's where I am.
Why did I need to learn how to praise Him, because I didn't know and Jesus did, what was coming, what was coming, that I would have to know "How to praise Him and not run from Him". God is good! He always prepares us for what's coming. You see like I've said before a doctor's report was coming for me, one that said "Hey you have no hope, by 2018 you will be gone"! Have you checked the year😀 it's now 2023, I'm still here. Amen
Then a daughter diagnosed with cancer one that was slowly eating her, this came in 2019, doctor's report said "Hopeless" but we are praying, we are believing, we are praising and she is still here. Some days it's rough but God still has her, He is still using her, not her time to leave this old earth. But even in my tears I'm still praising my Savior.
Oh then came 2020, and with it çame COVID, another daughter got sick, hospital, ventilator, and we prayed, we believed, we praised but her healing didn't come here, it came in heaven. But I praised the Healer of healers. Did you see how God prepared me. And the church God brought me to has stood with me, has loved me, has prayed for me and with me, has been there for me each step of the way. That's what a real church body of believers does. We love and we help, we rejoice and we weep with you, and we stay in unity because we are like-minded in our love for our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, and we are family, some of us just might be that crazy aunt but they love me even more. 😘. Jesus has worked in me and I have grown since I walked through those doors, all those years ago.
People and church families go through times of transition, a shifting not to bring us harm, but take us out of our comfort zone, that Jesus may shape us into what He wants us to look like. That we might better serve Him in His kingdom purpose. Is transition easy absolutely not. Because we become accustomed to what we want. But when the scripture says "Pick up your cross daily and follow Jesus", this my friends is complete surrender of our wants and picking up what He wants. Whether or not it is in our personal lives or the life of our church family we still have to surrender to Jesus and simply walk in faith, knowing He has the very best for us.
I AM ONE BLESSED WOMAN! And I wouldn't change one thing that God is doing in my life right now. One day God will say "Come on home Linda", and watch me run, to see the face of my Savior. Oh what a day that will be! May I praise Him?
Jesus is the Creator, the Giver of Life, He is the Ark and Pitch that held the ark together, Oh my Jesus is the Great I Am, He was the ram caught in the thicket, He the Giver of the law and the Fulfiller of the law, our Strong Tower, our Shield and Buckler, He is the Stump that remained, He is our Kinsmen Redeemer, He is Deity taking on humanity, He is the Water, the Light, the Door of the sheep gate, the Good Shepherd, He is the Bread of Life, He is the Lamb of God and the Scapegoat, He is the Teacher, The High Priest, the Evangelist, the Apostle and the Prophet of prophets, He is our Healer, He is the Lord of lords, the King of kings, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, He is the only One worthy to open the scroll, He is the Bridegroom of His bride, His bride is us, our time here is to prepare us to be received by our Bridegroom. Oh what a day that will be when we see Him face to face.
Going home, but until then I will praise Him and I will continue to share the Good News, Jesus Christ came out of His great love for mankind, He was willing to lay down His life and take all our sins upon His own body, that we might be reconciled to our Heavenly Father. He's coming! But there was that day He called our name and we surrendered ourselves to Jesus and at that moment we received eternal life. Amen
Next question, have you heard Him, do you know Him and better yet does He know you. Religion knows of Him OH but a relationship says He knows you.
Love you thanks for just letting me talk ❤️
