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Testimonies

God

There is one and only one living and true God. Read how God has changed our members’ lives.

Defining Moments

We all have defining moments in our walk with God. I have 2 major ones. The first came on Easter Sunday of 1987 when I gave my heart to Jesus. I remember sitting in church knowing that I had to walk forward. I don’t have a dramatic story of wild rebellion. But I didn’t lead a Godly life from that moment forward. I sinned, made decisions on my own, was selfish, and ran after the attention and approval of others rather than God. I struggled with self esteem and believed I had to gain others approval in order to be happy. I made decisions out of fear and being alone.

That pattern of behavior led to my other major defining moment.  I married a man that I knew wasn’t God’s will and we began a 4 year struggle of anger, hurtful words, and disobedience.  We went to church.  We appeared happy from the outside.  But we were not seeking God – either individually or separately.  He had an affair in 2013 and asked for a divorce. 

This moment shattered me but brought me to my knees in full surrender to the Lord. God began to take me down the road of forgiveness and healing.  

I am far from perfect.  I am sometimes fearful and struggle with life.  But I cling to the promise of 2 Timothy 1:7 which says, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind.”

My life before Christ was very sinful and regretful…

I had idols I shouldn’t have had. I had lust and hatred in my heart for things and people. I did not really have faith nor hope in God prior to being saved! I found and gained my hope and love for Christ through an amazing mission trip with amazing people. My brother Carlos pulled me away from the crowd and said, “When you die will you go to heaven?”

I said I don’t know, but right there I knew I needed Jesus. At that moment, I felt like no other. I felt free for once in my life. God is good and saved me, and he’ll save yours too! People I have to thank for helping me reach Christ are my brother Justin, Carlos, Cory Asbury, and Aiden! Most importantly, my father. God the LORD speaks to me through music, poetry, and best friends and family. My changes after accepting Jesus in my life go from sad and hopeless to being happy and joyful and full of hope and faith in the LORD! Life overall changed for the best, and I couldn’t have done it without the Lord Jesus Christ!

When a man lies, he murders some part of the world. These are the pale deaths which men miscall their lives. All this I cannot bear to witness any longer. Cannot the kingdom of salvation take me home!

When I was ten years old, I was sitting with my friends in a service at New Cannan Baptist Church…

My Dad and my sister went forward for salvation and were truly born again. I decided, hey, I’ll just go down also. I didn’t have a clue about what I was doing, but I got baptized right along with them.

Then when I turned 22, I was the Sunday School Superintendent at Mableton Second Baptist Church, and I was there every time the doors were open. One Sunday morning during the invitation I was praying for a couple to join the church. Then God very plainly spoke to my heart and showed me I was the one that needed prayer. The preacher sang an extra verse of the invitation hymn, and I knew that stanza was for me. I turned loose and went down to the altar and gave my life to Christ. The moment I asked Him to come into my heart it felt like a big load had been lifted off my shoulders. I came up from that altar a different human being. I knew that I had been just a good old boy, on his way to hell. Now, I had Christ and was on my way to Heaven.

If you need to speak with someone about salvation, contact Pastor Mike Boatfield at pastormike@maclandbaptist.org.