Jason's Written Testimony

How many of you know who Saul was? He only wrote seemingly most of the new testament... No that was Paul right?? Well Paul had a past.. He was known by a different name.

Acts 9 Saul actually hears from the Lord, "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?"

I had this moment in my life where I was calling out to God, to my Father, whom I had fallen in and out of touch with, and He spoke audibly to me through a TV that was on in the next room. I can still remember how frightened I was to hear an answer, it was unmistakable. I had never and have never heard again an audible version of God's voice in my life so I listened intently.

My story backdrop was that I knew who God was, but was reluctant to give up the pleasures in my life to follow Him. I was in college, drinking and that was not all I was doing. Conviction was sanded smooth in my soul. It had abandoned me.

This particular night I felt especially close to death, with all the sin in my life. For the wages of sin is death-Saul actually rights this in a letter to the Romans.

I asked God if what I was doing was wrong and if He was real, and if I had still had a chance in this life. The answer was unmistakable. God said, "You are going to hell on this path! There needs to be an immediate change or your life will lead you to hell!" There was not much flex in His voice. It was ready for condemnation and I was in need for serious reverence!

God has always had his hand upon me. I could tell you countless episodes where God reveals himself to me in remarkable ways and I keep walking without regard to Him or His ways. Saul once writes in a letter to Timothy- If we endure with Him, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, he also will deny us. Saul also writes... Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of Truth.

I had lived my life ashamed until I was 28 years old. And was covered in fear and regret. But no longer do I live in these shackles. I live my life more different now than I ever have. I do my best to present myself as a worker approved and not ashamed. My encouragement today is to grab ahold of your life and show it God and ask yourself are you approved or ashamed? Not to worry, we serve a God who is faithful even when we are faithless. He reached out to me in my darkest hour as He did with Saul. I wish I could say that my turnaround was as quick as Saul's but it was not. But the closer I got to Him the further my bondage got from me. I look back unashamed of my testimony and the song I sing today. I want to spend the rest of my life encouraging people to find their testimony and spread it around. God is waiting for His children to experience the fullness of freedom.