From the time I was born I have been attending church. My father has been a pastor at my church all my life. From a very young age I began hearing the gospel and being taught the bible in the home and also at church. I always believed these things that I was taught and that I read in the bible were true; however, simply believing a few biblical facts can’t save anyone. There was a point where my mother shared the gospel with me when I was four-years-old and I prayed a prayer but I know that was not my conversion experience mostly because of the way I lived my life in the years following.
As I grew older I began discovering the pleasures in what the world had to offer. I began lying to my parents all the time, sneaking out, and living a life full of sinfulness and deceit. Most of the things I did weren’t sin in and of themselves, but it was sin because I knew my parents didn’t want me to do it and then I lied about it or snuck it. My life was full of lies and deceit. There were times where I would begin to evaluate my salvation and I knew for sure I wasn’t a Christian. That realization truly concerned me and as much as a longed to do something about it I couldn’t get myself to do anything. There was absolutely no part of me that was repentant of the way I lived and there was no part of me that even wanted to turn from my life. My whole life was about myself and I didn’t want to live for anyone but myself even if it meant going to Hell for all eternity.
Because of the fact that I knew I wasn’t saved I had to make up a testimony story. During high school I completely fabricated a story in which I was laying in my bed at night in tears and I had a dramatic conversion experience late night praying next to my bed sobbing. Part of me felt guilty lying about something like that but it brought me very much attention and it was worth it to me.
At the end of my senior year of high school I so desperately wanted to go away to school but I knew that my parents wouldn’t pay for me to go away to a state college. I made up a lie about how I wanted to go into full-time ministry so that my parents would pay for me to go away to school and I could finally be out from under my parents’ rules.
I went away to school at Word of Life Bible Institute in Hudson, Florida. I spent that entire year studying the Word of God but my heart was so callused to the truths of God that it didn’t affect my life. While I was at school I tried to be a spiritual leader because it got me attention, but when I went home on breaks I slipped back into the same lifestyle of sin and lies.
After the school year was over we moved into the camp season at Word of Life. The first week we were there for camp was a staff training week. It came to the end of the staff training week and we had a staff campfire service. Ric Garland was the speaker and talked about completely surrendering your life to God and how God has to remove things from our lives before He will use us. During this message I began evaluating my salvation as I had many times before this. I knew that I had never repented of my sins, turned to or trusted Christ’s atoning work on the cross and resurrection for my salvation. Just as I had done many times before, I came to the realization that I was lost and on my way to Hell. The only difference was nothing else mattered to me. Nothing else in this world and nothing else the world had to offer mattered more than Jesus. I knew that I was a sinner that was completely lost on my own. I knew there was no hope for me, save in the cross of Christ the Lord. I didn’t care about my past all I wanted to do was forsake all that was behind and follow Jesus Christ. On June 7, 2007, for the first time, I turned from my sin in full submission to Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life.
At first I was afraid of telling anyone that I had been lying about my testimony the whole time. But I knew that was my pride talking and I didn’t care how anyone looked at me. I had been redeemed and I wanted everyone to know!
After my conversion I felt a true call to full-time ministry. I didn’t know exactly what area of ministry but I knew that I wanted to serve the Lord with everything I had. The following year I went to Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, New York. My second year at Word of Life was a wonderful time of growing in my faith. It was amazing to see the difference in how I understood the Word of God after my conversion. Not only understanding in my head but I also began to apply it’s truths to my life.
During that year I began having the desire to be baptized. I had already been baptized but that was before my genuine conversion. I talked to one of my professors and he encouraged me to do so. After that school year was finished I came home and talked to my pastor about it. I shared with him that I had already been baptized but I wanted to get baptized again after my genuine conversion. He thought that would be good and he baptized me a few weeks later.
I am thankful that God has called me to His ministry and allowed me to join in on the story He has already had going on for thousands of years! In no way does this story lift myself up or speak of my faithfulness. I am a sinner that was lost and God sought me out and saved me. I was a dead man and God MADE ME ALIVE! (Ephesians 2:4-5)
