my faith and my testimony †
Hey everyone! I know this isn't my typical blog post, but I have this awesome platform that I can use to share more about myself!
I grew up in a southern baptist home, attended a Christian school from 1st grade to high school graduation, and I also grew up attending a southern baptist church. So yeah, I was surrounded by the Bible my whole life (I am so blessed). Up until October of 2017, I was pretty sure I was saved. In October, I attended my church's drama message portraying the rapture (Revelations). That's when I began to have doubts of my salvation. I wasn't fully committed to Christ and His Word. From October 2017 to March 2018, I doubted and doubted and doubted. The week of March 4th-8th, we had Evangelist CT Townsend preach revival at our church. I'm going to back up for a moment. Dylan and I started dating February 10th, 2017, and I began attending church with him, Trinity Baptist Church, on March 5th, 2017. Since then, I began to learn of CT Townsend and his ministry, music and preaching. I had the privilege of attending two different events at which he preached-
I grew up in a southern baptist home, attended a Christian school from 1st grade to high school graduation, and I also grew up attending a southern baptist church. So yeah, I was surrounded by the Bible my whole life (I am so blessed). Up until October of 2017, I was pretty sure I was saved. In October, I attended my church's drama message portraying the rapture (Revelations). That's when I began to have doubts of my salvation. I wasn't fully committed to Christ and His Word. From October 2017 to March 2018, I doubted and doubted and doubted. The week of March 4th-8th, we had Evangelist CT Townsend preach revival at our church. I'm going to back up for a moment. Dylan and I started dating February 10th, 2017, and I began attending church with him, Trinity Baptist Church, on March 5th, 2017. Since then, I began to learn of CT Townsend and his ministry, music and preaching. I had the privilege of attending two different events at which he preached-
Burlington Revival - Friday, May 12th, 2017
Carolina Youth Rally - Saturday, August 5th, 2017
I had never witnessed such a moving of God in my entire life. People were going to the altar by the groups. I was so amazed! I was introduced to this God-filled, power-filled preaching and praying over this past year of my life. Ever since I began attending Trinity, I haven't wanted to attend anywhere else because the love and power of God is thick in that place. I have witnessed so many awesome things! Whole families get saved, gang members surrender their lives and even someone on the verge of suicide change their mind. GOD is so powerful and SO mighty. He deserves all the praise and glory for these things I have witnessed. Now that you have heard a little more of how I started going to Trinity and these revivals, let me continue with my story. It was Thursday, March 8th, 2018. CT Townsend was preaching straight out of Revelations, about hell. Again, I'll remind you I was doubting my salvation at this point. He was giving the invitation and he said at the last verse of the song, "We're going to sing this last verse of 'Just As I Am,' and it's not going to be to shut down the service. If you need God, now is your time to come pray." I'm wrestling with it in my head so hard. I knew I needed to get the 100% assurance that everyone always talked about! So I finally made the decision to go down and pray, but I didn't know how to pray about it, so I grabbed Dylan's hand. He says that I grabbed his hand, pulled him out into the middle of aisle and let go. I bolted towards the altar and left him standing in the middle of the aisle. I made it down to the front and knelt down, sobbing. CT grabbed my hand and asked how he could help me. I simply said, "I'm not sure I'm saved. I've had doubts since October." I'll never forget what he said next. "God is not the author of confusion." He began to lead me through prayer and after I prayed, I rose my head and my pastor was standing by. CT said, "Why don't you tell the preacher what just happened." I looked at my pastor and said, "I just got saved!" It was so exciting! I finally had the 100% assurance I had longed for for 5 months. Dylan is beside me on the floor, face down, sobbing. I thought that he was crying tears of joy for me. At the end, CT and my pastor called the ones who had just got saved to come up on stage. I made my way up, and as I'm standing there, I look beside me and there stood Dylan. Turns out, he needed to get saved too! Now that is a whole different emotion, y'all. Getting saved the same night as your S/O! We couldn't stop crying and hugging and laughing - just rejoicing at what had just taken place. It was so amazing. I can't explain it all! It has made our relationship better and stronger.
Fast forward to Sunday, April 29th, 2018 - baptism night. We're at the church waiting on the service to start, when we asked the director of baptism if we could go back to back. I'll be completely honest, it's because I wasn't completely familiar with backstage of the church and I didn't want to get lost. Little did I know, asking to be back-to-back would aid in a huge blessing in just a few minutes. When it was my turn, I made my way into the baptismal (which was really warm, by the way), and my pastor just turned and said, "The Lord just spoke to me. I want you to do me a favor, I think you're going to like this." I moved to the corner of the baptismal, and pastor had Dylan go ahead and come in too. I was so curious. Pastor said, "Dylan your dad is going to baptize you, then you're going to baptize her." Dylan was then baptized!! Then, Dylan turns to me and baptizes me. As soon as I came back up, we hugged and probably cried a little more. It was a picture of what God has done in our life!! Something we will never forget. I couldn't be more excited to be on this journey with my sweetheart! God is going to do amazing things- I just know it! I told Dylan that as soon as we get married and have a home, those photos from our baptism will be framed in our house as our first decoration; the foundation of our home! God has been so good to both of us. I have asked Dylan deep biblical questions (he grew up basically the same way as me, just attended TBC longer). I love learning alongside him. It makes our relationship sweeter and better.
It's so exciting to see God move in our separate lives and then in our relationship together! I thank the LORD above all, for pulling us out of our sin and washing us in His blood! I also want to thank my parents for keeping me in Christian school my whole life instead of public school, because there's a lot I have never been introduced to, that I never needed to be introduced to!! Next I want to thank Dylan's parents for guiding us and always giving us advice when we need it; and for Dylan's mom for being my prayer partner!! Lastly I want to thank Pastor Cope of TBC and Evangelist CT Townsend for being obedient to God's command to preach and teach to the people of this world, and for not shutting down a service until GOD says so!
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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I had never witnessed such a moving of God in my entire life. People were going to the altar by the groups. I was so amazed! I was introduced to this God-filled, power-filled preaching and praying over this past year of my life. Ever since I began attending Trinity, I haven't wanted to attend anywhere else because the love and power of God is thick in that place. I have witnessed so many awesome things! Whole families get saved, gang members surrender their lives and even someone on the verge of suicide change their mind. GOD is so powerful and SO mighty. He deserves all the praise and glory for these things I have witnessed. Now that you have heard a little more of how I started going to Trinity and these revivals, let me continue with my story. It was Thursday, March 8th, 2018. CT Townsend was preaching straight out of Revelations, about hell. Again, I'll remind you I was doubting my salvation at this point. He was giving the invitation and he said at the last verse of the song, "We're going to sing this last verse of 'Just As I Am,' and it's not going to be to shut down the service. If you need God, now is your time to come pray." I'm wrestling with it in my head so hard. I knew I needed to get the 100% assurance that everyone always talked about! So I finally made the decision to go down and pray, but I didn't know how to pray about it, so I grabbed Dylan's hand. He says that I grabbed his hand, pulled him out into the middle of aisle and let go. I bolted towards the altar and left him standing in the middle of the aisle. I made it down to the front and knelt down, sobbing. CT grabbed my hand and asked how he could help me. I simply said, "I'm not sure I'm saved. I've had doubts since October." I'll never forget what he said next. "God is not the author of confusion." He began to lead me through prayer and after I prayed, I rose my head and my pastor was standing by. CT said, "Why don't you tell the preacher what just happened." I looked at my pastor and said, "I just got saved!" It was so exciting! I finally had the 100% assurance I had longed for for 5 months. Dylan is beside me on the floor, face down, sobbing. I thought that he was crying tears of joy for me. At the end, CT and my pastor called the ones who had just got saved to come up on stage. I made my way up, and as I'm standing there, I look beside me and there stood Dylan. Turns out, he needed to get saved too! Now that is a whole different emotion, y'all. Getting saved the same night as your S/O! We couldn't stop crying and hugging and laughing - just rejoicing at what had just taken place. It was so amazing. I can't explain it all! It has made our relationship better and stronger.
Fast forward to Sunday, April 29th, 2018 - baptism night. We're at the church waiting on the service to start, when we asked the director of baptism if we could go back to back. I'll be completely honest, it's because I wasn't completely familiar with backstage of the church and I didn't want to get lost. Little did I know, asking to be back-to-back would aid in a huge blessing in just a few minutes. When it was my turn, I made my way into the baptismal (which was really warm, by the way), and my pastor just turned and said, "The Lord just spoke to me. I want you to do me a favor, I think you're going to like this." I moved to the corner of the baptismal, and pastor had Dylan go ahead and come in too. I was so curious. Pastor said, "Dylan your dad is going to baptize you, then you're going to baptize her." Dylan was then baptized!! Then, Dylan turns to me and baptizes me. As soon as I came back up, we hugged and probably cried a little more. It was a picture of what God has done in our life!! Something we will never forget. I couldn't be more excited to be on this journey with my sweetheart! God is going to do amazing things- I just know it! I told Dylan that as soon as we get married and have a home, those photos from our baptism will be framed in our house as our first decoration; the foundation of our home! God has been so good to both of us. I have asked Dylan deep biblical questions (he grew up basically the same way as me, just attended TBC longer). I love learning alongside him. It makes our relationship sweeter and better.
It's so exciting to see God move in our separate lives and then in our relationship together! I thank the LORD above all, for pulling us out of our sin and washing us in His blood! I also want to thank my parents for keeping me in Christian school my whole life instead of public school, because there's a lot I have never been introduced to, that I never needed to be introduced to!! Next I want to thank Dylan's parents for guiding us and always giving us advice when we need it; and for Dylan's mom for being my prayer partner!! Lastly I want to thank Pastor Cope of TBC and Evangelist CT Townsend for being obedient to God's command to preach and teach to the people of this world, and for not shutting down a service until GOD says so!
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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