I believe that you sharing your faith story can not only help other people through their darkest moments but also help prepare the world for the Lord’s second coming! Learn how you can make a positive impact on the world. This video shares my “big vision,” and I’d love for you to be a part of it!
Please post a line or two about how you hope to impact the world for good and let your light shine!
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see my article there on the front page “BLESS THE ACLU WITH A MERRY CHRISTMAS CAMPAIGN”
My life has been full of miracles, times when Christ carried me and brought me peace. I could recount the tragedies in my life and you would identify with them. I would rather you identify with the peace and courage that comes from daily prayer and scripture study, from submitting my will to His and choosing to be happy every day. That is what I want to have in common with others. God bless us, every one!
I was born with Cerebral Palsy…during birth my head would not fit through the birth canal and I was stuck. The doctors had to use forceps to save my mother and I…which damaged the back of my brain. In the process of pulling me free my back was also broken.
My mother was told that I would never be potty trained, be able to attend regular school, or have children…that I would be in a wheel chair. But the Lord gave me a mother that was not going to give in to this declaration put upon my life. She fought for me everyday…making me lie on the bed or floor and she had to stretch my spastic legs and force them to go beyond their limits. Sometimes tearing the muscle in the midst of the process. Though that doesn’t take much effort because of the spasticity . I was in and out of hospitals, physical therapy every week.
I am here to tell you that because of the Lord and strong mother that He gave me…I have accomplished everything they said I could never do. And on time! Though my struggle was not taken away..God receives the glory for each step that I take…because truly it is only from Him.
At 14yrs old…I was at a crossroads of decisions….I had such a yearning to be loved by someone…and what I thought was right was there in front of me…yet I knew of a God that also was real…but I didn’t know Him…yet I had a hunger for Him. In my young mind..I tried to weigh out my decisions for my life….If there was a God…I couldn’t see Him or feel Him..and here was this human that I wanted to believe that would love me. Needless to say I made the wrong choice. Even though God tried to communicate to me He was there…He had awaken me one night…in my heart I spoke if you are real…I need you to show me.
This night…there was a beautiful light that shown through this window…there was a presence in the room…that didn’t speak…yet I could hear a choir of voices singing…it was the most beautiful singing I had ever heard. Yet, I had a whirlwind of emotions…the majority of fear…not understanding what was going on. The presence left…..I woke up my girlfriend and asked her if she heard it…she thought I was crazy. Yet, I will never forget that visit that night. Though…it wasn’t enough for me to make the right decision…I took the wrong road.
For the next 10yrs…my life spiraled downhill…of being abused, neglected, two children that I protected every move they made. At this point in time…I was at the end…I had no identity…I had given it away…given power to someone else to Lord over me. Yet…still had enough in me to protect my babies no matter what.
In a moment of brokenness…I had set in place all the details in my mind of how I was going to kill myself. My thought processes were so distorted…here I was in my bathtub not understanding what was taking place…I had one thought of killing myself and seeing it through..then I had God speaking to me and bringing to rememberance of my two babies…What was I going to do with them? I couldn’t leave them to be hurt…then, my mind flipped to the negative again…I would have to take them with me…my next thought was that I could I live with myself if I survived and they didn’t…I could not hurt my babies.
It was at this time…I cried out to the Lord. “If you are really real..you have to show me…because all I see is pain, and suffering…there is nothing here”.
Two weeks later, a woman and her children moved in across from our apartment…I couldn’t go outside to have friends…but I watched through the window at times…I yearned for what they seemed to have…I didn’t even know what it was that they had…just that I wanted what I felt.
It wasn’t long before this woman saw my husband outside…this gruff, mean, loud abnoxious man. On drugs and alcohol the majority of the time she saw him outdoors. This woman went to my husband..she said she noticed that he had a wife and children…and asked if we could go to church with her. My husband told her no, but he would go. He went…and didn’t say anything to me about what he thought. A week or two later..she asked him again if we could go with her…he said yes.
It was that day…November of 1984 that I felt the loving presence of the Lord…such love I had never felt in my life. An overwhelming presence..it just felt as if it was a blanket that was covering me. At the end of service when the altar call came…I just knew I had to get there…that is when I poured it all out to Him..that is the day…the Lord took over my life. I opened my heart unto Him…and He filled me with His strength.
I will continue this in another segment…there is much to write…
A continuation of my testimony…
On that special day in my life…led my life into repentance, and baptism in His name..and the infilling of His spirit into my life..I had such a hunger to learn all there was to learn…I couldn’t get enough of the Word in me. It was my hope, my strength for each day. I went to church every service…coming home to things that were not easy…but I was not going to let go of my hope…my new life…I learned to pray…to seek the Lord for everything I needed. Strength to know His direction for my life….within 2yrs I was strong enough to make the decision to take my children and flee in the middle of the night to a battered womens shelter.
It came with much prayer and fasting….not an easy decision for me to make because I knew what I was dealing with…but it was best for my children and I. It was becoming much too dangerous.
We went through a divorce…and it brought my husband to the Lord…he turned his life towards the Lord…I watched him for almost 4 yrs in the church before I felt the Lord nugging me to remarry him. Yet, I fought it with my flesh..I couldn’t understand why God would ask me to go back and to be hurt again. After everything I went through. But the Lord gave me a message and that was that I was to help teach him..to help him to handle the things of life.
My husband had many difficulties…chronic physical problems..diabetes, emotional illness from the war and drugs and alcohol…along with several heart attacks…etc. Though knowing these things didn’t draw me towards him…but by the direction of the Lord…knowing his soul was vital…and the Lord had asked me to do so.
I would never counsel a woman to do what I did…except it be from the Lord…for you do not step back into Egypt except the Lords hand be in it. Though it was somewhat different…the hitting was behind me…the emotional problems were still there. Gary was labeled at a Schizophrenic, severe depressive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder….his emotions were up and down sometimes several times in a day…you dealt with each day as it came. But during all the years until his death…I spent much time on the prayer room floor…asking God to enlarge my heart to love…to love him more…to help me to forgive….to strengthen me to help me walk in His purpose..His direction. In the midst of all this He called me into many ministries….working with children in Sunday School, Childrens Church…in developing the daycare…developing skills from much training with reaching hurting women and children….codirecting the outreach dept in our church, counseling the women of the church..directing a care group ministry, teaching group bible studies, one on one bible studies. Training in battered women ministries.. to be a cofacilitator for group therapy in Beauty for Ashes ministries. Ministering to those in the hospitals and in their homes to families that were suffering. I took a position of co-pastoring in a church for a time..until God led me in a different direction.
In 2003, the Lord chose to take my husband home….but a month before…the Lord was able to open his mind…and heal his emotions….on a Sunday night service…he was weeping at the altar…I went to him…and he was so broken…..he said he was going to die soon….and I tried to deter his thinking…but he said the he knew the Lord was going to take him..and he said he was sorry for all the things he had done to me and the girls…and to everyone…he had to make things right. The next day he was calling anyone he could think of in our families, our children, people in the church…to clear his heart before his time was to come.
The Lord took him 4 wks later….and his mind was clear..and looking towards God….and I can say….it was worth all the years of discomfort and hurt…to see the power of God come in….that the years of prayer and trusting in God..and believing and standing strong…that God prevailed.
An update of this Testimony of my life to today:
I did not mention in my testimony of where this brings me to today. And I believe it is vital that you see how great God truly is…and how HE blesses us….in ways unimaginable to us.
After my husband, Gary passed away…there was a process of 4 yrs that were not easy with my grieving process…and I went through many valleys and great disappointments…but I met a man that became my best friend…and he and I were not looking for anything but friendship. For about a year that is where it was…until it came to a point where we looked so forward to talking to each other everyday…we could make each other laugh again…you see, his wife died of Pancreatic cancer in 2005…left him with two children, Grace 11yrs old and Mark, 10 yrs old. We understood what each other had gone through….so we worked towards finding joy…finding purpose…encouraging each other. And little by little God worked a wonderful friendship and love between us. One day, He asked me on a date…it shocked me…but all I could say is “for a date?” He said “Of course”…and that was that! 4wks later..He asked me to marry him. I knew from the night of the date that God had chosen him for me….it was a definite declaration to my spirit….but I knew that God would speak to him….and he did..LOL God is so good!
So..here I am starting over with a new family…and dusting off my parenting skills…(smile) My two daughters are grown and I have 5 grandchildren as I spoke of early on…never did I imagine I would be doing this…but GOD’S WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OURS….HIS THOUGHTS HIGHER THAN OURS! And I am so thankful for this…He knows just what we need in our life. They are such a gift to me. They bring great joy….much love to my life.
My ministries include:
Licensed Apostolic Minister
National Womens Director, Apostolic Society
Administrator and creator of This Too Shall Pass Ministry
Administrator and creator of New Life UPC Ladies In Action
Administrator and creator of The Kingdom Kids Ministry
Administrator and creator of Pearls Of Grace
Ladies Ministry Leader in my church
Senior High/Young Adult Sunday School Teacher
Blessings
Sherry
Dear Marnie,
It was lovely to see how natural, conversational, and welcoming you are. I’m considering your invitation.
What holds me back is my reluctance to preach to others when I’m not so great myself. I’d rather show by my behavior.
You are an inspiration.
With warm wishes,
Jean
WOW! You are so right. I don’t know how to start this but Ill try my best…only in hopes that it will inspire those that read this to not doubt HOW GREAT GOD LOVES US!
I was raised in a violent home, with a single mother of three; whom in her pain for being abandoned by my father, would lash out on her children and severely hit us everyday. Many times it was beat after beat for uncalled for things but we grew home loving or mother none the less. As we grew into our teens, my middle brother grew up with resentment toward my mother (for all the beatings) and hating my father ( for his abandonment). He got involved with gangs and drugs and dropped out of junior high. Meanwhile my youngest sister tried desperately to find affection and love from any guy that wanted to date her. I grew up being bullied and made fun of all the time for being a girl with out a dad, and low income.
So by the age of 16 I was miserable and tried committing suicide over 10 times through out my life. It was at the age of 17 that I started to go to a Christian church out of compromise to my brother mother in law. But on Dec of 2000, I was raped (this being my first and only experience sexually) and had no one to confide in. But that week on a Thursday as I went to a Spanish Christian service feeling dirty, guilty, and ashamed…GOD SPOKE TO ME!
The young man that directed that service started praying and started talking about how GOD was showing him some one that had just gone through a painful experience. He started saying that this person was deeply hurt from childhood, that shed had grown up feeling rejected and worthless ( he was so close to the truth I just couldn’t believe it was me). All of a sudden his tears start falling from his eyes an he starts to cry and says that GOD is showing him the life she had lived and what she has just gone through .. his voice than changed to tender, gentle and almost like pleading…he said….”I know you feel so ashamed and you just want to run and hide away from everyone, but GOD LOVE YOU.. He’s not ashamed of you , if you come back to him and ask him for forgiveness and healing trust me he will wipe away all your sorrows .. please come to GOD and don’t be ashamed, It hurts HIM to have seen what happened to you and he wants to heal you. He’s not ashamed of you and he doesn’t see you dirty at all…but he sees you as a beautiful person, pure and precious…come to Christ…let me pray for you.
I of course panicked by the mere thought that someone would know what happened to me stayed by my seat…but I had started crying and had no doubt that he was talking to me.. no one went to the front and so he prayed for me afar and once the service was over I found myself being able to look at people in the face with out wanting to hide. It was that night that I experience the power of GOD love for me and ever since then I’ve committed my life to serving Christ and fulfilling my purpose in life. Which is to praise my LORD and SAVIOUR, serve him with all the talents He’s blessed me with..and of course, share my belief with those that are lost and astray; whom have at some point in their lives stop believing in the existence of GOD and his unconditional love for ALL OF US! He does not hold to account all the horrible things we do, think or act upon..but he forgives us completely. He only asks that we accept Jesus Christ as our savior and repent whole heartedly of our sins. John 3:16 Christ is my Savior and redeemer, I have the power to over come any obstacles by the power of the Holy Spirit, and I will someday be able to see my Lord face to face and thank him for ALL HIS HAS DONE FOR THIS UNDESERVING SOUL!
Marnie,
I absolutely LOVE this video about preparing the world for Christ. I completely agree with you! Once we experience something difficult and we are able to endure and overcome through our Savior, Jesus Christ then there comes a point that the experience is no longer for our own growth but to help those around us who are going through the same thing.
Recently, I found a scripture that resonated within me. It says ” Awake, my sons [daughters]; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.”
The part that really stood out was “COME FORTH OUT OF OBSCURITY”. It is God’s desire for us to draw near to Him and then come forth (out of obscurity) and testify of His existence, love, light, and joy. If we do this, we will quite literally ‘Light the World’ and help it be prepared for our beloved Savior to come again.
Thank you for this – it was exactly what I needed tonight.
Much Love,
Martina
Thank you for sharing the beauty of Christ and showing that anyone can be used to light the way for others.
I am typically a quiet and reserved person and I often have difficulty talking about my own experiences – anything else I can talk about, but not myself. I don’t know how I raised a daughter who can’t stop talking! Oftentimes, she is talking about her love of the Lord and sharing with her friends on fb her joy for life! She is 14.
I know God has used my own humbleness to make her strong and mighty! I praise God for her ability to share her inner strengths, and her willingness to show me just how strong God created me to be as well.
With being a single mom for the past 5 years, I truly feel I could share my own struggles, and the faith that carried me through them. It is my prayer that God will use me in a way to light the path for others struggling, especially when it comes to God’s children and the infuences this world can impose on young minds.
Through the use of my actions rather than my words, either way, it is my prayer to make a difference and I trust God will show me how.
Thank you for offering this simple way for believers to connect and grow.
Merry Christmas : )
Dear Marnie,
The world is in turmoil due to the battle between good and evil and many people, especially young people, are losing hope as they struggle with this conflict. My husband and I have created The Iron Rod as a means of promoting a message which is –
Please stay away from the dark side of life where misery, pain and death lurk. Don’t get lured into a self-destructive lifestyle through drugs, binge drinking, pornography, gambling, stealing, lying – for that matter, anything that is addictive and which robs you of your ability to live a happy, productive and healthy life. We encourage you to make wise decisions because all choices have consequences – so please choose carefully. Please believe that your life has purpose and meaning and God wants you to be happy. We hope you will always Choose The Right so you can Return With Honor to your Heavenly home.
To see The Iron Rod go to –
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=bb5e6304834b68408b37
To view an explanation of the symbolism in the paintwork go to –
http://www.ironrod.com.au/Symbolism%20of%20Paintwork.htm
Thank you for the opportunity to shine a light from our small corner of the world.
Linda
I beleive in telling my story and I know that God uses our stories to heal and comfort others. I wish we could all be open and never hold back like som many have done on this topic it is very empowering.
We all go through stuff to teach us and others a lesson. When I first heard God’s voice tellingl me to tell my story, was when I realized I had a gift to write. That is how I become a published Author. I now embrace it and I use it to empower and inspire others.
Here are my published books
http://www.charitylimula.com/Store
I do not mind telling my story. Although, i am hoping it is far from done. When my first young daughter died I knew I needed to hang on to the belief I had and just somehow make it through the grief. One of my young, thought wise friends told me, when asked ‘ where is the holy spirit right now in my agony,? ‘That he is sitting right beside me and is the reason why I got up that day. I thank God for his Holy spirit. I have seen it in so many ways, in so many years. Until recently….we had a car accident. My 14 year old son died. We are left with a family of three. I have had to search in the tiny tiny things somedays to see where my God, my papa, is. He is there, I know it. My friends and family show every day that God is in them, for me. That is the biggest part of this whole sad sad story. My main point. I needed to look at EVERYTHING in my life in order to find and acknowledge that God and His Spirit are right beside me even though it feels like i am all alone. They are in the gift of cookies from a young family, they are in the friend who has our picture in her bible and has promised to pray for my family until the day she dies.
I am still not far enough out of the first grief to be able to give much of myself to anyone, but someday, I would like to be.
Perhaps encourage others who feel like their lives are over when one or two or more of their children dies.
Sherri,
Your story makes my heart hurt but your faith shows through even on the computer screen. I’m praying for you.
I was taught my faith from an early age but it was never a real relationship until 2002 when I lost my beloved Cousin soon after his
passing something magical happened and God actually called me to join
his team of SRE’s teaching the little ones in school -then too I gained
writting skills to honour him I never knew I had, since then well my link
with heaven has just grown beyond all measure. In recent weeks I was
able to help my poor mum in her last hours to bless her assure her
Jesus was waiting for her, that last day her eyes never left the roof
she could see what we could not and all I hope is that she was also able
to see and hear all of us and how sad we all were that she had
to leave us, but I beleive she is still with us and looking after us
and all of heaven knows my bright shinning love for our king