My Encounter with God - A Personal Testimony

What's the difference between the two pictures in this collage? 

The pictures might don't have a big difference as it shows only me smiling together with my friends and this is going to be my own version of "before and after" photo challenge...

The truth is,  the first picture ( below) is showing my face who was actually drunk with beer and was so pathetic begging my friends to just go home and sleep. On the other picture (above), a face who seemingly a very happy person after God has shown His love and revealed His presence on me - it's an unexplainable feeling that nothing can compare. That when I finally finished college. 

Allow me to share to you my personal testimony about how did God pulled me back to His hands in an unpredicted situation .

Remembering back many years ago, it was, if I'm not mistaken,  2010, when I knew about who Jesus is to me. I even posted it to somewhere in one of my social media accounts about that experience.

Yes,  I knew God more than just His Name and all of His sacrifices, when God revealed His love for me,  I never doubted to follow Him and "tried" my best to let the 'seed' being planted with me grow and become mature for His glory.  To make it short,  I followed the process of what God has told John the Baptist,  to be baptized with the water and Holy Spirit apart from accepting Jesus as my Lord and personal savior.  I became His servant, joined a ministry,  a dancer of Jesus to be specific aside from joining to a connect group where we conduct Bible studies and evangelism. I was full of joy serving The Lord,  I knew that time I was more than a person in this world but a worker of God. However,  the devil won the warfare, I just let the devil did it. the devil dragged me away from Jesus after how many years of following God, again,  I allowed the devil move upon me. 

To define what happened,  I turned away from God.

I knew it was wrong. I knew as well the moment I surrendered to Jesus before,  it was not a total of 100% submission. I knew I was in vain. I knew I was betraying God because I was keeping a secret even though God is an all-knowing God. Until the moment came when I started to be aloof with my connection to God from my devotion, started to have excuses on not attending to Sunday Services and officially stopped the ministry I was doing. I was unconscious that later did I know,  I was failing with my mission to serve God. I failed. I was aware but I continued turning away because I was thinking God will not accept me anymore.

I returned to my normal life activity of not having Jesus in my life.  I was not condemned but during that time,  I was about to forget the existence of God as I was only believing that I can do everything with myself alone, thought of being successful with my plans because I am intelligent. That time, all I was thinking was about reaching my dreams through my own hard work. I was full of pride. I felt very important to the people around me. I liked it when everyone paid their attentions with me. I was a person who cannot accept opinions, I was selfish. I don't give full of respect towards my parents,  I'm from home late at night,  I worked hard and as I received my salary,  I gave a part of it to my parents and then spend the rest to something that can make me feel happy. I felt the happiness provided by the world,  I was happy with my unbeliever friends hanging out anywhere, partying in bars,  spend money for nonsense and useless things,  buy gadgets and anything that's not needed.

Many times,  I even committed sexual sins: homosexuality and fornication.  I used my salary to treat my friends from bars, ktv and pay for extra services from a massage spa. 

I was totally messed up.  Some who'd become friends of me left me. I lended some funds from the people I considered to be my real friends but they did not pay it, like I swear, I can still remember the amount they asked and I was doing it all over again to anyone I knew even though there was no payment received. I was showing unto them that I have a lot of money and that I can provided anything they want from me,  because that was how I defined a "Friend", I was thinking they needed it and it was my role to helping them through that way. Most them,  I make them happy because I was a giver of everything. But,  yes,  I was thinking that that's a happiness,  and I believed to follow my happiness is the right thing to so here on Earth. These things have been manifesting and ruling my life as the years of the world continued. 

My life was full of darkness but I never mind. It was I think the pure happiness and the best on life as I continue to live her.  I said to my self with full of pride,  "I don't need You,  Lord! You're just an imagination!" 

2017, I was already in my fourth year college. During that time,  we were all busy for our feasibility study, but I still had a time to hang out with my friends. 

End of our first semester,  I was being tested with my patience. Our instructor and I had an argument,  and since I was full of pride,  I was not able to have a humility when I needed to settle the problem. During that time, on of our panels dis not sign our feasibility study because I bypassed all of them.  

I never knew, it was the day when God really had revealed His greatest reminder,  to go back to Him. I was still hard. But God,  ever since I turned away from Him,  never stopped to call me and begged me to surrender everything to Him.

I knew it from the point when I turned away from Him that He uses people to win me back to Him.  One person, although never asked me personally to go to church,  served as God's reminder to come back. 

One night,  full of shame,  I asked God why He allow the circumstances to happen,  when it occurred,  it might has been the reason for me not to graduate in college this year.  I did not cry but I was asking Him to consider my study and have it signed by one of the Panels. I made a deal that when the problem gets cool,  I will look for a church to continue serving Him. If you are thinking right now that it was only a small request,  but it mean a lot for me because I was working very hard on that book.

And  yes,  Jesus helped me to settle the problem. I thanked Him for that,  but can't deny the fact that I was still hard of coming back to Him, until a friend/co-worker invited for a "life group" (never had an idea at all) I was only thinking a Bible Study. I joined. There I met a church leader named Bryan.  He shared some words of God and as if I was talking to Jesus. That was actually my turning point as Jesus reminded me by His words -  He will knock on the door, whoever hears His voice and opened it,  He will eat with me and He is with me... (Rev 3: 20) Jesus knocked my heart for how many years now and He was waiting on the day until I open it to let God enter and have Him rule over me. 

Although it was not official,  I tried to ask my friend to go to their church,  willingly,  but during this time,  I was still inconsistent because I was missing our church before.  I prayed to God to help me find a church to serve as my guide and light. It took me months from that life grouo until the day Jesus finally pulled me back to His kingdom unexpectedly.  

I started attending services from church in Buhangin Community Church.  A bit far from my home in Toril, but it never hindered me. I was praying and asking the Lord's forgiveness,  cleansing, restoration and renewal in Spirit.  I knew in myself that I don't deserved His forgiveness until Jesus,  again,  revealed His presence.

May 5 and 6 on the year of the Lord,  2018. Jesus restored everything in my life, as I let my heart and mind be empty,  I was seeking the Lord presence to touch my heart and let every aspect of me be renewed and restored and let every broken part of my soul and body be rebuilt for His glory.  Jesus asked me to repent and confess all the sins and mess I did,  from turning away and from back sliding. As continued praying,  I felt like I was facing Jesus on that moment,  I cried out very loud,  enable to stop my tears from falling. During that time,  I didn't want to stop the moment when I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit that was totally burning my earthly soul and convert it into something that is fresh and new. 

Not only that, Jesus made me feel that I am forgiven, reminded me that He already paid everything on the cross, and through the strong manisfestation of the Holy Spirit, I spoke in a different language, a revelation of Jesus which really made me amazed and renewed by His greatest love for me. Jesus loves me.

Jesus' love for me never ended. After that moment of revelation,  I am very empowered by the Holy Spirit.  I was full of joy,  a joy inside that cannot be stole by anyone. 

I realized that I need Jesus. It's not just something that we always say,  we need Him daily,  but the need of being hungry from His presence and His words. I thought, before,  I can be the only one who will have the ability to change my life,  but Jesus did it.  As I repented and confessed all my sins to God,  I finally surrendered EVERYTHING. I never held any attitude that will cause me to serve Him fully.  Now I can say,  I am ready to continue for God's mission, not my mission.  I have been changed.  Jesus built humility and renewed my spirit. This is the best thing that I have ever done in my life. Full submission to God and let Him rule over my life.

Opportunity - that is actually the only thing that God has been offering to us. We may say we are the ones who make our future,  but God is an all-knowing God. He already know everything and apart from that,  He doesn't want our lives to be in darkness.  May be we are happy from thw current life that we have right now.   We may have stuffs, friends and money,  but The Lord has the power to take these away just to remind us about He is the source of everything in this world.  God never wants us to suffer from a fake and a temporary happiness. God never wants us to be far from Him that is why He keeps on knocking our doors,  our hearts.  We might think that we are totally messed up and don't deserve His love but God says,  "Son,  open the door and I will be with you forever..." Isn't it a wonderful thing to have Jesus as we are reaching our plans?  Isn't it amazing when we have Jesus as our personal friend to whom we can always share with our problems,  our anger and everything about what the world is about to give us? Jesus is very patient with us.  He never stops loving us. 

When you see a cross,  what do you think is in it for you?  The cross will remind us that Jesus paid our sins. All His sacrifices with bloods are attached to that vertical and horizontal woods. Jesus loves you.  Remember that He is just waiting  on you to accept Him and let Him be the only One to rule over your life. It's your decision. Only Jesus will satisfy and meet your real happiness. The pure joy which nothing can be compared to. Only Jesus will give you the true meaning of love apart from the love that you think you get from your friends... If you think you already have all the things in the world, then Jesus should be the first. Yes,  you know Him,  He is our Lord,  He died on the cross to save us,  but how deep is your relationship to Him?  How do you know Him deeply more than just the one who was crucified?  Are you on the right track?  If you'll die today,  where do you think your soul will go? 

God wants to win you and He wants you to live with Him in the eternal life.  He wants to give you more than what you're asking. He wants to prosper you.  And when the time comes, He wanta you to be in His kingdom. 

Again,  decide now.  

I'm sharing this testimony not because I am a blogger,  but because God told me so.  If there is a lot of things that we can do in the internet, I used my ability to write by sharing the love Jesus and how God restored everything in me when I encountered Him. 

I tell you,  it's not too late to start over. I have decided to follow Jesus and there's no way of turning back. 

You are blessed because you have just read  this post,  Jesus is knocking on yout heart, open it,  this message that you've read is not accidental,  you visited this site for a great purpose,  and it's up to you if how you will follow what God has been asking,  let Him enter to your life. I'm not saying that you have to leave your friends,  but today is the day that Lord has made.  Decide.  Seek the joy that Only God can give.  Jesus Loves you so much...  

Truly,  the Lord is powerful.  I'm giving back all the glory and honor to our Lord.  

Thank you for your time reading this post and my testimony. May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord give you peace.