Hi! My name is Freda and
I would like to share my story with you.
I grew up on the
West coast in sunny California. At the age of 13, I got involved in using
and dealing drugs, plus every wicked thing you could imagine.
At the age of 18, just
out of the clear blue, my parents decided to go to church as a joke. My
mother came home completely wacko! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus is all she would talk
about. "You need to go to church," She would say.
After struggling with
the idea for a while, I gave in. I went to church. I even asked Jesus, who I
knew nothing about, to save me from a place called "Hell." Two weeks later I
was back on drugs.
After that, it was a
downhill trend for about eleven years of my life. Inside I was empty. I had
made a total mess of my life, with three children, married, divorced, and in
another terrible relationship. I was wounded, broken, and miserable.
Some friends that
I had been partying with started visiting a little church in Fayetteville,
Arkansas. They kept inviting me to go with them. Inside I was screaming
yes, but outwardly I had an attitude. I was just not good enough for those
self-righteous people!
I went to church the
next Sunday. It was different. The people were not at all what I had
imagined. They were very friendly and welcoming.
I continued to
attend regularly. It was there I learned that I was not the one that had to
be righteous (I couldn't be even if I tried). God was righteous (Jeremiah
9:24), and because He is righteous, He cannot be with sin (Isaiah 59:2). In
Genesis 1:27, the Bible speaks of how we were created in God's image to
reflect His righteousness, everything that is right and good. But man
disobeyed God and became a fallen creature, separated from God. The Bible
says we have all sinned (Romans 3:24). We cannot reflect God if we are
sinful in nature (Romans 5:12). God is also a just and fair God, and He has
to judge us for our sins. All sin comes with a price, which is spiritual
death or separation from God eternally. The final destination of spiritual
death is the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14,15).
The most humbling part
of God's nature is that He is a loving God. He did not want to be separated
from us because He loves us so much. That's why He sent His own Son to pay
the price for our sins (John 3:16). He was nailed to a wooden cross, buried
in a borrowed tomb, and rose again after three days in the grave (I
Corinthians 15:4). Through His death and resurrection He conquered death,
hell, and the grave (I Corinthians 15:54, 55). Now after hearing the truth
of God and understanding who He was, and who I was, I knew just where I
stood with Him. I realized the ball was in my court now. I had to make a
decision, to choose life eternal with Jesus as Lord of my life OR death
forever!
Well, I chose
life, by simply being willing to turn away from my sins, to repent (Luke
13:3, Acts 11:18). I asked God to forgive me for hurting Him and going
against His plan for my life. I opened the door of my heart to Jesus and
invited Him to be Lord of my life. At that MOMENT - I WAS CHANGED (2
Corinthians 5:17). I was no longer empty. He filled me up with His peace and
joy and gave me His gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23b).
I am glad it was
free! My works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). I placed my full trust and
confidence in what Jesus did on the cross for me (Titus 3:5).
Many times I hear
people say I am searching for God, when in reality there is none that seeks
after God (Romans 3:10-12). The truth is that Jesus came to seek and to save
those lost in sin (Luke 19:10).
Jesus is
personally standing at the door of your heart asking you to invite him in
(Revelations 3:20).
You do not have to take
my word for it. You can get out your King James version of the Bible and
look up the verses I gave you for yourself. You can believe God's word.
I pray you choose
life. You have everything to gain and nothing to loose (Romans 8:17). I
would not wait another day (Hebrews 2:3, I Corinthians 6:2)! Man is
appointed once to die and then the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
Thanks for letting me
share my faith with you.
