I asked Jesus to come into my heart at the age of nine. That’s how it was presented to me in those days; that Jesus came into your heart. Oh, how I loved HIM.

I excelled in bible drills and knowing the bible “stories”. I remember reading my bible eagerly and highlighting the verses that spoke to me into my early teens. But the denomination I grew up in did not teach me how to cultivate a relationship with our Lord Jesus or our Heavenly Father. Basically we lived under a lot of “don’ts”. Don’ts that were designed to keep you moral – but without knowing how to grow in my relationship with HIM, they were just laws that kept me from having fun. So I thought.

My parents and some of their friends were filled with the Holy Ghost when I was in middle school. The denominational church did not embrace the truth of the Holy Spirit as concerns praying in tongues and we had to leave because of it. Our family later moved to another city and began attending a church of the denomination previously attended and the same thing happened. When it came to the denomination’s beliefs and the Holy Spirit in regards to a prayer language, there was a parting of the ways.

So at age 18 I used this as an excuse to quit going to church with my parents and began to participate in many of the “don’ts”. Oh I thought I was living. However, I successfully took the reins of my life into my own hands and rode it into rebellion.

I spent 11 years running things my way, always knowing that what I was doing was wrong and yet not wanting or not knowing how to come back to God.

During that time I was married and had two beautiful children whom I love dearly. However, my marriage failed. I was very much to blame and when the divorce was final, I realized what a mess I had made of my life. I finally went back to a church and repented and began to seek God for HIS will in my life.

Mark and I met in that church a year later and married the next year. We were both sold out to Jesus now and thought we were going to take the world. What we did not know is we were in for a ride!

Things did not always go smoothly. We made many mistakes in our zeal to serve God. And still, HE somehow managed to work HIS plan in our lives because our hearts were so hungry for HIM. We had heard a message about the Holy Spirit’s “job” to pray the perfect prayer for our lives and we had begun to allow HIM to do that. There were some rough times along the way. But I have learned over these years that when we hold tight to HIM and HIS Word, HE will heal relationships and bodies.

HE IS FAITHFUL!! ∞ HIS WORD IS TRUTH!! ∞ HE CANNOT LIE!!

~Deborah