Notice that darkness cannot put out the light. What Jesus promotes is
life and light, and He is far bigger than darkness: "You, dear children,
are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is
greater than the one who is in the world." (1John 4:4, NIV2) Darkness
runs from Jesus' presence, for He is the Creator and nothing can stop
Him!
Take, for example, that poor boy who none of the disciples
could heal. When Jesus came down from the mountain, He healed that boy
on the spot: "He ordered the afflicting demon out-and it was out, gone.
From that moment on the boy was well." (Matthew 17:18 MSG) Nothing is
too difficult to Him!
Many people get involved in the darkness
and lose their way, but Jesus, through His infinite love, rescues them,
bringing hope to the hopeless.
The following testimony,
illustrates this quite well: "Becoming a firefighter has only been a
dream of mine for a year now. It wasn't something I wanted to be because
of career day in elementary or anything like that. I wanted to do
something with my life that reflected how Jesus changed my life and the
compassion that he has for all people.
I've only been a follower
of Christ for a couple years now but the evidence within me and the
story of my life is my proof that Jesus Christ is as real as you and me
and He loves you with all His heart. As cliche as it sounds today,
Jesus is my biggest inspiration in my life. Just as He dragged me out of
the burning flames that was my messed up life, I want to do that for
others whether in ministry efforts, fighting fires, and hopefully both.
The living word brings hope to the hopeless, love to the loveless, and
new life to the dead in spirit.
My life was anything but perfect
before I met Jesus two years ago in Soper, Oklahoma. I was deep in
depression, I got involved in drugs, and even shunned my family so I
could try run away to North Dakota. I tried but I couldn't. Even now, I
can't put into words how things got this far but I believe it had a lot
to do with me being the youngest in a very broken family. My parents
fought, my brothers and I had a violent relationship, and I laughed
uncontrollably when I got nervous. That last part got me in more trouble
than one might think.
I wanted help but I didn't know where to
turn. Heck, I didn't even realize I was depressed until I was in my
early twenties smoking spice in Virginia. A poor excuse of a
substitution for getting high. It wasn't anything I would even consider
enjoyable. It felt terrible and caused some of the scariest
hallucinations one could ever think of. It only seemed right for me to
do so because in my mind, it was what I deserved for running away from
my problems, friends, and my family.
I recall a time when a
neighbor called 911 to check on me. I can only imagine the horrible
screams I made that night. I only remember gaining consciousness after
they had arrived in the apartment door and the burn marks across my
shoulder. Life surely seemed to be coming to an end for me soon if it
had not already.
To skip ahead, I moved back home to Texas after
a couple years. My family was deeply concerned about me but I didn't
want any help from them. I didn't deserve it and I didn't want them to
love me. I only knew that something had to change. I moved to Oklahoma
with my aunt in hopes of getting involved in religion with the church. I
paid the utmost attention to a preacher getting excited over the Holy
Bible yelling out "It doesn't matter how good you've been or how bad
you've been! Jesus still loves you and that will never change! When he
was on the cross, you were on his mind." For the first time, I started
to realize that following Jesus was more than just a religion of
proverbs and good works. It wasn't a race to be the holiest. It wasn't
doing penance. It was about restoring your relationship with the creator
who loved you first and loved you the most.
Even after all that,
I still had trouble feeling like I could walk with my head held high. I
just couldn't accept that all my past was forgiven. It seemed too easy.
The truth is, it is easy. That's why it's so hard. I kept asking God,
"Please, show me I'm forgiven! Help my unbelief!" It was then I got into
contact with someone from my past who I thought I wronged the most. My
ex-girlfriend, currently wife to be, whom I left years ago, without a
word before going to Virginia. It was her my nightmares were about. It
was fear of not being forgiven that was holding me back. I called her
and begged for forgiveness and told her everything that happened and
that was happening all the way until that point. "Of course I forgive
you" were her words exactly. In that moment, I felt the presence of God
about me assuring me that I was forgiven in all things removing that
doubt. Jesus had been laying out a path to my salvation all along. He
had been planning this since the beginning. Jesus called my name and I
finally answered. In a twist of events, she too had undergone hardships
that led to her rededication to Jesus Christ and the timing was perfect.
Jesus is never early or too late. He is always right on time.
Ever since then, I've been inspired to get back into life and get
involved again. I always want to share my story to those who would
listen and let my life be the proof that Jesus changes lives. Although
I'm not one hundred percent on whether I'm called to be a firefighter or
not, I believe that I've been called to do something to save lives.
Whether that be ministry or firefighting, I know God will use me. As
long as I remember, Jesus walks with me and He's never going to leave me
nor forsake me. I've dedicated my life to Him and I never want to stray
from the comforting embrace that is my personal Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. Amen."
By: Trenton Sant Thanks to Precious Testimonies
Evangelist Ministries May we always remember that light overpowers
darkness!
Rob Chaffart