First of all, I would like to tell you a little bit about me then I will tell you why I believe in Jesus Christ. I am an 21-year-old college student in Illinois. In my free time I enjoy listening to various types of music, shopping, watching movies, writing, watching sports, hanging out with friends, and all sorts of other stuff. Okay, I would like to share with you a little about why I believe in Jesus Christ and how I came about knowing Him. In other words, I would like to share a part of my testimony with you. I have always been raised in church and it's something I always knew. I have never really experienced life without knowing Christ. Up until about seventh grade I thought going to church and Sunday school was all I needed to do to believe in Christ. It wasn't until I was in confirmation class that I learned otherwise. I found out that in order to be a Christian you have to accept Jesus Christ into your heart and "take up your cross and follow him" (Luke 9:23-24). WOAH! What does that mean?? Well it means that we are to follow in Jesus' foot steps because "it's no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me." This may sound like a lot to ask from us as imperfect human beings, but in actuality it isn't. God sent His one and only Son to die for us that we may have eternal life. Jesus' blood washes away our sins and because of His death we are forgiven for ANYTHING we do as long as we repent of our sins. Why do we have to repent? Well think about this, if we lie to our best friends and don't say we are sorry, they will not forgive us. Even though they love us it still hurts them that we didn't apologize for what we did. This is how God feels when we don't apologize, or repent, for our sins. Some of you may say, "well forget it, this isn't worth it" or "it sounds like too much work" but there is one simple thing I can say, God loves us, God loves each and everyone one of us whether we choose to love Him or not. Being a Christian doesn't mean one strike (or one sin) and you're out. No, God's grace is sufficient; it's all we need. Because of this we can repent of our sins and it's all FORGOTTEN. Yes, God forgets!! When you ask for forgiveness from friends, yes they may forgive you, but they don't always forget what you did. God FORGETS completely! This is a definite characteristic we all look for in a friend. God is the only true best friend we will ever have in our lives. He will never leave you nor forsake you and He doesn't even tell our secrets :)! Romans 8:38-39 says this "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Wow, what an amazing piece of scripture! Nothing in this whole world could ever separate us from God. Okay, so how does this play in my life? Well I learned this stuff all after being confirmed. Before being confirmed, as I said, I thought going to church got me into Heaven. I was saved at the age of 11, although I still didn't know what it all meant. Over the years in Bible studies and Sunday schools I've learned all about this, and you can too! My first year at church camp (1996) was an unforgettable year. It was the first time I had ever heard God speaking to me (in my case He was speaking to me through a friend). I had just gotten up from praying and went back to my pew. At that time, I was having some difficulties understanding why my uncle was dying of AIDS. God spoke to me through my best friend Melissa. How do I know this? Well, first of all she isn't into using big words because, mostly, she doesn't understand them. She just started rambling off words that I know she does not know the meanings of. After she spoke, I told her right away that she wasn't the one speaking. It was something truly amazing and so powerful. God is amazing! I want to leave you with one thing. This verse comes from Romans 12:1-2. It says "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will." Most of the teens today like to be different and independent. But by not believing in God you are "going with the flow" of other people. So be different, be yourself, and "go AGAINST the flow"!
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