Adam’s Story
I knew about God and what His Son Jesus did on the cross from a very early age. I was taught the Gospel as a child in Sunday school and believed it. I had a personal relationship with Jesus through my prayer life. I guess you could say I knew Him, but I did not truly "know" Him in a lot of ways until I got older. I saw Jesus show up many times in my life and I knew His presence was real. The only problem was that while He was always faithful to me, I didn't always reciprocate.
When I became a teenager and entered high school I started to fall away from the Lord. During my college years I began to date girls and had some long-term relationships. This lifestyle continued as I entered the adult world. TV and the media taught me that it was normal to live with someone before getting married. I bought into the lie that God was OK with me having premarital sex as long as the relationships were long-term and I had the intention of getting married one day. I put God in an area of my life that was not obtrusive to me and started to make up my own rules. At the end of each season I wondered why my relationships never seemed to last and I ended up heartbroken and alone.
Many years later I met someone who invited me to a local church. Gradually I began to see God's faithfulness to me. Each week I looked forward to hearing the message and applying it to my life. However, I refused to change my worldly view of relationships. I didn’t want to give up that way of life even though it resulted in broken hearts and unmet dreams.
Not long after that, the friend who invited me to church moved to Savannah and began attending Compassion Christian Church. He was really excited about what was happening at the church and invited me to access the sermon archives online and follow along each week. I began to do this faithfully, and as I did, I began to grow in my own church.
As the Lord would have it, Cam began to teach a series titled "The Christian Atheist." I was thoroughly amazed at Cam's transparency as he described his life before surrendering everything to Christ. I was moved and convicted when I heard Cam tell the story of a lukewarm Christian living with his girlfriend. I knew in my heart that that person could have been me. As I watched the sermon that night I knew it was time to "get all in," as Cam often says. I no longer wanted to live a life of Christian mediocrity, barely getting by, but to live as a truly devoted follower of Jesus. So I re-dedicated my life to Christ and surrendered everything I was holding on to - all the false securities and the sin I had allowed to keep me from living the God-honoring life I was truly designed for.
Since re-dedicating my life to Christ I have not looked back. I have experienced so much of the Lord's blessing and love. If I knew He was always there before, His presence is even more tangible now. The Holy Spirit has led me on a journey of faith every day and I am so grateful for it. I know my life is better in Christ. The Holy Spirit gives me so much joy.
I got plugged in at my local church and have been sharing my experience so that others who may be lukewarm Christians can take hold of all Christ has for them. I've ministered to people in broken relationships and pointed to Jesus as the true hope and source of comfort. I've committed myself to a life of purity as I wait on God to show me what He has in store for me.
Recently, I knew it was time to take another step of obedience. I knew in my heart that God had led me on a great journey of His love and faithfulness. I knew it was my turn to show my faithfulness to Him by being baptized, so in June this year I traveled to Savannah to be baptized at the Henderson campus.
Since my baptism the Lord has poured out even more blessings as I continue to walk with Him day by day. I am starting to really feel the Holy Spirit's presence inside of me as I keep myself "listening" to Him. I've come to realize how much more important Christ's love for us is than anything else. I am beginning to really understand His peace in my life. A lot of my old worries are gone.
I don’t want anyone to not know Jesus. I don’t want anyone to be left out! Evangelism and showing compassion have become important areas of my life. I live to show Christ's love. I am so thankful to the ministry of Compassion Christian Church for helping me find my lampstand again! I know from all the events that God orchestrated to get my undivided attention that it was a divine appointment. Thank you so much for being one of the pieces God used to create my story!
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