In October of 1972 I surrendered my life to Jesus. Since that time I've taken it back quite a few times. I imagine that my story isn't so different from others and have found grace to be more than abundant for they and I. Wishing I had stayed true to my first love, Jesus, didn't make it so. Even today I struggle with the sinful man inside of me. Echoing Paul, "Those things I know I should do, I do not and those things I know I should not do, I do. Wretched man that I am." And yet, Christ makes every day new. Every day he is there to stand behind me, beside me and in front of me. He places his angels under and above me to complete the sphere of love and protection. Regrets are a difficult subject to address because they focus on the past. There is nothing you or I can do about the past. We can admit, repent, and move forward; but to have regrets only holds us from moving forward. There are those who want to continually remind us of our failings. That they would take the same amount of time to actually acknowledge our successes as well...
When I had been in Christ about 7 months I had travelled from Germany to my home in North Dakota for Christmas. I made it a point to meet with my family members to tell them about Jesus. I had already done so in letter but wanted to talk with them about Jesus face to face. My family was raised without faith. It was and remains important that they know Jesus. It was my wish that they would see the need for Christ in their lives and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. They did not at the time. I met with the Christians who were in my class in high school. I pleaded with them to go to my family and to present the gospel to them. They said they couldn't do that. What?! They felt that it wasn't their place to do so. I returned to Germany and continued to work with Youth With A Mission on the military base where I was stationed. As was my habit, I brought this situation to them and asked them for advice. They opened the Word and showed me that if we prayed in faith that the requests within the will of God would be granted. God wanted my family saved. So, we prayed.
Today, to the best of my knowledge, all of my siblings are saved. My mother told me before her death that she had given her life to Jesus as a child in a Lutheran church. My grandparents had already passed on. My father was in a "I don't know" box. My Christian leaders with YWAM came to the rescue once again showing me the Scripture that says, "the Word of God will NOT return void." Once spoken, the power of the Word, cannot do nothing. Imagine that! The Word of God is so powerful that nothing can stop it from becoming reality! Whether my father was saved or not isn't the question. My father was saved before he died because of the prayer of faith and the power of the Word of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Since my surrender to Jesus I have witnessed the most amazing answers to prayer. Things I thought impossible, things others though impossible were prayed for and the impossible was done. That is the power of prayer! When I look over the folks who frequent my Facebook page or go to church with me, or I interact with on a not so daily basis; I know that if I should pray for them, that they will be brought to a place where they can hear what they have seen and believe because they want something the world cannot give them. We all are beggars looking for food. When we come together we need to remember that we can pray. Never give up! If God is for you who can be against you? The feverant prayer of a righteous man (person)..." You, if you know Christ, are that righteous man or woman or child.
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