Sorry but no one gave me a testimony this week! If/when I get another, I'll be sure to post it. I'll be thinking about whether or not to change the format of this topic.
Take care,
Terra
Showing posts with label Tuesday's Testimony. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tuesday's Testimony. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tuesday's Testimony - Starring You?
While I LOVE doing the Tuesday's Testimony, I've really struggled with getting people to give me their testimony for posting.
Are you a lady?
Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your only Savior?
Are you interested in blessing others with your testimony of change?
If so, email or message me and I'll send you the details. If I can't get enough interest, I may have to shift the Tuesday's Testimony to something else.
Take care,
Terra
Are you a lady?
Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your only Savior?
Are you interested in blessing others with your testimony of change?
If so, email or message me and I'll send you the details. If I can't get enough interest, I may have to shift the Tuesday's Testimony to something else.
Take care,
Terra
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Tuesday's Testimony - Elisabeth Elliot
Though my last two testimonies have been on people I know personally, this week will be a little different. For those of you who do not know the story, Elisabeth Elliot was the wife of Jim Elliot, one of five missionaries speared to death by the Auca Indians in Ecuador in the '50s. By God's great mercy, the women and children left behind were able to be used as a great testimony to the Indians, many of whom became Christians. Because I do not wish to plagiarize, I'll simply point you to the link of her testimony: http://www.elisabethelliot.org/about.html.In Christ,
Terra
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Tuesday's Testimony - Ines Lindner
Meet Mrs. Ines (pronounced Ee-nes) Lindner. Mrs. Lindner is the mother of Kristy Horton (my last Tuesday's Testimony) and that is how I met her. She's a sweet woman of the Lord and one in whose presence I've always felt like family. If you were at our wedding, you can thank Mrs. Lindner for the amazing wedding cake. ;) Her testimony in Christ, in her words:
My name is Ines Lindner. I was saved March 25, 1979. Prior to that, I thought I was a Christian. I was raised in a home where we believed in God and we went to church on holidays and went through all the required religious ceremonies but we were not consistent in attending church nor did I have assurance that if I died that I would go to heaven.
I met my husband Charles in 1971 and we were married in 1973. We had a four year old daughter and 17-month-old twin daughters by 1977. It was at that time that I felt even stronger the need to be in church but again, only went on special occasions and sporadically.
I developed what doctors called a ganglion cyst on my right wrist and sometimes they go away. Mine did not but I persevered with it until I couldn’t stand the pain anymore. One day while cleaning the bathroom tub, I put the cleaning rag down and decided that very moment I needed to go see the doctor. I would later find out that at the very same time, a woman by the name of Charlotte Pharoah was working in her garden, not very far from where I lived, who had decided to go see the same doctor about her weight!
We met each other in the waiting room of the doctor’s office that day. As we began to talk to each other, I shared with her how I felt the need for my family to be in church. She asked me if I had a stable and went into it everyday would I become a horse? That was somewhat strange to me but I kept listening to her. She then shared that it was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that I was seeking and she gave me a pocket testament of the book of John.
Charlotte’s words caused me to want to seek peace and security that when I died, I would live with the Lord in the next life! That led me to visit Charlotte’s church with my sister and our children. When the invitation was given to receive Jesus as my Savior, I went forward to pray that my sins would be forgiven. Such peace and joy filled my heart! However, because I always wanted to measure up to people’s expectations and I wasn’t confident of my earthly father’s love, I struggled with doubts about my salvation for two years!
Pregnant with our fourth child in 1981, we were in a different church where a message was given about Salvation and I cried and said, “Lord, I’m not leaving this place until I know without a shadow of a doubt that I belong to you!” The pastor there went over the plan of salvation with me and asked me if I believed it? I said, “ yes!” Then he handed me a pen saying, “If I want to give you this pen as a gift, when does it become yours?” I said, “When I take it!” Then he said, “If you believe in Christ and you received His gift but you still have doubts, then there must be some sin in your life keeping you from having peace.” I thought about it and realized the sin was not trusting Jesus to do what He said He would do. His Word says, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9). I realized that what I was trying to do was still earn God’s favor when I already had it. I didn’t earn it; He freely gave it to me. That was the day my heart found complete assurance that I WAS a child of God and nobody could take it away from me, not even myself! :o)
You may be serving the Lord faithfully and doing everything you believe you should and yet have doubts about your own salvation. Or you may not know the Lord and you want to. Here are Scriptures that were helpful to me and gave me assurance to never doubt again.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
“These things have been written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may KNOW that you HAVE eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (I John 5:13)
“To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name.” (John 1:12)
I met my husband Charles in 1971 and we were married in 1973. We had a four year old daughter and 17-month-old twin daughters by 1977. It was at that time that I felt even stronger the need to be in church but again, only went on special occasions and sporadically.
I developed what doctors called a ganglion cyst on my right wrist and sometimes they go away. Mine did not but I persevered with it until I couldn’t stand the pain anymore. One day while cleaning the bathroom tub, I put the cleaning rag down and decided that very moment I needed to go see the doctor. I would later find out that at the very same time, a woman by the name of Charlotte Pharoah was working in her garden, not very far from where I lived, who had decided to go see the same doctor about her weight!
We met each other in the waiting room of the doctor’s office that day. As we began to talk to each other, I shared with her how I felt the need for my family to be in church. She asked me if I had a stable and went into it everyday would I become a horse? That was somewhat strange to me but I kept listening to her. She then shared that it was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that I was seeking and she gave me a pocket testament of the book of John.
Charlotte’s words caused me to want to seek peace and security that when I died, I would live with the Lord in the next life! That led me to visit Charlotte’s church with my sister and our children. When the invitation was given to receive Jesus as my Savior, I went forward to pray that my sins would be forgiven. Such peace and joy filled my heart! However, because I always wanted to measure up to people’s expectations and I wasn’t confident of my earthly father’s love, I struggled with doubts about my salvation for two years!
Pregnant with our fourth child in 1981, we were in a different church where a message was given about Salvation and I cried and said, “Lord, I’m not leaving this place until I know without a shadow of a doubt that I belong to you!” The pastor there went over the plan of salvation with me and asked me if I believed it? I said, “ yes!” Then he handed me a pen saying, “If I want to give you this pen as a gift, when does it become yours?” I said, “When I take it!” Then he said, “If you believe in Christ and you received His gift but you still have doubts, then there must be some sin in your life keeping you from having peace.” I thought about it and realized the sin was not trusting Jesus to do what He said He would do. His Word says, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9). I realized that what I was trying to do was still earn God’s favor when I already had it. I didn’t earn it; He freely gave it to me. That was the day my heart found complete assurance that I WAS a child of God and nobody could take it away from me, not even myself! :o)
You may be serving the Lord faithfully and doing everything you believe you should and yet have doubts about your own salvation. Or you may not know the Lord and you want to. Here are Scriptures that were helpful to me and gave me assurance to never doubt again.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
“These things have been written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may KNOW that you HAVE eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (I John 5:13)
“To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name.” (John 1:12)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tuesday's Testimony - Kristy Horton
Meet my friend Kristy. I've known her for about 3 1/2 years. As a matter of fact, she was one of the ladies by my side in my fluctuating relationship with James. :) She saw me single, married, and as a mother. She is married to Dan Horton, a Pastor at Lifespring Community Church here in Louisville. She is also the mother of two children, Isaiah and Lydia. May her testimony be an encouragement to you this day.--------------------
My spiritual life began at the very young age of two years old. While I wouldn’t say that I was a “Christian” from that age, or that I had a handle on the gospel, my parents intentionally established me and my siblings with a foundation based on it. I knew very well that Jesus Christ was God, the same God Who created me, that He came to earth to die on the cross for my sins, and that anyone who didn’t accept Him as their Lord and Savior would go to hell. Realizing that God was also my loving Father who wanted a real and intimate relationship with me would come later.
I was twelve years old when I made a decision to follow the Lord in every aspect of my life. I had been influenced by my oldest cousin who was getting caught up with boys and was lying to her parents about what she did and who she was with while she was gone from home. In confidence she let me know what she was really doing, and I thought it was cool to be a part of it. I began listening to music that did not please the Lord, and that was forbidden by my parents. I, too, lied to them and my aunt and uncle about where my cousin was and what she was doing.
It was at a church revival that my cousin gave her life to the Lord. She then came to me and apologized for what she had involved me in. To see my cousin, whom I thought was so cool at the time, give her life to the Lord like that made me re-think how my behavior had been. I confessed to my parents and asked forgiveness for the lies, but I also confessed to the Lord because I knew that even more than disappointing my parents, I had disappointed Him. What I had been doing went further than just lying to my parents, or disobeying the rules they had set for me. I had been dishonoring God by not wanting to please and honor Him above anything or anyone else. That same week I gave my life completely to Him.
This was a really personal commitment from my heart and I have never turned from it. Since that time I have only been growing in the Lord. There were times throughout my young adulthood that I tested my faith, but the Lord was Faithful to show me that there is only true joy in Him. It was in my high school years that the Lord laid it on my heart that I would be involved in ministry all of my life, I just wasn’t sure of the capacity.
I would say one of the areas I am continually before the throne asking God to help me in is my discipline!!! Not just with taking care of my husband, keeping the house clean, teaching my kids, or even in discipling women, but also with the most important part of my life- spending time with Him!
The greatest joys I have ever found, the greatest help, the strongest I have ever felt has been when I have been saturated in the Word of God. When I have come before the Lord and said, “Give me wisdom and understanding, like you gave to Solomon. Give me a heart that grieves over my sin. Give me eyes to see people as You see them, and increase my love for You so that I may love your church more too!” As I walk the daily roads in my life I can say that each day the Holy Spirit’s voice becomes all the more clear, recalling His Word to my mind and urging me to do what I know is right in the sight of God.
My flesh, pride of life, the enticements of this world, and the attempts from the enemy that would seek to destroy me are all a reality in my daily life. I will fight them to eternity. I am so grateful for the cross of Jesus! I am indebted to Him for placing me before the Father spotless and holy because of the blood He shed for me. I am so grateful for the countless godly people in my life who have fought with me to keep running this race with my eyes fixed on Jesus.
Philippians 3:7-11: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
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