May 12, 2008 by Matt.

Ok, so I was working on catching up on my Google-reader and it dawned on me that with all the blogging I have done I have never told the story of how I got saved. This story has really been on my mind this week and so I am sharing it with you.

As some of you may know, my father is a minister. So, I grew up in a couple of southern baptist churches listening to him preach every Sunday. Well, there came a week when God had laid two very different messages on my fathers heart. He prayed over both of them and studied them both trying to glean which one God wanted him to deliver. So the weekend came and dad still did not have a clear idea as to which one he would preach. Hours ticked away as he prayed for clarity. Even that morning as he prepared for church, he was still unsure which message God wanted him to deliver. It was then that Gary Bracknell, a close friend of his, came up to him and said that he had a message that God had placed on his heart and that he felt God wanted him to deliver. As Gary outlined the message it was one of the same messages that God had placed on my father’s heart. Now, Gary and my father had not had any discussions about the two messages that God had given to my father. My father had mentioned to Gary that he was struggling over two messages, but had not shared with him what these messages were. So, realizing that God was at work in this situation, my father let Gary deliver the message that Sunday.

I can’t remember how old I was, and in fact I didn’t even remember any of this until my dad told me the story a couple months ago. I don’t remember the message that was delivered, but obviously it spoke to me as that was the day that I gave my life to God.

As I consider this story I am blown away with how this all went down. My father is convinced, as am I, that had he delivered that same message (which he was prepared to do since God had laid it on his heart as well that week) that I would not have gotten saved that day. I am amazed that God would put all of this together just for the sake of my salvation. I mean who am I that he would put together such an intricate plan simply so that I could be welcomed into the kingdom. As I think about this I am amazed at how much God loves me and that my salvation, as well as that of all of his children, was not just an accident, but was something planned out long before I was born.

The more I consider the circumstances under which I came to know Christ, I can’t help but believe that God has something big planned for me. I mean to put together such a plan to get me saved. To call upon a man who was not a preacher to deliver a message to the congregation knowing that it was necessary if I was going to get saved. To burden my father with two messages only to also burden Gary with one of the same messages. All this so that I could get saved. Wow, I am so unworthy.

I have not really shared this story with a lot of people as I have always felt that I didn’t have much of a testimony to tell. I feel differently now and would love to hear what you all think about my story.

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May 3, 2008 by Matt.

First let me say that I am much better since my last post.

Now, I have been getting a huge amount of Spam comments on here. So, I have added the requirement that a simple math question be answered to leave a comment. Sorry for any inconvenience.

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May 1, 2008 by Matt.

Have you ever been so sure that God was speaking to you only to have someone you know and respect pour water on your fire?

If you are reading this and are a Christian, then I beg that you will pray for me.

Fear not, my fire has not gone out, but I am confused. I feel as if God is telling me one thing through His Word and I am being told another thing from someone near me, a fellow Christian whom I respect.

We say as Christians that the Bible is our “road map” yet I am feeling as if I was about to take a turn only to have been redirected by a friend. Yet, if the map says my destination is north, but my friend points me south, then which direction do I go.

I believe that as Christians we should seek the counsel of fellow Christians, but when that seems to conflict with what the Word tells me, then what do I do. Do I assume that I have misinterpreted the Word, or do I assume that the counsel I have recieved is flawed?

Yes, I will be spending time in prayer, and in the Word. But at this point that only adds to my confusion. What if the Word tells me to go North still.

Maybe God had this person sprinkle a little water on my fire to ensure that it was burning hot enough. Maybe it was to cool it down.

Whatever it is I ask you to pray for me. I don’t know what God has planned, but one thing is certain. He has called me into fulltime ministry. I don’t know what that means just yet, but I know that God is doing a mighty work in me and that he has a planned to use me for His Kingdom.

Pray for me.

Pray for me, please.

Thank you………

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