Thank you Edward for your partial personal testimony regarding how you came to see Christ as the end all in and for your life. He is everything to me as well.
Let me briefly or longer, share a part of my past and a part of my testimony to Christ. I have ran into the other realms of real angels of God, witchery and charms in my past, so I will highlight just a few of them here.
I grew up in a rigid formal setting concerning the patriarchal religion, of the RCC. I was taught until High school by missionary nuns in New Zealand, and the Priests who has their home on the school grounds as well. I had the fear of God, and my Dad and the nuns well instilled in me by the time I was a teenager. I excelled in the subject of religion. I became an altar boy, and would occasionally help the priest gather and display all the articles essential for the Mass.
I was always an analyst in everything it seemed, more than most. I would quietly question in my mind why are we serving God this way etc. What are these people getting out of the Mass? Their lives did not reflect joy, hope, and many times they exhibited sternness, and no love at times. Why the statues, why this long list of sacraments, and many Hail Mary's etc. And then my mother was part of the Church of England and very rarely seen in a RCC building. And only when coerced by my Dad. And then I used to listen to the fights before and afterwards, like we had evil or demons in the house...
I wondered about Jesus a lot, as a baby, a man and now in heaven, as my 12 year old mind was so intrigued. I never felt a close connection with the Savior at that point in time.
Yep. I get you.
Well before that age, before school age, my mother would get on occasion, knocks, on the front door of our government subsidized about 700 sq, ft. 2-story brick, 1910-built, bug infested rowhouse (we were very poor) in Nottingham England.
I lived in England for 8 years in a council house. I know exactly what you mean.
It was common to see female witches knock on doors and tell their owners their future tidings and fortune, and requested any donation if it could be afforded. My mother told me on the eve of us all emigrating to New Zealand, that I would be a scholar in another land. So the idea of witches were not just in story books for me, they were part of the community in the 50s and early 60s.
Yep. Gypsies. I gave an old lady a bunch of clothes once.
I remember still today when I was sick in bed and only a few years old, actually seeing a being in white hover to the side of me and smiling as 'it' seemed to then float out of the room.
Zooming forward in time, back to New Zealand again. My mother would use tarot cards quite frequently. I used to watch her dabble in it. So this was not new to me at all.
One the eve of leaving NZ for the States, whilst I was with my mother over at a friend's place; I believe she was an actual witch, I used a Ouija/we gee board with one her children. I requested information about my future. I ask if I would be married, and when, and if I would have children in that marriage. The answers became spot on in time. More that just a coincidence to me.
You know years later I've always wondered whether my mother was a practicing witch. I never really got that close into her affairs to know. I know as an adult child of hers she really never showed love to me, and my wife. In fact the very few times we would visit her house, it was like kryptonite to her. She was always unsettled. She firmly, cruelty and coldly would say to me, since I was a teenager and after marriage, privately in my face, 'I never wanted kids.' Great Mom aye?!
Well, that really hits home. The last bit. My mother told my sisters and I the same thing. I have no relationship with her, my mother. We exchange short holiday greetings over text on holidays. That's it. So, I know that's hard to live with.
On the eve of knowing my true love and marriage partner I found myself drawing with pencils and then with India black ink, of medieval drawings, from scratch. I drew dozens of them. I was so proud of them I showed them to another person. He said to me, they were great and then asked me if I was into the black arts. I was stunned! I really did not see the harm in drawing witches, demons and other symbols in this art work. He shook me up, indeed. I became so upset inside because of his reaction that I later just stopped this art work completely.
So I got married to a lovely US born woman. And someone like I've always prayed for. My prayers were answered. And unbeknownst to me then, she was a true lover of Jesus, from knee-high.
Now one day an acquaintance of mine asked me if I wanted to know about Christ is a personal way, in my life. Flags were going up and then down for awhile, I was wrestling inside with something bigger than me; it seemed like an eternity. I took a chance and quickly said, yes, and what is it all about. Now before that time, I was also good at higher math, and I tried to place God in these parameters, as a curve to infinity on a graph. I was suddenly very much interested in God. Maybe my marriage sparked something within me. I could not get God off my mind. I tried to define him in terms of symbols, mathematics and astrophysics. I was enjoying myself..
That's very interesting.
So when I gave my life to Christ one midweek evening in April 1974, in our mobile home, my life changed forever. Within an hour I was racing around the house trying to find a bible. I could not get enough of the word of God. I eventually became immersed in water at a local Baptist church, with my wife. I was on fire for Christ. For the first time in my life I felt an internal bond with Jesus, my personal friend and Lord. Where have you been all my life?! It was me that needed to answer my Jesus, not he.
Just one more area concerning the 'dark side.' In my mid-life my spiritual walk declined noticeably for the first time. Without revealing the surrounding settings in the interest of time, I once was enchanted away by another woman. I actually felt uncontrollably drawn to her, and not really for the sexual attraction. She tried to use some device like a pendulum to conjure up a friendly' spirit for me. She placed it in front of me and caused it to swing, however it always stopped when it tried to swing toward me. She was surprised and said it does not want/work for me. I really never knew what that meant and I did not care.
Anyway, I'm today still on fire for Christ with the love and passion I had with him when I first received the Spirit of truth and life from the Father.
I'm a work-in progress. I hope and look forward to continuing my journey with him in the next life; as you do I would imagine.
APAK
That's quite a testimony. Are you still married? Do you go to a regular church now, or no? What about your wife? My wife is a Veridican like me. She's the secretary of the church as well as the corporate secretary. What do you think about the end-times?
