I grew up in a typical Christian family. We all believed in God and my parents always taught me about prayer and took me to Church since I was a baby. My parents both attended Church once in a while but we didn’t go all the time. I just knew that God was real and that I needed to pray every night. My parents raised me good. My mom now tells me that God was with them when they were raising me even if they didn’t realize it then. I lived like that for 14 years of my life, a typical Christian who feared God. But there was a problem. I didn’t know God personally. I didn’t know Christ. So I never got really deep into in. I began to attend sunday school in my home Church in 8th grade. I went constantly and I started to read a few verses of the Bible each week. I wasn’t enough though. At that point in my life I had gone through a friendship problem and I had been hurt by my closest friend so at times I felt broke. I also had another problem. It was music. I would listen to any kind of music and I had convinced myself that it was “okay” as long as I didn’t “pay attention” to the bad lyrics. I was a victim of media’s lies. However, I learned later on that satan uses music to deceive all the time. In fact satan controls the media. Media was beginning to get to me. I felt like the unacceptable was acceptable and I didn’t care about all the wrongs of society. I began to become obsessed to worldly things and I began to idolize celebrities. It began with buying magazines and reading about stars and their lives and putting up pictures of singers all over my room. It came to a point where I chose to read a magazine over my Bible. My Bible lay on the side of my bed for a long long time. My mom kept asking me to read it with her but it never worked out so none of us actually put in the time to read it. I was obsessed with celebrities and that was my problem. I idolized and began to care and think about everything media imposed on me. Luckily I had a God who was watching over me and my family so my family kept me away from getting into bad things. But I idolized celebrities and felt as if they were my number one priority. I had their shirts, their posters, their books, and I referred to them for advise when i felt down. I was obsessed. 

I remember one day I was lying down and my cousin called me. It was the summer of 2010.We began to talk and I told her that i began going to sunday schools in my home church and she told me about her youth group. I suddenly said “Can I come?” When I asked her this I thought to myself “why did I say that? I don’t even have the time for this.” Little did I know that God had already began His work in me. So she said that it was that night and that I should go. It was friday so i went to my mom and asked her if i could go. Now since I’m an only child my mom has always been worried about me and protective of me and she had never been the type to agree with me going somewhere without her that quickly. When I asked her if I could go she suddenly said “Yeah, sure. When should I take you?” It was as if she felt safe letting me go to this place. There was a peace in her. It was amazing.

So I went that night and when I entered I can honestly say I had never been in a place such as that. Everyone was friendly and nice. It was as if they loved me but they didn’t know me. So I got introduced to everyone and I instantly knew they were different than anyone I had ever met. They took me in and I instantly felt like I was a part of them. The lesson was from John 15. It talked about how Christ was the true vine and how we needed to remain in Him. It also said that we must bear fruit because Christ loves us and has taught us all that He learned from His Father. This really spoke to me but I guess I didn’t clearly realize that I was finally introduced to God and He was working in me. Then they had worship and the lyrics were all about Jesus and His love towards us. At that point I felt something change in me and for once I made a decision on my own. I decided that I wanted to come here every week. I loved it there. It felt like family.

I began to slowly let go of all the idols I used to love by my own will. I began listening to better music and sometimes even Christian music. It didn’t happen instantly but now, every time I would listen to bad music I would feel guilty. This was my conviction. This slowly helped me to turn from the media towards the Bible. I read once in a while but didn’t really stick to constantly reading.

It was a process. It took a while but it was all worth it. This summer 2011 was when I truly and deeply fell in love with my savior Christ. My walk with God had been getting stronger and stronger since 2010 when I began to attend Church with my family but at some point due to some problems I fell. I began to doubt my faith and my salvation. I questioned everything. One night I felt so scared I knew that satan was tempting me to let go of God. I went in my room and began to cry. I cried and prayed. I repented of all my sins and I begged God to talk to me and to tell me who He is and whether I’m saved or if He loves me or not. I needed to know He was there. I had my eyes closed and I was seeking Him. I put everything in His hands and suddenly I opened my eyes and looked to the left. There it was. A random paper hanging out of my shelf. On it was written Psalm 91. I cried and I took my Bible and read that psalm. This changed me. The I felt God’s presence next to me. I cried like a baby but it was a happy crying. I felt God. I fell in love with Him. A few months later I went to my Church’s camp and there everything fell into place. I felt God with me, I wanted to worship Him. I lifted my hands without shame of who was watching. I got on my knees. He had saved me by His grace. I owed everything to Him. When I returned from camp I decided to not listen to any other worldly songs and to not post any worldly pictures on my tumblr. I began reading the Bible daily. I thirst for God’s word. He also saved my parents during a summer camp. He drew me and my family to His kingdom and by His grace we are saved. He loved us and gave us a new life. We love Him and live for Him. I will love Him forever because He loved me first! Thank you Jesus!♥

If you guys are interested, here’s John 15 and Psalm 91! 

Psalm 91

 ¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High 
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a] 
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, 
   my God, in whom I trust.”

 ³ Surely he will save you 
   from the fowler’s snare 
   and from the deadly pestilence. 
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, 
   and under his wings you will find refuge; 
   his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, 
   nor the arrow that flies by day, 
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, 
   nor the plague that destroys at midday. 
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, 
   ten thousand at your right hand, 
   but it will not come near you. 
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes 
   and see the punishment of the wicked.

 ⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” 
   and you make the Most High your dwelling, 
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you, 
   no disaster will come near your tent. 
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you 
   to guard you in all your ways; 
¹² they will lift you up in their hands, 
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra; 
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 ¹⁴ “Because he^[b] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; 
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him; 
   I will be with him in trouble, 
   I will deliver him and honor him. 
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him 
   and show him my salvation.”

John 15

The Vine and the Branches

 ¹ ”I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. ² Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

    ⁵ ”I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit,because you can do nothing without Me. ⁶ If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be ^[a] My disciples.