It starts over a year ago when my wife left me. She drained our accounts and left with our only vehicle. This devastated me. People that I trusted and put faith in seemed to turn on me to go to her aid. The night she left I contemplated committing suicide, until God spoke to me and said it will be okay.
Well while I was walking to work 7 miles, I was really questioning that thought of it being okay. With the spare key to our vehicle in my hand I walked right by our vehicle parked at the house she was staying at. I contemplated starting it with the remote and leave it running, taking it for a joy ride, and many other thoughts popped up. But why? What good would that have actually done for either of us. More fuel for the fire. What I realize now, it gave me plenty of time to talk to Him and take in the beauty that He created. It was that walk where God spoke to me and said Satan is the enemy in this. It was at that time I forgave them and through him asked for forgiveness. I was left with the house although it was in foreclosure. She would come and go during the day while I was at work. I continually left her notes asking for forgiveness in my part. Telling that I forgave all involved and telling all involved that I still loved them.
I was asked to come to church on that Sunday after she left me. It was a sermon that I will never forget. Pastor Gary taught that sometimes God will break us to mold and shape us in the direction he wants us to go. I was in tears and I was physically sitting in a chair at church that Sunday but my mind was not there. Through God I am able to repeat that sermon almost word for word.
I was in need of some money and my ex wife sometimes got in the habit of hiding money. I had continually been seeking and talking to God. I had also been continually seeking money. I found $700.00 in a tin can in one of our drawers. A week later I was blessed with a $2,200.00 bonus at work that came unexpected. I then began the search for a vehicle and was blessed in finding what I wanted for what I wanted to pay. God continually after these big blessings gave me small ones daily. I was blessed in finding a apartment for what I could afford where I wanted to live.
Year had gone by since the separation and then divorce. I am continuing to follow Him and He continues to pour out the blessings as promised. I began searching for a new church in the area I lived. He blessed me with many choices. I narrowed it to two, Radiant Church and Richland Bible. I asked Gary for any good churches in the area and he confirmed my choices. Now I put trust and faith in God once again. I e-mailed both churches asking for prayer in aiding in my decision making. It just so happens that Radiant was doing a sermon series called at the movies. A friend that attends there gave me another invite. So I went and have been there ever since. During this 3 week sermon series over 400 people either accepted Christ or rededicated their lives. He decided to do a baptism service the following Sunday. Well after hearing two baptism service within less than 6 months I got the hint that somebody wanted me to do it. But I thought to myself no you don't need to you were already baptized once. The next morning at work, God spoke to me and said you need to do this. So I called the church up and had them put my name on the list. I was re baptized on Cinco De-mayo. When I came up from the water it was truly a feeling of relief. In doing that act of faith I truly left all the stuff I had in me dead in the water and came up a new creation in Christ.
Now moving on to more good works and blessings. I took a class called Grow that they offer. During this class they gave people the chance to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. All my past beliefs and teachings kinda went around this subject. I was completely under the understanding once you were saved you received the Holy Spirit. This is true. That night I was baptized in the Holy Spirit my body trembled I could feel the Holy Spirit working in me and in the room. After the class he said he felt God talking to someone, and he felt someone getting the gift of speaking in tongues, and he also felt there was several people that felt something but didn't know what it was. God spoke to me. Pastor Lee asked me after wards what God spoke to me about. God told me that I was going to be a leader of Radiant Church.
I went home and prayed for direction in this. God told me that I would be instrumental in starting a Celebrate Recovery program at Radiant Church. He not only told me that He told me it would up and running within two years and it would be on Tuesday nights. So with that I did some more praying and searching. Starting in September I will be starting a men's group and it will be called Men In Christ or MIC. With the intention of equipping men of all ages to become leaders, and disciples for Christ. That is why our first lesson with be the 12 step recovery program based on the Celebrate Recovery program, and in two years when CR rolls out at Radiant Church we will have men equipped to be great leaders.
If there is one thing I can tell you is that not hurt goes unused in Gods eyes. Put your faith in Him and He will strengthen you. Your story if untold dies with you. If you tell your story to others you are going to touch someones life. You may never know it, but it will. If I went through all the divorces I have had and all the rest of the stuff I have went through and done wrong can touch the life of one person and make their life better or lead them to Christ, it was worth it.
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