For those who are religious, how did you discover faith?

[GhostiePantaloons]

I'm curious to see how others discovered and accepted faith into their lives.

For me, I was born into an athiest family who openly mocked religion (all of them). My country whilst it claims to be religious isn't particularly, with a very small number of the population actively going to church etc.

During the pandemic lockdowns I was in a very low place and began researching Christianity, honestly as a last option. And for some reason everything seemed to make sense. I began to see that my environment was very toxic and bad behavior was celebrated and expected from those around me. I had always had old fashioned values passed on to me from grandparents and didn't engage in the activities that my friends did such as drink and drug culture etc. After researching faith I couldn't believe people around me found it more offensive to talk about God then engaging in illegal activities or cheating on partners etc! 

I could see so much corruption in the world around me and it actively being celebrated and I couldn't understand it at all. One of the biggest lessons that people around me pushed was "if it feels good just do it, you only live once". I HATED this mentality. Because they did engage in bad/illegal things and my mind always thought where does that lesson end?

Slowly I cut toxic so called friends and influences out of my life and am better for it now. I'm happier now as a Christian then I ever have been. I have my faith and my incredible husband Kakon to thank for it!

I know a lot of people are born into faith, but i'm always interested to see other's stories.

[Shawkorrr]

18 hours ago, GhostiePantaloons said:

I'm curious to see how others discovered and accepted faith into their lives.

For me, I was born into an athiest family who openly mocked religion (all of them). My country whilst it claims to be religious isn't particularly, with a very small number of the population actively going to church etc.

During the pandemic lockdowns I was in a very low place and began researching Christianity, honestly as a last option. And for some reason everything seemed to make sense. I began to see that my environment was very toxic and bad behavior was celebrated and expected from those around me. I had always had old fashioned values passed on to me from grandparents and didn't engage in the activities that my friends did such as drink and drug culture etc. After researching faith I couldn't believe people around me found it more offensive to talk about God then engaging in illegal activities or cheating on partners etc! 

I could see so much corruption in the world around me and it actively being celebrated and I couldn't understand it at all. One of the biggest lessons that people around me pushed was "if it feels good just do it, you only live once". I HATED this mentality. Because they did engage in bad/illegal things and my mind always thought where does that lesson end?

Slowly I cut toxic so called friends and influences out of my life and am better for it now. I'm happier now as a Christian then I ever have been. I have my faith and my incredible husband Kakon to thank for it!

I know a lot of people are born into faith, but i'm always interested to see other's stories.

Not really about my religious belief, but here is my Buddha ring 🤣 
The Buddha is Lapis, and with Citrine and Smoky Quartz around it, and of course with my favorite stone, "free diamonds", which is Swarovski crystals.

[Yva Xorna]

@Shawkorrr that bling looks like it weighs a ton.

 

[Yva Xorna]

@GhostiePantaloons Born into Christianity here but my family (and extended family especially) were all sorts of hypocrites and non-believers so I can't really give them credit for my current status. I'm literally a choir girl (soprano) so I guess that is what keeps me interested. I'm not really evangelical about it though which is probably partially responsible for the high number of atheist people I seem to collect as friends and acquaintances. 

I love reading "Slowly I cut toxic so called friends and influences out of my life and am better for it now". That's awesome!!!

 

[GhostiePantaloons]

16 hours ago, Yva Xorna said:

@GhostiePantaloons Born into Christianity here but my family (and extended family especially) were all sorts of hypocrites and non-believers so I can't really give them credit for my current status. I'm literally a choir girl (soprano) so I guess that is what keeps me interested. I'm not really evangelical about it though which is probably partially responsible for the high number of atheist people I seem to collect as friends and acquaintances. 

I love reading "Slowly I cut toxic so called friends and influences out of my life and am better for it now". That's awesome!!!

 

Thank you for your story!

And I agree, that bling looks heavy @Shawkorrr

[Barazen]

                     My Testimony
I would like to say that I'm not proud of my past, but it did make me who I am today. I would treat girls very poorly in junior and high school. I used to drink alcohol, and smoke weed. I was raised lds, and I had a very tainted view of God if any view of Him at all. My way of honoring God back then was not to get drunk or high on Sundays. I knew that God existed. I just didn't know Him. All my life I chased being liked by my peers. I would adapt to mirror the people around me both in personalities and aneurysms. Peer pressure would get to me like 90-95 % of the time. I remember my best friend at the time coming to me, and getting me to smoke weed on a Sunday. About a month after that he ended up inviting me to church.  Naturally I wasn't hearing that. He kept inviting me for about two months. I kept declining him every time. Somewhere during this time I ended up watching a movie called Prince of Egypt. As someone that was raised lds. I was never taught about the true power of God. As they tend to focus more on the book of Mormon, and less on the bible. After watching that movie I remember saying to myself; I want to know a God like that! One of the times my friend was hanging out at my house. We ended up watching that movie together. We talked about it for a while, and in that conversation I told him, that I wanted to know a God that powerful. This opened the door for him to invite me again to join him, and his uncle to go to the church they attended; Which by the way was a Foursquare Gospel church. I told him that he was the one to get me to smoked weed on a Sunday, and now you want me to go to church with you? After about an hour, or so he finally convinced me to go with them. Along with this situation. My step grandpa (Who claimed to be Christian.)  was showing me bible verses every time we would go see him. Being lds but not lds I didn't know my bible. The only thing I knew how to do was reject everything he tried to show me. I am sure he would also pray for me, but I don't know for sure he never told me. I respected him. He ended up influencing me quite a bit through his time here on the earth. I ended up going to church with my buddy, and  his uncle. The first time I went I really enjoyed it. Mainly because it got me out of the house, but also I got to meet new people. I also got to be with my best friend. Before I made the decision to start going to this church full time. I turned to my step grandpa to seek his opinion of this church. After attending a Wednesday night service. My step grandpa  gave me the go ahead. I started to attend as much as I could. It was mostly when my best friends' uncle could give us a ride. I was 14 at the time, so transportation was rare for me to come by. Now attending this church I got lead through the "sinners prayer", and I was told that I was saved. So I believed them. After all, my knowledge of anything God related was zero. During the five years that I attended that church. I really honed in my skill to blend in. All my life style change was on the outside. Nothing was happening  on the inside. I didn't know at the time, but I know now. I was a false convert. I was an enemy of God. I didn't want to read His word. I didn't love the things He loves. I didn't hate the things He hates. It was all about me and what I wanted. I ended up becoming an usher, and attend every service. Which was Sunday morning 8am -10am and 11am-1pm. Then evening service started at 6pm and went till 8pm. Wednesday night's had a service from 6-8pm. During this time; I ran for a financial board member, and was voted in. I also served as a security guy during the second service. I was encouraged to become a pastor. Everyone would tell me that I had that calling on my life. So naturally I gave into the peer pressure, and started to believe that I was called to be a pastor. I started to teach the jr high bible class at this church every Wednesday night. This was the time when I meet my wife at a youth group event that I was attending. We started dating when I was 17 and got married at 18. She joined me in teaching the jr high class. I remember one night coming home from teaching that class. She said it felt like kids trying to teach kids. She had just gotten saved herself, and felt that we /she needed to grow more before we had this responsibility. So we stepped down from our teaching jr high class. Around this time our youth pastor started planning a church plant in the same area. When he left we decided to go with him. We attended that church as church leaders, and sound technician for about two years. Still no growth in my Christian walk. Smoking weed had stopped after saying the sinners prayer, but getting drunk did not. I would live like the devil all week long, and be a Christian on Sunday's. Sometime in 2005/2006 I stumbled across a Christian radio channel that would play 20 minute clips of Wretched radio. It was a segment of Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, and Todd Friel open air preaching. They would evangelize to any, and everyone. It wasn't on a whole lot, but I would tune in every chance that I had. I listened to them for about 3 months. I was trying to figure out what they where preaching, because what they were saying was offensive to me. As a Christian I never herd the gospel presented in such away. I could tell something was there I just didn't know what. I went to my pastor at the time, and my best friend. I wanted to get their thoughts on what was being said on the radio. They both told me that the way the gospel was presented by Wretched radio was harsh, and that they disagreed on how they were doing it. They told me to win people to Christ you need to be the example of love towards the lost. Afte my conversation with them. I stopped listing to that station. Mainly because it was offensive, but also because of my mentor and best friend's words. In 2006 my wife and I moved to Utah. We pursued our own church plant. While in Utah we got plugged into the closest Foursquare gospel church in our area. It was a 45 min drive to this church. There we made some good friends. We were meet with open arms. The pastor of this church had successfully planted a church My wife and I were planning to do the same. He started to take me under his wing and show me the ropes. He would always tell me that he was going to try to get me to quit.  If he could get me to quit. Then I was not meant to be a pastor. I was very thankful for that tactic. The company I worked for at the time had satellite radio in every piece of their equipment, and trucks. Fishing through all the Christian channels.....you guessed it. I stumbled back onto Wretched radio. This time the full 2 hour segment every day! At first I would just listen a little bit, then I would change it when I started getting offended. Eventually God broke through to me. He showed me that I was a law breaker, and He demands justice for my crimes. I couldn't hide in the crowds, there was no one else pushing me with peer pressure. It was God shining a very small light into a very dark place. Exposing my sin. His goodness brought me to repentance and faith! Before I go on I want to make what I'm talking about crystal clear. Based on God's law the (ten commandments). You are found guilty before Gods courts. Let me prove it. Have you ever told a lie? Someone who tells lies is a liar. Have you ever stolen anything in your whole life regardless of it's value? Someone who steals is called a thief. Have you ever used Gods holy name as a filth word? God is holy, and you dragged His name through the mud; Breaking the 3rd commandment. Have you ever looked with lust? Jesus said that whoever looks with lust in their heart commits adulty with that person in their heart. Have you ever murdered someone? Jesus said anyone who is angry with his brother commits murder in his heart. A good example of this is when your driving down the road, and someone cuts you off . You flip them the bird, and cuss them out. That anger and rage comes from  a murderous heart. We just looked at 5 of the 10 commandments. The bible says that no liar, thief, blasphemer, Adulterer, or murderer, will enter the kingdom of God. So if you stand before God on judgment day. Would you be guilty or innocent based on the ten commandments? Guilty was my answer! Based on that you, me, and everyone else should be punished for the crimes we commit, or laws we have broken. God place of punishment is called hell. Thats the bad news. The good news is that, He made a way for us to be set free from our sin. It comes from Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. Jesus, fully man and fully God. through his life's blood paid our fine. It's like when a criminal gets bail of a billion dollars. As long as that billion dollars gets paid the criminal would be set free. That's what Jesus did for us. He drank up the full cup of God's holy wrath. God's demand for Justice was fully satisfied! Paid in full. So we may go free. Not because of what we have done, but because of what He has done. Our response to this is we must repent (means to turn away from) our sins and trust in the finished work of Jesus's sacrifice. Best way to describe this is, if you were planning on partying getting drunk, and high this Friday. To repent of it means you would not plan on getting drunk, or high ever again. Trusting in Jesus's work on the cross is like, putting on a parachute jumping out of an airplane. Your trust is 100% in that parachute. So is your eternal salvation is 100% in the work of Jesus. This is the Good news of the gospel. This is what happened to me when I got saved! I didn't repeat words of someone else. No one told me I was saved. It happened between the Lord and I. After all those years it finally clicked. God was very patient with me, and kept working on me. No matter how hard I tried to blend in, or be accepted by my peers. He saved me from my sin! Now after God saved me. I stopped pursuing my so called calling for becoming a pastor. I called everyone I knew at the time, and told them what had happened. I remember calling my mentor/ youth pastor from the first church, and telling him. He had told me that I was crazy. That I had been saved this whole time. I was just experiencing growing from glory to glory. I didn't have the fruits of the sprit. I didn't understand law, grace, repentance, and faith. IE the gospel. So how could I be saved? Besides salvation is between God and the one He saves. No one can tell you that you are saved. My best friend was just kind of like good for you man, and brushed it off. I think now looking back at it. Everyone's reaction to this was due to them not wanting to reevaluate their relationship with God. Because then they might have to repent them selves. That's just my own speculation. I know that they them selves where lead through the sinners prayer, and boom they were saved. I am at peace now living my life dedicated to God. I no longer have to worry about what people think. As long as I am serving my Lord and Savior and pursuing His will in my life. It is well. He gave me a new heart that response to His stimuli. He replaced my heart of stone that did not respond to His stimuli. He has blessed me with a beautiful family, and a full life. One that I don't need to seek others opinions about me. One I don't need to blend into. One I can live out for Him! He grows me everyday through his word (the bible). For this I am thankful. All the glory, and praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus. The one only true Christ. Amen! If you would like to talk about anything I have talked about or have any questions.   Please send an email to Dead2sin@yahoo.com Thanks for listing. The Lord be with you, and you with the Lord.

[GhostiePantaloons]

Thanks for sharing! It takes a lot to post something so personal to you. I am very thankful for your words

[Shawkorrr]

6 hours ago, Barazen said:

                     My Testimony
I would like to say that I'm not proud of my past, but it did make me who I am today. I would treat girls very poorly in junior and high school. I used to drink alcohol, and smoke weed. I was raised lds, and I had a very tainted view of God if any view of Him at all. My way of honoring God back then was not to get drunk or high on Sundays. I knew that God existed. I just didn't know Him. All my life I chased being liked by my peers. I would adapt to mirror the people around me both in personalities and aneurysms. Peer pressure would get to me like 90-95 % of the time. I remember my best friend at the time coming to me, and getting me to smoke weed on a Sunday. About a month after that he ended up inviting me to church.  Naturally I wasn't hearing that. He kept inviting me for about two months. I kept declining him every time. Somewhere during this time I ended up watching a movie called Prince of Egypt. As someone that was raised lds. I was never taught about the true power of God. As they tend to focus more on the book of Mormon, and less on the bible. After watching that movie I remember saying to myself; I want to know a God like that! One of the times my friend was hanging out at my house. We ended up watching that movie together. We talked about it for a while, and in that conversation I told him, that I wanted to know a God that powerful. This opened the door for him to invite me again to join him, and his uncle to go to the church they attended; Which by the way was a Foursquare Gospel church. I told him that he was the one to get me to smoked weed on a Sunday, and now you want me to go to church with you? After about an hour, or so he finally convinced me to go with them. Along with this situation. My step grandpa (Who claimed to be Christian.)  was showing me bible verses every time we would go see him. Being lds but not lds I didn't know my bible. The only thing I knew how to do was reject everything he tried to show me. I am sure he would also pray for me, but I don't know for sure he never told me. I respected him. He ended up influencing me quite a bit through his time here on the earth. I ended up going to church with my buddy, and  his uncle. The first time I went I really enjoyed it. Mainly because it got me out of the house, but also I got to meet new people. I also got to be with my best friend. Before I made the decision to start going to this church full time. I turned to my step grandpa to seek his opinion of this church. After attending a Wednesday night service. My step grandpa  gave me the go ahead. I started to attend as much as I could. It was mostly when my best friends' uncle could give us a ride. I was 14 at the time, so transportation was rare for me to come by. Now attending this church I got lead through the "sinners prayer", and I was told that I was saved. So I believed them. After all, my knowledge of anything God related was zero. During the five years that I attended that church. I really honed in my skill to blend in. All my life style change was on the outside. Nothing was happening  on the inside. I didn't know at the time, but I know now. I was a false convert. I was an enemy of God. I didn't want to read His word. I didn't love the things He loves. I didn't hate the things He hates. It was all about me and what I wanted. I ended up becoming an usher, and attend every service. Which was Sunday morning 8am -10am and 11am-1pm. Then evening service started at 6pm and went till 8pm. Wednesday night's had a service from 6-8pm. During this time; I ran for a financial board member, and was voted in. I also served as a security guy during the second service. I was encouraged to become a pastor. Everyone would tell me that I had that calling on my life. So naturally I gave into the peer pressure, and started to believe that I was called to be a pastor. I started to teach the jr high bible class at this church every Wednesday night. This was the time when I meet my wife at a youth group event that I was attending. We started dating when I was 17 and got married at 18. She joined me in teaching the jr high class. I remember one night coming home from teaching that class. She said it felt like kids trying to teach kids. She had just gotten saved herself, and felt that we /she needed to grow more before we had this responsibility. So we stepped down from our teaching jr high class. Around this time our youth pastor started planning a church plant in the same area. When he left we decided to go with him. We attended that church as church leaders, and sound technician for about two years. Still no growth in my Christian walk. Smoking weed had stopped after saying the sinners prayer, but getting drunk did not. I would live like the devil all week long, and be a Christian on Sunday's. Sometime in 2005/2006 I stumbled across a Christian radio channel that would play 20 minute clips of Wretched radio. It was a segment of Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, and Todd Friel open air preaching. They would evangelize to any, and everyone. It wasn't on a whole lot, but I would tune in every chance that I had. I listened to them for about 3 months. I was trying to figure out what they where preaching, because what they were saying was offensive to me. As a Christian I never herd the gospel presented in such away. I could tell something was there I just didn't know what. I went to my pastor at the time, and my best friend. I wanted to get their thoughts on what was being said on the radio. They both told me that the way the gospel was presented by Wretched radio was harsh, and that they disagreed on how they were doing it. They told me to win people to Christ you need to be the example of love towards the lost. Afte my conversation with them. I stopped listing to that station. Mainly because it was offensive, but also because of my mentor and best friend's words. In 2006 my wife and I moved to Utah. We pursued our own church plant. While in Utah we got plugged into the closest Foursquare gospel church in our area. It was a 45 min drive to this church. There we made some good friends. We were meet with open arms. The pastor of this church had successfully planted a church My wife and I were planning to do the same. He started to take me under his wing and show me the ropes. He would always tell me that he was going to try to get me to quit.  If he could get me to quit. Then I was not meant to be a pastor. I was very thankful for that tactic. The company I worked for at the time had satellite radio in every piece of their equipment, and trucks. Fishing through all the Christian channels.....you guessed it. I stumbled back onto Wretched radio. This time the full 2 hour segment every day! At first I would just listen a little bit, then I would change it when I started getting offended. Eventually God broke through to me. He showed me that I was a law breaker, and He demands justice for my crimes. I couldn't hide in the crowds, there was no one else pushing me with peer pressure. It was God shining a very small light into a very dark place. Exposing my sin. His goodness brought me to repentance and faith! Before I go on I want to make what I'm talking about crystal clear. Based on God's law the (ten commandments). You are found guilty before Gods courts. Let me prove it. Have you ever told a lie? Someone who tells lies is a liar. Have you ever stolen anything in your whole life regardless of it's value? Someone who steals is called a thief. Have you ever used Gods holy name as a filth word? God is holy, and you dragged His name through the mud; Breaking the 3rd commandment. Have you ever looked with lust? Jesus said that whoever looks with lust in their heart commits adulty with that person in their heart. Have you ever murdered someone? Jesus said anyone who is angry with his brother commits murder in his heart. A good example of this is when your driving down the road, and someone cuts you off . You flip them the bird, and cuss them out. That anger and rage comes from  a murderous heart. We just looked at 5 of the 10 commandments. The bible says that no liar, thief, blasphemer, Adulterer, or murderer, will enter the kingdom of God. So if you stand before God on judgment day. Would you be guilty or innocent based on the ten commandments? Guilty was my answer! Based on that you, me, and everyone else should be punished for the crimes we commit, or laws we have broken. God place of punishment is called hell. Thats the bad news. The good news is that, He made a way for us to be set free from our sin. It comes from Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. Jesus, fully man and fully God. through his life's blood paid our fine. It's like when a criminal gets bail of a billion dollars. As long as that billion dollars gets paid the criminal would be set free. That's what Jesus did for us. He drank up the full cup of God's holy wrath. God's demand for Justice was fully satisfied! Paid in full. So we may go free. Not because of what we have done, but because of what He has done. Our response to this is we must repent (means to turn away from) our sins and trust in the finished work of Jesus's sacrifice. Best way to describe this is, if you were planning on partying getting drunk, and high this Friday. To repent of it means you would not plan on getting drunk, or high ever again. Trusting in Jesus's work on the cross is like, putting on a parachute jumping out of an airplane. Your trust is 100% in that parachute. So is your eternal salvation is 100% in the work of Jesus. This is the Good news of the gospel. This is what happened to me when I got saved! I didn't repeat words of someone else. No one told me I was saved. It happened between the Lord and I. After all those years it finally clicked. God was very patient with me, and kept working on me. No matter how hard I tried to blend in, or be accepted by my peers. He saved me from my sin! Now after God saved me. I stopped pursuing my so called calling for becoming a pastor. I called everyone I knew at the time, and told them what had happened. I remember calling my mentor/ youth pastor from the first church, and telling him. He had told me that I was crazy. That I had been saved this whole time. I was just experiencing growing from glory to glory. I didn't have the fruits of the sprit. I didn't understand law, grace, repentance, and faith. IE the gospel. So how could I be saved? Besides salvation is between God and the one He saves. No one can tell you that you are saved. My best friend was just kind of like good for you man, and brushed it off. I think now looking back at it. Everyone's reaction to this was due to them not wanting to reevaluate their relationship with God. Because then they might have to repent them selves. That's just my own speculation. I know that they them selves where lead through the sinners prayer, and boom they were saved. I am at peace now living my life dedicated to God. I no longer have to worry about what people think. As long as I am serving my Lord and Savior and pursuing His will in my life. It is well. He gave me a new heart that response to His stimuli. He replaced my heart of stone that did not respond to His stimuli. He has blessed me with a beautiful family, and a full life. One that I don't need to seek others opinions about me. One I don't need to blend into. One I can live out for Him! He grows me everyday through his word (the bible). For this I am thankful. All the glory, and praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus. The one only true Christ. Amen! If you would like to talk about anything I have talked about or have any questions.   Please send an email to Dead2sin@yahoo.com Thanks for listing. The Lord be with you, and you with the Lord.