Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.
When I began going to church, I was not saved and actually thought it would be like all the other churches I tried going to. It was going to be a message about God, praying and then walking out and getting on with my life.
This church was different. It had a different vibe to it. I didn’t know what it was. After about the third time going a lady, a stranger brought me a brand new Bible.
But I wasn’t automatically saved and wasn’t really feeling anything, after a year I was baptized with water. Not because I felt anything, but because I knew I didn’t have a chance of getting into heaven until I was.
It was three years of reading my Bible, praying and asking for forgiveness every day. Until one day, I knew I was forgiven and God loved and cared for me. The first day I knew everything that my mother said to me was a lie, to make me feel not loved or cared for.
It was like a consuming fire came over me. The Holy Spirit’s presence came inside of me. It was a powerful, purifying fire that burned away my sin and cleansed my heart. My entire body felt warm, and I knew God had forgiven me. It was the most powerful thing that ever happened to me. It wasn’t drugs or alcohol. It was a day I had gone grocery shopping, a day I asked forgiveness for all my sins.
It was that day I knew God loved and forgave me. Because of that day, I will never deny Him because He transformed my life, and made me a new person.
From Pity to Praise 