I was raised in a very religious and devoutly Catholic family. Therefore, as a child I never knew anything different. However, I never completely accepted my family’s religion and was ever quite rebellious toward it. As I grew older, I became a person who only loved to party and have a good time. I was definitely not seeking after God. However, I later came to see that God was seeking after me.
Around 1981, my sister began telling me about her personal experiences of the Lord Jesus. I had never heard such a thing and this stirred up my desire to read the Bible, which I began to do regularly. Later, one of my neighbors, a woman who lived in my apartment complex, began sharing with me about the Bible and about Jesus Christ. Through all these situations , the Lord was preparing my heart. Up to this point I had listened to my sister and my neighbor and I even had been reading the Bible. Yet, I did not know what it meant to be saved or to be born anew. But things were about to happen which would change my life.
One evening I was thrust into a situation where my life was being threatened by a man. At that very juncture, I remembered the words spoken to me by my neighbor about the Lord, and within me was a spontaneous faith. I responded by speaking to the man who was threatening me. I told him that the Lord Jesus was in the room with us. He thought I was crazy, but this speaking subdued the situation completely.
After that night, I knew something had changed in me. I no longer was full of anger or anxiety and I had a deep peace and calm. Old habits began fading away and the sinful things which were formerly interesting to me lost their attraction. I found myself in frequent conversations with God. I even began reading the Bible with my neighbor. I was being changed from within; however, God was not through with me yet.
My neighbor asked me to go with her to a Bible study at the home of some Christians she had met. In this meeting, they were singing loudly, praising, shouting hallelujah and rejoicing. Being familiar only with the Catholic church, I was awestruck and a little overwhelmed. It would take some time for what I had experienced there to sink in. But I did sense God’s presence there. Eventually I found that I wanted to go back, and did go back with my neighbor and one of her other friends who had just received the Lord. Again there was joyful singing, praising and shouting, but this time I joined in and called on the name of the Lord with all my heart. I was filled with joy and inner peace. I would never be the same again.
Since that time my life has radically changed. I love all the believers, I love the Bible, I love the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. I love the wonderful local church. I love to meet together with others and sing, pray and praise the Lord, “This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior, all the day long. This is my story, this is my song…praising my savior, all the day long.” (Hymns # 308) .
Sandra Grace