My Testimony Of Salvation

I'll try and keep my salvation story "short" and sweet (considering I kind of posted it else where)

My mother is Serbian Orthodox, my father a Muslim. I was not really raised with any religious beliefs, since I was fairly young I remember believing in reincarnation. When I was about 8, I entered into some foster homes, as my mother became ill. I saw her praying to God once or twice during this time, and I mocked her, telling her no one was listening.

The first foster home I got put in was a Charismatic foster home, I remember attending one of their services, and they performed a 'slaying in the spirit' to me, which as an 8 year old kid, that totally freaked me out, and from about that point on, I avoided Christianity like the plague.

From the age of 8 till I was about 17-18 I stayed firm in my atheist beliefs, I believed in reincarnation, but it wasn't something I was all die hard to defend against.

A Christian friend of mine who was heading up state met up with me before he left, we got to talking about religion and his beliefs. I was intrigued because after I left school, he had a dramatic change in behavior after a trip to Vanuatu.

After the discussion I was no longer positive there was no God, I became somewhat agnostic.

Before that time I did not really respect anyones religious beliefs, and would be very mocking of them, after the talk, I became very respectful, and saw every religion basically trying to explain the 'unknown'.

I read up on every religion, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, etc etc. The only one I didn't really look at was Christianity.

After studying these religions, I saw that all of them were man made, and that Islam, while not 100% sure it was man made, I was sure it had nothing really in it, as it contradicted itself, and some of the things mentioned in it were disturbing.

Example of which was in the preface of the Quran I obtained, it glorified the killing of 'infidels' that resisted Islam. I pretty much stopped reading the Quran after that.

Judaism while it seemed to be the real deal, some 'facts' mentioned in the book I got about it made me disregard it.

I for some reason later on got a Bible, it was an NIV, and since I read a Bible once before, I didn't really like it, since I preferred the old English.

I only read the first few chapters of Genesis.

A great influence on me was a friend I met at college, he is an Anglican, and his testimony really blew me away, his walk with the Lord, and his love for Him was amazing, we would talk about religion all the time, and I think he truly impacted on me.

(It is a shame though about some of his beliefs, he doesn't believe in eternal security and other things, I hope to get a chance to meet up with him again and discuss these things with him)

When I got back to college, at the enrollment day, there was a group of people from Gideons. They hand out NT Bibles. As I was walking to the place I needed to go, I noticed a man looking at me, and instantly I knew he wanted to give me a Bible.

As I tried to avoid him by making a long turn around him, he came up right to me and handed me a Bible. Since I was superstitious I couldn't throw it in the garbage bins around me like a lot of other people did.

It sat on top of my bedside for a long time, I read the first page of Matthew, but stopped reading it after I got bored going through the genealogies.

Later on I talked to a friend that was a Christian and asked him to give some recommendations about what book to read in the Bible, he suggested John and Romans.

After reading a passage towards the end of John 8, I got convicted, I read things before that in John (as in John 3 and 4) that really got to me, but none convicted me, I finished both John and Romans, and reflected on what I had read.

I read up on a creationist site to put my mind at ease on evolution, after their arguments on the site satisfied me, I was at somewhat peace.

I started playing Tony Hawk Underground, and I started reflecting on Christs sacrifice for me, I started crying, and I dropped to my knees and cried out unto the Lord.

I was thinking before hand that I didn't want to change at all, because I didn't want to freak out my friends. The instant I got saved, I knew it was wrong to swear, take the Lord's name in vain, and listen to the music I was listening to, I took care of all these things immediately. (I threw out all my music except my techno, I justified it for a few weeks, saying it had no lyrics therefore it was okay, but I gave in to the Lord about it a few weeks later after my salvation and got rid of that too)

That's it I think! (Sorry I was so long! )

I have posted my salvation story before on a forum and got mixed reviews.

~ Alen ( AKA ) Tisme

 

I appreciate this. Well, I still struggle with wordly things/people, but am just glad God is next to me fighting the battle.