College Education Makes You Dumber!

I've always viewed the world and it's way of doing things as "The System." It's a form of living set up by Satan to get people to think and act the way he pleases. It's not about doing right or living a godly life for Jesus Christ, while adhereing to his word. Rather, it's propogandizing kids and teach them how to fit in with the New World Order.

College fits into Satan's plan in several ways. First, it takes away all the morales a young person might have (i.e. everyone knows colleges now days are just "party schools" where children get away from their parents and sow their wild oats). Free love, parties, orgies, drunken revelry, etc. are all encouraged in College, especially in Fraternities and Sororities. Even homosexual organizations enjoy no opposition in recruiting the youth into their ranks, exhorting them to experiment with their bodies to see if they are straight or not. In short, College is a place Satan uses to debase the bodies of young people.

Second, college is a place in which the Devil destroys the minds of young people. In almost all colleges, God and the Bible are made fun of, while young people are instructed to "rebel" and "think for themselves." But rather than teaching young people how to think, colleges teach them what to think. Narrow-minded professors push Evolution, Revolution, Communism, and Eastern Mystism on the students, telling them that those are the best forms of spiritualism and government. But rather than comparing them with others, they teach those only while ridiculing everything else.

Further, they teach young people that there are no absolutes. Thus, everything is abstract, and that means you can never have any right or wrong. With this mentality, a child is ruined, never knowing what's good or bad, and they will usually live a life full of guilt from the many mistakes they make continually from day to day. Often this leads to heavy drinking, drug use, and suicide. College offers no hope, and because of this, students are hopeless in the world without the joy and peace that only Jesus Christ offers.

Finally, the outrageous college tuition fees lead most students to secure student loans which they most often NEVER find themselves able to repay. In debt they are pressured to find good jobs in order to pay off their loans. But with the failing economy, they struggle to make ends meet. Soon, they find they are working a 9 to 5 job not to get ahead, but just to keep from getting behind on their bills. They become nothing less than indentured servants working in the rat race for the sole purpose of paying the interest on their debts. Very seldom do they ever get ahead. So in debt they live rest of their lives never knowing the joy and happiness of having a savings account and being free from the burden of oweing so much to others.

Truly, colleges today make people worse off than better. They also teach them to be good robots working within The System. They become slaves which can't think outside the box. And rather than being taught truth, honor, and morality, they are left hopeless, with no one to rely upon but themselves, making them even more prideful and selfish.

I write this, because my wife was on Youtube today and watched a really great documentary about colleges and how they leave people poor and ignorant. You can watch the video yourself at:

College Conspiracy

After you click above, look for the video entitled "College Conspiracy." It is worth a watch!

The Age of "Anti"

I seems like everyone in the world today is against something rather than for something. It's sad, but it appears people have been taught to be hostile rather than hospitable. And, instead of standing for something, the world as a whole is focused on tearing things down.

You don't have to look far to see all the movements against things. You have your:

Anti-Colonialists

Anti-Capitalists

Anti-Creationists

Anti-Christians

Anti-God

Anti-Victorian Morales

Anti-Government

And more.

They all are adamantly against something or someone and seek to destroy it or them. And if you are a Bible-believer, you can't help by see why, as the Bible clearly tells us that in the last days this will happen. It tells us we are in an age of apostasy, in which people turn away from the truth, and the Bible further states that after the rapture the "ANTI-Christ" will come on the scene and rule for seven years.

Maybe there is so much anti in the world today because people are just simply preparing for their leader, who is ANTI-Christ Jesus.

At any rate, it's strange how many people are against things instead of for things. And if you do find them for anything, it's usually something the Bible is very clearly against. Sound like a conspiracy to you???

Verbo vs Palabra

If you speak spanish, and you know a little about the Spanish Bible Controversy, then you have heard about the word "Verbo" in John 1:1. But did you know that was a Catholic word that didn't show up Spanish until the late 1700's? And did you know that the word used before that was "Palabra" in Spanish?

All corrupt versions of the Bible in Spanish use "Verbo." All Protestant versions before the 1700's use "Palabra."

Gail Riplinger has done a great work in writing an essay about this, and showing why "Verbo" is so wrong. Not only is the word from the corrupt Latin Vulgate (that word is "Verbum"), but is also is a New Age, occultic word. And, it's a word that has been consistenly rejected by Christians down through millenia.

Here work is below. I hope it will open your eyes and help you to turn from a corrupt Spanish Bible, to a pure one, as the Valera 1602 Purified is the only Spanish Bible which does not use Verbo.

http://www.rrb3.com/bibles/spnbibl/verbo%20vs%20palabra.htm

(Note: You must have adobe format to open this file)

THE TRUTH ABOUT JACK HYLES

There is still a lot of talk today about Jack Hyles and his followers, known as "Hylesites." Many claim to remember the man as a great Fundamentalist preacher and defender of the Faith. And he is still revered by his followers as one of the greatest "Soul-Winners" that every lived.

But, was this man as great as others claim it was. Or was he not rather, to put it bluntly: a CULT LEADER, who raised up a movement which followed him and his teachings instead of the Bible?

The best way to find out who this man was, is to read more about him. The following links have a lot of information about the man, giving details you might not have heard about him, as well as strange doctrines he taught:

http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/hyles/

http://www.biblicalevangelist.org/jack_hyles_story.php

The last one is a little long, but it is worth a read, for if you really look at this man and then the fruit of his ministry, you will see that it is very shallow.

As a minister myself, I've had opportunities to meet other Pastors who have known this man, and who were either members of his church, granduates of his school, or followers of his, and they have all told me very strange and stories about the man. And, after having studied the man myself, his sermons, and after having looked at the many strange doctrines he preached, I'm left with no other conclusion than the man was a great blank, and a great reproach to the cause of Christ, for he spent more time pointing others to himself than he did pointing Sinners to Christ Crucified. (Note: He even had pins made up which said, "100% Hyles" in which his followers wore to show their loyalty to the man. Wouldn't it better to have a pin that said, "100% Jesus!"?

Mr. Hyles was not only an egotiscial, carnal man, who's fleshly desires showed forth in his preaching, but he was also a very shallow soul winner. I've personally heard time and again of stories told by him about how he bragged on his winning souls. Below I give just two examples:

THE ELEVATOR

In this story, Mr. Hyles supposedly lead a person to the Lord going down an elevator from one story to another.

But how is this even possible?

THE STOPLIGHT

One story that Mr. Hyles told was how he had "told God" that he was going to win seven people to the Lord that day. He was on his way home, and he had won (I use that term lightly) only six, so he stopped at a stop light and looked towards his left and saw a man in a convertible. He yelled to the man, "Hey, do you believe in Jesus?" The man responded, "I sure do!" And then Mr. Hyles drove off thanking God that he was able to win that man to the Lord through his confession in Jesus.

Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see these are not true conversions to Christ. In fact, that's not even enough time to give the person the Gospel. But as you look at the fruit of Hylesism, you find this same Shallow soul-winning in his followers, who very seldom take time with sinners to clearly present them them the bloody, crucified Jesus who died for their sins on the Cross. Instead, they often only give three or at the most four verses from the Romans Road, and then pressure the Sinner to only "repeat after them." But where is the Gospel in this???

Sadly, Hylesim gets the emphasis off the SAVIOUR and onto the SOUL-WINNER, while leaving the SINNER's soul hanging in the balance.

I'll give just a few more illustrations of "Hyleism" as case in point.

THE SOUL WINNER

I was in Arkansas with another Missionary, and we attended a Missions Conference. The first day they took all the Missionaries to play golf. I didn't play, so I went street preaching. The next day they went somewhere, but I went off with a teenager and preached downtown. The third day I could take it no more, so I went to the Pastor, a very big Hylesite, and said, "Hey, you got a lot of Missionaries here. Why not have us go to house to house visitation?"

The pastor replied, "Hey, that's a good idea! Why didn't I think of that?"

He gave us maps and told us where to go, but only after saying, "Anybody who wins a soul to Jesus we will support financially."

That left a bad taste in my mouth. People should win souls for Jesus, not for money. I seem to remember my Daddy telling me something about people who will do anything for money. What was that? Oh, yeah, they are PROSTITUTES!

Anyway, my partner and I came across two black men, and I watched my partner take them through the scriptures for a solid 45 minutes. When he got done, there were tears running down their faces, and they trusted the shed blood of Jesus Christ right then and there to save their souls. As these men drove away, the other Missionaries came up to us, one of them a cocky guy, who was bragging upon himself, and, "I won three to the Lord, I won three people to the Lord!"

When he approached us he asked my partner, "Did you win anyone to the Lord?" My partner responded, "Dear brother, I just had the opportunity to win two black boys to the Lord." To the which this Hylesite protoge quickly interjected, "Ha! I'm better than you, because I won three to the Lord, and you only won two!"

Is that how we are supposed to serve Jesus? Sadly, Hylesism makes soul-winning into a contest in which those who claim to be Christians turn into competitors who don't take their time to explain the Gospel clearly, rather only trying to pressure people to simply repeat a prayer, so they can quickly go away and brag upon themselves to the other brethren and say, "Guess how many I won?" But is this true Christianity? Are we to brag upon ourselves, or are we not rather to simply brag on Jesus?

And what's worse is oftentimes those who they claim to win to Jesus have no idea what's going on. They only repeat the words to the prayer they are given, not knowing what's going on. And the words come from their mouths, not from their hearts.

THE BUS MINISTRY

I'm not for or against bus ministries. I'll be frank, though, I am against PROGRAMS which many Hylesites use on their buses though. I talked to one young lady who used to ride a Hyles bus to church every Sunday. She said on the ride home they would tell all the children, "Now you can't have any candy unless you get saved! So pray this prayer!" Afterwards, they would ask those who prayed the prayer to raise their hands, and then they went and gave them candy.

I personally saw myself the Bible of a man who worked one of Hyle's bus ministries, and on the front of his Bible he had the names of those he'd supposedly won to the Lord. I clearly saw the same name written down THREE DIFFERENT TIMES. So when did that person get saved, because you only get saved once? Did that person ever really get saved to begin with?

THE BLOOD OF JESUS

I preached in a church in Guatemala for a Missionary from Hyles School. I preached on the Blood of Jesus Christ. When I finished the Missionary told me that he was wrong all those years for not preaching the blood, and that he will start preaching it more often. So, WHY WASN'T HE PREACHING THE BLOOD BEFORE?

Sadly, this is common with most Hylesites, as they preach a BLOODLESS GOSPEL, and try to coax Sinner's into coming to God through repeating instead of stressing the need to trust Jesus through repenting (i.e. turning from trusting their own righteousness, to trusting the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ).

In Guatemala with this same Missionary, I saw a book he had which claimed to be written by Hyles. (Interestingly enough, it came out AFTER he passed away. How you write a book after you are dead is interesting). The book was entitled, "The Blood, the Bride, and the Book." Both me and my wife read it, and afterwards we both said the same thing, "It was like a confession from the man of what he didn't preach in his ministry and what if he had it all over again to do he would have preached." In other words, it was like a CONFESSION of his not preaching the BLOOD for salvation.

IN SUMMARY

Whether you like him or not, Jack Hyles has had a huge impact on modern day Fundamentalism. With his Pastor Schools, College, Books, etc., he has affected many pastors within the Independent Baptist Movment, many of which often mimick the man and imitate his programs and methods. But are they doing right by doing so? Should they too follow his shall evangelism techniques, which leave out faith in the blood of Jesus Christ?

The answer is a simple, NO! They should instead turn toward the scriptures, and preach the doctrine means of salvation by FAITH in the BLOOD of Jesus CHRIST (Rom. 3:25).

Hyles' appeal to others was the size of his church. Every Pastor wants a big congregation. But as you study the life of Hyles, you will find he compromised on what he taught in order to get such a large following. He also compromised his morals, which lead to his strange doctrinal teachings. He also allowed women positions of power in his organizations, and never taught on the home, and the position of the husband as a type of Christ and the wife as a type of the Church. Because of this there were many divorces within his ranks, and many busted homes and unhappy children.

If you want to follow Hyles and lift him up as a great man, then you are free to do so. But the truth is he is very shallow in his morals, in his doctrine, and in his soul-winning. So much so, that one who is a true Bible Believer must even wonder if he was saved to begin with, and whether or not he ever really won people to Jesus. For Hylesism is nothing more than modern day Phariseeism, in which many ministers have learned from Hyles how to be nothing more than little dictators who lead their congregations as they please. Instead of encouraging them to read their Bibles and follow God according to the scriptures, many Hylesites get their congregations so busy doing something that they often are left weary and worn out, and thus willing to passively obey without question. (Note: Those in Hyles' college who studied their Bibles often and for many hours were often ridiculed for doing so and labelled as "Deeper Lifers." What ever that means.)

As for me, I'm going to exalt Jesus and point Sinners to him slain for their sins on a Bloody Cross. I'm not following a man. I'm following the man Christ Jesus who died for me.

And, I'm going to win souls THE BIBLE WAY, and not the HYLES WAY. If you don't know the difference, then you need to find out. For Hyles method often leaves 'em converted to Hyles, but many times unconverted to Christ.

Submitting to your Pastor or your Pastor Submitting to you?

This is much injustice in religious circles of today, much as it was in the time of Jesus. The Pharisees looked righteous outwardly, but inwardly they were wicked, ravenous wolves. They only cared about gain (how much money they could make) and how they could look more godly in the eyes of others.

I'm sure if you looked at them, you probably would have thought they were truly holy. They probably would have said things like, "I'm so blessed of God, just look at all I have that God has given me!" And, "I do so much for the Lord, just look at how spiritual I am because I do that!"

And, you probably would have believed them that it was indeed God that gave them all they had for their service to him. However, the truth is they were schemers and deceivers who enriched themselves by taking advantage of God’s people. Just look at what Jesus said to them in Matthew 23:

10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Even though they looked spiritual outwardly, they could not fool the Lord. And if you could have seen them inwardly, as Jesus did, you would have seen a greatly different picture than what they tried to present to others, as they were completely eaten up with avarice and greed, which lead to their bitterness, hatred and malice towards Jesus Christ.

And, if you were to look at their fruit, you would find that their religion was all LIES, as they were the ones who crucified the Lord. They would not submit to him or his rule, even though he was their God--Their Messiah. It's because they wanted to have the rule over man, and they wanted to run things their way instead of God's way. The priests desire was for the people to submit to them so they could get the fame and fortune. It was all about they themselves, and not about Jesus.

How different a picture is painted in the New Testament of those called Pastors. Jesus did not say they were to be Masters, rather "Ministers." That is one who "ministers" to others. A Pastor, then is not to be like the Phariseeical priests but rather is to be a Compassionate Preacher. And he is not to Lord over his congregation, or milk them for money. The Bible is very clear about this in 1 Peter 5:

1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

But are all Pastors today like this? Sadly, they are not. Many brow-beat their congregations and command them to submit to them, just like the Pharisees of old did to the people of Israel. Often they preach so hard on tithing, faith promise, mission giving, etc., that you would swear that’s the only message they know to preach. (Not that there is anything wrong with giving money to God. But people should do so because they love Jesus, not because they are pressured or made to feel guilty if they don’t).

Of course the Bible does tell us to submits ourselves to our spiritual leaders in Hebrews 13:17, which reads:

“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

But notice this is spiritual submission, and it is submitting to a man who cares about you and watches for your souls, not so that he might profit, but so that you might be profitable unto the Lord.

This verse also states that a Pastor will one day give account of himself to God for how he treats you. I wonder if those Pastors of today that are spiritual dictators or little Popes who use their power to manipulate their congregations for their own profit ever think about this. They will have to give account to God for their actions!

In Matthew 20:25-28 we read:

"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Here is a command from the Lord for a Pastor NOT to exercise “dominion” over his people, but rather to MINISTER unto them as a servant. The Pastor, then, should submit to his people to be there for them and help them, take care of them, pray with them, talk with them, etc., in their time of need.

1 Timothy 5:17 tells us plainly how a Pastor or a Minister is supposed to rule his congregation: "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. "

Pastors should always point people to the scriptures, and tell others what the word of God says. And they should follow the word of God themselves, especially when it tells them how they should behave. 1 Peter 4:8-11 commands:

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

It’s easy to tell if a man is a good Pastor or not by whether or not he points people to the scriptures and glorifies God, or if he only gives his opinion and uplifts himself. If he is continually telling his congregation to follow him instead of follow God then he’s most likely a sorry excuse for a Pastor.

And the truth is you don’t have to submit to such a man, especially if such a man is not willing to submit to God, and submit to you in ministering to you.

This is an important doctrine, as it’s common today to hear about “Pastoral Authority” abuse in which Pastors use their positions of power to control their people, manipulate them, and make them do their will.

You mark it down, if a person is in a church, but he can’t do something because he says, “My Pastor won’t let me do that,” then HE IS IN A CULT!

A true Pastor is someone who will talk to you, and be willing to open the word of God and tell you what it says. He will not tell you what to do, but he will encourage you to do what God says, and he will exhort you to do it because God said it.

So, does the congregation submit to the Pastor, or does the Pastor submit to his people? How would you answer that question? Think about it for a second. How would you answer? Stop reading right here and right now. Don’t read any further. Close your eyes and answer that question to yourself.

How did you answer it? If you only said a congregation should submit to their Pastor, you are wrong! If you answered only that a Pastor should submit to his congregation you are also wrong. The truth of the matter is that both should submit to each other!

The congregation should submit to the Pastor in allowing him to preach to them God’s word, and they should heed it from his lips. And the Pastor should be willing to be available for his people, prepared in knowing what to tell them (Col. 4:6) always ready to give them an answer from the scriptures (1 Peter 3:15),

If you are in a church where you Pastor only preaches that you must submit to him, but he never preaches about how he is supposed to be your minister, your servant, submitting to help your spiritual needs, then you just might be in a CULT! And you need to get out. Don’t worry about what the Pastor says, for many who preach submission to them, will usually say things like, “You’re out of God’s will unless you obey me!” Or “You’ll be out of God’s protection unless you submit to your Pastor!”

But the truth is, God didn’t say that that man had to be your Pastor. You have a choice to choose the man you want to be your Pastor. And you can pick up and leave at anytime and find another church, especially if you feel the man who claims to be your Pastor is trying to control your life, and tell you what to do.

Submission works both ways in the Pastor – Congregation relationship. It’s not to be like the Priests of old that through fear and intimidation coerced the people into believing they had to be under their authority and obey them or else God would destroy them. THEY were the ones God destroyed, and the ones Jesus preached against when he came. For, they were only interested in power and money, and theu used their positions of authority for ungodly gain. If your Pastor does the same, SHAME ON HIM! If he doesn’t, and is a great man of God who loves you, prays for you, and is there for you 24/7, then you ought to get down on your knees that THANK GOD! For you really have something to rejoice about!

Change within the IFB (Independent Fundamental Baptist) Movement

Sometimes I think about old Rip Van Winkle. What an interesting story about a man who went to sleep for forty years, and then awoke to find things were completely different than they once were.

That got me to thinking. Imagine, if you will, what it would be like to really go to sleep for forty years and then awaken. How different things would be after forty years! Your speech would not be easily understood, and you would immediately be shunned and ridiculed for not changing with the times in your style of dress, your mannerisms, and your way of thinking. You just wouldn’t fit in. Nor would you be accepted.

Well, “Times they are a changing,” and we see much change (a modern Obama expression) all around us in our world today, especially in Christian circles, which are supposed to stand fast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58).

But what about those of us who refuse to change? We are called old, “Fuddy Duddies” and the like, and ridiculed for not desiring to change with the times. But shouldn’t we stand fast, no matter how much others change?

We who are Christians are supposed to be followers of God. What does God say about change. Oh, that’s right, he said, “For I am the Lord, I change not!” (Mal. 3:6). And, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Obviously, God is against change.

But my how quickly Christians have deviated from the things of God, and changed. And, oh how much Christianity has changed in the last 40 years. It’s baffling to me to see how quickly they have changed in just the last ten to 15 years (since I’ve been in the ministry).

Many preachers are now meeting in huge Bible Conferences and attacking our beloved King James Bible (and I’m just talking about so-called Fundamental Independent Baptists).

I’ve even heard of some changing the Gospel, claiming it needs to be updated so the world will accept it. I even heard one Fundamentalist Indp. Baptist Preacher say lately: “Times have changed, so we need to change the Gospel to keep up with the times!” What would Jesus say about this?

Christian “counseling” has even changed, as Christian Psychology has replaced the old time way of going to the Pastor and asking him to show you from the Bible the verses that apply to your situation.

Christian music has changed, as upbeat, worldly rhythm has replaced the old-time Christian spiritual hymns. And, instead of focusing on the Biblical message of the words, people are more interested in the results of the melody (i.e. clapping, jumping, dancing, raising hands in the air, etc.)

Sadly, Christian standards have changed, as sanctification is no longer stressed, and churches are encouraged to dress as they wish and live any kind of lifestyle they desire with no restraints.

I often think to myself how interesting it would be to go back in time 40 years or so, and bring forward today an old time sin-hating preacher and ask him to visit some Independent Baptist Churches (my denomination) and tell me what he sees that has changed. How interesting it would be to hear him point out the differences between the IFB movement of his day and the one of today. I’d just bet what he saw would make his blood boil, to see how liberal modern Fundamentalism has become. All because they (as a majority, but not all, there is still a small minority) have changed.

Getting lost and Getting Saved all Within a few Feet and a few Years

I'm blessed to be living in the house that my father built. My grandfather and my uncle also worked on this house, so it's a blessing to be living in the home that has three generations of Breaker's involved in its construction. (As I'm continually working on the house trying to keep it in good shape).

The other day I was in the kitchen of this house, and I broke down in tears as I looked at the kitchen counter, as I realized I'd been eating off this counter most of my life. I also realized that counter was were I got lost, and also where I got saved!

I used to eat breakfast at the end of that counter on a little stool every morning, right under a small plaque with the following Bible verses on it:

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Prov. 3:5,6)

It was at this table that I distinctly remember at the age of five years old thinking about death for the very first time. I didn’t think about heaven or hell, or that I was a Sinner. I only remember thinking that I would one day die, and then cease to exist. The thought scared me that I would not be alive anymore, and I worried about it greatly. My Mom then came over and asked, “What’s wrong?” I answered, “I’m going to not exisit one day and then I won’t be anymore.”

My Mom told me I just needed to ask Jesus into my heart, which I did following her in prayer. But I was NOT saved that day. That I know for sure. I didn’t even know who Jesus was! I thought he was some guy who sat in the back of the church or something.

But that day my Mom counted as my day of salvation. And she told me many times after that I was saved because I did that, i.e., I repeated the prayer.

As I got older, I read Chick tracts, and I would follow the prayer at the end those tracts time and again. I must have prayed that prayer conservatively over 3000 times, as I’d pray it every night before bed. (Starting from age 8 till age 18 makes ten years, and ten times 365 equals 3,650 times I prayed that prayer at least!)

But I was not saved by doing that. In fact, I was trusting in my PRAYER instead of trusting in Jesus Christ. Although I knew who he was and what he did for me, I wasn’t trusting that alone. I was trusting the “formula” at the end of the tract and the prayer it told me to pray to be saved. I was confused. I was deceived. I was lost.

Later my Mom divorced my Dad in 1988 and moved my sister and I to Oklahoma, where I lived for the next four years. I spent that time in a Pentecostal church, and I can honestly say I never heard the Gospel one time in that denomination. All they said was, “Speak in tongues, get filled with the Holy Spirit, and do your best not to lose it!” Once again I was deceived, for you can’t earn your salvation by what you do, and you can’t keep it by what you do. And since I didn’t have it to begin with, I kept trying to get it, and hoping if I did (cause I didn’t ever know if I did or not), that I didn’t lose it! I was in constant turmoil day and night hoping I was saved, but never knowing if I was. I was trusting in what I did (I prayed the prayer, I spoke in tongues, I tried to live a good life, etc).

It wasn’t until July 22, 1992 that I left Oklahoma and went home to live with my Dad. I’d just graduated High School, and I decided I’d go to college at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, and I would live with my Dad while there.

My father accepted me with open arms, and a week later (the 29^th) he sat me down and asked me some questions. I answered the best I could, but I knew my answers were lies. I knew I was a Sinner. But my Dad then told me the Gospel, and I can honestly say that even though I’d been in church every day of my life since I was born, I never heard it before. This was the very first time.

Not only did I hear it, but I understood it, and I accepted it. That was July 29^th, 1992, and it was right there in the kitchen as I sat on the counter top, not three feet away from where I used to eat as a child, and where I repeated a prayer as a child.

I like to say it this way, in 1979 I got lost and deceived, but in 1992 I got saved, and knew it!

I still can’t walk by that kitchen counter without stopping and looking at both spots. How it thrills my heart that God gave me the Gospel and allowed me to get saved, even though it took 13 years (I was 5 when I prayed the prayer, but 18 when I trusted Christ as my Saviour). How short a distance (only three feet), but how long a time (13 years).

It’s amazing to me to still be able to sit down in the dining room in the house I was saved in and just look over at the counter where I was born again. I feel so blessed to have been able to have been born again at the very same spot in which I got lost, even though it was years later. And I’m thankful that I had a Dad who loved me enough and cared enough about me to take me through the scriptures and show me Christ crucified. Without him, I’d probably still be lost and in agony, wandering through the motions of a religious denomination, but never having that blessed assurance in my heart of knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’m saved and on my way to heaven.

I think about it sometimes, knowing the rapture is soon, and I think to myself, “Wouldn’t it be cool to be sitting on that same kitchen counter with the rapture comes?” Then I could go out of here the same place I got saved! That’d be so cool! Until then, I’m going to keep preaching the Gospel and hoping others will get saved, for there are countless millions of people out there like I was – religious but lost. I pray they too will see the light and come to Jesus alone for salvation, giving up trusting in anything and everything they’ve ever done, and rely completely upon what Jesus did for them.