Monday, December 05, 2005

Samantha, You've Enspired Me...

...To tell how God is so very good to me--and has been all my life. I'm blessed beyond my wildest imagination, just becuase I'm His child, and growing in Grace.


I first was babtised when I was a little girl. I was four years old.

I didn't want to go to hell.

And so I went on, for years.

Sinning. Being a little girl.
All the while growing up in a home with parents who believed the Message.
Listening to Brother Branham. Going to church. Singing. Sinning.

Yet all the while, God had His hand on my life. I finally came to the knowledge that I was a sinner--and not surrendered to God--at age 14. And there I surrendered to Him.
And there, I began to live the Message by my own works.
Which is to say, not well. At all.

I knew there was a piece missing. Something wasn't right.
But I didn't know what.


I'm so thank God for sending me--my family--my church--a Holy Ghost-Filled, Straight-preaching pastor. My most rebellious moments as a teenager were brought into the light of God's Word--and I realized where I was astray. God 's gift will always point out sin and unbelief.
And through the preaching across the pulpit of my Home Church, I realized:

I needed the Holy Ghost.

After I'd realized, I heard it everywhere. In every message I heard, I heard Brother Branham preach the Holy Ghost. When I read the Bible; when I prayed; it was a sore thumb of thought: I needed the Holy Ghost.

I needed to surrender more, though.

And I had to want to surrender.
Not want the Holy Ghost, just to take myself back again.

I sought--for I'm not quite sure how long. And the night when I recieved Him--not as a historical figure, but as my Lord and Savior, who died on the Cross to save me, and would deign to come down and LIVE in ME--it was too awesome for words.

I had no words--I had nothing to offer Him, but sweet surrender.

And I'm still learning my lesson, over and over again, to surrender my life into His complete care. I'm still facing the fact that I AM NOTHING,
and HE IS ALL.



I'm still growing in Grace.
Every trial, every test, every pain is an opportunity to grow into Him more--as long as I take it. It's always an opportunity to lean on Him more; to let Him be more in my life.

And when I fail--which is so often--He is my advocate with the Father.
And I'm sheltered within the cover of His wings.
My voice is heard--but my sins are under the blood.

And because of that, I cannot fail the Lord.

The lord of my life; He has never failed.... On my own, I could never succeed...


Through Him, I cannot fail Him.


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