New Wine Testimony: Gundy

Let me begin by saying, "Praise the LORD!" He is my Rock and my Salvation, and I do not deserve His infinite love and mercy and grace. Amen. My story is typical of the wayward sinner who was enslaved in the iron chains of sin that reeked of alcohol, and was far from God's holy presence. Through my drinking, I was on a path headed directly for destruction - physical, mental, and spiritual. The allure of the bottle that Satan tempted me with time and time again was one that I could never fight against by my own power. Try as I might, I could never muster the willpower or find the answer to true freedom through my own actions or in man's "wisdom." Only when I was at the brink of destruction did the LORD open my eyes and call me back to Himself. He led me to Setting Captives Free on 2 July 2005 through a website called studylight.org while deployed with the US military to support combat operations overseas. Away from my wife and the friends with whom I had been faithfully and blatantly disregarding God's Word, I was able to faithfully devote myself instead to the teaching of the lessons New Wine presents, and it has been a life-changing blessing for me indeed. I am a new man in Christ - I did not choose to disengage myself from my sinful ways for the sake of my marriage or for my own pride or any other reason other than to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is where the journey began. Today, I am enjoying the utmost freedom in Christ, and now know how to take the offensive against the enemy, unequivocally defeat sin, and remain free from the captivity of sin's enslavement. Being in His Word every day, praying to God and lifting His name high, magnifying Who He is - this is the answer and the joy of longing after and finding freedom from sin's captivity and I thank God every day for it. Praise be to Yehoshua ha Masheach, Jesus the Messiah! Psalm 9:10 says, "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.? My mentors name is Bill, and he has been a tremendous blessing in my life, even though we are 12 time zones and some 11,000 miles apart. He is a godly man, a picture of wisdom, and an outstanding faithful mentor. Thank you Bill for all your hard work, and most importantly your faithful prayers. It has made a difference in my life. Yours in Christ, Gundy