New Wine Testimony: Jan

I came to know about Jesus Christ as I lay in the hospital facing a debilitating disease and surgery. I found a Bible next to my bed and read Job. I was impressed and wanted to learn more. I did Bible studies with neighbors. I did Bible studies at my friend's church and I was even fed at Bible camps. I thought I was a good Christian but, as I look back, I realize that it was all about me and not about our Sovereign God.

Then something happened that started a period of spiritual growth where I learned more in six weeks than I had learned in the past 30 years. I lost my job and began Nouthetic counseling in hopes of curing my depression. My counselor taught me that the root cause of my depression is sin and one of my sins was smoking. I was ruining the body God gave me, and I knew it. One of the things my counselor did was to direct me to "Setting Captives Free" so that I would have a daily dose of scripture to affirm the need to quit smoking. God, with the Word, took me from smoking a pack a day, using strong anti-depressants and sleeping pills to medication-free and smoke-free. I learned the value of obedience and the value of not only reading and learning the word, but also putting it into practice.

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Colossians 1:21-23

My life is so different now. I have a peace I never had before. Scripture is exciting, knowing that our sovereign God has me exactly where he wants me to be so He can complete His work in me. Now that is a wow!

Heb 12:1 Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.