As I write this testimony my mind wanders back to the years when I first decided I wanted to live a life that God would be pleased. My thinking at that time lead me to believe that after my baptism, all my bad habits would be left in the pool, and that I would emerge this new creature clean and white. I was not prepared for the thing that would happen next….TEMPTATION. I’d taken on the baptism. All my old things should be passed away. I’m looking for my new things to be of God. Right?! After leaving the safe haven of the saints (first mistake) and finding myself alone, some of the bad habits that I’d created began to fight to remain in my life. I would sometimes have these wars in my mind and not knowing and fully understanding the scriptures I would yield to temptation under the notion that the thought of committing acts was just as bad as committing them. Then there were times that I yielded because I didn’t have the strength to stand up to old friends, I didn’t have the power to deny myself. As I look back on some of these situations the opportunities for escape were there, but more times than not, I did not want to escape, yielding felt better than resisting. I am grateful that God did not allow my mind to be at ease with this type of lifestyle. As I continued to come to service I began to realize, through the teaching, that an essential part my salvation at this point would be separating myself from unbelievers. I began to cling to members of the church and although temptation remained (and will remain), the testimonies and life experiences of others allowed me to see that I too can fight the good fight of faith. I came to realize that the first steps to crucifying the flesh (the old me) would be to deny myself and fight “The Temptor”(devil) and his temptations. I began to recognize that when faced with temptation I had a choice…to walk into it or not. It is by the grace of God that I now live a clean and dedicated life. I’ve gained strength through persistent resistants to various temptations. Now all my old things are passed and away and all things have become new and my new things are of God.

 

 

Click Here to read the testimony of Brother Quentin Jackson

Click Here to read the testimony of Brother Shedrick Pullin

Click Here to read the testimony of Minister Grover Jones, Jr.

Click Here to read the testimony of Brother Emmitt Robinson III