My Testimony Part 2

My Testimony, Part 2

Thesis: The renewing of my mind started to take place after my salvation and the Lord gently lead me through the process.

Text: II Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:2

Introduction: My testimony does not stop at salvation but it continues on. For many they get saved but never get mentored and their minds never renewed and so they fall away . Some of the guys who got saved before me fell away. I never did. I thank the Lord for Roland a NCBC student who among others helped disciple me. There was the Jackson family, Rufus and Diane, Pastor Nate and his wife Gail and others. This is a key ingredient that helped me to mature in Christ. This is a must if we ever want to help people mature then they need to be mentored.

The rest of the story- After Christ!

I. The gentle leading of the Lord for the renewing of my mind.

a. My mind began it’s reprogramming through:

i. Daily reading of the word.

ii. Through Bible studies with Roland and the guys at work

iii. Through going to every service

iv. Through all night prayer meetings

v. Through relationships with others at the church

vi. Through Youth Group

vii. Through service- the guys and I set out to totally remodel the church over the next 6 months for just the cost of labor.

b. The change of direction from the renewing of the mind process.

i. My desire to date unsaved women stopped. I could not!

1. I was at the time of my salvation dating a girl named Mary Ann

a. She had tried to commit suicide many times very troubled.

b. I went to her house one day to help her get a Christmas tree with my truck. It was early.

c. Before I went up to her apartment I read some from my Bible because I was early and prayed this prayer, “ Lord is this the girl you want me to marry?” “If so show me!”

d. I went up to her place and knocked on the door. There was no answer. I had noticed her car in the lot so I knew she was there. We had talked the night before everything was set. I knocked again no answer. I heard a crash in the apartment. I became concerned. I called out Mary are you there are you okay?” No answer. I became real concerned and pushed on the door it was locked. I really felt she was in trouble so I through my body against the door and the door cracked. I stopped I did not want to destroy her door. So I went down to the super’s office and he called the police and we went up and they opened the door. When I went in with the officer, “Mary called out I am in the bedroom don’t come in!’ The officer then left and the sup and I said, “ What’s a matter!” I am very sick please go! Then I heard a man’s voice in their. I said “Who is that!” She yelled just leave, “He ‘s afraid you are going to beat him up, it’s my old boyfriend.” So I left.

i. She called later on that day and apologized.

ii. I told her that I was coming over to repair her door. I felt bad about it! So I went over and fixed it. She gave me sob story that nothing happened between them and gave me a Christmas present she had bought me.

iii. Believe it or not I believed her. Forgetting about my prayer to the Lord to show me!

iv. But late that week I was at a disco and ran into a mutual friend of ours. She gave me a different story. She said Mike I have to tell you, “She told me that you where so stupid because she deceived you into thinking she did not sleep with him when she did.”

v. I remembered the prayer I prayed “The Lord had revealed that she was not the one and to severe the relationship which I did.”

vi. She did call me a lot to work it out. But I knew. She for a wile kept telling me she had something for me but I had to come over. One night she called me and said her window was broke could I please come and look at it. I had a check in my spirit so I took my two Christian friends Bob and Carl with me. When I got there I fixed the window she made a play for me to get rid the two because they could not be around when she would give me my present. I went to the guys and said lets get out of here. I never saw her again but I did pray for her.