Testimony of Salvation

Jen Bauer

 

A little while back, I asked some of my readers if they would be willing to share their testimony. I had it on my heart to share my story with others and realised that all too often, we who were raised in Christian families, are hesitant to share our testimony of salvation as we feel that it is not 'share-worthy'. 

We often feel like because of the way we were raised and how blessed we were to be sheltered and protected from so many things, we don't have a lot to share about the chains of sin being broken and burdens being lifted. But oh, how we need to hear of God's goodness and his faithfulness to generations. We needn't be ashamed and bashful about sharing what God has done in our lives. 

We need to be reminded and remind others of how blessed it is to have been kept from so much pain and sorrow and how God can change lives. Even from a very young age God can begin the process of sanctification in us. 

This is the testimony of a very close friend of mine. We share a passion for the Word of God and a desire to see women from all walks of life come to know the joy it is to study the Word and go deeper with God, sharing what they learn with others. 

I pray that this testimony will be an encouragement to you and spur you on to becoming bolder in proclaiming the good news as you share with others God's goodness. 

God bless. 

Psalm 35:9

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

I was raised in a Christian home.  I used to have a bit of shame starting my testimony this way, but as an adult I’m so thankful for the grace of God for allowing me to have a Christian heritage.  My dad was saved as a young boy in a Mennonite Church, after meeting my mom and marrying her, he started attending a local Baptist church.  This church had a Christian school that I was privileged to attend.  My dad made many sacrifices to be able to afford for myself and my three brothers to attend Christian school.

 

When I was six or seven years old, I had been struggling with some things at home so I wrote my teacher a note and put it on her desk asking her if we could talk.  I’m not sure what I was planning to talk about, but during the conversation she directed it and asked me if I had ever been saved.  She shared a few verses, and I knew I was a sinner in need of a Saviour.  Being young there wasn’t any major changes in my life.  I graduated from that Christians school and went off to Bible College.  In Bible College I felt the Lord leading me into missions and I surrendered to His will.  

 

I had begun a friendship with a young man named Patrick.  Patrick had been called to missions when he was six years old, and he knew he was specifically called to Australia to work with Aboriginal People.  So, as we began dating, I knew this was something I needed to consider.  I spoke to my dad about it, and he said, “I would rather my daughter in the middle of the Outback in God’s will than living next door out of God’s will.”  I always had his full support. 

 

Patrick and I were married a year after we started dating.  We finished Bible College a few years later and began our journey to Australia.  After 2.5 years of deputation and 3 years of waiting for a visa, we arrived in Australia.

 

I remember during deputation, my husband had preached a message out of Romans 1 that changed my thinking about my relationship with God.  I realised that I had created a “religious tick list” of things I needed to do out of duty to God.  Go to church. Tick.  Read my Bible.  Tick.  Clean the church.  Tick.  Do this.  Tick.  Don’t do that.  Tick.  I had all the outward signs of being a Christian, but there were no inwards signs, there wasn’t much of a relationship with God.  I began doing Bible Studies with a friend and it challenged both of us to dig deeper into God’s Word.  A transformation was taking place as I began to read the Bible to learn about God and Who He is, rather than read the Bible to get my one little nugget to get me through the day.  

 

As I began to study God’s Word, I found that I loved learning about God, but also that I loved God.  I began to have a relationship with Him rather than a religion full of duties.  Yes, I was still going to church and reading my Bible, but a shift had taken place, and I was doing these things now because I loved God.  I remember when I was young and my teacher told me to do something, I said, “Do I have to?”  She said, “No.  You GET to.”  Now, I don’t think of what I have to do for God, I think about what I get to do for God.  

 

When I think of how much God loves me and how He sent His only Son into the world to live among men, then to suffer and be unjustly killed, so that one day I would come to know Him and have a relationship with Him, it is so humbling to think that the Creator of the Universe, who spoke the world into existence, loves me and wants to spend eternity with me.  How can I not spend what little time I have here on earth to live for him?

 

Jennifer Bauer

 

 

Speak it aloud!

 

I want to address something that I think, we as believers, are often guilty of doing. When we do this, it weakens our faith, it causes doubt and fear and often has us not taking responsibility for our own sinful actions.

What is this thing we can fall into the trap of doing?

It is giving the Devil too much credit.

While it is not wise to underestimate the power of Satan, we often give him more credit than he deserves.

Let me explain.

Many times, we blame the Devil for making us do things that we could have controlled. Contrary to popular belief, the Devil can’t make you do anything! He can tempt and trick us but because we are born sinners (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10-18), our flesh already has sinful desires.

James 1:14 teaches us that “every man is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed”. It sounds like our own flesh and desires can lead us astray without any help.

Don’t misunderstand me, God certainly holds Satan accountable for his own sin and rebellion, but he also holds us accountable for ours.

We are often guilty of saying, “The Devil made me do it”, or “He put thoughts in my head”.

I want to let you in on a little secret that I have been slow in learning over the years.

The Devil is NOT omniscient!

This is a word we throw around in our churches and although it sounds daunting, it simply means “all-knowing”. Omniscience is one of God’s attributes and means that all knowledge of all things, having infinite awareness and insight and complete knowledge is part of his character and his being.

Nowhere, and I mean nowhere, in the Bible are we told that the Devil has this power.

In fact, in the book of 1 Kings, we are told very clearly who it is that is the ONLY one with this power.

1 Kings 8:39 KJV - Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

Did you see that? God alone, God only, is omniscient and can see our hearts and knows our thoughts. No one else has this ability.

God knows our thoughts and he knows what we will say even before we say it or have even thought it! (Psalm 139:4; Matthew 9:4; John 2:25)

There is nothing in the Bible that indicates that Satan knows our thoughts. There are no verses backing this up. In saying this, we must be reminded that Satan is powerful. He, in his rebellion against God, managed to persuade a third of the angels to join him, and we know that he is “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2)

Satan is neither omniscient nor omnipresent (everywhere at all times), but he is very clever at predicting human behaviour because he’s been in the business of turning hearts against God for a very long time.

Sometimes we may think that the Devil and his demons are able to read our thoughts. I do believe that they can hear what we say, if they are in the vicinity, but just because they are very good at predicting the common responses of man to a situation doesn’t mean they know our thoughts.

Satan and his demons have been observing human behaviour for thousands of years and they’ve learned a thing or two. They can often make a well-educated guess as to what we are thinking and then use it to their own advantage.

This is why it’s so important to submit to God and resist the Devil (James 4:7) and also why we are instructed to clothe ourselves in the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). We really are fighting a spiritual battle, and we need to be dressed appropriately.

So where am I going with all this talk of omniscience and power?

The Devil has limitations. And sometimes, we need to meet him in those limitations.

Don’t give him more power than he has!

When I went through my dark days of depression, I began to listen to the lies of the Devil. And when these lies would run through my mind and I was sent spiralling down, I would pray to the Lord to help me combat them. I would read scripture, I would cry and I would pray for God to fight the battle for me and give me strength.

But there was something that I began to do out of sheer desperation and agony of soul.

As I sat on the cold concrete floor of my dark storeroom, tears flowing down my cheeks, the sobs shaking my whole body with fear and anxiety, I began to speak my thoughts aloud.

I realised that the Devil couldn’t read my thoughts. And no, he wasn’t always present, but there were times when I could sense his very real presence and the oppression was unbearable.

And it was in that moment, that I knew he needed to hear me speak truth over my life. He needed to hear me quote the Word of God. He needed to hear my heartfelt cries to God. He needed to know who I was going to for help. He needed to hear my rebuke of him, in the name of Jesus, to leave me alone!

As believers, God has given us power and authority, not to be abused and misused, but to help us as we fight our battles.

Our authority over Satan and the victory that is ours is dependent on the power of God and God’s power within the believer. We have his Holy Spirit living in us. (Galatians 2:20)

Satan cannot force us to sin, he cannot possess us, and he knows ultimately, that we, through Christ will have the victory over him and it’s game over when his time comes.

So, lest you think I’m delving into some weird theology, hear me when I say we have NO power over Satan in ourselves. God has all authority, and he fights on our behalf. If we are submitting ourselves to God, living holy lives, praying for God’s protection and resisting sin and the Devil, we are placing ourselves under God’s protecting hand and Satan has no authority over us.

We can resist the Devil’s attacks just as Jesus did in the wilderness when he was tempted. He used the Word of God. If Jesus defeated the Devil’s temptations through quoting scripture, we certainly can rely on the Bible to overcome Satan’s attacks. The Bible is not called the Sword of the Spirit for nothing! (Ephesians 6:17)

And so it was, that as I faced daily attacks and fear overwhelmed me, I cried out aloud to God. I told the Devil where he could go and what he could do with his lies. I reminded him of his future. I made sure he knew whose side I was on. I let him know who and what it was I trusted in.

The Devil knows when he is defeated. He knows all about God’s power and authority, and when truth is spoken over your life loudly and with a heart of faith, he skulks away to his corner, willing to give up that battle for the moment. But don’t be fooled into thinking he’s given up altogether. He won’t give up until he is bound and cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and tormented forever (Revelation 20:1-10). So, be watchful and armed.

1 Peter 5:8 KJV - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

In closing, I want to share a personal experience about my dark hideaway whose walls held me in for so many months.

A couple of years after I had come out of my depression and was finally living and breathing new life into my lungs with God’s ever-present love and guidance, I had to go back to the old house and tidy up after some renters moved out.

As I opened the door to my little storeroom and walked into its darkness, I once again felt the walls closing in on me, and I began to sob uncontrollably. I stumbled blindly through my tears, back into the light, closing the door hastily behind me.

I was not ready to face it. It was too raw. Too soon.

But only a week or so later, I found myself there again. I was drawn to the room, almost like a force compelling me to open the dreaded door.

This time, though, something had changed. I had a resolve I hadn’t experienced before. I had authority in my step and confidence in my stride.

I jerked the door wide open and stood inside. And this time, instead of tears, I shouted words of hope. I informed the Devil in no uncertain terms that he had no hold on me. In a voice devoid of fear, I told him that he hadn’t won. I told him he was defeated. I reminded him of where I’d been and how I had been rescued. I proudly held his defeat over his head and claimed victory!

And then I praised God. Loudly and with a heart of worship. I thanked God for the work he had done in my life. I cried tears of joy for God’s goodness to me, and as I took one last look around the room, I held my head up high and thumbed my nose at the Devil, closing the door and leaving the battlefield victorious!

Remember, the more you let the light in, the quicker the darkness will flee. The Devil can’t stand the light.

Don’t let him win. And don’t be deceived in thinking he knows your thoughts. Only God gets that privilege.

So, the next time you prepare to stand your ground and fight, don’t just let the words of truth be silent on your lips, don’t keep them in your heart, shout them out! Proclaim them confidently! The Devil may be listening, and he needs to hear your victory cry!

“Anytime the Devil starts to remind you of your past, remind him of his future!”

Romans 8:37

 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s hard, but it’s worth it!

 

Do you ever entertain the thought that working on your spiritual growth and trying to walk the Christian life and grow more like Christ is just plain hard?

I think, we as Christians, need to talk about this more often.

Can I let you in on a little secret? No one and I mean no one, has it all together.

Not your pastor, not your favourite missionary, not your parents, not your Bible study teacher, not your youth director and not you!

And that’s okay.

We are all in different walks of life, different seasons, different levels of growth and none of it is easy.

Letting God change you is hard. Dying to self is hard. Staying quiet when you want to speak is hard. Speaking when you want to stay silent is hard. Waiting on God is hard. Trusting when you’re freaking out is hard. Fighting the daily battle with your flesh is hard.

Walking the Christian life is not a casual stroll in the park. Well, not a beautiful botanical garden type park. Sometimes, it’s more of a Jurassic Park.

But, if you’re going through this process of sanctification, and letting God work, just know that it is worth it. When you reach Heaven and the crowns are handed out, and you let go of them and lay them at Christ’s feet, with utter abandon in a posture of worship, it will all be worth it.

Don’t let the hard discourage you.

(Can I just say here that I see people doing hard stuff all the time. People are running marathons in their 40’s and 50’s and beyond. Others are managing small farms, providing food for their families. Others are learning new skills that take hours of their day to perfect. People are doing hard things. If this is you, then don’t use the excuse that Christian growth is too hard, and you don’t have time to spend with God. You are already doing the hard. You are already spending time doing the hard. You can do the hard)

There are days that you will struggle to make time to spend with the Lord. There will be days when you react rather than respond. Every day you will face the flesh wanting to indulge in pleasures instead of doing what it should.

But, as Christians, we have the Lord on our side and we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, speaking to us and guiding us each step we take.

It’s not easy getting up a little earlier in order to spend much needed time in the Word. It’s not easy to lay our phones down and read our Bibles instead. But, oh how we need to!

Our spiritual growth is entirely dependent on how much time we spend with the Lord, reading his Word, talking with him, listening to him and obeying him.

Yes, it would be a whole lot easier to just let the Pastor preach to us on a Sunday and let that take us through the week. But you know as well as I do that it’s not enough. No matter how good your Pastor is, it will not suffice.

You have to be in the Word yourself! Daily!

And yes, it’s hard.

We often use the excuse, “I haven’t got time”. I know most of us lead very busy lives, but we can’t use that excuse. It won’t wash with God. He gave us all 24 hours in a day, and he knows that we can make time to spend with him in all our busyness, it’s just a matter of priorities.

The next time you want to make the excuse, “I haven’t got time”, try saying this instead, “It’s not a priority”. How does that feel? Yeah. Hurts, doesn’t it?

The next time you realise you need to spend time in the Word but think you don’t have time, say aloud, “It’s not a priority”. See if that changes your perspective.

The Bible tells us that if we seek God first, he’ll take care of the other things.

Matthew 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

What things? The preceding verses talk about worrying about food and clothing and how God knows what we need.

We fret and worry and think that the washing and cleaning and cooking is so important, and it is, but what is it we’re to seek first? Christ and his kingdom.

Making time to spend with the Lord is crucial. It should be our highest priority. It needs to be done. If we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and if we are to become the men and women God would have us be, then making time for Him has to be at the top of our to do lists.

It’s plain hard work to get up a few minutes earlier, or stay up a few minutes later, just to have a quiet time with the Lord. I am not speaking from a place of perfection or having it all together.

For many years I failed to put God first, but after years of neglecting what was important, I have found God to be faithful to His Word. When I ask Him to help me in making time for Him a priority, and I do my part, by waking earlier or rearranging my schedule, he answers and gives me those little windows of uninterrupted quiet time in His presence, alone with Him.

We all live busy lives and some more than others, and no, we don’t have time. We have to make time. Make time, as in cause something to exist or come about. It doesn’t just happen.

I don’t have time to sew and bake and take photos and spend time with my grandkids, but you know what? I make time for those things when I want to because I enjoy them. I make the effort to put aside other things in order to do the things I love.

We make time to do the things we love. We make time to do the things that are important. And isn’t spending time with the Lord something important? Shouldn’t our hearts desire to feed on God’s Word and to spend time in prayer and study?

Psalm 42:1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

Psalm 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

The Lord knows your needs and what time needs to be given to the things in your lives. He understands that we are not to neglect our families and loved ones and our responsibilities, but oh how much more effective we can be if we make the time to sit in his presence, seeking him first above everything else.

Seasons of life change, and you will find that at different times in your life you’ll have less time and at others you’ll have more time to spend in His Word, but He will bless you with your widow’s mite if given in sincerity.

If you truly desire to grow spiritually and you long for a deeper relationship with Christ, he will help you make him a priority.

And you know what? I have found that the more time you spend with him, the more time you’ll crave to sit with him more. You will soon find that the 5 minutes you set aside to read his Word will not be enough and you’ll need 5 more and then 10 more. It will only whet your appetite and before you know it, you’ll be putting other things aside in order to spend more time with him.

Spending time with God will not only refresh you, energize, strengthen and empower you, it will also have a great effect on your spiritual growth.

Like I said at the beginning, spiritual growth is hard and the reason it’s hard is because we are imperfect humans. And we have a flesh that rages within us, with selfish desires. But, with God’s strength, we can stand up to it, push it down and choose to let God win.

We can’t do it on our own. We have to have the power of the Holy Spirit.

It’s not easy, but with God, all things are possible.

We will face trials and hardships; we will struggle to walk close to the Lord and follow his leading. God didn’t paint a picture of flowery beds of ease, he clearly stated that we will have trouble. (John 16:33)

But he also told us that we will have his help.

Matthew 28:20b and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And even though growing spiritually is hard work, producing the right kind of fruit (Gal. 5:22,23) and walking after the spirit (Gal. 5:16) is not easy, it is necessary in the life of the Christian.

We were not called, chosen, loved, forgiven and redeemed to simply walk through life unchanged, God has called us to be lights to a dark world. Beacons of hope and love. And the only way to do this is by growing in Christ. By being made more like him, so that when others see us, they see him.

Make it your desire and mission to always be growing. Always be learning. Always be studying the Word. You will never exhaust the treasures found in the Bible and you will never reach perfection, but you can push through the hard for your good, God’s glory and for eternal value.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (Jam. 4:8)

Don’t neglect your growth, even though it’s hard.

Nothing is gained by ease. All is gained by perseverance and steadfastness.

Galatians 6:9 KJV - And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.