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I was raised Southern Baptist, attended a private Christian school during the later part of my elementary years and most of my junior high and high school years. I became an atheist while attending Christian school. Science became my god and I reasoned G-d right out of existence. Found myself in atheist mecca in college with a Dean who said "As we become more educated, we tend to become less religious" I spent about 9-years trying to reason with those who claimed to believe in G-d, having believed that they were suffering from some sort of mass psychosis or needed something bigger than themselves as an emotional crutch for their flawed little minds. Yep, I was pretty arrogant and very blasphemous as an atheist. I did not have any regard whatsoever for G-d or His holiness.
In 1995, I said something really stupid...another blasphemous and sarcastic statement "If there is a god of any kind out there, he will have to come down here and prove to me that he exists." Well, He did come down and He showed me quite a few things about where He had been through out my life. I've never felt the joy like I felt when I stood in the level of presence that I felt at that point in time.
My relationship with Him has been growing ever since. G-d's been teaching me that He has both a serious and a fun side. When we first experience a Metanoia(greek) Repentance, we literally undergo a transformation within. Our minds begin to work differently. Let's say, you lived life as Bill Gates and had billions of dollars at your disposal and that's all you ever knew how to live. Then one day, the stock market crashed and you found yourself totally broke and homeless. Obviously, you'd begin to rethink how you do things and what you value. You'd be selling your rolex in exchange for a cheeseburger from Mc'D's...because what you value has suddenly changed. This is what happens when we have a salvation experience. The things we used to find pleasure in begin to fade away and the Lord reveals things to us that will truly sustain our joy even during the times that we stand in the midst of extreme opposition from the enemy. |
