In honor of Good Friday and Easter weekend, I wanted to share my testimony about how I became a Christian. I pray that everyone who reads this post, has experienced the same kind of relationship with Jesus that I have, and if not, my prayer is that you will!

I became a Christian in high school and the leaders of the church I grew up in, played a big role in showing me Jesus. In high school, I was finally at an age where I understood God’s word and I understood the joy that Jesus had to offer.

Our pastor at the time Evan, was young and he did a great job with relating to the youth in our church. I also, attended youth group on Wednesday nights and our youth leader Steve, spoke truth into us each week. He was a great example of what it looked like to live out God’s word. I remember I couldn’t wait to get to youth group on Wednesday nights because everything he said about Jesus spoke straight to me.

I started going to small groups on Sunday nights and our pastor’s wife Kim, led the group. She is the definition of a Godly woman. She would do different books with us to help us understand God’s word. The books were geared toward young teenage girls. Kim would also read the Bible with us, and help us understand how we can apply the word to our everyday life including friendships, dating relationships, and how we view everything around us.

^^This is Kim, my sister, and I! Remember, I was in high school in all of these pictures^^

I also have to take a second and talk about Bonclarken. My church took us here every fall and every spring for a weekend retreat. Bonclarken is a camp located in Hendersonville, NC. Being there was such an escape from life! The entire time spent there, we were surrounded by speakers, bands, and people who had their hearts on fire to know Jesus. We had many fun filled weekends there of prayer, worship, games, building genuine relationships, and of course the pranks that the girls vs. boys always played. HA!

^^once again.. high school^^

I was able to see the hope that Jesus provides by seeing a light in the role models all around me. They were happy and their happiness came from Jesus alone. There is something different about people who have Jesus in their hearts and you can’t really tell what it is until you experience it yourself. It is so great that it can’t be put into words.

One day when I was in high school, I remember being in my room alone and praying the prayer to ask Jesus into my life. I prayed for forgiveness for my sins, I confessed that Jesus is Lord, and I asked Him to come save me by living inside of my heart.

From that day forward, everything did change! I longed to know Jesus more and more. My heart was on fire and I had that peace, joy, and happiness that can’t be described, except to say, I have Jesus in my heart.

Jesus changed everything about me. He changed the way I think, the way I treat others, and the way I try to live my life.  He consumes every part of me! Do I fail? Absolutely! Thankfully, all of my sins are forgiven.

I didn’t come from the picture perfect background growing up. When I asked Jesus into my life, none of that seemed to matter though. I believe you can have everything in the world including money, a perfect family, a great career, etc. and have nothing without Jesus. I also believe that you can have nothing in this world, yet have everything with Jesus.

The world will never satisfy our happiness. People will fail you, things will not always go the way that we planned, but Jesus will never fail us and his plans will always prevail. I am at such peace with everything that happens in my life because of Him. How great is it, that we can wake up every day and find hope, a purpose, joy, and everything in Jesus.  It is amazing!!

Jesus saves my life on a daily basis and there is no way I would be where I am today without Him. I just look up sometimes and say wow, I know that was you God!

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I began growing in my relationship by praying each day, reading in the word, doing daily devotionals to help me better understand God’s word, attending church and small groups, surrounding myself with other Christians, and so much more!

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           If you are searching for that peace and happiness, Jesus is the answer!    

If you are not saved and want to be saved, just do what I did!

1. Pray to Jesus, confess your faith that Jesus is Lord, ask forgiveness for your sins, and ask Him to come into your heart.

What do you do after that? Keep doing what I did.

2. Build your relationship with Him through prayer and reading his word. The more you read it, the more you will want to read it.

Develop a routine for quiet time with Him each day. I have found that the best way to do this, is to journal. Write down your prayers and write down your favorite scriptures so that you can refer back to it. Sometimes, I even write things down on index cards and place them in different places for daily reminders like my mirror or my car.

3. Decide how you want to read and grow during your quiet time. I always suggest devotional books if you are not sure where to start. I have shared this before but I LOVE my Bible. It has a devotion for each day of the year and it corresponds with passages in the Bible.

Real Life Devotional Bible for Women

4.  Get connected in God’s house. He is waiting to open the door for you, all you have to do is knock. Find a church that you can be a part of. It is okay to visit around to different churches until you find the right fit for you.

5.  Surround yourself with others who will build you up and encourage you in your walk with Jesus. Join a small group.

6.  Always remember that the Christian walk is not always easy but it is always worth it. When things in life get hard, always remember that you have Jesus living inside of you and with Him, all things are possible.

He died on a cross for our sins and today the tomb is empty because He is risen and he is reigning in Heaven! He is alive and he saves!

This song leaves me speechless: You Have Won Me

I know this post was kinda long but y’all I am so passionate about Jesus. If nothing else in this world matters, Jesus does. If you have any questions or would like to talk to someone about your faith and salvation, you can seriously talk to me. It doesn’t matter if we are really close or if you don’t even know me, Jesus calls us to be disciples and share his word!

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter weekend!!

~Kristen