Spiritual Autobiography of David

I was a good practicing Catholic for 64 years. I have now been a Christian since 1995. How did the Lord bring this change about?

I was born into a good Catholic home with loving and caring parents. I went to a Catholic parochial school for nine years. I married a good Catholic woman. We raised our children to be good Catholics. So, although I had some faith questions, I  felt firmly rooted in the Catholic religion.

My son invited me to visit his Baptist church. I said "O.K., I'll visit, just don't expect me to change." Little did I know that the Lord was at work, sending an army to break down my Catholic foundation and walls. He was sending my son, my wife, the pastor and other members from that church.

He sent my son to get me to think. He would say "Dad,if you get to heaven by doing good works--doesn't that mean that some will just make it and some will miss it?" This got me to think, "Just how do we get to heaven? Is a grade of 70% good enough? What about the guy that got 69%? Does he have to spend an eternity in Hell because of one percent?

Then my son would say, "As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins. We make the choice to believe in Him and we ask Him to be our Lord and Savior." But after 64 years as a Catholic, I would brush the thought aside.

My son also said, "Dad, the Catholic church is a church made of man-made rules, and those rules keep changing.  For instance, it used to be a mortal sin for a Catholic to eat meat on Fridays, but now, for the most part it's OK to eat meat. What about those Catholics that the church, in effect, condemned to hell before they made the change? What about them?" This was kind of a sore spot for me, not only because it didn't seem fair, but also because I really couldn't understand why the church wanted to send anyone to hell. Then my son would say, "As Christians we believe God's standards never change. The Bible says, 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.'" But--64 years a Catholic. I'd try to brush this thought aside too.

The Lord sent a Christian friend into my life to be my partner in the journey to Christianity. He sent her to introduce me to the Holy Bible and to Christian radio. I had a Bible in the house, but I had not been encouraged to read it, and I never had read it. Now, I was reading God's Word for the first time. Carol also took me to her Sunday night Bible study meetings. There was a man in the group who impressed me. He would speak boldly of Jesus and of God's Word. And, he bore witness to what Jesus had done in his life.

The Lord sent the people of a Baptist Church into my life to show me the difference between His people and those of this world. From the very first time Carol and I visited Highland Crest, we could sense a presence of the Holy Spirit that we did not experience in our Catholic church. We could also feel a joy in the hearts of everyone present as they worshiped. And the people accepted us warmly. They invited us to join in with them in Sunday School, Bible Study, and in fellowship. These were all new experiences for us. They were all opportunities to learn of God, His Word, and His Son.

The Lord sent Pastor Jim to bring the Word of God alive to us, to me. For the first time, I began to believe. Sunday quickly became the favorite day of the week for me. It was exciting and it was making me feel uncomfortable. My Catholic walls and foundation were beginning to crumble. But--64 years a Catholic--I felt duty bound to see if I couldn't patch up those walls and foundation.

My friend and I took a Catholic diocesan course entitled "Jesus is Lord." We invited our church pastor to our home for dinner and discussion. We bought and read Catholic books on a variety of subjects. You know what? I made a discovery! The Catholic Church claims to be based on the Bible and on tradition. But it sure wasn't based on the Bible that I had been reading and listening to! It was as though they were basing their religion in a few selected verses of the Bible and were completely ignoring the overall message! They were not preaching salvation by faith in Jesus Christ and salvation by faith in Jesus Christ was now what I believed!

It was at this point that I stepped forward and made my public profession of faith in Jesus Christ as  Lord and Savior of my life. Then things really started happening. I gained new insight into what sin was all about. 64 years a Catholic. I had been convicted that mortal and venial sin was what it was all about. As long as I didn't commit that really BIG sin, I was going to get to heaven. I could see now that any sin at all was enough to keep me from God's presence. He is all holy and the slightest stain of sin would keep me form Him. The only way that I would ever be in His presence would be through the washing in the shed blood of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I could see too, that every time I sin, I am turning my back on God. The same God who has given me everything. I gained a new resolve to walk in His ways.

I also discovered what it was to believe with the heart. As a Catholic, I would have said that I believed that Jesus died for my sins. But, I would have said it from the mind, because that is what I was taught. Now, I was believing with all my heart that Jesus came to die that I might live! And it hurt me to think of the agonies that He endured for me.

I finally understood surrender, too. As a Catholic I would have said that I wanted to do God's will. But that isn't the same. Now I wanted to turn my life over to Him. I wanted to follow Jesus completely. Suddenly, I realized that I couldn't remain a Catholic! To remain Catholic would mean clinging to a bunch of rules to earn my salvation. No!! I needed a church that would preach the Good News, a church that could help me grow.

It was at this point that I stepped forward and asked for membership and baptism at the Baptist Church I was attending. God was at work in my life. Not only was He giving me a new understanding, but He was also at work changing my lifestyle. Four days before my baptism, He took my drinking from me. And He did it in a wonderful way. I had myself convinced that it was okay for me to drink as long as I didn't get drunk. I considered myself to be a social drinker and I felt that I could be a more outgoing person after a couple of drinks. Deep down, however, I had always felt that the world would be a better place without alcohol.

One the Wednesday night before my baptism, I was sitting on the couch in the living room, enjoying one of my bourbon manhattans. I was having warm, happy thoughts about all that the Lord had been doing in my life. He had given me a new found faith. He had given me salvation. He had given me new Christian friends. He had given me a new church. He had united my family in a new strong bond. All of a sudden a thought spoke to me--"Do you think you could give up drinking for Me?" That really woke me up! I said yes! And the Lord took that act of surrender and He showed me what He could do with it. He made it unbelievably easy for me. I have never had a strong desire for a drink since that day. It gave strong meaning to the Bible verse, "Faithful is He that calleth you who will also do it. (1 Thess. 5:24)" The Lord also changed my thoughts on tithing. The first time tithing was mentioned at my church I said to my son, "I'm not going to tithe and I'm not going to feel guilty about it." Well, to this day, I'm not sure how He worked it--but in just a couple of months I was tithing regularly. And, once again He made it easy for me. The money was just there--largely a result of a changed lifestyle.

I also found myself listening to Christian radio regularly. My taste in music took a turn from "top 40" to sacred music. What a joy it is listening to songs of praise and worship. And the regular Christian radio programs and messages are helping me to continue to grow and to understand the Word of God.

The Lord also spoke to me of purity. I would occasionally watch a movie that was rated 'R' because of sex and/or nudity, telling myself that it was only 'a little bad' when compared to a lot that is being shown. Well, the Lord has shown me that 'a little bad' is BAD. And, I am now trying to be very careful about what I watch.

Another thing I am learning about is what it is to be 'free in Christ.' The other day I was standing in line at a fast food place. When my turn to be waited upon came up, a young man--probably in his 20's jumped in line and gave his order. We both knew it was my turn, I'm sure. For a split second I gave thought to letting anger show, and insisting on getting 'my rights.' Then I thought, "I don't have to be a slave of anger. I am freed of that." It was a good feeling.

I'm not sure what the Lord has in store for me next,I am sure that it will be interesting. He seems to be leading me towards being an active witness for Him. All I know is that I want to be the person He wants me to be.

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