| When I came to Jesus whole-heartedly, it was at the | | | | my Bible and opened it at random. I asked God to |
| age of thirty. I had made a mess of my life and from | | | | speak to me in a special way. The Bible fell open to |
| the bottom I reached out to the same Jesus I had | | | | Isaiah 43:18-19, and as I read the words they |
| known and loved at the age of six. I knew I had no | | | | seemed to jump off the page and right into my spirit. |
| one else to turn to but Jesus. And, true to His | | | | Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. |
| character, He met me at my point of need. I soaked | | | | See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do |
| up the peace and joy He gave like a parched desert | | | | you not perceive it? I am making a way in the |
| plant welcomes refreshing rain. I hungered for His | | | | desert and streams in the wasteland. |
| Word to the exclusion of all else in life, and scriptures | | | | Peace flooded my soul and I understood that God |
| I had memorized as a child began to take on whole | | | | was the Redeemer of my past, present, and future. |
| new meanings for me. It was a honeymoon I'll never | | | | I knew He would cause all things (even my mistakes) |
| forget, and my Groom was generous with grace, | | | | to work together for His good. I couldn't go back |
| mercy, and need-fulfillment. | | | | and change anything I had done. All I could do was |
| As happens with all honeymoons, the cares of life | | | | be part of the "new thing" God was doing on my |
| began to creep in, and I began to grieve over my | | | | behalf. He was the only One Who was able to make |
| wasteland past. What bothered me the most was | | | | streams in the wasteland. The way He quickened |
| that I had known Jesus, accepted Him as my Savior, | | | | that scripture to my spirit had shown me that was |
| and then through the years had distanced myself | | | | what He intended to do: make streams in my |
| from Him and His children. Sure, I had been hurt by | | | | wasteland -- do a New Thing with my mind, soul, |
| family members, and by Christians, too; but the | | | | spirit and life! |
| bottom line was that I had chosen to walk away | | | | This was my first step toward moving out of the |
| from the Lordship of Christ. I believed that | | | | past into the glorious future God had planned for me. |
| everything done by a person before salvation was | | | | He reclaimed my life, showed me He was not the |
| forgiven, but I had made a decision as a child to | | | | "accuser of the brethren," and started healing painful |
| follow Jesus, and then I had reneged. I allowed | | | | memories. Even though I had changed, God had not. |
| myself to be tormented with condemnation and | | | | He had been waiting there for me all the time, and it |
| accusations until I could no longer sleep at night. | | | | gave Him great pleasure to reclaim one of His lost |
| Nightmares of laughing demons pointing fingers at me | | | | sheep. I asked Him that day to give me opportunities |
| terrorized me in my sleep. For months I suffered | | | | to help in the restoration of other discouraged, lost |
| with night terrors. | | | | sheep, and He has done so. God's healing process |
| Then one day, tired of being tormented, I took out | | | | goes on. |