A dear brother, Terry, asked for testimonies of our salvation on his page. I took that opportunity to share mine, here it is:
Christ saved me from a life of sin and sadness. After I trusted in Him, He saved me from the sin I was involved in that was destroying my soul. After salvation, the peace and joy rushed into me like a flood causing me to begin the evangelistic work on my husband for the next few years.
Those were hard years because he no longer liked me anymore, even though he loved me. After several years of putting up with my yammering about Christ, the Lord told me to stop working on my husband. God said in my heart; "when you are ready to quit and just pray, then I will begin my work." I obeyed and then I could see my husband becoming curious and eventually born again.
So often we don't think it's enough to give the gospel message to someone once, we must hammer them with it as though it is us who will make the difference. It has to be Christ, I learned to speak the truth once to someone and then let go and let God. One of the most valuable lessons of my life.
1 Peter 3:1 "In the same way, you wives, be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives,"
It really is true that "actions speak louder than words."
Our lives speak more to a community than anything we would tell the people. We must speak the gospel too, but if our words do not match our lifestyle then the words are null and void.
My husband could not see the change in me through all the nagging, it was when I went quiet that he began to see the change in my life.
All that was back in our twenties. we have been married 50 years walking with God together most of it and growing closer to Him and each other every day. We have had struggles on and off as we both grew in the Lord, there were things the Lord has to cleanse from us.
I worry about those who don't think they have anything to be cleansed after salvation. Our entire life is one of confession and cleansing if we desire to closely walk with Christ.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
This passage in First John is written to born-again believers.
Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
2 Thessalonians 2:13
"But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."
Because our flesh is still sinful it must be continually dealt with, the Spirit in us wars against our flesh.
Galatians 5:16-18 "16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.…"
When we freely confess as the Holy Spirit convicts us of a sin, then He will cleanse us of that sin. However, if we do not confess sin we will not progress in holiness. We become a useless vessel.
May we be quick to hear the Holy Spirit when we sin and quick to confess it to be cleansed. This leads to a guilt-free blessed experience as we walk in obedience to Christ. Our flesh can be weak but we have the strength to overcome it in the Holy Spirit Who lives in us. Hallelujah!
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