I grew up in a church that did not teach the gospel and as a matter of fact, we rarely attended church except on a few occasions. Our life as a family revolved around having fun and there was no real desire to belong to God or follow him wholeheartedly.
My Dad died when I was 12 and left my mom who was previously a stay-at-home mom to care for the five of us on her own. Struggling to make ends meet, we knew a life of hardship, eating one meal a day and barely going through school. My mom was forced to sell whatever she could to find money for us to survive.
It’s the financial hardship that initially drew me to Christ at 14 when I listened to a preacher promise that life would become easier if I gave my life to Christ. I surrendered my life to Christ and even though life did not get any easier; God was drawing my heart increasingly to a deeper understanding of what it really meant to follow Him. By the grace of God, I became aware of my sin and inability to save myself.
As I continued to grow in my faith, God used various people to help me examine my faith and shape my understanding of what it meant to be a true follower of Jesus.
I attended a Biblical Counseling and discipleship class that helped show me how to apply the bible to my life and how the heart was where lasting change needed to take place for change to be lasting.
I read a book by Stuart Scott called Biblical Manhood which confronted my unbiblical understanding of masculinity and leadership; areas which were initially shaped by my cultural/traditional beliefs. I was introduced to what Christlike headship looked like. This was very helpful in shaping my understanding of how I need to relate with others especially my wife.
God has been so gracious to not only save me from my sins but also continues to change me and I pray that I will spend my days living in such a way that others are drawn to know and love God.