Hi, my name is Micah. Today, I am proclaiming my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. It took me years to get to this point, years of fighting against temptation, fleeting pleasures, and doubt. Let me tell you how I got to this day where I have decided to give my life to Jesus.

I grew up in a large Christian family, attending Sunday school every week, but I viewed going to church more like a chore; I was a hassle for the Sunday school teachers, I never enjoyed the worship, and I fell asleep during the sermons. Needless to say, I had no personal relationship with Jesus. However, this went way deeper than my occasional naps during church. Throughout my life, I went through some very difficult times, times when I chased fleeting moments that only widened the gap between me and God, times when I thought that I had no purpose and God didn’t love me. I felt guilty, ashamed, and dirty as a result of my choices. Through all my reckless decisions, my world was shaken. I realized I had no purpose without God. Before then, my relationship with God was more transactional; I’d ask for forgiveness but never genuinely repented. But God showed me that I was nothing without him. John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I and him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

I was weary and tired of doing things on my own; I needed a savior, desperately. I often questioned God, “Why did any of this have to happen to me? Why, why, God, am I still here?” God heard me and responded to me through several verses, and here are a few of them.

Isaiah 55:8 - “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 - “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind, and God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will always provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 

This gave me a sense of reassurance that my God has a good plan for me and will continue to guide me. Another piece of scripture I turned to in times of desperation was Psalm 51:1-2: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” 

Verses 10 through 12 say, “Create me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

I turned to these verses in my desperate battle for purity. They comforted me, because I was not alone, the mighty king of Israel along with countless others have shared the same struggles against lust and temptation, and I know that no matter what I have done, I have a faithful God that was willing to die and live for me and that is the greatest hope anyone can have. Now, as I pursue my relationship with Jesus, I am constantly reminded of my dependence on him. I am nowhere near perfect, and I know I will never be. Proverbs 24:16 - “For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.”

I’m made righteous through Christ alone; nothing of my works will produce that. Though I will still stumble, I will not fall because the Lord upholds my hand. 

I cannot explain with words how much Christ has truly changed my life. It still astounds me that the creator of the universe can love and care about me and continue to work in and through me. Though I do not know what my future will hold, I’m confident in Jesus Christ, and whatever he plans for me is ultimately what is greatest for me and the world. I now see that I have a faithful God to turn to, and the amazing people he has put in my life that I can talk to. Romans 1:16 - “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first the Jew, then the Gentile.”

As I continue in my walk with Jesus, I want to be unashamed of my faith, I want to tell others about what I have personally seen and experienced. I want to live boldly for Christ pointing others towards him and eternal salvation. I want to get baptized today as a proclamation of what Jesus Christ has done in my life so you too can see that God is not idle but changing lives every day.