Lesson Learned...

So through all of that...This is what I learned

Do NOT underestimate the power of prayer...because God can show you what he can do in the blink of an eye...

testimony

I thought I might share my testimony like Jacob. So here it goes...

I grew up in church with my father being the minister of music, and I received Christ at age 8. I was the shy little girl who dressed up in fluffy dresses and never ever missed a Sunday in church unless I was really sick. From the time I was born to the time I was four our family was a part of a Baptist Church and that is where I spent my really young years at. We moved to Titus when I was four years old and I met my best friend, Kelly there. This is also where my father began his career as the Minister of music along with the pastor at our current church. Our families hit it off and we spent a few years here. When I was about to enter into the first grade we moved here and my family along with the pastors family built a church. We started out in a small building and then retired to a slightly bigger one. Soon we had to build.

As the years went by, and I grew older I started to lose that childlike faith that I had for so many years. I continued going to church and the summer before my seventh grade year was here before I knew it. This meant that I could attend youth camp for the first time because in a month I would officially be apart of the youth group. Before I left for this camp I prayed that God would show me something. I packed up and left for Summer Extreme a few days later. When I arrived I became friends with The Singer and hated Kay. Our last night at camp I was standing around the stage listening to Newsong. Something made me want to sit down though so I went back to my seat and a few moments later the preformed the song Rescue and I began to cry uncontrollably. The words "I need you Jesus to come to my rescue...where else can I go?" hit home and I knew that God was trying to say "Bailey listen to me!!!" but of course...I didn't. Tony Nolan then got up to speak and began talking about faith. He told a story about a young boy who was driving down the road after a storm. Something happened and a tree impaled him. The ambulances rushed to the sight and told him and his family that as soon as they pulled the tree from his body...there would be instantaneous death. People crowded around and everyone was crying. Even those who made fun of him in high school. He told them "I'm not scared. I know that I am meeting Jesus tonight. Don't be sad..." and soon after he was dead. I thought about how I wanted that much faith. At the end of Tony's sermon...he told us "look to your neighbor and as them 'if you were to die tonight...would you be in heaven?'" A friend of mine asked me first and I couldn't answer...so I simply asked her the question instead. When she repeated the question my heart pounded and I said "yes." Tony told everyone who said "no" or who knew they weren't saved to go to the back room and talk with someone. I was so so convicted. God was calling and pulling at my heart so so much that I looked at The Singer and called her name...only to say "never mind." I had pushed God away...the reason for that is quite stupid.

A year later... My youth pastor decided to take us somewhere new for camp. We went to Fuge. I went there and soon began to talk to Kay and we became best friends. This week was much like the previous year...my prayer request stayed the same. Every night during youth devo. my YP told us to write a prayer request on a card. "God show me what you want me to do." I began opening up and not caring what others thought. I began to cry out to the Lord. I came back different, although it didn't last long. I fell out of my relationship with God...I didn't follow him. I did the church thing and the youth group thing and said that I was saved. Really...I got saved the next year (last year) at Fuge. I came home only to find that it disappeared. Little did I know... this would be the worst year of my life.

I got home and found that the guy I had liked for a year liked me too. We began dating in September of '07 and I thought that it was a dream come true. I fell in love very fast and he said that he did too. Things began to fall apart under the seams about 4 months later. We began to argue nonstop and I started losing contact with some very good friends of mine to pursue my relationship with him. For six months I didn't even THINK about God. In March of '08 my world was torn apart. The guy I was in love with broke up with me and told me he didn't love me anymore. I was depressed and heart broken...I couldn't handle it. I texted the Missinator and told her that I need someone. I needed someone who would love me and talk to me. She suggested God. I told her that I was angry with God and that I didn't think I was even saved anyway. She told me that I needed to cry out to God and be saved. I realized that the whole time i was in this Godly environment...he was trying to get my attention. Every single time my ex had said "I'm going to hell and I know it" or all the other ungodly things he would say..God was telling me to get out!!! I knew it all along somewhere deep inside but I didn't listen. I began praising God and thanking him for getting me out...The two of us would have gotten in a whole lot of trouble had God not gotten me out. He let me stay there just long enough to where I learned from it...but didn't make the biggest mistake of my life.

However, I was still living an ungodly life. I was still filled with hate, guilt, anger, and even depression sometimes. The guilt caused the depression. I cursed all the time, laughed and made inappropriate jokes and I knew I still needed more God and less world. Chrysalis came just in time...

Mrs. BR sponsored The Singer, MacDaddy, Skippy, and me to go to Chrysalis. I honestly...didn't wanna go. I was scared because it sounded like some freak show where they it all leaded up to our deaths. We had to surrender our phones and all proof of time for three days. I left on Thursday. All day Thursday was great. I made new friends and learned a whole lot. (ate a lot too.) That night we went into chapel and they told us to sit quietly. They called this the night of "surrendering." I knew that I was carrying sin, guilt, and the weight of the world on my shoulders. I was carrying baggage that I had collected for almost 4 years. I cried out to God and layed everything at the feet of Jesus. The following night was proof that God loves me. People crowded to show us all how much they loved us. We sang "Jesus, Jesus can I tell you hopw I feel? You have given me your spirit...I love you so," and I knew it was true.

I felt like I was just going to return to the way I was before when I got home. I grabbed my table leader and we began to pray...then several people started praying over me. They were all praying for exactly what I was thinking. I stood up and started talking to god...a woman began to pray for me and she told me that I had to give EVERYTHING to God. I then prayed so long and so hard that I felt lightheaded...I thought I was going to pass out. The woman that had prayed with me before came to me and said "I don't know why but I feel like God keeps telling me to come back to you. I feel like there is something you have not yet let go of." I told her then that I was still angry at my ex for hurting me...and I was angry at myself for things i had done. She prayed over me and I was finally able to let go of it all...God showed me that he HAD forgiven me...

That was when I was saved.

When I told God that I could not do it alone. He saved me. I am now a completely different person. God has shown me a glimpse of my future with him...

He is the only thing that I need. With him I can do anything...

I'm ready

I'm SOOOOO ready for this day to start. I am ready to see what my God has in store for me today. Tomorrow I'm going witnessing with some coolkids and I am just so excited about it. I love sharing God with others and telling them how much he has shown me. I started writing in a book last night, and when I'm done it will have all the verses that God has shown me in troubling times.

Lord show me what you have in store for me today...