What was life like before you met Jesus?
I was addicted to pornography. I was attached to it because I thought it promised me pleasures in my life but never satisfied me. I needed happiness and pure joy, and it's something that I was wanting for a long time. I tried using willpower to help me battle my addiction. I even told my parents about it, hoping "the truth would set me free", but it didn't work. My past came back to haunt me and I thought there was no escape from what I was facing.
How did you meet Jesus?
I didn't have a good relationship with God. I acted like a godly person when I was in school and at church. But I used to think of Him like a genie in a bottle. I grew up having Christian parents; they taught me about who God was and how loving He was. They had amazing stories about how they encountered Him. When we went to church, I just loved how they worshiped God. At first, I found it kind of weird when they do it, especially my dad because of how off-key he was, but just seeing them puts a smile on my face. Just seeing the joy in their lives. The circumstances that made me want to put my trust in God were after high school. I didn't know what was next for my chapter. I always thought that I didn't have a future because of it. One Scripture verse that stuck out to me was Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This reminds me just because I don't like where I'm at, doesn't mean God's done with me.
After being saved by Jesus, what is your life like now?
God has given me new life with Him. I always relied on myself to be my own refuge but now God wants me to rely on Him because He is the way, the truth, and the life. And He will never leave me or forsake me. Whenever I feel far away from Him I just think about this verse, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1) He's still writing my story. And I can't wait to find out where he'll take me.