I got saved around the age of 6 or 7 at Vacation Bible School at our church in Queens, NY. I don’t exactly remember the day I got saved or what happened, but a few years after, I began to doubt my salvation and I would ask Jesus to save me, forgive me of my sins, and take me to Heaven when I die again and again. I was not sure I was saved because of how I was acting and the wrong things I was doing. Around 12 and 13 years old, I began looking at bad things on the Internet and watching trailers of movies that I knew had sensual scenes in them. I began fulfilling my sinful desires. I knew it was wrong to continue, but I wanted to do it anyway.
One night, my brother Trystan called while he was at college and I talked him on the phone about some things. Before he left to go there, he gave a message to the teens at the church I attend now. At the end of his message, he asked the teens to bow their heads and close their eyes and he asked if there were any teens that needed to confess their sins to the Lord and sins that they’ve done behind their parents’ backs. I raised my hand and I’m glad I did. Although, I never got right with my parents, until that night that Trystan called me. He told me that I should get right with my mom and dad and he told me about some verses in the Bible about sin, such as the one in Psalms, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.” I told him that I wanted to get right with them, but in my heart I was scared to death. I wasn’t just afraid of them being angry with me, but more of them being disappointed in me, which would hurt me more inside. I also told him that when my brother, Christian, preached to the congregation at our church one time, he mentioned that when he was at college his freshman year, he was convicted to get right with our mom and dad and he said that when he did, it was so freeing. I wanted to experience that so badly and after I talked to my mom and dad and got right with them, there was such a relief in my heart because I knew that they forgave me and that they still loved me. I cried so much while I was getting right with them, but of course first, I got right with the Lord. I told Trystan what happened and he was so happy for me and so was Christian, since he was there with Trystan praying for me. I’ll never forget that day.
I started to look at the Thee Generation podcasts and the resources on this website and eventually, one that really caught my eye was Podcast 34, How to Find Assurance of Salvation, by Jim Van Gelderen. I listened to it for the first time and it helped me so much. I was so happy that I listened to that Podcast and that I knew in my heart that I was saved, because I knew that Jesus was the only way and that our works don’t determine our salvation, but if we know in our hearts that Jesus is the Savior and He bore the pain of our sins and died for us because He loved us so much. Today, I know that I’m saved because I believe that Jesus is the Savior, that He is the only way to Heaven, and that how “good” I do as a person does not determine if I’m saved or not. It is such a joyful feeling knowing that your are truly Born again and that you never have to doubt that. I thank the Lord that that day at VBS, I accepted Him as my Savior and that I never have to doubt that I’m saved!
