#33: Testimony Tuesday

On episode 33, a bold believer and listener named Gloria shared her testimony to [e-mail]. Will you take a step of boldness like Gloria has and share your testimony?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome into episode number thirty three of Bring Heaven Down.
My name is Tim and I'm the host of this
daily devotional podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you're listening to
this podcast. Today is Tuesday, which means it's one of
my favorite days of the week because this podcast really
relies on you, the listener, to share your testimony. It's

(00:27):
Tuesday testimony Day, and if you are feeling led to
share your testimony, it's like the others that I already have.
Please email the show Bring Heaven Down number seven at
gmail dot com. Bring Heaven Down number seven at gmail
dot com. There is no bad testimony. A story of

(00:50):
Jesus changing your life is powerful. So if you feel led,
if you feel called to share your testimony, bring Heaven
Down number seven at gmail dot com. All right, let's
dive into it. Grab your favorite drink or a cup
of coffee, and let's bring Heaven a little closer together.

(01:13):
All right. So this email I received came from Gloria.
Sheet writes this, Hello, my name is Gloria and you
absolutely can use my name. I just started listening to
your podcast on my way to work. It has been
a great way to start my day. Thank you. I

(01:35):
was just recently baptized as an adult May fourth. I
wanted to share my testimony I gave on that day.
I hope you can make sense of this, and God
bless you in the work you're doing. God does work
in amazing ways. My marriage was all but a signature away.
My family was fighting and almost torn apart. But now

(01:56):
we are healing and I can only thank Jesus for that. This,
this is my testimony. I used to feel lost, always
searching for something more. I wandered through life, unsure of
my purpose, carrying around a constant sense of brokenness. Pain, guilt,
and shame were just a part of my everyday experience,

(02:16):
and over time I started to believe that was normal.
I struggled with destructive habits and battled depression, thinking that
was just how life was supposed to be. I thought
finding Jesus would be some dramatic, lightning bolt moment, but
it wasn't, and said it was a slow, quiet, process,
often filled with confusion. When I signed up for the
Freedom class at Celebration Church, I honestly didn't know what

(02:38):
I was getting into. That first Monday, I sat in
my car and seriously considered not going in. But if
I had known then what I know now, I would
have run through those doors. What I found inside was guidance, love,
and a supportive community that has completely changed my life.
I'm so deeply grateful. I was raising the Catholic faith,
but I never quite felt like I belonged. Eventually I

(03:00):
gave up on the idea of ever finding a church
that fell like home. I have a friend who kept
inviting me to Celebration church. Week after week. She reached out,
and finally I texted her to ask what time the
service started. She said nine am on August eighteenth. I
showed up and I've never looked back. She never gave
up on me Through all my surgery. My friend was
my constant, offering love, faith and encouragement. Thank you for

(03:23):
being a part of my journey today, I have hope.
Life still has its ups and downs, but I no
longer face them with fear or anxiety. I know now
that this isn't the end of my story. Grace is
real and it's even for me. Jesus, thank you for
finding me and loving me. I ask you to keep
reshaping my heart, leading me in truth, teach me to

(03:45):
walk in your grace, and remind me each day that
I'm not alone when I struggle, Lift me up when
I doubt, steady me when I feel lost, Whisper again
that I belong to you. Help me to see with
your eyes, love with your heart, and live not for
myself but for the purpose You've planted in me. May
my life reflect your light, quietly, boldly, and always in love.

(04:09):
Today I am publicly declaring my faith by following Jesus
into the waters of baptism. I declare him as the
Lord of my life. Gloria. So that's a powerful testimony, Gloria.
I'm assuming she was baptized as an infant because she
grew up in the Catholic faith and then got baptized

(04:30):
again as an adult, because then it became her decision
to follow Jesus. And if you're baptized as an infant
or Lutheran, and you're baptized as an infant, I understand
where you're coming from, because I was also baptized as
an infant growing up in the Lutheran denomination, and I
personally was baptized as an adult. And if you're wrestling

(04:54):
with this idea, I was baptized as an adult because
when I was a kid, when I was a baby infant,
it was not my own personal decision to declare Jesus
as Lord and savior of my life. Jesus was baptized
as an adult. I was baptized as an adult and

(05:17):
following Jesus's example. And I just love Gloria's testimony because
she talked about the purpose carrying around a sense of brokenness,
pain and guilt. And this is something that I think
everybody struggles with in their life at one point or another,
because what is my purpose? Is my purpose in my job?

(05:38):
My family? Am I a stay at home mom or
a stay at home dad? How do I know I'm
following God? How do I know that what I'm doing
actually makes a difference? These are all valid questions, And
these were valid questions that Gloria was once wrestling with.
And the moment that those questions went away was the

(06:02):
moment that she started going to celebration church. Was the
moment that she responded to her friend and said, what
time is church? It's nine am. I showed up and
I've never looked back, she said. And what a great example.
Her friend was texting her every week. I wish I

(06:25):
was more bold, like Gloria's friend was, to text people
every week and not care so much about not getting
a text back, not getting a response because sometimes not
just sometimes it just takes one. It just takes one response,
like Glorious texting when is church? And sometimes all that

(06:45):
friend needs is someone that is consistently texting them, consistently
reaching out and saying, hey, this is when church is.
So I really commend Gloria's friend for consistently texting her
and saying, hey, this is when church is. I think
this could make a difference in your life. And I
commend Gloria too for responding and saying, hey, when is church.

(07:10):
I need Jesus in my life, and she was honest
about it. Life still has ups and downs, and when
you're a Christian and a follower of Jesus, it doesn't
mean your life is perfect. We are still broken people
in need of Jesus. The difference between a Christian and
non Christian is that Christians recognize their brokenness and say

(07:31):
I need Jesus to fix it. I don't think a
non Christian really recognizes their brokenness and says I need Jesus.
They say I'll figure it out by myself, or I'll
figure it out through this or through that. A Christian
and a non Christian are the same. We're both broken people.
We are all broken people in need of a savior.
A Christian just recognizes that. A Christian just says, yeah,

(07:54):
I need Jesus. And that's what Gloria is recognizing, or
that's what she did recognize. Life is still hard. Life
is still going to knock us on our keyster every
once in a while, if not consistently for periods of time.
But she said, Grace is real, and it's even for me.

(08:17):
Grace is for you, Grace is for me, Grace is
for all that are willing to surrender to our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. And I love the way that
Gloria finishes the testimony. Teach me to walk in your
grace and remind me each day that I'm not alone
when I struggle, to lift me up when I doubt,

(08:37):
steady me when I feel lost, whisper again that I
belong to you. Help me to see with your eyes,
love with your heart, and live not for myself but
for the purpose you've planted in me. May my life
reflect your light quietly boldly and always in love. I
love that prayer, I love this testimony. I'll love every testimony.

(09:03):
All testimonies are powerful, and I'm grateful for Gloria for
emailing the show Bring Heaven Down number seven at gmail
dot com. I believe that this testimony can change a life,
will change a life, or will at least at the
bare minimum, encourage others because I know it's encouraging me.

(09:23):
So if you feel lad to share your testimony, email
the show Bring Heaven Down Numbers seven at gmail dot com.
Take a step of boldness, take a step of faith.
Your testimony will encourage other believers. I guarantee you that,
and your testimony could change a life. Thank you for

(09:45):
choosing Jesus today, and I hope everyone has a great day.