tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35040069184954644362023-11-15T06:28:40.950-08:00Testimonies of Other FaithsTestimonies, Spiritual Experiences, Revelations, and Miracles from People of Many ReligionsFaith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-76288640781442077922014-10-09T08:11:00.003-07:002018-01-31T15:27:53.254-08:00Catholic Conversion StoriesThese conversion stories were shared in this thread: <a href="http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=553484" target="_blank">Catholic Answers Forum- So Why Did You Convert?</a><br />
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"I also started praying a lot and praying consistently (probably for the first time ever). I realized I couldn't do this on my own, but I recognized the true gravity of this decision, and so I tried to clear my mind of all preconceptions and I honestly prayed (on many occasions over those months) something like this: <br />
'God, if any Christian sect holds truest to your truth, or if somehow they all do, or certain ones do, please show me so I know how to best worship you. I want your Truth -- no matter the cost.'<br />
And I tried to make sure that I meant it. Each time that I can remember praying that, I got an answer which was along the lines of a 'statistical miracle,' ...and it always pointed towards Catholicism. I would always feel at peace after this was revealed to me, not because Catholicism is the most comforting choice... but because the Truth became clear to me, finally.<br />
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...All in all, I found three ways of finding the Truth:<br />
1. Forget your preconceptions because they may be misconceptions, and honestly and deeply (without forgoing the few Christian fundamentals that almost all sects agree upon) pray for the Truth. This is the easiest way, work-wise, although at least one of my friends claims that he did this and still earnestly believes he has the fullness of truth as a non-denominational (I don't understand nor can I account for this).<br />
2. Go the logical route. Spend a considerable amount of time and energy slogging through apologetics until something clicks, and then account for everything that doesn't click. I would imagine this would work well, but it's tiring and sometimes depressing.<br />
3. Believe in love. This is one of the most sincere patterns that I found: that the people who most completely live by the standards of the Catholic Church (the Saints, Blesseds, etc.), who lived in utter happiness and humility despite their (often extreme) sufferings -- and who were the champions of altruism, and who lived closest to the perfection of Jesus himself -- are not a swarm of insane, demon-possessed deceivers but instead will lead you to a supernatural truth. Basically, to believe and have faith in love, I had to leave behind all those bitter conspiracies and mean-spirited baseless dismissals.<br />
Well, I hope you liked my (true) story. It was fun to write. I feel at peace now."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170126231736/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=7769384#post7769384" target="_blank">from user sea_krait, posts 6</a>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170120184231/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=7769385#post7769385" target="_blank">7</a></i></blockquote>
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"This process took two years. We did not easily convert. But we were definitely wooed by God. Both of us, at one point, were spoken to by the Holy Spirit, Who told us, 'This is the truth. If you reject it, you are in danger of hellfire. Do you accept My teaching and will you say 'Yes' to the Catholic Church? Or will you reject My teaching?'"<br />
<i><br />-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170117041132/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=a6b9d46e8a908115175337f6a6f2b181&p=7769447#post7769447" target="_blank">from user Cat, post 9</a></i></blockquote>
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"Fast forward 5 years later, almost everyday I drive by a Catholic church and over these years thoughts would come to me of, 'stop by', 'you should be going there', 'You are welcome here', etc. For whatever reason, one Sunday morning I got up, got myself and my son dressed, and off we were to the Catholic church down the street from me. It was a beautiful experience and I truly felt that I had 'Wandered Home'...<br />
I feel that the Holy Spirit truly led me to that Church and I have since turned my heart and mind to the Catholic faith that the Holy Spirit is residing within me like never before, or maybe it always has and I am just knowledgeable of it now. The world truly looks entirely different and my life is fuller and has more direction and meaning."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170119155851/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=7770525#post7770525" target="_blank">from user Wandering_Home, post 15</a></i></blockquote>
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"When I returned home, at the urging of some of the COC members, I attended one of their meetings. One of their practices was to call on the name of Jesus, calling out loud to him all in unison. It was so incredibly strange to me that I did not know what to do. Everyone was doing it and so I felt compelled to do it also. I started quietly at first, then in my desperation, I began loudly saying His name, asking in my heart for him to heal me. All of a sudden a rush of joy came into my heart that I had never experienced. I felt the sadness burn away and be replaced with a feeling of love and warmth. I was practically reduced to tears. I did not know what to say to anyone, so I sat quietly to myself until it was over. When I returned home, I sat down in my living room, saying nothing, just experiencing the feeling that was in me. It was the best thing I had ever felt, and I felt nothing but pure joy. No pain or sadness could touch me. I had finally gotten what I asked for.<br />
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...After we were married, I felt a strong pull towards learning about Catholicism. I was still trying to filter out all the junk and propaganda I had been fed even for the short time I had learned it. I can only imagine the difficulty one must face in joining the Church after a lifetime of fundamentalist inoculation. After many months of dryness and ignoring these feelings, I decided I would once and for all figure out this question. I decided to read the entire Catechism, and I did exactly that. I read it over a period of about 3 months, cover to cover. I came to points in the book I could not agree with, and I would get upset and anxious, like I normally do when something disturbs my peace of mind. I would wait until I was calm then explore it, and internalize it. After doing this throughout the book, and praying for the truth, I could no longer deny truth. I knew in my heart that I could never go back to being protestant, but I still was too cowardly to admit I wanted to be Catholic... I resolved then and there I would let go of my pride and join the Church.<br />
After making the decision to become Catholic some months ago, I have been attending RCIA classes and reading anything Church related I can get my hands on. My faith and walk with Christ has only grown stronger, and not weaker. I know that once I can get the sacraments it will only get better. Praise God for leading me to truth, especially when I fought so hard against it."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170126005744/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=7771675#post7771675" target="_blank">from user Chris_Rendall, posts 17</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170116000316/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=b00fdce9971b6d050d94604b97d1b145&p=7771682#post7771682" target="_blank">18</a></i></blockquote>
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"I needed something more in life. There was a void. I knew it was spiritual so I thought a long time about it. My grandparents were Orthodox and I would go to church with them... But there was still something missing. I knew it. I called our local RCC to find out when RCIA classes started. Then I went. It was like I was drawn to the church. After the initial period we went to part of the mass every week for the readings and discussions. There was never pressure to join. But I knew I would from the first time I stepped into the church. There was no question in my mind. Each class passed and I felt like I was home. It was a comforting feeling. With my husband going through cancer and he still is.. it held me together. The more I learned the more I wanted to be Catholic. <br />
First confession was daunting and I had a lot of sins to confess and some big ones. But afterwards, well it was like I was lighter and free and happy again.<br />
My priest said, I listened to what the Holy Spirit had tried to tell me for years. To come home to the Catholic Church but this time I heard him."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170116140104/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=b00fdce9971b6d050d94604b97d1b145&p=7775405#post7775405" target="_blank">from user stormy99, post 25</a></i></blockquote>
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"I knew that the truth had to exist in a church so I kept seeking. Then I starting attending a cell church. It was a fundamentalist church that believed in the gifts of the Spirit. One night after a service one of the members said he had a 'word' for me. He told me to stand up, then he laid his hand on my head and told me that I was going to take a spiritual journey in a few months that would change my life forever. ...But then, for no reason at all I started weeping and my whole body started shaking. The folks there had to lead me back to my chair because my legs were so weak I couldn't walk. They said your face is glowing! What is going on?? I said I have no clue.<br />
...Three months later after leaving the cell church I was in RCIA. That word I was given had come to pass. A year and two months later I was confirmed. I literally knew the meaning of 'Rome Sweet Home' then because I kept feeling like I was HOME. It was so wonderful. That night, while I was lying in bed, I heard a Voice and It said 'Welcome Home'. I know with every fiber of my being that It was the Holy Spirit."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170115215807/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=b00fdce9971b6d050d94604b97d1b145&p=7775616#post7775616" target="_blank">from user Theodosia33, post 26</a></i></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-5459596707472420922014-10-09T08:11:00.002-07:002018-01-31T16:20:35.313-08:00Catholic Spiritual Experiences- What Does the Holy Spirit Feel Like?This discussion came from the Catholic Answers Forum. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholics discuss what the Holy Spirit feels like</a>:<br />
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"The Holy Spirit doesn't just give us feelings. He changes our hearts and lives. He makes us desire God, believe in him, love him, and be sorry for sin. He makes us love our neighbor and endure hardship with joy. He gives us special insights about ourselves and others. He helps us to have true confidence that we can be saved. Of course we can resist his influence or put up obstacles, or just be passive and not grow, in which case we will regress. 'Feelings' are nice, but not necessary to live a Spirit-filled life. If we depend too much on feelings to follow God, we do not yet love him for his own sake."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">from Catholic Answers forum user Ad_Orientum, post 11</a></i></blockquote>
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"I've had an encounter with the Holy Spirit a few times, usually when being prayed over. I can only explain it as the most peaceful feeling you will ever encounter .... peace just pure peace ..... the Holy Spirit is a very important part of my prayer life."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170120030949/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=10608232#post10608232" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170120030949/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=10608232#post10608232" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user CatherineFitz, post 14</i></blockquote>
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"Some times when I'm reading Scripture, the Catechism, or if I hear a great truth of God I feel a sense of electricity go through my body. The Holy Spirit is getting my attention! He's saying pay attention! I have this deep sense of KNOWING that what I just read or heard is TRUE!<br />
I have on rare occasion been given a gift of prophesy for some one. Some who are familiar with the Holy Spirit are very excited! Others who don't know God think I'm crazy, and should be on meds... until the prophesy comes true. Then they are stunned, and like, 'what?'<br />
I feel the Holy Spirit at Mass, during the Sacraments, and in the music. The Holy Spirit calls us to surrender, deep surrender, be at peace. And it's a most excellent journey!"<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170131235815/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=10608451#post10608451" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170131235815/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=10608451#post10608451" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user Regina_Love, post 17</i></blockquote>
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"Sometimes when I pray, I start to feel as if I am on fire...my skin, my face, and even my heart. It is as if the Lord is pouring love into me. I feel overwhelmed by his love, and I love him more than I have ever loved anyone in my life. At these times I wish I could just die on the spot and be with him forever. I am filled with joy and I am afraid of nothing. I want to do anything He asks of me. Other times...say while reading scripture...something will pop out and it is clear that is a message for me. It brings me to tears. I have had this happen during mass too...the priest will be giving his homily and say something that makes time stop for me. I start crying and can't even remember the rest of what he says."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170117111418/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=f2db08bee3ad41da12c2732efe1f4250&p=10608626#post10608626" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170117111418/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=f2db08bee3ad41da12c2732efe1f4250&p=10608626#post10608626" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user WaitingForJesus, post 19</i></blockquote>
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"The Holy Spirit feels like nothing I've ever felt before. I felt Him for the first time about nine months ago, and He's simply amazing. He moves me; He moves through and within me. He is the tears of my soul. I spent my whole life bottling up my feelings, unable to face myself. I was cold and unfeeling, but not by nature. Now my nature has come out, and I weep for joy at the beauty of Love Himself. He woke me up and taught me to be the man He'd designed me to be. He is all that is lovely and comforting in this world. I love Him so much, and I thank Him every day for my heart.<br />
... Bottom line: the Holy Spirit is transformative. He took my old life and slam-dunked it in the rubbish bin."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170117031733/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=d9fa320391d9b75c43f1510999fcddb3&p=10616369#post10616369" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170117031733/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=d9fa320391d9b75c43f1510999fcddb3&p=10616369#post10616369" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user Sorenu_Itenu, posts 22, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170115201811/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=fc0248a5153dcecefbb41f4b9b9a95df&p=10617158#post10617158" target="_blank">30</a></i></blockquote>
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"I've had wonderful feelings come after prayer. I am, unfortunately, unable to give the experiences justice. I had felt incredible love and forgiveness and a physical warmth in my heart. I'd almost come to tears at these moments - found them incredibly humbling.<br />
For me, these feelings did more to help me change my lifestyle than my own will was able to accomplish itself. I don't mean to say if you haven't had the feeling you are doomed - just that for me it was more profound than anything I could rationalize for myself. I'm definitely a sinner, and I think God knew I was in need of some help."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170115145947/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=405cd4f00d85cdc1fec3909a7ed08f2f&p=10621999#post10621999" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170115145947/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=405cd4f00d85cdc1fec3909a7ed08f2f&p=10621999#post10621999" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user RedFox0456, post 32</i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161021094758/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=828921" target="_blank">Catholics discuss the Holy Spirit bringing people to tears at Mass</a>:<br />
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"Has anyone had the 'gift of tears' before consecration? I had them this morning, just before the priest washed his hands. I usually always have them after I receive Communion when they come. The tears just came all of a sudden for no apparent reason.<br />
...this is the gift of the Holy Spirit being active in your life in a profound way. Accept it and thank the Spirit for allowing you to experience it.<br />
...It truly is a gift. It comes from the Holy Spirit through you, but not from you. It is His gift at that time to you. It is a wonderful experience and He gives it to you at Will. I experienced it for quite a while before I found out what was happening. Just enjoy His union with you and just let the tears come... It is a gift from Almighty God, just enjoy the intimate union."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170116083936/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=405cd4f00d85cdc1fec3909a7ed08f2f&p=11281909#post11281909" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170116083936/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=405cd4f00d85cdc1fec3909a7ed08f2f&p=11281909#post11281909" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user lakotak, post 1, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170120091516/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=11293223#post11293223" target="_blank">15</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170117180831/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=d279595e84e81637f01d87255d44c18c&p=11295704#post11295704" target="_blank">17</a></i></blockquote>
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"I have to fight the tears sometimes as I kneel next to the priest at the altar during the consecration. I also experience this after receiving when I go back to my chair before the closing prayer..."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170120233731/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=11281930" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170120233731/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=11281930" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user Lapey, post 2</i></blockquote>
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"I have, many times. I didn't know what they were at the time it began. I would literally have tears streaming down my face through no control of my own, before the consecration, and while I received/after I received Communion."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170124113023/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=11282484" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170124113023/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=11282484" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user thequietsinger, post 7</i></blockquote>
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"I began having tears after receiving Communion at Mass -- suddenly, and with a deep feeling of joy, gratitude and peace."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170116234250/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=d9fa320391d9b75c43f1510999fcddb3&p=11330710" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170116234250/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=d9fa320391d9b75c43f1510999fcddb3&p=11330710" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user crcurrie, post 29</i></blockquote>
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"I did experience it one day after Confession. There I was walking home one beautiful spring day, it was a Saturday. The tears of joy just started pouring out and inside it felt as though the Holy Spirit was caressing my heart."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160113192106/http://forums.catholic.com/showpost.php?p=11331390&postcount=34" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160113192106/http://forums.catholic.com/showpost.php?p=11331390&postcount=34" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user Abba, post 34</i></blockquote>
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From another thread. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161021095514/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=228687" target="_blank">A Catholic describes a spiritual experience while partaking of the Eucharist</a>.<br />
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"I was baptized, confirmed, and partook of the Eucharist last Saturday night during the Easter Vigil. It was magnificent and I am so happy to now be a member of the Catholic Church.<br />
...When I was offered and received the Host, nothing happened. However, when I partook of the Blood of Christ, before I could even get back to the pew my entire upper torso seemed to 'heat up.' As soon as the blood hit my stomach I felt this warmth (I mean EXTREME warmth) and the tears came uncontrollably. This was the most dramatic experience of my life and I’ve been on this planet for 51 years. Well, this is probably a lame description but it’s the best I can do."<br />
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<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161021095514/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=228687" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161021095514/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=228687" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user tmac1956, post 1</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Another Catholic describes a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/religion/comments/7ubrns/ask_me_stuff_about_catholicism/" target="_blank">spiritual Eucharist experience</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I think the easiest thing to say is that God's main influence on my
life is in peace. The pure peace and calm that I feel in the presence of
the Eucharist and during the sacraments (especially confession and
Mass) are really incomparable to anything I've ever felt anywhere else.<br />
And I believe that I'm present for a miracle every time I go to Mass,
when God himself descends to earth and allows us to consume Him and
become one with Him"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/religion/comments/7ubrns/ask_me_stuff_about_catholicism/" target="_blank"><i>-from reddit post, "Ask Me Stuff About Catholicism", by user RexPontifex</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=866001" target="_blank">Other spiritual experiences</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
"I've been involved with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal for those 20 years. I have felt His Presence off and on both during certain times of prayer and occasionally when I'm not in a 'prayer mode'. I'd say it's plenty of dryness with occasional reminders, 'Hey! I'm here! I love you!' I've seen tongues, words of knowledge, prophecy.<br />
I believe that most miracles are of the heart or the soul (besides the Eucharist), but I have seen one or two physical changes. (My memory is a little fuzzy, but) an old man was doubled over with arthritis at a healing service, and he was prayed over and he stood straight up and walked around. An acquaintance of mine had pretty severe carpal tunnel, and she was healed of that."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/religion/comments/7ubrns/ask_me_stuff_about_catholicism/" target="_blank">-from reddit post, "Ask Me Stuff About Catholicism!", comment by user scardeal</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I am a revert not a convert (was raised catholic then left for protestant churches) and I had many doubts when I returned to the catholic church. Not Mary, but many other things.<br />
...Most of my doubts are gone now. It's taken 4 years though. Just keep trying to learn and to understand and don't give up in the meantime. If you keep seeking God, He will answer. I have found that to be true. If I get confused now I ask God to show me the truth. He has and He will do it for you too. But maybe in His timing, not ours."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170125004730/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=11787267#post11787267" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170125004730/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=11787267#post11787267" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user AnneTeresa, post 9</i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"...I was playing guitar and singing at a 6-week charismatic Life in the Spirit Seminar... On week six, as everyone was going forward to be prayed over for receipt of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I sat in the back waiting to play closing music. One by one my friends went forward for prayer... As I watched them cry tears of joy and burst into song, I got the strangest feeling of being in a holy place. I remember thinking, 'God, if this is real, I want it!'. The next thing I knew (literally) I was up front on my knees with tears in my eyes, and the words of all new praise songs flowing through my head. And I heard a voice from over my right shoulder; it said 'Welcome home, Tom'.<br />
...Ok, I realize some of you may not recognize the Charismatic movement as credible, but that’s where I found God and surrendered to him."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170119222236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=11802300#post11802300" target="_blank">from </a></i><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170119222236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=8bf7bc51a6c61550c969e8d0ba280488&p=11802300#post11802300" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170123223236/http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?s=432c97e6ff7418a954a932bf7f4d66bd&p=10608049#post10608049" target="_blank">Catholic Answers forum </a></i>user Mathias64, post 29</i></blockquote>
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<br />
<br />
These two testimonies are transcribed from videos on the <a href="http://www.catholicscomehome.org/real-people-real-stories/" target="_blank">Catholics Come Home</a> website. A woman tells of her return to the Catholic Church after leaving it in highschool:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I was away from church, I yearned to be home. What brought me back was my longing for the Eucharist. The Eucharist fills me with the Spirit you can't find anywhere else. I have a peace when I walk through the doors of the Catholic Church, like that's where I belong."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.catholicscomehome.org/real-people-real-stories/" target="_blank"><i>-from Pam's Testimony</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
A man tells of his spiritual experience of confession.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had this sin that I carried in my heart for a long time. And I told myself for many, many years that the Lord wouldn't forgive me for this. When Father in confession says, 'Your sins are forgiven,' there truly is a feeling of weight lifted off. I don't care if it's two or three little sins that you're carrying, there's a feeling of, 'I can breathe deeply again. I feel pure inside, and I'm ready to come to Mass.'"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.catholicscomehome.org/real-people-real-stories/" target="_blank"><i>-from Frank's Testimony</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
A man converts to Catholicism from Islam. <a href="http://imambuxbawa.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">This conversion experience came from Rev. Imambux Bawa's personal blog</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I actually had the experience that I had been longing for, something impossible to put into words.<br />
Taste and see that the Lord is good.’ How can I describe it to anyone who has not experienced it himself? Instead of darkness I began to see light everywhere. By divine grace, I experienced the love of God that cannot be expressed in words. My heart was dancing with ecstasy. I began to feel that my soul was imprisoned within my mortal body. I saw so much love on the Lord’s face and all around me, that my heart went out in love towards everyone.<br />
With every breath I felt inspired to pray for the salvation of all mankind. I began to feel sorry for those who disregard this experience and hence lose a great blessing. My heart urged me to even give up my life, like the Lord did, to bring sinners to the righteous path and to devote all my energy, knowledge and life for serving the Lord.<br />
By accepting Christ the Lord, I have received peace beyond understanding and my journey in this world has been filled with delight.<br />
May all my countrymen experience and receive this divine favor."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://imambuxbawa.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">from "My Spiritual Experience", Rev. Imambux Bawa</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-60918895116123109882014-10-09T08:11:00.001-07:002018-01-22T09:38:43.037-08:00Baptist Testimonies<div class="tr_bq">
I collected these Baptist testimonies and conversion experiences from various forums and church websites. Links to sources are provided with each testimony.</div>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"On a Wednesday night my dad was preaching at our church. He preached about the rich man going to hell. I felt the power of the Holy Spirit dealing with me once again. I felt so guilty and ashamed for rejecting Christ for so long. After the message Bro. Byron Shive came to me and encouraged me to pray. I went to the front of the church and began to pray. I repented of my sins and asked God to please forgive me. I remember getting to a point where I wanted to be saved more than anything else in the world. It was at that point that I felt peace flood over my body. I asked God if that was it. The peaceful feeling seemed to intensify. I knew I was saved and began to rejoice. This personal experience with God is what will take me to Heaven."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://southsidembc.com/wp/?page_id=477" target="_blank">-Josh Elliott's Salvation Experience</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As soon as I knew God had to be first in my life, all the pain and shame I felt was gone. I felt such a peace. It was a new feeling to me. Brother Don Watts asked me if I was saved. I said 'I think I’m saved.' He said you have to know if you are saved. I began to pray again. I was scared I was wrong. I didn't want to take any chances. When I prayed this time, I didn't feel the same as before. I heard a very sweet voice as I saw a bright golden light say to me 'I have saved you.' I had no more doubt that I was saved that evening on November 20, 2002. I joined Southside Missionary Baptist Church the following week. God is an awesome God!"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://southsidembc.com/wp/?page_id=495" target="_blank">-Karleen O’Flynn's Salvation Experience</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The Lord saved me when I was a 16 year old boy at home in bed. It was on a Tuesday night about 9:15 PM. I had been under conviction for almost two weeks. But that night the peace of the Lord came into my heart and that trouble and sorrow was gone. I had never known such peace and joy before Jesus saved me. The next morning was the prettiest morning I had ever seen. And it was all because of what Jesus had done for me.<br />
Praise His Holy Name."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mcfmbc.com/salvation-experiences-file.pdf" target="_blank">-Joe Whitley's Testimony, p. 20</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was sixteen and Dillon was preaching about being saved or go down and all I thought about was that I wanted to be the one to go to heaven, and I prayed. I told God I would give up everything if I had to. And when I did, something inside me told me I was saved. I felt that everything bad disappeared. Peace was all I felt. It was all I wanted to feel. I felt a transition. The Lord had touched me, and I’m happy and free!"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.faithchurchnashville.com/experiences-of-salvation.html" target="_blank"><i>-Maranda Herlein's Salvation Experience</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I realized I was lost when I
was 16. I was under great conviction but put off going to the altar.
Brother James Abbott was preaching on Friday night and I felt as though
he was preaching only to me. God's amazing grace got hold of me and led
me to the altar that night. I asked the Lord, 'Please, please, save me. I
don't want to go to hell.' It seemed like I could see a light from
heaven that filled me with sweet peace and my burden was lifted. I know
God saved me and I'm glad I opened the door to let Him in."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://hmbch.org/CarrollShirley.htm" target="_blank">-Shirley White Carroll's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I
was saved many years ago in a small church down on my knees. I prayed
the sinner's prayer and asked Jesus to come into my heart and soul. He
saved me. I know because a warm, peaceful feeling came over me and I was
very happy in the Spirit of the Lord."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://hmbch.org/LambuthPaulette.html" target="_blank">-Paulette Lambuth's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"On
Tuesday, June 27, 2006, I was driving, on my way to work, and tuned on
the radio. I tuned in on a station and they were playing one of my
favorite gospel songs. I knew in my heart that I wasn’t saved and that
if I died I was going to Hell. I started praying. Later on that day
while I was at work, I still had that bad feeling. I started to pray
again and just as soon as I started praying, I had a great feeling come
over me. I had peace in my heart, a feeling I’ll never forget. I knew
then without a doubt that I was saved and that when I die, I’m going to
Heaven."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://hmbch.org/RushingGenetta.htm" target="_blank">-Genetta Hill Rushing's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"After several years of living with the knowledge that I was lost and bound for eternal damnation, I attended several churches where people prayed for me. I never went to the mourners' bench until February 14, 1967 at Enon Missionary Baptist Church in Macon County Tennessee. My heart was so heavy and I was troubled. After pleading my case to the Lord, repenting of my past sins, the Lord gloriously saved my soul. That was the most outstanding day of my life even to this day. I know that the peace He placed in my heart that day will land me on that bright shore of Heaven. Glory to God in the highest."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mcfmbc.com/salvation-experiences-file.pdf" target="_blank">-Tom Howard's Testimony, p. 24</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I finally did what so many people had been praying for. I cried out to God and said, 'God, I don't know if you are real, but if you are, I give my life to you. Please take my life, I give it to you.' In that moment, peace swept over my soul like I had never experienced. I experienced true joy and love and fell asleep in the spiritual arms of my Heavenly Father. The next day was a Friday. I had not realized that I had 'gotten saved', I just knew that I had prayed to God and that something was now different."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://baptistmom.com/salvationtestimony.html" target="_blank">-My Salvation Testimony, by Nicole Muñoz</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"At the fall revival at Mazies Chapel during the third week in August, conviction fell upon me. I was 12 years-old and it was on a Monday night. This memory is so strong to me …. I was sitting in the middle of the church on the left hand side of the aisle. The preacher had just completed his sermon on the Fire of Hell and was giving an altar call. My heart broke, and I felt great fear that I had never experienced before... I ran to the right side of the altar and began to pray with all my strength and poured out my heart to the Lord. When I came to myself, I felt the sweetest peace in my soul. The pain in my heart and weight in my chest were GONE. I thought to myself: 'What happened - Had I fallen asleep'. Before I could even rise up off the altar, the old devil said 'Boy, nothing happened to you'. I left Church that night without telling anyone what had happened.<br />
For the next six years... I would try to pray and ask the Lord to save me... I did not have a broken heart but I had allowed the devil to confuse me.<br />
At the age of 18, on another Monday night, I was determined to find an answer. I was either saved; Or, I was lost and needed to be saved. As I prayed at the same spot where the Lord had saved me six years before, I asked Him if I was saved as that 12 year-old boy. The Lord by His great mercy and grace showed me what He had done. I so vividly recalled that night as a 12 year-old boy. The peace was so strong … I was not resaved or anything like that. I was enjoying my salvation and was so happy. I immediately rose to my feet and started to tell everyone what the Lord had done for me. Praise the Lord!!!"<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.harvestmissionarybaptistchurch.com/pb/wp_97976ff8/wp_97976ff8.html" target="_blank">-Tony Johnson's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The truth is that Jesus took me that day just as I was. My heart was heavy and I knew I was Hell bound if I did not listen to Jesus in my heart. Then for a moment it was just me and Jesus and that's all that mattered to me. No one else existed to me. I gave into Jesus with my whole heart. Full of faith and belief. My heart was all of a sudden light now and I didn't wrestle anymore with tugging in my heart. I knew I was saved and Jesus would take care of me while here on earth. Jesus saved me from this world of sin and hell. I placed my trust in Him on the back pew of the church. I then went up to the speaker and told him I had been saved."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.harvestmissionarybaptistchurch.com/pb/wp_97976ff8/wp_97976ff8.html" target="_blank">-Jennifer Andrews' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I screamed out loud, 'Oh, God'.
In my heart, I was feeling 'Change me; do something for me if You are
real; I can’t take this any longer.' It was complete surrender. I needed
Him. He had to do something because I couldn’t do anything. Change and
help had to come from outside of myself.<br />
At that moment,
something happened. A supernatural event took place that is hard to
articulate fully. I could feel a Presence beginning to start moving. The
Holy Spirit was moving down and then back up on and in my body. I was
completely cleansed and I knew it beyond any shadow of a doubt. Nothing
could be added to what He did in my life. I felt like a newborn baby I
was so clean.<br />
Peace and joy came over my soul at that moment, my
heart and my mind like I had never experienced. I would laugh for about
20 minutes as I drove. Then I would cry for 20 minutes. But it was tears
of joy and gratitude and praise. I was different. I was saved and I
knew I would never be the same. I was truly ‘a new creation in Christ
Jesus’. Old things had passed away and all things had become new."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.tompopelkaministries.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=30052&PID=322885" target="_blank">-Testimony from tompopelkaministries.com</a></i><br />
<i>[unfortunately, this website is no longer functioning]</i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As I prayed, a still, small voice impressed me to stand up and say that I was saved.<br />
...This
time when the Lord impressed me to stand up and say I was saved,
something just came over me and the next moment I was on my feet and
proclaimed, 'I’m saved!' and instantaneously I was changed. It felt as
if my heart was transformed. I had never felt so wonderful and at peace.
The burden was gone and again it was true, 'I knew.' Love overflowed in
my heart and the tears were now tears of joy, not of repentance or
sorrow. The act of standing up and speaking audible words was not what
saved me, it was the faith it took to do it. Truly this was the greatest
moment of my life and I have never been the same since that night. I
have no doubt that this experience will allow me to live forever with my
Lord in Heaven."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://southsidembc.com/wp/?page_id=431" target="_blank">-Testimony from a member of Southside Missionary Baptist Church</a></i><br />
<i>[unfortunately, this page is no longer functioning]</i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I poured out my heart and did not get saved that night. I continued to go to the altar asking the Lord to save me. I did everything; I tried every position, on the altar, under the altar, lying in the floor. I did everything that I had seen other people do in times past when they got saved.<br />
Then one night I gave up doing things my way or someone else’s way. In so many words, I said, 'Lord, I’ve done everything I know to do. If I’m going to besaved, you will have to do it.' After that there was a space in time I'm not sure of. All I know was that there was peace in my heart. The fear and worry of hell was gone.<br />
...The Lord showed me clearly that night that I was saved... Shortly after that, I joined the church and was baptized. We serve a God that lets you know you are lost and lets you know you are saved."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.faithchurchnashville.com/experiences-of-salvation.html" target="_blank"><i>-Elder Barry Armour's Salvation Experience</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote>
"My spiritual birthday was on a Sunday in July. I think that I was around eleven years old, but I’m not one hundred percent sure of the age and the date. ...God was in control and that crowded Sunday Revival morning in July, the Lord decided to deal with me. I was burdened so badly and I knew that I was lost. I thought that I could push the pains away. My mom looked at me and asked if I was lost, and those few words were all it took to get me to move. I’m not sure how I made my way to the altar through all the people, but I did... My burden was so heavy and I needed relief. I ended up on the front bench of the Amen’s section of the church during a crowded Sunday Revival meeting. I knelt at the altar and prayed and prayed, begging the Lord to save my lost soul. I felt like I was praying at Jesus’ feet. I kept praying until I felt peace come into my soul, and that heavy burden was gone, and I knew the Lord had saved my soul. I stood up and told the church that He saved me."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.faithchurchnashville.com/experiences-of-salvation.html" target="_blank"><i>-Tracey Choate Armour's Salvation Experience</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was saved on the altar at Old Union Missionary Baptist Church in Warren County, KY. I usually sat in the choir loft and sang during the song service. Then, when the invitation to sinners was given to come to the altar and seek my salvation, I would walk down out of the choir and go to the altar. That Sunday night I didn’t immediately recognize that I was saved. I doubted my salvation because the devil told me I could NOT have been saved because basically nothing happened. I didn’t see a great light or angels or hear music, or anything. But praise God, finally on Thursday night Jesus broke through and showed me that I was saved! I was in the choir singing as usual when the preacher gave the sinner’s invitation. But that night they were singing, 'When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, I’ll Be There!' And suddenly I knew in my heart that (yes!) I was on my way to Heaven! I didn’t have to come down and go to the altar again, because I had been saved! I started shouting and praising Jesus because I knew I was saved!"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.faithchurchnashville.com/experiences-of-salvation.html" target="_blank"><i>-Larry Galloway's Salvation Experience</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was eleven years old when I got saved on a Wednesday night. A couple of hours before church we weren’t planning to go, but I felt something was going to happen and dad knew it too, so we went. At that service someone was preaching on salvation and hell. I knew I didn’t want to go there. I remember praying asking God how do I not go there. Right when Mrs. Cindy came and told me, 'If the Lord is telling you to do something, you do it right then,' it hit me that I have to give everything over to the Lord and ask Him to save me. Don’t know if I fell to my knees or if I chose to get on my knees, but I was there, and I heard people praying with me, telling me they can’t give it to me, I have to ask for it. I told God I would give everything to Him if He would save me. I even remember saying I would die if he would save me. Right then I felt peace wash over me. I wasn’t sure if I was saved until they started singing the Days of the Week song. The Lord told me,'You need to stand up on Wednesday.' So I did, and I felt peace and happy. That night I went to sleep and knew if I was to die that night, tomorrow, or the next day,or the next year, I wouldn’t have to worry. I knew where I was going."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.faithchurchnashville.com/experiences-of-salvation.html" target="_blank"><i>-Alyssa Herlein's Salvation Experience</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was saved in December, 1971, at age 13 years old... I became under conviction during that chapel service and several of us asked our teacher if we could go back to the sanctuary to pray. I went to the choir loft and began to pray for the Lord to save me. It seemed like only a short few minutes and I felt peace and knew the Lord had saved my soul."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.faithchurchnashville.com/experiences-of-salvation.html" target="_blank"><i>-Susan Wright Hick's Salvation Experience</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I was 47 years old, God came looking for me... Through some solid preaching of his Word, the Holy Spirit of God began to deal with my heart... All of this led me to pray and to tell God I was sick and tired of my way of doing things, and I really wanted to go his way. I told him I was sorry for my whole life of sin and refusal to let him be God. I asked him to forgive me. I believed in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and his resurrection. I knew Jesus was alive and that he was wooing me to follow him. I gave him the keys to the car and said that I would ride in the back from now on. I gave up my self-reliance and submitted myself to Christ.<br />
...It took a couple of days, but I then realized I was different. I knew that something had changed, and it seemed to have changed from the inside-out. My wants and desires were different. I began to want to talk with God and study his Word. I soon was feasting on his Word, keeping a journal, and dealing with real life situations by seeking God and his will and guidance... I have true peace, true joy, love for others, and it’s all because of Jesus. He sought me out, forgave me, and changed my life. Thank you God!"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.fbcathens.com/robert-ls-story/" target="_blank"><i>-Robert L.'s Story</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
An atheist girl is saved at a Youth Camp:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"For the invitational he asked the pianist to play the hymnal, 'I surrender all'. As I stood there with my head bowed, I could hear the words to each verse in my mind, being that I had heard this song so many times since I was young. The words convicted my soul and tears could not be held back. I had no where to go except to the alter. I knew what I was and I knew who He was. I got down to the alter and my pastor came over to me and was saying some stuff but I wasn't paying any attention to him. It was between me and God. I repented of what I was and said in my heart, 'I surrender all.'<br />
Immediately the weight of sin was gone! Instead of guilt I had peace in my heart like I had never known before! I was innocent as a child! I could communicate directly with God and ask him anything! And he would answer! No one needed to explain to me how God exists because he now existed inside of me! ...It was great! All these hymns that I had heard so many times before took on new meaning! For the first time I had sat down and read the Bible and understood what it was talking about. Tears came again as I saw what he did for me!"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.onlinebaptist.com/home/topic/6486-testimony-of-salvation-give-yours-here/" target="_blank">-from OnlineBaptist.com user JJJ4given</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
A Baptist preacher realizes he was never saved, and tells of his journey to being saved. This is part of a much longer story. If you read his <a href="http://www.radiomissions.org/sermons/bapprch.html" target="_blank">full sermon</a>, you will get a much greater sense of the spiritual process he went through:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"I did not realize that I had missed Christ and had never been saved, and I was therefore always in search of something I knew I did not have.<br />
...I was conscious of the fact that there was something missing in my life, but not one time did I doubt my salvation.<br />
...I found myself crying unto God, 'Oh God, if I'm not saved, save me.'<br />
...Slowly I was beginning to see that I was under judgment and going to Hell...<br />
<br />
<i>[Here, he tells of a long, painful struggle, full of pleading with God. He is ready to give up his ministry. He struggles for a very long time, studying, praying, trying to come to know God and be sure of his Salvation. After many weeks, he finally has what he considers his true Salvation Experience.]</i><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>...It was Monday morning at the break of day, as I was riding on the train between Tallulah and Delhi, Louisiana, that the burden and guilt of sin weighed heavily upon my soul. I was lost and going to Hell, and I knew it. I walked from one end of the coach to the other end and fell down upon an empty seat, crying from the depths of my soul with all hope gone, 'Lord, I am lost; save me, or I perish!'<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>...The battle was over; the Holy Spirit had at last brought me to the feet of a sovereign, eternal, merciful, pardoning God and made me to realize that He could save me or damn me. There I rested, knowing only two things – first, that I was a lost sinner condemned to die, a sinner whom God ought to send to Hell, a sinner who did not deserve to be saved, a sinner who, if God chose to send me to Hell, would say, 'Amen,' to his own condemnation, and second, that God could pardon me because Christ died for me. A quietness came over my soul, and a peace settled down upon me. There was no more struggle. My one hope was that Christ died for such a sinner, and I believed it. God's Word could not be broken.<br />
<br />
<i>[Later that day]</i><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>...The preacher had not been preaching very long when, to my utter surprise and gladness of heart, the Holy Spirit revealed Christ definitely to my heart as my Saviour and Lord.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What a moment when God chose to reveal His Son in me! I sat there in amazement and wonder. I would say to myself, 'Is this salvation?' I had made sure that, if and when God saved me, no doubt I would shout all over God's creation; but there I sat not saying a word. It was so different from what I had expected. It was the quiet revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ to my heart and life as my Saviour and Lord. The Holy Spirit had brought me to rest upon Christ and to commit everything into His hands, and now He had revealed Him to my heart as the One who had died for me – my Substitute, my risen Lord."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.radiomissions.org/sermons/bapprch.html" target="_blank">-"How and When God Saved a Baptist Preacher", by L. R. Shelton, Sr.</a></i></blockquote>
Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-90337013698183993792014-10-09T08:11:00.000-07:002018-01-17T13:35:52.359-08:00Pentecostal TestimoniesI gathered these testimonies from various forums, blogs, and church websites. Links to sources are provided with each testimony.<br />
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The day I got the Holy Ghost was a day I will never forget. I went to the altar which was very hard for me to do. I repented of my sins and that's when it happened, God's saving grace took hold of me. It started from my feet and went clear to the top of my head. It felt like electricity went right through me! I started speaking in a language I had never heard before. I felt like a new person. Life started looking different. Everything I looked at looked different. Flowers were more pretty! The sky was more blue! The air smelled better! Life was so much better after that! I will never forget what Jesus has done for me and in me. So, I was born again October 2001, and baptized December 31, 2002. I have been serving him ever since, and I will continue to do so until the day he calls me home. Amen!"<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://www.upcbaypoint.com/Testify/gerri_zimmerman.html" target="_blank">Gerri Zimmerman's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"At an Apostolic Church in 1985, the truth found me. I was 18 years old, raised Roman Catholic, but had questions that centuries of tradition could not answer. All I knew was that I needed 'something.' When Jesus found me, I knew that was what I needed.<br />
Filled with the Holy Ghost baptism on June 23, 1985 and water-baptized in Jesus' Name later that same evening. I have found rest for my soul!"<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>-<a href="http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com/showpost.php?p=563518&postcount=5" target="_blank">from ApostolicFriendsForum user Withdrawn, post 5</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My Great Grandmother Mandy Dedmon was filled with the Holy Ghost in Spanish Fort, Mississippi in the early 1900's under the ministry of Bishop A.J. Tomlinson... <br />
She had seven daughters that played musical instruments and prophesied and 'Mama' was given to dreams and visions.<br />
My Grandmother was filled as was my mother and I was born and raised in the Church of God of Prophecy and was saved and filled with the Holy Ghost at the age of 5 in a camp meeting in Eupora, MS. <br />
I have lived for God all my life because of the keeping power of the Holy Ghost! <br />
...After a 21 day total fast in 1982 God gave me a mighty revelation of who He is and I have never wavered from that Revelation since that day.<br />
I am thankful for Pentecost and for preachers that preach the power of Pentecost.<br />
...I love the Pentecostal church and would rather be in a black church with the Hammond Organ going 100 MPH and people dancing up a storm than anything in this world! <br />
There ain't NOTHIN' like Good Black Pentecostal CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!"<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com/showpost.php?p=563927&postcount=22" target="_blank">from ApostolicFriendsForum user ThePastorsCoach, post 22</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"God, You amaze me.<br />
Every time You forgive me, Every time I experience a moment of Your grace, Every time I experience something beautiful I know it’s the touch of Your hand, My eyes light up, I’m filled with joy and my heart is drawn closer to You. I don’t understand why You’d do this for me especially when I’m unfaithful to You. But I know that You do. And when I feel Your presence, I fall deeper in love with You. I turn around and suddenly, like a rainbow in the clouds, Your beauty is revealed and my heart is filled with joy. I dance, I sing, I praise You and I live for the touch of Your hand."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://www.apachurch.com/powertalk.html" target="_blank">Amanda's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I heard a small voice say, 'Call Ann.' I ignored it. It happened
again, 'Call Ann.' I thought, 'What does she know?' It happened one
more time, so I called Ann, and asked if I could come visit her...<br />
This time was different. We had a heart-to-heart talk. She told me her testimony, witnessed to me, invited me to the next church service, and I accepted.<br />
My first visit was a Wednesday night. All I remember was the singing, and a missionary report. There was no altar call. But the Lord knows our heart. The songs of worship and praise brought tears to my eyes, and a hunger for more of what I felt. At the next service there was an altar call. I went forward and poured my heart out to the Lord.<br />
I was baptized in the name of Jesus on March 5, 1980, and God filled me with His wonderful Spirit on March 16, 1980. Jesus saves, keeps and satisfies!"<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://www.upcbaypoint.com/Testify/darrelette_souders.html" target="_blank">Darrelette Souders' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My heart was struck by this great love, and I began to cry. The altar call was given, and I practically ran to the altar. As I stood there crying with the multitude of people gathered around, I made a vow to the Lord. I didn't know what to say after I repented, but I was so grateful that I told the Lord that no matter what came my way, I would always serve him.<br />
...Then I began to attend Bible studies. I just couldn't seem to get enough of his Word. I didn't want to go home because it felt so good. In one Bible study, the man who was leading it began to tell of his desire to receive the Holy Ghost just like they did in the Bible. He said he shut himself in his bedroom, and prayed until he began to speak in other tongues. Then he asked if anyone there would like to receive it. I came forward because I wanted all that God had for me. They all laid hands on me as we prayed, and soon I had received the same experience. When I went back to church for the next service, the pastor asked me how I felt. I said it felt like a well of joy springing up in my soul. My understanding of the Bible increased even more. It was like a whole new book. I loved reading it so much I could hardly put it down. I read it every chance I could.<br />
...After I was baptized in Jesus' name I felt a cleansing in my soul that I never felt when I was baptized before.<br />
I felt so good. I have continued to serve the Lord in Spirit and in truth here ever since then."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.upcbaypoint.com/Testify/lynda_hartzells_testimony.html" target="_blank">-Lynda Hartzell's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"On Friday night, when Pastor Danny Thornton visiting, I was prophesied to. I was told that I was a woman of wisdom. I really felt blessed that night. God really spoke to my heart. He was so strong I felt weak in the knees and fell to the floor, literally! God's powerful, and it was nice to know that He knows who I am! - who everybody is!"<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.apachurch.com/powertalk.html" target="_blank">-Heather B.'s Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Before I knew you I was far away from you, I was like your story of the Lost Son. I did a lot of bad things in my life that I regret. You called me to you, you changed my heart. You forgave me, you changed my life and circumstances. I have been with you for over a year now and I've come a long way. I know I have purpose now, I have a plan for living a good life. I can't turn back now, I know you are real, you speak to me through your word, your people and spirit. You are always there, you never change, you are constant. When I feel guilty for the bad things I do I know that I can turn right back to you and apologize. Your forgiveness is much appreciated by me. Thank you. I never thought that I could know you this close. You are so amazing, your love is so great and unexplainable! I love you Lord, thank you for saving me, I know I didn't deserve it."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.apachurch.com/powertalk.html" target="_blank">-from a church member testimony- "Thank you Lord for turning my life around"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had a great time at Acquire the Fire. The part that stuck out to me was when a few of us were singing in the car on the way home; you could really feel the Holy Spirit."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.apachurch.com/powertalk.html" target="_blank">-a testimony from "Acquire the Fire 2001"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was sixteen. I’d only been 'born again' for about six months, and I knew I could experience God the same way people in the New Testament did. Paul talked about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians – healing, prophecy – and I believed.<br />
I wanted Jesus to fill me with the Holy Spirit, the same way he did for believers in Acts.<br />
...I decided to pray at a park near my house. At night. I wanted power. Power to do miracles. Power to heal the sick. Power to raise the dead. I’d wait in silence, but eventually, the prayers came out. I cried out to God, even argued with God. And every time, I felt something: warm waves of love crashed into my chest. I physically trembled. I shook.<br />
I kept it up for over a month. Nightly trips to the park, rain or snow. The good feelings kept coming, but I wasn’t experiencing the power I wanted. I wanted more than a feeling. So I decided to chill out on begging God to Spirit-baptize me. Every once in awhile, I’d mention it in my prayers, but disappointment restrained my expectations.<br />
And then I was troubled. I’d stopped actively seeking my own personal Pentecost, and one night, as I prayed, my words were dry, inauthentic. It annoyed me. I remember pacing through the second floor of our house, ticked off at God, and as I stepped into the bathroom, some words fell out of my mouth. But they weren’t in English. I didn’t recognize them.<br />
Was I speaking in tongues?<br />
I was scared. This wasn’t the gift I wanted. It didn’t make sense. But it felt – good. So good!<br />
I ran to my room and prayed in the most pious position I could think of, with my hands folded on the corner of my bed, back straight, knees bent on the floor. I asked God for wisdom in regard to whatever had just occurred. As a precaution, I cast out any pesky demons trying to deceive me, and I asked God, yet again, to fill me with the Spirit. I felt an urge to open my mouth and there they were, those same mysterious words.<br />
They kept coming. And somehow these words that I didn’t understand felt truer than anything else I’d prayed that night. Somehow the barriers I’d been running up against in prayer were gone.<br />
...The night I first spoke in tongues, I felt those feelings again – the ones that made me quake. The love rushing over me. Like I was cocooned in the Holy Spirit. After I stopped praying, and as I laid in my bed, the warmth and energy remained hovering over me, covering me; and I was at peace. I felt safe. I felt known.<br />
...I’ve been praying in tongues. Most of the time, I just don’t know what to pray, and words fail to carry what God is stirring within me, so I lean on the Spirit and let her pray for me. In that place, I find rest. The syllables and noises can be clumsy and strange, but as they roll out (or burst out) I feel my spirit breathing, I feel life pouring in.<br />
This act of holy-foolishness grounds me in Christ’s faithfulness, gives me a way to yield and be faithful in the face of my own confusion. The truth is, I still want power. But God knows what I really need."<br />
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<a href="https://hyesungfrancis.com/2016/12/15/on-speaking-in-tongues/" target="_blank"><i>-From "On Speaking In Tongues", by Hye Sung Francis</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The Lord reminds me of a time a friend from Finland and a friend from
solomon islands prayed over me in tongues for a specific deliverance.
They had no common human language but as they prayed they soon were
speaking the same language in tongues. They actually conversed back and
forth, then in unison. My ailment left and I was free… and very in awe
of G-d."<br /><i><br /></i>
<i><a href="https://hyesungfrancis.com/2016/12/15/on-speaking-in-tongues/" target="_blank">-From comment on "On Speaking in Tongues", by user PrayThroughHistory</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
A miraculous healing:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"He asked the congregation, 'Do you believe God can heal this young woman?' With his faith, mine and theirs working jointly he anointed me with oil, laid his hand on my forehead and prayed for deliverance.<br />
As Josephine and I left the tent I felt something different — I was being healed as we walked toward the bus stop!<br />
The next day the doctor examined me and told me I was fine. When I got home I watched steam rise from my mother's stew and my mouth salivated. The potatoes, tomatoes, beef and onions smelled delicious. My appetite had returned.<br />
During the next few weeks my weight returned to normal. I had been healed by the power of God. Thank you Jesus for healing me! After X-rays revealed that I had no TB, my husband returned and I got to raise my children. He became a Christian before he died many years later.<br />
Now, at 83 I am a great-grandmother. I give God all the glory. I won't tell how much I now weigh, but by looking at me, you wouldn't believe I ever had TB!"<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://www.upcbaypoint.com/Testify/opal_capaldi.html" target="_blank">Opal Capaldi's Healing</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
A vision:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It was on a Sunday night in 1999 that I stood singing in a choir much like I had done countless other times. We began to sing a song very familiar to us called 'Jesus, We Crown You With Praise' and we had sang this song many times over. It was a beautiful song sang by a beautiful choir just like always but this night, there was something different about the singing. I can't begin to describe to you how deep the presence of God was and the more we sang, the more we felt God's presence like you could literally reach out and touch Him.<br />
All across the building, people began to pray and God was changing many, many hearts.<br />
I can't tell you how it started or how it ended but all of a sudden, I was in a place where I was totally unaware of who or what was around me and I became aware of a presence that I knew was Jesus Christ. I looked up and I saw Jesus leaning over looking down from Heaven and even though I could not see His face, I knew there was a look on His face that said He was extremely pleased with the worship and praise that was being offered up in that sanctuary. It lasted only seconds but it felt like an eternity where it was just me and God.<br />
That night when the service had ended, our visiting preacher sat down with the pastor and told him what he saw. He said that when the choir was invited to the platform, he saw people from all over the congregation get up to sing, but there was something strange about some of them in that a lot of them were dressed in pure white clothing and it wasn't until the choir began to sing that he realized he had seen angels get up to sing with the choir that night. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget...<br />
I have experienced a lot of great things in my life including the one I just related to you but the one of the greatest experiences I've had was receiving the Holy Ghost at the young age of 9 in my parents living room and to know that the experience of receiving God's Spirit was just the beginning of many to come gave me all the more inspiration and faith to follow what the Bible asks of me.<br />
I could relate to you other things that I have seen but the greatest part of my relationship with God is, everyday, He comes near. He comes near when I am happy, He comes near when I am sad, He comes near when I'm pleasing to Him and he also comes near when I don't deserve it.<br />
God is ready and willing to come near to anyone that would ask and if you would allow Him to fill you with His Spirit, you can't get any nearer than Him living inside of you."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://www.upcbaypoint.com/Testify/andy_hines.html" target="_blank">When God Came Near, by Rev. Andy Hines</a></i>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
A former Pentecostal man cannot deny his spiritual experiences:
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I can not deny basic facts and things that I experienced, they have become part of my core. For example, feeling the anointing of God in the church, His power coming down in there and His presence in my life. For me, this was very real and to this day, I still hold fast to it."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a class="title may-blank loggedin " data-event-action="title" data-href-url="/r/ExPentecostal/comments/6ol3nv/i_left_9_years_ago_and_i_feel_sort_of_guilty_and/" data-inbound-url="/r/ExPentecostal/comments/6ol3nv/i_left_9_years_ago_and_i_feel_sort_of_guilty_and/?utm_content=title&utm_medium=front&utm_source=reddit&utm_name=ExPentecostal" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/ExPentecostal/comments/6ol3nv/i_left_9_years_ago_and_i_feel_sort_of_guilty_and/" rel="nofollow" tabindex="1">from reddit post, "I left 9 years ago and I feel sort of guilty and lost"</a></i> </blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-32211668695210301432014-10-09T08:10:00.004-07:002015-03-11T09:19:58.041-07:00Christian Testimonies (No Denomination)These general Christian testimonies come from around the web.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Here I was, so filled with anger and hate, and she said there was someone who really loved me. And who was it but the God of the universe! That thought just staggered me. To think that the God of the universe should love me, Bill Craig, that worm down there on that speck of dust called planet Earth! I just couldn’t take it in.<br />
That began for me the most agonizing period of soul-searching that I’ve ever been through. I got a New Testament and read it from cover to cover. And as I did, I was absolutely captivated by the person of Jesus of Nazareth. There was a wisdom about his teaching I had never encountered before and an authenticity in his life that wasn’t characteristic of those people who claimed to be his followers in the local church I was attending. I know that I couldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.<br />
… Meanwhile, Sandy introduced me to other Christian students in the high school. I had never met people like this! Whatever they said about Jesus, what was undeniable was that they were living life on a plane of reality that I didn’t even dream existed, and it imparted a deep meaning and joy to their lives, which I craved.<br />
To make a long story short, my spiritual search went on for the next six months. I attended Christian meetings; I read Christian books; I sought God in prayer. Finally, one night I just came to the end of my rope and cried out to God. I cried out all the anger and bitterness that had built up inside me, and at the same time I felt this tremendous infusion of joy, like a balloon being blown up and blown up until it was ready to burst! I remember I rushed outdoors—it was a clear, mid-western, summer night, and you could see the Milky Way stretched from horizon to horizon. As I looked up at the stars, I thought, 'God! I’ve come to know God!'<br />
That moment changed my whole life. I had thought enough about this message during those six months to realize that if it were really the truth—really the truth—, then I could do nothing less than spend my entire life spreading this wonderful message among mankind.<br />
For many Christians, the main difference they find in coming to know Christ is the love or the joy or the peace it brings. All of those things were thrilling for me, too. But if you were to ask me what is the main difference Christ has made in my life, without hesitation I would say, 'Meaning!' I knew the blackness, the despair, of a life lived apart from God. Knowing God suddenly brought eternal significance to my life. Now the things I do are charged with eternal meaning. Now life matters. Now every day I wake up to another day of walking with Him.”<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.reasonablefaith.org/personal-testimony-of-faith#ixzz3Da7nAJhj" target="_blank">-from "Personal Testimony of Faith", by William Lane Craig</a></i></blockquote>
<span id="goog_1414514108"></span><span id="goog_1414514109"></span>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was raised by a darwinist father and a feminist mother, and never went to church. I rejected Christianity as boring and the Bible as a fairy tale, although I would have said I believed in God. <br />
...My new friend invited me to her baptism after I'd known her about a year, and I went along because it obviously meant a lot to her.<br />
...Several people gave their testimonies that day, and as I listened, I started to feel strange inside. I could see that these people really did believe that they knew Jesus and that knowing him had changed their lives. Then the pastor spoke for a while, about the sadness in the world and how people tried to fill that gap inside with drugs, alcohol, sex, money.....but none of these things worked, which is why so many are on pills for depression. I was one of them, and I started to get tearful. He said that only Jesus could fill this emptiness, and that if anyone wanted to be blessed by Jesus, would they raise their hand. Well, this was it, my moment! I knew by now that God was talking directly to me, and I hesitated......but somehow my hand went up, I was not going to miss this. The pastor said, 'bless you,' and I was overwhelmed in that instant by the presence of God. It's hard to explain, like trying to explain how you know when you are in love, but I was filled up with joy and peace and I knew that God was there and would look after me, always. That was 7 years ago and I have not forgotten it. <br />
That is very detailed and very true. I was healed of my depression in that moment too."<br />
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<i><a href="https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090917141633AA99mDt" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user good tree</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I have seen Jesus, he called me back to him in a vision that changed every thing I knew and believed, That's my truth. And my first experience I have had more, but no one needs a vision to know God, he is ready for every repentant soul and needs our yes."<br />
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<i><a href="https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090917141633AA99mDt" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user korban</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I wouldn't be who I am today without revelations revealed to me through the holy spirit. God has given me so much knowledge about almost anything and everything I've ever wanted to know. I don't know where to start to tell you the things I have learned and have applied to my life. I could write a book! All I know is, people that deny he exist or say he isn't good, I am simply flabbergasted by. I've experienced his mercy and grace everyday that I live. The things he's brought me through, the revelations about Heaven that he's given me, the revelations about the people on this Earth and what he's going to do, I mean, there is so much love and goodness coming to this planet from him!! If most only knew!!"<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/30154072-post53.html" target="_blank">-from city-data forum user allenk893</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The altar call was made to give your heart to the Lord. I knew I wanted to. I knew I was home. I knew I was ready to make a commitment to Jesus, not to an organization, not to the church, but to give my heart to Christ.<br />
...Now I am able to raise my hands, because I’m worshiping Him. The freedom is Christ. My spirit just came alive inside of me! God will reveal and guide and lead you into all truth. He’s the Revealer of all truth and that truth does set you free!"<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/Deborah_Antignano_061410.aspx" target="_blank">-Deborah Antignano's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
Raising the Dead<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I walked out through the door to this emergency room and I heard this voice say, 'Turn around and pray for this man.' I wanted to ignore that voice because I said to myself, How can I pray for that man? He’s dead he’s gone. There’s no life in him, so I keep walking. The voice came back again and said, 'Turn around and pray for that man.' I stopped and thought I need to honor the Lord. So I turned around at the doorway, and I walked to the side of the body.<br />
...I opened my mouth and these words came out: 'Father God, I cry out for this man’s soul. If he does not know you as his Lord and Savior, Father, raise him from the dead now, in Jesus name.'<br />
...The other doctor walked in the room and I pointed to him and said, 'Shock this man one more time.' He looked at me and said, 'Dr. Crandall, we can’t shock him. He’s dead. There’s no life in him. He’s gone.' I said, 'For me, shock him one more time.' That doctor out of respect and honor for me went over to that body with those defibrillator paddles and put his paddles on that patient and shocked him. Immediately an instant heartbeat came back. Instant perfect, regular, which we’ve never seen before. <br />
When I came in Monday morning, Jeff was sitting up in bed, and I said, 'Where were you that day that I prayed for you in the emergency room?' And he said, 'I was in total darkness and I was so disappointed.' I said, 'Jeff, what were you disappointed about?' He said, 'I was alone for eternity.'<br />
Jeff recalls, 'He asked me at that time if I was willing to accept God into my life and into my heart and I did. I just opened my arms and accepted God. It was just a very emotional time and I remember crying in his arms.'"<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/Jeff-Markin-Chauncey-Crandall-091510.aspx" target="_blank">-from "Jeff Markin: Back from the Dead, Reborn Into the Light"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
Conversion from Hinduism<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was sleeping and all of a sudden I woke up. I felt like the Holy Spirit was saying, ‘Now is the time. Now is the time to come into My kingdom.’ At that point I said, ‘Lord, I accept You as my Lord and my Savior. I am Yours. Please forgive me of all my sins.’ I felt like the weight had been lifted. There was something in my spirit that… It was almost like—think of a really, really dark room. And then all of a sudden like a small crack opens up and light shines through. You just know it. The Lord is real. God is in me. The Holy Spirit is living in me.<br />
...Jesus Christ to me is, first of all, He’s a Friend. He walks with me. He lives in me. He guides me. He’s just – He’s just amazing. He is everything I mean, when I’m down, He pulls me up.<br />
When you earnestly seek the face of God, and you’re sincere in your seeking the face of God, God shows up."<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/JRC19_Shailesh_Ghimire.aspx" target="_blank">-from "Shailesh Ghimire: Finding Jesus in America"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
Conversion from Judaism and a vision<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“This being appears in my dream in glory like I’ve never seen before in my life. I’m not looking at this with my eyes. I’m in a dream, but this is real. I don’t know how else to explain it, but I thought I was going to die in the presence of this being with eyes so bright that they were brighter than the sun. In His hand was an old looking parchment, and it had all this writing on it and I couldn’t read it. It was too small. But I knew in my spirit that it was my whole life up to that point. In the bottom in big bold letter it said, ‘IT’S TIME TO COME HOME.’” <br />
...He prayed to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior.<br />
“It was like a brick house lifted off me, a dark, heavy stickiness. This is what I’ve been looking for. I knew that all my sins had been forgiven, that I was right with God now.”<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/Cyril-Gordon-111710.aspx" target="_blank">-from "Cyril Gordon: A Spiritual Journey Leads to Christ"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
An ex-Christian reconverts to a more liberal version of Christianity after spiritual experiences:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"At my mom's insistence, we attended a Seventh-Day Adventist service at a different church. When she suggested it I started having a panic attack, but I said I'd go with her and dad anyway. We went. And it was.... nice. I had been suffering from anxiety for a while now, and that day felt like one of the only days I've had truly free of anxiety. The service was nice, I hung out with my boyfriend later and didn't feel bad, and it was just... good. All the troubles I had were suddenly washed away, and I thought, you know, maybe I can give Christianity a try again.<br />
...I started reading a book called 'Kissing Fish: Christianity for People Who Don't Like Christianity' that introduced me to Progressive Christian thinking. At first, I was afraid that I was just trying to make myself feel better, that I was just trying to find a way to twist God into a mold that would make me feel more comfortable with my life choices. But in reading some of the passages in there, I began to feel the same sense of peace and acceptance that I felt on that one church service. I finally started to realize... if God truly is love, then He truly loves me, imperfect and flawed as I am. This peace that I'm feeling... I've never felt it in any other spiritual situation before. I've never felt this before. Many of the ways of thinking presented in that book about God, Jesus, and the Bible seemed to wash over me in waves of love and comfort, something that I've never felt from religion. I finally started to realize what all those Christians meant when they said they could feel God's love. I don't have to be trapped by the staunch dogmas I thought were 'true Christianity'. I felt just a little bit more free.<br />
...I don't know what the future will hold, but for the first time, I can find comfort in trusting a God that has revealed Himself to be truly loving."
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en-us.reddit.com/r/SharingReligion/comments/2skes2/recovering_christian_there_and_back_again/" target="_blank">-from "Recovering Christian: There and Back Again" by reddit user malheureux_</a></blockquote>
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Prophesy, Revelation, Healing by Laying on Hands<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As a young married couple starting in ministry, Robert and Stacy Gay wrestled over the decision to have a second child. Stacy was ready. Robert was not. 'She said, ‘Lord, I just want confirmation if this is me, if this is You, or if this is something we should proceed ahead on having another child,’' Robert recalls.<br />
The answer came shortly there after at a church conference through prophetic words. 'I didn’t get just one, not two, but three words,' he says. 'One of them was: ‘I see a baby,’ and another was: ‘I see you are about to have a child.’ The other was: ‘I see you are going to have a child, and you are going to have this child by the end of the year.’' Stacy recalls, ’A daughter who would be a dancer in the house of the Lord...’<br />
'Whenever I got those words, I knew,' Robert says. 'Lord this is You.' Like many Christians, Robert and Stacy believe that God still speaks today. He often speaks through others using prophetic words. <br />
Robert says, 'About the end of March, we found out that Stacy was pregnant.' But one week later… 'I began to bleed and spot very heavily,' Stacy says... 'The prognosis was that there was no life in the womb.'<br />
'She called me on the phone and she was crying,' Robert says. ‘What are we going to do?’ ...And I said, ‘You are not going to do anything. We are going to stand, and we are going to believe the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord said we would have a daughter who would be a dancer in the house of the Lord.'<br />
'That evening when I got home from work, I laid my hands on her stomach and said, ‘You will live and not die.’' We began to agree together, and the church began to pray. We all began to speak life to the womb, and we began to declare the prophetic word that had been spoken over our lives.'<br />
But the bleeding continued... Subsequent visits to the doctor brought the same dire report... But several weeks later, the Gays received a very different report. A strong heartbeat resounded from the womb. Eight months later, the astonished doctors delivered a perfectly normal baby girl... For 18 years, the Gays have praised God for their beautiful dancer."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/amazing/Robert_StacyGay020207.aspx" target="_blank">-from "Robert and Stacy Gay: The Word and the Promise"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
Hearing the Voice of God<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Let me tell you about a most wonderful experience I had early Monday morning, March 19, 2007, a little after six o’clock. God actually spoke to me. There is no doubt that it was God. I heard the words in my head just as clearly as when a memory of a conversation passes across your consciousness. The words were in English, but they had about them an absolutely self-authenticating ring of truth. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God still speaks today.<br />
...As I prayed and mused, suddenly it happened. God said, 'Come and see what I have done.' There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that these were the very words of God. In this very moment. At this very place in the twenty-first century, 2007, God was speaking to me with absolute authority and self-evidencing reality. I paused to let this sink in. There was a sweetness about it. Time seemed to matter little. God was near. He had me in his sights. He had something to say to me. When God draws near, hurry ceases. Time slows down.<br />
...I was being enveloped in the love of his personal communication. The God of the universe was speaking to me.<br />
Then he said, as clearly as any words have ever come into my mind, 'I am awesome in my deeds toward the children of man.' My heart leaped up, 'Yes, Lord! You are awesome in your deeds. Yes, to all men whether they see it or not. Yes! Now what will you show me?'<br />
The words came again. Just as clear as before, but increasingly specific: 'I turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There they rejoiced in me—who rules by my might forever.' Suddenly I realized God was taking me back several thousand years to the time when he dried up the Red Sea and the Jordan River. ...God himself was narrating the mighty works of God. He was doing it for me. He was doing it with words that were resounding in my own mind.<br />
There settled over me a wonderful reverence. A palpable peace came down. This was a holy moment and a holy corner of the world in northern Minnesota. God Almighty had come down and was giving me the stillness and the openness and the willingness to hear his very voice.<br />
...I sat staring at nothing. My mind was full of the global glory of God. 'I keep watch over the nations.' He had said this to me. It was not just that he had said it. Yes, that is glorious. But he had said this to me. The very words of God were in my head. They were there in my head just as much as the words that I am writing at this moment are in my head. They were heard as clearly as if at this moment I recalled that my wife said, 'Come down for supper whenever you are ready.' I know those are the words of my wife. And I know these are the words of God.<br />
...What effect did this have on me? It filled me with a fresh sense of God’s reality. It assured me more deeply that he acts in history and in our time. It strengthened my faith that he is for me and cares about me and will use his global power to watch over me. Why else would he come and tell me these things?<br />
It has increased my love for the Bible as God’s very word, because it was through the Bible that I heard these divine words, and through the Bible I have experiences like this almost every day. The very God of the universe speaks on every page into my mind—and your mind. We hear his very words. God himself has multiplied his wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us; none can compare with him!"<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-morning-i-heard-the-voice-of-god" target="_blank">-from "The Morning I Heard the Voice of God", by John Piper</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
Martin Luther King, Jr. hears the voice of God. After receiving many death threats, King was heavily shaken and prayed for help.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"'Lord, I'm down here trying to do what's right. I still think I'm right. I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I'm weak now, I'm faltering. I'm losing my courage. Now, I am afraid. And I can't let the people see me like this because if they see me weak and losing my courage, they will begin to get weak. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I've come to the point where I can't face it alone.'<br />
As he prayed alone in the silent kitchen, King heard a voice saying, 'Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo, I will be with you. Even until the end of the world.' Then King heard the voice of Jesus. 'I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone. No never alone. No never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.'<br />
And as the voice washed over the stains of the wretched caller, King reached a spiritual shore beyond fear and apprehension. 'I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced Him before,' he said. 'Almost at once my fears began to go,' King said of the midnight flash of illumination and resolve. 'My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.'"<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2005/01/Receiving-The-Call.aspx?p=2" target="_blank">-from BeliefNet.com, "Receiving the Call"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
An ex-convict heard the voice of God<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"One night in January 2007, while laying in bed praying and talking to God ... God spoke to me! It was the very first time I've ever heard God speak to me! God said three words to me, and the best three words I have ever heard!<br />
God said, 'Welcome home, son.' <br />
I didn't know what to think! I was scared at first, but then I started to question how could God ever welcome me home -- a sinner, lost to the world? I have heard of God speaking to others, but ME? <br />
I know some reading this will be skeptical that it was really God who spoke to me. Many will just think I imagined it, or am lying about it to impress others. That is understandable. I'm not out to try to prove to anyone that it was really God who clearly spoke to me. God knows the truth and I know the truth, and that is really all that matters in the end. I believe God knew I needed to hear His voice clearly, otherwise my relationship with Him might well have continued on shaky ground. Lord knows I sure didn't deserve to hear His voice, but because He did allow me to hear it ... it has helped me greatly to get much more serious about walking in obedience to Him.<br />
I've since learned that God promises to speak to each of us once we become fully born again and purpose to walk in the Spirit as Romans 8 speaks of -- becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus. He doesn't want it to be some big deal (Though it is!). It should become very common-place - very ordinary. It may not be in any remarkable and dramatic way like the first time it happened to me ... but it certainly can be. Often it is more of a knowing that anything else. It's hard to describe it to anyone else at times, but you just have a knowing that it wasn't you listening to your own thoughts, but the voice of God talking to you. God has also been known to speak in dreams and even visions, or it can be through another person. Most often, learning how to hear His voice comes as you study the Bible with the purpose of really wanting to know everything God has to say to us in it, with a desire, of course, to obey Him as He reveals His truths to you. That is the most common way Jesus teaches His true followers how to hear His voice."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.precious-testimonies.com/PrisonerDocs/AlexanderChris.htm" target="_blank">-from precioustestimonies.com, "God Spoke to Me!", by Chris Alexander</a></i></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-51570800188822860842014-10-09T08:10:00.003-07:002015-06-02T09:00:27.840-07:00Christians Discuss- What Does the Holy Spirit Feel Like?<div class="tr_bq">
From the <a href="http://getstarted.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/what-does-the-holy-spirit-feel-like/" target="_blank">Getting Started blog- "What Does the Holy Spirit Feel Like?"</a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Generally speaking, when the Spirit speaks, people recognize the message as coming from God. So the first thing I’d say is the Holy Spirit feels like truth.<br />
The Spirit is described in various parts of scripture as fire, power, faith, peace, joy, fullness, or holiness (the seal of God’s promise in and on us). All these things come from God and when the Spirit makes His presence known we usually feel at least some of these things in some way or another.<br />
In most cases in scripture the arrival of the Spirit is followed immediately by someone speaking God’s word or prophesying. The Spirit of God brings God’s word, and when the Spirit inspires, it feels impossible to keep quiet about the Word.<br />
The Spirit is, truly and literally, God within us. Sometimes a person can sense the presence of a Being far greater than can be imagined; I’m sure when the Spirit touches us, He holds back a great deal otherwise we’d be completely overwhelmed.<br />
In conjunction with healing and other miracles, the presence of the Spirit is often described as 'warmth', 'a tingling sensation', 'electrical' or 'breathtaking'."<br />
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<a href="http://getstarted.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/what-does-the-holy-spirit-feel-like/" target="_blank"><i>-from Getting Started blog, “What Does the Holy Spirit Feel Like?”, by Peg</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
From comments on the article:
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There is no better mental or physical experience than that of the Holy Spirit. The enormous peace and joy that engulfs your mind and body is something that’s unexplainable; it has to be experienced by the believer."<br />
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<i><a href="http://getstarted.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/what-does-the-holy-spirit-feel-like/" target="_blank">-from blog user Dorothy</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It was like a warm oil filling my body via the top middle of my head and lowering slowly to fill my whole body. When my body was filled human words could not possibly explain how perfect it was and how happy I became. I remember saying if this is what heaven is like, I want to go straight there. It was unexplainable. I knew it was GOD, I knew it was the truth, I knew it was perfect. Since then, I am still the same person, except I believe in GOD 100%, I have absolutely no fear, I love all the time, even when times are tough, and sad. My emotions are more sensitive and maxed out. I have more understanding of life, and I see everything in a better light. My life is still the same, but it does not worry me or concern me as I know there is something much better beyond this life."<br />
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<i><a href="http://getstarted.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/what-does-the-holy-spirit-feel-like/" target="_blank">-from blog user Mark</a></i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I felt a warm tingling sensation that started in my head and moved to the rest of my body – similar to the sensation of taking a relaxing hot shower. This was accompanied by so many tears of joy that I had to stop singing but continued to mouth the words out of love for God. This was the first time I had ever experienced joy to the point of weeping, so it all seemed very strange. Looking around I could see others were experiencing the same tears of joy."<br />
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<i><a href="http://getstarted.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/what-does-the-holy-spirit-feel-like/" target="_blank">-from blog user Tom</a></i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I first started feeling this holy spirit is when I got saved and was unaware of what is was, it felt like best way for me to explain it was when I sung songs gospel songs or prayed to GOD I would feel something like oil being poured over my head and continuing down my torso – body.<br />
It was not a warm feeling or electricity feeling but a presence like I said like oil being poured on my head and flowing downward my body I feel very peaceful when it happens not scared and sometimes I get like a smile so powerful like happyness feeling.<br />
In some way people could I guess descibe it as tingly but I strongly feel it feels more like a presence to me at least.<br />
I asked alot of christians about it and some answer me saying it is the holy spirit and others I asked say they never felt it, I hope it is from GOD and thats what I strongly feel"<br />
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<i><a href="http://getstarted.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/what-does-the-holy-spirit-feel-like/#comment-2771" target="_blank">-from blog user Robert</a></i></blockquote>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"You will probably be familiar with this feeling, the warm buzzing, vibrating kind of physical feeling that you may have felt in Church before, or when you have been on your own praying etc. I personally associate this feeling to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Whenever I am in communion with the Spirit of God, this feeling is with me. In actual fact, this feeling is with me pretty much all the time. Except whenever I have grieved the Holy Spirit, this feeling leaves me.<br />
...I said Holy Spirit show me how and where I begin getting to know the Father. Immediately that buzzing was there, it was all over my body. It wasn’t full on, it was clearly there, but not overwhelmingly so. I began to say “my spirit to your spirit Holy Spirit” and I said this over and over, then all of a sudden, it had taken over. My entire physical body felt as if it wasn’t there anymore, my eyes were closed, but I could feel the Glory and presence of God right before me, and it was lifting me up.<br />
...I felt so humbled, and grateful to be given such an opportunity to experience God like this. The Holy Spirit was telling me, that to get to the know the Father, you start with praise. You praise him for the wonderful blessings, and lessons he has brought to your life. You start with loving the Father and the Son. You allow them into your life, and they will show you exactly how much they love you.<br />
This experience was unlike anything I have ever felt before in my life. And before that night, there was always doubt. A little bit of doubt, not much but it was there. Now there is none. My life has changed so much in such a short amount of time, all because I listen to those thoughts that enter my mind... A little voice comes in and convicts me of that, and tells me that’s not the right thing to do. I listen to myself when I feel bad because I havent read the bible in a few days. You know. I listen to the word of God when things jump out at me, and are applicable to my situation at the time. These things are all the Holy Spirit."<br />
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<i><a href="http://getstarted.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/what-does-the-holy-spirit-feel-like/" target="_blank">-from blog user Victoria</a></i></blockquote>
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A woman describes <a href="http://godspeaks-i-listen.com/2012/03/30/what-my-fellowship-with-the-holy-spirit-has-done-for-me/" target="_blank">her experiences with the Holy Spirit</a>:<br />
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<blockquote>
"This whole week I’ve been blogging about the Holy Spirit. I can’t stop thinking about Him. I’m so awed by whom He is and all that He does for me. I reflected back on all the interaction I’ve had with Him. My first big shocking interaction was when my husband spoke in tongues and then I did. It was so shocking and so exciting. I knew speaking in tongues was real because the language was so beautiful and I know I could not have made that up on my own.<br />
The experience went through every part of my body. I was so excited that all I wanted to do was pray to God. The Holy Spirit also manifested Himself to me in other ways. We truly have a very close relationship. It wasn’t that He was only in me… but through me and all over me.<br />
The Holy Spirit not only reveals Himself to me in prayer… but at so many other times… His counsel to me has been incredible. He advises me every day about something. I have felt His arms around me when I needed comfort.<br />
In my singing ministry…I walk up to the microphone to sing and sometimes I’m not feeling up to par… I start singing and halfway through the song I feel the Holy Spirit fill me and I know then that the music has gone to another level. I feel like we are singing and not just me. I feel the congregation feels His presence too. Sometimes I get so nervous before I have to sing and I ask Him if He’s with me and He makes me know in some unique way that He‘s with me. Sometimes I can feel Him escort me up to sing and other times like I said…He manifests Himself while I sing.<br />
...The Holy Spirit has even showed me a vision of Himself when I first committed myself to the Lord. ...He will always be with me and will be there the day I die which is so comforting to me. I am always in the presence of my God."<br />
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<i><a href="http://godspeaks-i-listen.com/2012/03/30/what-my-fellowship-with-the-holy-spirit-has-done-for-me/" target="_blank">-from the blog, "God Speaks, I Listen", by Tanya Nemley</a></i></blockquote>
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From <a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130210154633AAtYSUr" target="_blank">Yahoo Answers question, "What does the presence of the Holy Spirit feel like?"</a><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I have been really blessed to feel the Holy Spirit twice. I asked God to come into my life again because I was feeling a void. I was spiritually thirsty for Him. The next morning when I woke up, I felt the Holy Spirit! To make it short, it feels like peace, knowledge (of God), love, electricity from head to toe, fire burning inside you, happiness, peace, joy, safety... Emotions humans don't even have words for. I felt all of these. Some people feel one of these, or a couple, or all. It is a truly beautiful feeling and experience."<br />
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<i><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130210154633AAtYSUr" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user Sstrom</a></i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Really I think it's like different from person to person. Also it's kind of like indescribable sometimes. You just feel different....you have this calmness in times of trouble, you feel like someone is always watching over you, idk it's really not like anything else so I can't really describe it. The best thing I could say is that it feels better than without having the Holy Spirit (and I do partially know what that feels like). God bless :)"<br />
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<i><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130210154633AAtYSUr" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user S</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Like being enveloped in Light and Glory. Some of my friends have fallen down under god's power when someone has prayed for them and those who continue to rest on carpet feel cocooned in amazing peace, some experience a sense of being cleansed or healed. Some have been healed of a physical complaint.My husband has had a powerful vision - it involved seeing the steps of God's throne and his robe flowing down the steps, also he saw Christ standing by him and then experienced the Power of the Holy Spirit! The Spirit settled on him like a calming, soothing, cleansing coverlet which seemed to seep through his flesh into his very soul! ...It was a Trinitarian experience of God!<br />
...In worship I have a sense of great love, glory and the perfection of Heaven. So many of us are so overwhelmed at these beautiful times that tears roll down our faces. Sometimes I feel as though i want to weep heartily and noisily with all my might!<br />
I ask myself - 'Why this compulsion to weep?' - It is because the love, glory and pefection that we feel is in such stark but wonderful and stunning contrast to the sorrows, pain and sheer evil that we all experience to some degree in this life. The sense of wonder and Joy seems to be too Pure and Perfect for the human heart to handle! It truly is fantastic! Some people get almost addicted to worship because it links you in a very intimate way with God. Charismatic worshippers when in praise song, often close their eyes, engrossed in the presence of God."<br />
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<i><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130210154633AAtYSUr" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user Yorkshire Lass</a></i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Very happy :)<br />
It's hard to explain because the happiness you feel (from the Holy Spirit) is nothing of this world. The happiness just makes you want to praise God :)"<br />
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<i><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130210154633AAtYSUr" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user Jesus = only way to salvation</a></i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"An overwhelming presence of love and happiness. So overwhelming, that words can't justify it. It's truly remarkable."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130210154633AAtYSUr" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user Barry Obama</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Tingles to me but its different for everyone He is a personal God"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130210154633AAtYSUr" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user Kylie</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From Complete-Christian-Living-Bible-Study.com:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I experience the Holy Ghost for the first time I felt that fire or an intense feeling that starts from the pit of your stomach and spreads throughout the body.<br />
Not a fire that feels like it's burning you alive from the inside out...No!<br />
Just an intense warmth or tingling sensation that can be at times breath taking. Do not forget however, that this was and still is what the presence of the Holy Ghost feels like for me.<br />
...When the presence of the Holy Spirit is manifested it also fills you with this sense of peace and joy, or belonging and purpose, and leaves you feeling complete and empowered.<br />
...The Holy Spirit presence embraces you like the comfort of a friend. It feels like a very real presence that accompanies you throughout your day."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.complete-christian-living-bible-study.com/Holy-Spirit-presence.html" target="_blank">-from "What does the Holy Spirit Presence feel like?"</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From the <a href="http://revolfaith.com/" target="_blank">Revolutionary Faith Blog</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Whenever I’m worshiping in the Spirit, it literally feels like a river is flowing out of my belly–a river flowing with life. Some people might find that description unsettling, but it’s really the most comforting and freeing sensation imaginable. The barrier between God and my flesh is temporarily removed, and I commune deeply with Him.<br />
...When the Holy Spirit is stirred inside of me, all of my anxieties and frustrations melt away. I feel excited about doing God’s work and want to humble myself in worship. He speaks His vision to my heart and gives me hope for the future. Sometimes, the joy I feel is so great that I want to dance. But even more than that, the Holy Spirit surrounds me with His gentleness and compassion. His words may challenge me to eschew sin, but He’s never harsh or manipulative.<br />
...I have experienced... boldness when sharing the gospel with others. Sometimes, it’s like a warm, raging fire in my chest.<br />
...Sometimes when the Holy Spirit is stirred within me, I feel ecstatic–like I could float right up through the ceiling. At other times, I sense a sober and weighty formality. That formality, I believe, comes from God’s glory. God’s presence is a very humbling thing.<br />
...And that’s what the Holy Spirit feels like. He is a river of living water. He is a consuming fire. He is gentle, patient and loving. He brings insight, healing, freedom, boldness and joy. He reveals the glory of God."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://revolfaith.com/2012/11/16/what-does-the-holy-spirit-feel-like/" target="_blank">-from "What does the Holy Spirit feel like?", by April K</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Then, at the final service, God shattered all of my preconceived notions about experiencing His presence. I always thought that I had to feel something: a weight, an elation, a loss of my senses. After all, most of my faith experience at this point had involved some kind of emotionalism. But none of that happened. God showed me that I could experience Him with my physical senses–emotions not needed.<br />
...I began praying with a woman from my church, waiting to feel God’s presence bubbling up in my soul. But I felt nothing but a cold void inside of me...<br />
And then...<br />
I heard someone singing. It was nice. Very nice. Beautiful. Heavenly, in fact. Arresting. The sound grew louder, more intense. It was the most beautiful singing I had ever heard. Who was that?<br />
...The other women began to hear it, too.<br />
...Soon, I could count six distinct voices... And the sound grew more intense by the minute. I could feel vibrations in my chest. This went on for 15 or 20 minutes.<br />
And the sound. My God. There was nothing like it. I remember hearing Charlotte Church sing when I was a kid. This blew her out of the water. These were operatic voices with no vibrato. Perfectly pure. Divine. These were angels singing.<br />
I didn’t run around the chapel. I didn’t leap or wave my arms. I didn’t shout in tongues. I didn’t fall out or roll on the floor. Instead, I simply sat and listened with my jaw on the floor. Many of the women were crying and praising God. Thirty-five out of the 38 women at the service said they heard the singing. The next day, some of them reported seeing wings and other visions during that time. I heard a deep, thundering voice speak at the peak of the singing, but what it said, I can’t fully recall or express it in English."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://revolfaith.com/2012/10/06/my-faith-experience-part-2/" target="_blank">-from "My Faith Experience: Part 2", by April K</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com93tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-51754748485664309152014-10-09T08:10:00.002-07:002014-10-24T11:49:11.794-07:00Mormon TestimoniesThese testimonies come from <a href="http://mormon.org/">Mormon.org</a>, and from several other online forums. Sources will be listed with each testimony.<br />
<br />
<br />
From Mormon.org:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In mid-August of 1969, I humbly knelt in the shadows behind my barracks and prayed. I told God that I had read the book that Latter-day Saints say is from Him. I admitted that there were some good things in it and that I wanted to know if it was true.<br />
I closed my prayer in the Savior’s name. No sooner had I done so than I received the most powerful witness that I have ever experienced. It was not the answer I was seeking. But I had asked, and now I knew. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the only true church on the earth! I knew it; I dared not deny it."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/1986/08/mormon-journal" target="_blank">-Kent Hansen's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was in serious trouble I remember kneeling and praying specifically for deliverance and almost instantly my prayers were answered I was able to go home back to my family. In this same prayer I asked for guidance to know what my next step would be and in a few days it was answered when the missionaries came to my door. As I sat there listening I knew My Heavenly Father had sent them. I was sure that I was to become a Mormon."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormon.org/valentin" target="_blank">-Valentin's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The gospel has been in my family for many generations. ...from the age of 18 to 25 I didn't go to church... [Instead] of feeling happy, I felt sad and unfulfilled inside. Though I had everything, I felt I had nothing. Strange but true. These feelings pointed me back to church. I will always remember the first day I walked back through the chapel doors. Though I was scared and didn't know anyone, the sense of being home again was overwhelming. For the first time, in a very long time, I felt happy in my soul. From that day I decided to live my life in a way that fully supported my soul."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormon.org/leilani" target="_blank">-Leilani's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My search for Truth was ON. Working in Israel I found myself holding a Bible looking to the sky asking God to help me in my search for peace and relief from torment and if, there was a Truth, please would he help me find it, that was, if He existed or cared enough. I testify, that in a split second I felt like every single word of that book penetrated every single molecule of my being. How could this happen? And what happened? The Holy Ghost happened I later learned! I had been given a spiritual witness of Jesus Christ. I was excited, humbled, yet confused. ...After sincerely praying for forgiveness and guidance, that very day a member of the Church started at work and later introduced me to the Missionaries. The same Holy Ghost testified to me that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God! Thanks Lord for everything. Carpe Diem!"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormon.org/miket" target="_blank">-Mike T.'s Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was devastated at the age of 14 when I lost my dad... I had to know if what I had been taught about God's kingdom and an eternal family were really true. I wanted to know if I was going to be able to live with my dad and family forever. I knew that in order to receive my testimony I needed to do my part... I will never forget putting Moroni's challenge to the test. At 17 I read the Book of Mormon. But not only did I read it I thought about it's beautiful teachings of the Savior. I then prayed sincerely to my Heavenly Father. I asked him for that confirmation that the Book of Mormon was true. I will never forget the sweet, humbling answer that came. I knew my Heavenly Father loved me and I knew that Yes I can live with my family forever. ...I have a Savior. Forgiveness is real, it's tangible. It' for everyone! ...My testimony is real. It's mine, I have forged it out of the fire. It makes me really happy!!"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormon.org/clark" target="_blank">-Clark's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I'm reading the scriptures or listening to a talk in church, the warm feeling inside lets me know I'm following Him. I know Heavenly Father loves us as much now as He loved those in times of old. Having a living prophet on the earth today is a very important aspect of this church. I know President Monson tells us the things that Heavenly Father wants us to know and do. It just makes so much sense to me! Also, the gift of the Holy Ghost, that we receive at baptism is the greatest gift I could ever have. The Holy Ghost is a constant companion and guide to me as long as I am worthy... I know this is His church and I know it because I feel it deep inside. It is affirmed each time I hug my children, say a prayer or hear one of His servants teach a correct principle."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormon.org/sherri" target="_blank">-Sherri's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"One summer (1972), I met a few Mormons for the first time, and nagged them with all my religious questions . One of them gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon, and showed me the promise there that God would reveal the truth about anything to someone who sincerely and diligently inquired of Him (pg. 529, Moroni 10:4-6). I went out alone into the woods and prayed, expecting God to tell me that the book was false. Instead, my mind was filled with a feeling of peace such as I had only had glimmerings of before, and with what I can only describe as light. That is why I became a Mormon. My many spiritual experiences since then are why I am a Mormon today."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.mormon.org/me/1777" target="_blank">-Mark Koltco-Rivera's Testimony </a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I hoped that the gospel message was accurate and felt anxious to find out for myself whether I could safely build my life on its principles. I was baptized and confirmed in faith at eight years old, on which occasion I felt the Holy Spirit without fully understanding what I was experiencing. Despite not receiving a clear and immediate answer to my prayers, I earnestly tried to please God by the way I lived and frequently prayed and fasted for guidance on the questions most central to my quest for truth. One winter evening at the age of fourteen, whilst reading the scriptures privately in my bedroom, I was suddenly and unexpectedly filled with an intense feeling of God's pure love and a sense of his transcending power. In that instant I knew by revelation from God through the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Holy Bible is a true record of Christ's mortal ministry in the Old World and the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith from ancient records of God's work in the Americas."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.mormon.org/me/3JYQ/Matthew" target="_blank">-Matthew's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"On the 6th of January 1989 two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints knocked on my door... I had never heard of this church before. We spoke for about an hour and they gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon and asked me to read it and pray to know if it was true... They left, and as soon as they had I started to read from the Book of Mormon. As I read I felt whole and fulfilled and I knew that the Book of Mormon was the word of God and that it was the missing piece of the jigsaw that I had been looking for. I had found the true Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth. But I wanted to do as the missionaries had asked and so I knelt and prayed and asked God in the name of His Son if the Book of Mormon was true and I received a powerful witness from that it is the word of God. I prayed that the missionaries would come back and they did the next day. I was baptized on the 26th January 1989 and it has been the best decision I have ever made in my life."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.mormon.org/kenneth" target="_blank">-Ken's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I was a college student, I had visited the United States and had spent a couple days in Utah. I was impressed with the Mormons and felt something very peaceful there. Then, three years later, the Mormon missionaries knocked on my door. I welcomed them in and began to listen to their message. But I told them that until I knew for sure that what they were teaching me was true, I wasn’t going to join their church. They had given me a Book of Mormon, but I just left it on the table and didn’t open it. Then one day, I saw it sitting there and thought, 'I need to read it.' So I started to study it. This began a journey for me of seeking to know for myself if Jesus Christ really lived. One night, I knelt down to pray for an answer to this question. I told myself I wouldn’t stop praying until I had an answer. I prayed all night long, which was something I had never done before. And then the answer came. It’s difficult to describe. It was an overwhelming feeling of peace and of light. Everything was clear. And I knew that Jesus lived and that this was his church, and I couldn’t deny it. The next day I told the missionaries that I knew that Jesus lived and that what they were teaching me was true. I was baptized soon after that. I am a Mormon because I came to know that it was truly the church of Jesus Christ."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.mormon.org/cecile" target="_blank">-Cécile's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I first ran into the missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I didn't want the Book of Mormon to be true cause I have the Bible. And I remember just reading it one day. You know, to my surprise, it was true, it was the word of God, and I knew that because I prayed about it. And I found out it was true because I received, you know, the same feelings I felt when I read the Bible and when I thought about the Savior and when I felt close to the Savior. And so that's, you know, that's how I found out it was true. It gave me these powerful feelings that Jesus Christ was the Savior of the world, and every time I read it I feel closer to the Savior."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormontopics.org/eng/bookofmormon?CID=50477&/" target="_blank">-A Mormon Testimony, transcribed from video</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
I personally recorded this from a chat with Mormon missionaries on <a href="http://mormon.org/">mormon.org</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but when I was about 14 I was curious and really questioning if the things I was learning my whole life were true. So I knew what I needed to do to know if the LDS church was true. I started from the very beginning of the Book of Mormon and read the whole thing, and after a couple weeks of reading I prayed to God. I prayed with more sincerity and more willingness than I ever have before, and at that moment I felt God's love and I was confirmed by the Holy Ghost that this was the true church.<br />
...Ever since that experience I have never doubted the things of the church.<br />
...I asked God in prayer if the things from the Book of Mormon and the things I was learning in church were true, and the feelings and through the spirit I can not deny that I knew at that time the church was true.<br />
...It was a very spiritual and sacred experience for me, so it is personal, but without getting too personal the feeling of love and peace that I felt was indescribable, and I was able to truly feel that God was with me.<br />
...Everyone feels the Spirit of God in different ways because everyone is different. I usually receive answers through the feelings or impressions that I get, but some people hear it or see them too. It depends on the person."<br />
<br />
<i>-from a personal online chat with Mormon missionaries</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From City-Data forum discussion, "<a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/religion-spirituality/1890003-spiritual-knowing-through-revelation.html">Spiritual 'Knowing' through Revelation</a>"<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Usually it's just powerful feelings, sometimes you have actual images come into your mind. I know that God is there and I know it so thoroughly and complete that I cannot begin to describe it. I wouldn't know it any better if God actually appeared to me right this second and introduced himself.<br />
What is the experience like? Overwhelming. Overpowering. It is as though you reached out expecting a cup of water and got an ocean instead. Everyone tends to describe it differently and the sensation may not be the exactly the same for everyone. But to me it is usually like a pleasant but intense warmth -- like a fire, but it's painless and feels good. Sometimes it's a sudden thing, almost like electricity. Sometimes it is almost unnoticeable. In all cases, words fail to accurately do it justice."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/religion-spirituality/1890003-spiritual-knowing-through-revelation.html" target="_blank">-from City-Data user godofthunder9010, post 8</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
These testimonies come from <a href="http://www.blacklds.org/testimonies">BlackLDS.org</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There were two Pentecostal churches were I was stationed. ...I got on my knees and asked God which church should I attend. Now I don’t liken myself to Joseph Smith, but I heard the voice of the Lord say to me 'don’t attend either one. When you get back to the state, I will lead you to the church you need to attend'. As you can imagine, when I told the pastor what Father had said to me I was accused of being lead by devil.<br />
...I met the missionaries. As we sat they told me the story of Joseph Smith. As they talked to me about his experience, the spirit was confirming that this is the church that I was told I would be lead to.<br />
Christ lead me to his true Church. I bear witness to the truthfulness of this Church and the Gospel in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.blacklds.org/testimonies" target="_blank">-Wain Myers' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"They told me of Joseph Smith Jr. My soul exploded, and I went into a daze with shock. I knew what they taught was true. Then to top it off, they told me I didn’t have to believe it just because they said it. They told me I can get my own witness from God. I had never heard a preacher say that before! ...In the spirit, my Elder, Elder Sheridan, asked me to get baptized. I said yes.<br />
I have come to realize the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly Christ’s church. Jesus Christ is the head of this church. ...I know he lives and invites us to live as he lives, in glory. I know that Joseph Smith Jr. saw what he saw. He did, as I live; I know he saw God the Father, and Jesus Christ his Son. And the Glory of God was ’round him, and the Holy Spirit quickened him to endure Their presence."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.blacklds.org/testimonies" target="_blank">-Rodric Johnson's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
A young man prays to know if the Book of Mormon is true. This is from the Blog, "<a href="http://www.normons.com/new-normons-series-why-joined-lds-church/" target="_blank">Normons</a>".<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I remembered reading Alma 32, which was the kick that started my search. On a whim, I picked up one of the many Books of Mormon I had collected by then and flipped right to it. As I started to read the same chapter I had read countless times over the previous months, I began to feel something that to this day I can’t describe. I dropped the Book of Mormon on the table and paced. I kept asking myself the same question as if my mind was a broken record: 'Is this it? Is this it?' After several minutes of asking myself a question I already knew the answer to, I got down on my knees and prayed. I don’t remember what I said in my prayer, but I will never deny the feeling that I had reached out and touched the very face of God. And, in turn, our Heavenly Father touched my heart with a feeling of love and hope that was undeniable and stunningly beautiful.<br />
It was an answer more obvious than anything I had ever experienced. I’d sooner accept 2+2=5 as truth than deny the answer I received on my knees."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.normons.com/new-normons-series-why-joined-lds-church/" target="_blank">-"Why I joined the church I was sure was a fraud", by Jake Parsons</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
A Mormon babycenter.com forum user <a href="http://community.babycenter.com/post/a50793202/ok_heres_one_of_my_questions?cpg=2&csi=2460623419&pd=1" target="_blank">overcomes doubt</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="white-space: pre;">"</span>[My husband] found some books that were written by a church member that were a detailed history of the early church. I can't remember the name of them (it's been almost 20 years) but they were accurate and historical.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Anyway, my husband was so upset by what he read that he decided the church wasn't true, Joseph Smith was not a prophet and the Book of Mormon was a fake.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>...So I read those books, every last page, and there came that nauseous feeling I'd felt about polygamy. The books talked about everything from the Danites, to the early implementation of polygamy, to a bunch of odd prophesies and experiences that many early church leaders had. I felt shattered. I was so weighed down and sickened I could hardly stand it.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>All I could think to do was pray. And then the peace came. It just flooded me. There was no doubt in my mind that while what I read was accurate, it wasn't as black and white as I wanted it to be. I realized that the early church was a confusing time. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>...Anyway, as I pondered and prayed, I realized that my testimony is based on gospel principles that I have lived. I prayed about the Book of Mormon and I know it is true. I feel the spirit confirm it to me whenever I start to have doubts. Because I know it is true, Joseph Smith must be a prophet of God."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://community.babycenter.com/post/a50793202/ok_heres_one_of_my_questions?cpg=2&csi=2460623419&pd=1" target="_blank">-from user MilliePill</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
A young man who previously left the Mormon church is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BBsGdWpEPPM" target="_blank">reconverted on a youth Pioneer Trek</a>. I transcribed this from the original video.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"And I walk out to this valley, and it's just this long, beautiful valley with just these trees everywhere, and I sit down on this rock. And, I remember I wrote in my journal about how it was hot. It was muddy, it was dirty. But, I wanted to somehow write and, I wanted to read the Book of Mormon. So I remember I opened up the Book of Mormon to a random page and opened up to Mosiah 4:30. And, in that verse, it talks about all these things we need to do. And then, at the very end, it says, 'And now, oh, man, remember and perish not.' And, I remember looking at that and just being like, I don't want to perish. And when I closed the Book of Mormon, I just had this thought. I call it the atheist prayer, which is, 'God, I don't know if you exist, but if you do, help me to know if this book is true.' And I just remember I held up the book. And there was this big, tall evergreen, this beautiful valley which led to this gorgeous sunset, and then, this book. And, as I held it out, it just seemed to click. Everything just fit together. And it was such a powerful moment for me, when I felt the love the entire universe was just channeled into that one valley- just rushed, rushed, rushed, and then burst into my heart. And, I knew, I knew the Book of Mormon was true. And no matter what I've gone through, no matter how hard things have been, no matter how challenging, no matter the frustrations, no matter the doubts or the questions, I will never be able to doubt that that was God answering my prayer."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BBsGdWpEPPM" target="_blank">-from YouTube user Prepare to Serve!</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
These testimonies come from the website, Mormon Scholars Testify. <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Our
Gods’ powers have been demonstrated to me in vivid ways. I know with
certainty that I have Heavenly Parents, and the most righteous, loving,
and creative of their sons is called their Beloved Son, actually my
Spirit Brother—a concept that shocks the Evangelicals and that they try
to twist against the Church. Our Gods all labor in their concern for
every person born on this earth, and a multitude of other earths, some
just beginning and some highly glorified worlds without number, unknown
to us yet. The Gods I worship know who I am and what my needs are, both
before and after my prayers of gratitude for guidance (or frantic
desires for help and comfort!). And their blessings to me have been
'heaped up and running over,' in the prophetic words of my patriarchal
blessing, given to me when I was fourteen."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormonscholarstestify.org/2675/carma-rose-de-jong-anderson" target="_blank">-Carma Rose de Jong Anderson's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I always thought there was a God. I felt the presence of spiritual
beings... I noticed as a youth that if I
sat near the front of the chapel in church meetings that I felt a
special warmth that I did not feel if I sat out in the overflow area
where most kids wanted to sit.<br />
...I remember the first missionary
testimony meeting I attended... I recall saying something weak like, 'I
hope the Church and the Book of Mormon are true.' ...At another
missionary testimony meeting a couple of months later, I found myself
saying, and believing it, that I 'knew' the Church and the Book of
Mormon were true and that Jesus Christ was my savior. I can’t put my
finger on exactly when I gained this conviction. It just came, and has
never wavered since then.<br />
...Like many recently returned
missionaries, I had a hard time getting back into the dating and social
scene after the mission. I wondered if anyone loved me. In this state of
heightened emotional sensitivity, I remember looking out the window and
seeing clouds swirling around the top of nearby Mt. Timpanogos after a
brief summer shower, and I had a strong feeling I should go outside into
his large and private back yard (which I had fenced). The sight of the
mountains, near dusk with the setting sun making them aflame with
various shades of red, overwhelmed me. I began to pray vocally and asked
my Heavenly Father, simply, if He loved me. At that moment I felt as if
my body was being filled with a hot liquid, beginning in my toes and
moving slowly upwards. When it got to my head I began to cry and
spontaneously started to sing the LDS hymn 'Oh, My Father'...<br />
I
had no doubt that my Heavenly Parents loved me more than I could
comprehend, and all I really wanted in life was to return to live with
them someday."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormonscholarstestify.org/2974/walter-l-ames" target="_blank">-Walter L. Ames' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As important as the intellectual side of my testimony is, it is experiences with the Spirit that sustain me.<br />
There
are times I feel, as Lehi did, that I am a 'visionary man' (1 Nephi 5).
I felt the Spirit strongly as I gave the opening prayer in the first
discussion with the missionaries.<br />
...I have had similar
experiences when I have blessed my children or laid my hands on the
heads of others to give blessings of comfort and counsel or to
administer in times of sickness. Thoughts and feelings have come to me
that I knew I did not and could not have formulated myself. They had to
come from a higher source."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormonscholarstestify.org/412/r-jerome-anderson" target="_blank">-R. Jerome Anderson's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I
was making a binary decision: either continue on that path or go home.
To make that decision, I needed to know whether the gospel was true. I
knew that if I gained that knowledge, I could do what needed to be done
even if it was difficult or embarrassing. But I also knew that without
it, I probably couldn’t.<br />
I had felt what I understood to be the
influence of the Holy Ghost at various times in my childhood and
adolescence, and I think that I already had a fairly good understanding
of the difference between emotional and spiritual feelings, so I was
pretty well prepared to ask the question that I asked on my knees one
evening at bedtime... I knelt down and made a very simple and
straightforward prayer. It was along these lines: 'Heavenly Father, if
you are there, and if what I’m about to do is in fact what’s right and
required of me, please let me know now. Because I have to know;
otherwise I’m going to go home and pick up my life where it left off.'<br />
I
received an answer to my prayer. It came promptly, and it came
powerfully enough that there was no question in my mind as to its origin
or its message. It was clear to me that it originated outside of
myself. Although I was not a very spiritually mature person, I had
already learned from experience to recognize the difference between the
somatic, chemicals-in-the-stomach sensations of emotion and the
fundamentally different feelings that came from the Holy Ghost. What I
felt was spiritual, and the message was clear: God told me that he was
there, that he loved me, and that I should continue on the path on which
I had set out.<br />
...When my companions and I taught doctrine and bore testimony, I felt my soul
vibrate in response as the Holy Ghost bore witness to the truthfulness
of what we said, and I watched the eyes of those we taught as they felt
the same thing. Seeing others, who came to these discussions without the
baggage of a lifelong grounding in Mormonism, feel something that was
very obviously much the same as what I was feeling deepened my
conviction that what we were teaching was real and true and that what I
was feeling came from something external to my own mind."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormonscholarstestify.org/1877/rick-anderson" target="_blank">-Rick Anderson's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[As
Church Historian] I was able to examine over a period of several years
the most intimate records of the Church—records that are replete with
faith-promoting incidents that served to strengthen my belief in the
divinity of the latter-day work. Particularly meaningful to me was my
private knowledge of the divine circumstances that led up to the
announcement by the First Presidency that the priesthood might be
conferred on all worthy males without regard to race or color. Although
now released from the position of Church Historian, I am still devoted
to carrying out responsibilities which I trust continue to help build
the Kingdom of God on earth. Many satisfying spiritual experiences, as
well as my continued study of the Saints and their leaders throughout
our history, have intellectually and emotionally validated my decision
to serve the faith that I committed myself to many years ago, and that I
believe to be based on true principles."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormonscholarstestify.org/2620/leonard-j-arrington" target="_blank">-Testimony of Leonard Arrington, official LDS Church Historian</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I
read the Book of Mormon through for the first time. I studied the
Bible, read the book Jesus the Christ and I prayed. The assurance of the
truth that I was seeking did come to me, but it did not come in a
single spectacular event as I had earnestly hoped for, nor did it come
in a single instance that I can identify. Rather it grew as I learned,
and with that learning I obtained a spiritual assurance that what I was
learning was true. This process of receiving a spiritual witness of the
truth has continued regularly throughout my life as I have studied,
pondered and prayed."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormonscholarstestify.org/2451/douglas-m-chabries" target="_blank">-Douglas M. Chabries' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had been reading the Book of Mormon, and found it incredibly inspiring and true.<br />
...I
had the realization that I needed to baptized. ...And while I was very
excited to be baptized, I didn’t feel all that different until the
following day when I was confirmed. During my confirmation I felt so
soft and so utterly malleable in my heart, but in a good way. When I
learned later that it was because I was receiving the Holy Ghost at that
moment, I understood why."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormonscholarstestify.org/1796/janis-nuckolls" target="_blank">-Janis Nuckolls' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I
decided to read the Book of Mormon again. While reading 1 Nephi chapter
17, where Nephi, building a ship to transport Lehi’s family to the land
of promise, relates the account of the faith of the Israelites to his
brothers, I felt an overwhelming personal witness about the truth of the
Book of Mormon. It was a feeling that lasted not just a few hours, or a
day, but days. I have studied the historical, cultural, and linguistic
background of the Book of Mormon; I am currently working with a group
that is studying proper names in the Book of Mormon, all of which have
powerfully enhanced for me my sense of the probability of the Book of
Mormon’s historical authenticity, but it has been cast in the shade by
the witness that I had received of the Book of Mormon as a young man."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://mormonscholarstestify.org/618/stephen-d-ricks" target="_blank">-Stephen D. Ricks' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<div>
<br />
Another conversion story:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Something stirred inside of me. I had a deep yearning to know the TRUTH. What was I doing with my life? Why had I gone through so much? What was the meaning of it all?<br />
...Then, all of a sudden, a thick warm blanket of pure love and light enveloped me from head to toe. To describe this experience with mere mortal words cannot do it justice. The feeling was like having all of the best times of my life wrapped into one joyous, happy moment. The feeling was like having every birthday party, Christmastime and colourful dream coming true – all at once – multiplied by infinity. My heart burned within me. It was so familiar. Someone or Something not of this world knew exactly who I was, and loved me with a love that is indescribable. I began to ball like a baby and wept with sheer joy. I then began to weep with sadness, realizing that the life I had been living was not what I was put on this earth to do. I felt encouraged to continue seeking, searching and I would find the answers I was so desperately yearning for. I experienced peace in my heart, comforting me and urging me to continue to the Light – to continue to fight for good. That moment changed me forever. I know that what I felt and experienced was real and true. I also know that God knew it, and I could not deny it – neither dared I! From that day on I... learned more about the different denominations and doctrines... Where was that feeling that I had previously experienced – that burning within my heart that had filled me full of hope, faith, love and light? I was starting to get frustrated.<br />
November 13, 2001... I answered the door...<br />
Two missionaries from The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints stood before me...<br />
I immediately went upstairs and began to read. I... knew in my heart that I had to pray to God to know if this was what I had been searching for.<br />
...I learned about the Holy Ghost. Who is the Holy Ghost and what does He feel like? He is a Personage of Spirit – the third member of the Godhead. He testifies and bears record of God the Father and Jesus Christ. He reveals all truth. He can cause a warm burning within our chest and heart – like purifying fire. He can cause sudden strokes of ideas and quicken our understanding about scripture and doctrine. He can fill us full of hope, faith, love, peace and light – all of the things I had felt that day driving home!! The Holy Ghost is also a still, small Voice. If we are too preoccupied or distracted, we can drown out that Voice. After a couple of meetings, the Elders then asked me to pray aloud for the first time. I had never done that before! Nervously, I bowed my head and crossed my arms. I began to pray to my Heavenly Father. And you know what? My chest burned within me! I felt pure warmth and peace. I had received a witness from the Holy Ghost! I had found what I was looking for!"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://middleagedmormonman.com/home/2014/06/hugs-for-dustin-burnham-with-requisite/" target="_blank">-Testimony of Dustin Lee Burnham</a></i></blockquote>
<br /></div>
Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-33151956931016284922014-10-09T08:10:00.001-07:002018-04-10T08:13:44.681-07:00Jehovah's Witnesses' Testimonies<div class="tr_bq">
These experiences were collected from various forums.</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When you've experienced Jehovah's guidance and blessing in the ways that I have, you learn the true meaning of relying on him. ...Though there are things that make me sad, I no longer experience depression (I used to use medication to control chronic depression). All the sisters remark that I always have a smile on my face; and I never give a negative answer to 'how you doing?'. Being a servant of Jehovah makes every day of life beautiful and I never want to let it go again. I hope and pray that others out there can experience some similar feeling."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://theworldnewsmedia.org/A+Letter+from+a+man+in+prison+in+North+Carolina" target="_blank">A Letter from a man in prison in North Carolina</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
These are from the <a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091205112945AAGwmYz" target="_blank">Yahoo Answers question, "What do you love most about being one of Jehovah's Witnesses?"</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Debbie, your question has brought tears to my eyes.<br />
Jehovah through His Son saved me from so much (including myself) via His holy truth as found within the pages of His Word the Bible.<br />
...I can't even BEGIN to explain all in how I feel! My wife and our children are HIS property, they belong to HIM and He has granted me the privilege to experience them and have them within the life that He has blessed me with.<br />
There are no words to describe how grateful, thankful, honored and HAPPY that I am to be privileged to be called ONE of His Witnesses... no words can truly describe it.<br />
...I look at ALL of you who are of Jehovah's modern day Christian Witnesses (as well as those who are in association with us in sincerity that are learning about our God) and I see just how incredibly BEAUTIFUL you ALL are. This beauty radiates as a beacon due to the grace of the light of the truth which abounds within you."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091205112945AAGwmYz" target="_blank">from Yahoo user Myro</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The joy I receive from following the one and only true God. When I am out in the ministry and find someone who wants to talk about God or even just being out with the friends brings me joy. A joy like I had as a child when I had no worries. Also the hope I have that I will soon see my sweet daughter and work together with her to bring the truth to those resurrected."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091205112945AAGwmYz" target="_blank">from Yahoo user Bluebird</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
These are from the <a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110819113617AAIsBRM" target="_blank">Yahoo Answers question, "What is it like being a Jehovah's witness?"</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When you are part of a true religion it makes you feel so fulfilled. You know you are satisfying God and he can read our hearts. So if our hearts condition are true you can be sure Gods Holy spirit is part of your life."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110819113617AAIsBRM" target="_blank">from Yahoo user Teller of Truths</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I became a witness it was like a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders. I no longer felt obliged to be involved in all the holidays and such, But more importantly, I knew that I was doing Jehovah's will and giving Satan a slap in the face."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110819113617AAIsBRM" target="_blank">from Yahoo user Kevin Jess</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Being a Jehovah's Witness gives you an inner peace that 'no one' can touch, not Satan nor worldly government or those that persecute us can touch how good we feel about being one of Jehovah's people"<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110819113617AAIsBRM" target="_blank">from Yahoo user fixerken</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It's WONDERFUL!!! There are so many joys I can't begin to do them justice, but the main thing is having an intimate and loving relationship with my Creator and feeling his loving hand in my life; this is a very wonderful thing!"<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>-<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110819113617AAIsBRM" target="_blank">from Yahoo user Sunshine</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There are truly no words to describe the wonderful feeling of serving the Most High! We are all looking forward to be able to worship Him in His righteous new world soon, where, through His Son, He will give us the life He really wants us to have! Serving Jehovah is truly a beautiful thing!"<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110819113617AAIsBRM" target="_blank">from Yahoo user Ginosko92</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It's great! Words cannot adequately describe the awesome feelings you experience as you learn more about the truth from the Bible, are given real answers to life's questions and the close relationship you eventually develop with Jehovah God, our creator.<br />
I was stupid enough to break away from them and spent nearly 2 years away from the organization...I can honestly say that those 2 years were the worst of my life, I was angry, confused, bitter, full of hate, I started corresponding with apostates and anti-JW people and tried to convince myself I believed their lying trash, but in my heart I knew that I was wrong and they were wrong. I delved deep into other religions and compared their beliefs/doctrines with what the Bible ACTUALLY teaches, before realizing my search for the TRUTH kept leading me right back (again and again) ...to whom? ...Jehovah's Witnesses."<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>-<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110819113617AAIsBRM" target="_blank">from Yahoo user Magpie of Eden</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From the <a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110425142809AAEqx7T" target="_blank">Yahoo Answers question, "What's Life like for Jehovah's Witnesses?"</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Life as a Witness is an exquisite delight.<br />
There is nothing better than having a loving personal relationship with the awesome, yet merciful, Creator of the universe, and with his faithful Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
...But the wonderful thing is having God's holy spirit that provides comfort and encouragement to endure and overcome trials and tribulations, and remain faithful to our loving Father in heaven."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110425142809AAEqx7T" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user bar_enosh</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From the <a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130922104412AAd0i6c" target="_blank">Yahoo Answers question, "Converting to be a Jehovah witness?"</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My ex boyfriend is a Jehovah's witness and while I initially attended the Kingdom Hall because of my interest and love for him, I now want to be a Jehovah's witness for myself and my relationship with Jehovah and not for any other reason.<br />
...I strongly believe that all this is part of Jehovah's plan for me. Jehovah called me to him through the young man that I now love because I was not part of any denomination before I met the guy. I prayed about it and I get the strong feeling that Jehovah has us apart so that we can grow spiritually first, be molded into faithful loyal Christians and then he will allow us to be together."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130922104412AAd0i6c" target="_blank">-from "Converting to be a Jehovah witness?" original question</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
This is from the <a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110416014425AAc1Vye" target="_blank">Yahoo Answers question, "What was your experience of converting to a Jehovah Witness?"</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My experience? After many years in other denominations, I started bible study. Then after lots of prayer, I knew it to be true"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110416014425AAc1Vye" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user puppy warm-heart</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From a <a href="http://www.reocities.com/heartland/ranch/7931/personal.html" target="_blank">conversion story on a personal blog</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Well, we did become good friends, and her love for the bible and the joy she had in the ministry and at meetings got me curious. I had to find out just what this book had that could make someone so happy in life. So I picked one up one day and tried to read it.<br />
...I told this friend of mine that and she offered me a study. Of course I accepted, and soon I was begining to experience the same joy she had. I was on the path that leads to life and three difficult, persecution-filled years later, I was baptised. I finally came to know just what that joy she had was - it was 'the knowledge of God'."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.reocities.com/heartland/ranch/7931/personal.html" target="_blank">-from "How I Got the Truth", by Sharon</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
This is a comment on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Are-Jehovahs-Witnesses/250010901676239?fref=nf" target="_blank">We Are Jehovah's Witnesses Facebook page</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We just started to study the bible me and my girlfriend and we already notice that the holy spirit is entering our house with positive changes that I never expected to happen. I started praying to Jehovah and he helped me to stop smoking marijuana that I did for 25 years and since 22nd of Sept. I quit instantly. And before I had so much trouble to quit smoking I never made any progress"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=854976934512963&id=250010901676239&comment_id=855118764498780&offset=0&total_comments=40" target="_blank"><i>-comment by Rodney Thomas</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
An active Jehovah's Witness describes the happiness he feels. From the <a href="https://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130928142843AAHc2tA" target="_blank">Yahoo answers question, "Why do witnesses have such a hard time understanding ex witnesses are really happy?"</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I have seen happy. I have lived it. Regardless how troubled I may seem on the surface, down inside in my very core is a sense of peace and happiness that will forever remain untouched by the troubles of the world... Only those who do not know me well have the misperception I am troubled at any time. I have met a number of people who only minutes and sometimes mere seconds after meeting me remarked on how peaceful I seem, and some of them have stated that I seem to have an aura of peacefulness about me. Come to think of it, I have even gotten emails from people I have never met in person who have stated that."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130928142843AAHc2tA" target="_blank">-from Yahoo user B Knott Wildered</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
A Quora user tells about her conversion:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I took the study in May 2010 and got baptized on December 2016 at the age of 53. I always wanted to be part of God’s people so I prayed and ask God to bring His people to me because I don’t know where they are. If you ask me why I chose to study with the JW? My answer would be 'I don’t know. I was drawn to them'. I personally believe that Jehovah drew me to his organization so I can learn about Him, His son and His Kingdom."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.quora.com/Do-people-often-join-the-Jehovahs-Witnesses-if-they-werent-born-into-a-JW-family-What-are-the-usual-reasons-for-converting-to-JW" target="_blank"><i>-from Quora user Martha Rumimper</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
A Jehovah's Witness tells of miraculous guidance while going door to door:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I have gone to doors were people claimed to be praying to God to direct
then to the truth and I was on the other side of the door. This happens
all the time. We believe the angels invisibly direct this part of our
ministry, and it is noteworthy we are the ones that have this happen all
the time."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170824174601/https://www.reddit.com/r/JWs/comments/6vko6i/question_from_nonjw_why_do_jehovahs_witnesses/" target="_blank"><i>-from "Why do Jehovah's Witnesses Claim to Be the Only True Religion?", answer by reddit user Moremoreor </i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
An Ex-Jehovah's Witness experience. This Jehovah's Witness woman has a <a href="http://jwfacts.com/watchtower/experiences/random-short-experiences.php" target="_blank">powerful spiritual experience</a> in which she realizes that she is one of the 144,000 "anointed ones". However, she then leaves the Jehovah's Witness Organization:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"In 1992 I had such an enormous spiritual experience and came to understand that to my enormous surprise, not to mention real shock, I was anointed. This happened to me when I was alone, in a good place emotionally, and completely sober. The effect of this was extremely powerful and set off an insatiable hunger in me to devour the scriptures over the coming days, weeks, months, and years, to meet my new relationship with my God/Creator. There is much more to tell about this but perhaps not at the moment... Perhaps you can imagine that when I told the PO of the congregation that I had had this undeniable 'witness of the holy spirit' it didn't go down too well...I had to explain to him scripturally that of course I wasn't worthy of it ...no one ever was/is ..nevertheless it had happened to me.<br />
...Our life in the ‘truth’ changed ... I developed a super strong spirituality because of my ‘spiritual experience’..pioneering, studies, quickbuilds... As a family we became totally immersed in the organization. Friends who’d known me for a long time detected the change in me and said they benefited from it..the elders and a couple in particular...didn't like my claim to be anointed at all. They made our lives as a family so difficult...humiliation, oppression and fear became the order of the day...<br />
Fast forward some years... One day in a stressful situation I smoked some cigarettes. ...I went to the elders and confessed. ...I was disfellowshipped. I couldn’t believe it.<br />
<i>[To JWs, disfellowshipping is like excommunication, and they are completely shunned by the congregation and their families.]</i><br />
...That was it. Thirty years of friends gone. My adult children gone. My life gone. They told me that Jehovah would leave me. I sobbed and shook for days and days. It literally made me ill... I went through it alone, completely, except for my God. He didn’t leave at all, he never has and even the residue and effects of my ‘anointing’ didn’t diminish. Its with me to this day. My love for Him remains undiminished. ...I could never return to the JWs.<br />
...I still don’t know if I want to just worship on an individual basis or if I want to find an alternative ‘church’. I am cynical now... I conclude from my wider perspective that my spiritual experience has happened to other individuals in other religions and that it is not exclusive to JWs."<br />
<br />
<i>-<a href="http://jwfacts.com/watchtower/experiences/random-short-experiences.php" target="_blank">account from JWFacts.com, "Lozhasleft - becoming anointed"</a></i></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-24404509960686945872014-10-09T08:10:00.000-07:002015-03-17T07:31:08.470-07:00Presbyterian TestimoniesThese testimonies come from the <a href="http://www.secondrpc.org/testimonies/" target="_blank">Second Reformed Presbyterian Church website</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I was 13, I questioned whether God was real. I asked, 'How can he be? People say you can feel his presence, but I never have.' ...I started to pray throughout the day letting God know what I was thinking, though really, he already knows. I committed to reading the Bible every day. It wasn’t always easy but I stuck to it.<br />
At age 15, I spent 2 weeks on a summer mission trip, working at the ECHO (Educational Concern for Hunger Organization) farm in N. Fort Myers, Florida. Alongside my friends, I pulled weeds, hauled dirt and planted crops. It was stifling hot. During several jobs, I had to cry out to God, asking for his strength, knowing I had no strength to work on my own. Each time, I felt a surge of energy beyond myself and was able to complete the task. I was amazed. Right then, I knew that the God I’d heard about sitting criss cross apple sauce in Sunday school is in fact real. I returned from ECHO. Summer ended.<br />
...Looking back on my young, six year old self, I see that I didn’t understand what it meant to be a Christian. I learned about God through Bible stories, verses, etc…but as a child, that’s all Christianity was for me, facts about God. I was wrong. Through my summer experience at ECHO, my junior high Sunday school teacher’s advice and my friendship with Mary, God’s shown me that he IS real.<br />
I’ve fallen in love with the same God I thought was cold and distant. He’s taught me that Christianity is not about the knowledge in my head; it’s about the knowledge in my heart. Christianity is about believing that God really exists. 'But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.' ...He breathed his last for me and for that I will love him eternally."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.secondrpc.org/testimonies/" target="_blank">-Laura Mangan's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I heard about Jesus, his love and what he could do for me, I was eager to know him and belong to him. His offer was attractive … come to him, believe and receive abundant life. He could give me rest … and I was so weary. He could make me good … and I was tired of trying to be good on my own. He would make me feel safe … and conquer my fears. He would give me purpose in living … I needed a reason to go on. I would not be lonely again because he would never leave me nor forsake me.<br />
I heard this gospel preached at our local church and responded to the invitation given by the pastor, to come down front and kneel at the altar to pray; confess sin, profess belief in Jesus and be saved. I recall that others prayed with me and for me. There was bright sunlight and peace surrounding me when I opened my eyes after praying. Jesus is the light of the world. I was eleven.<br />
...<i>[Later, in college, she was introduced to]</i> reformed doctrine, Calvinism and the Reformed Presbyterian church.<br />
As I struggled to reconcile my former teaching with this new view, I began to experience spiritual growth and joy that I had never had before. Bible study was new to me and very exciting. I thought I was 'gifted' in Bible study. And truly I was because it was the gift of the Holy Spirit who enlightened me with truths of Scripture!<br />
...I have not always agreed with God in the moment, but He has proven right in every disagreement. Truly he knows what is best for me even when it does not fit with my own or other’s expectations. I am grateful that he has called me to himself and keeps me close to him in spite of the challenges of living in a fallen body in a fallen world."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.secondrpc.org/testimonies/" target="_blank">-Claudia Britt's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had never really thought of the idea of Christianity as a child.<br />
...The turning point, however, really came during my freshman year of high school. A group of friends and I decided to have a prayer circle, and during this prayer circle, was when I really felt the presence of God in the room. There were many things being said and done in that room which really showed me God was personally there, and I realized that I wanted an actual, personal relationship with God. I needed to get closer to Him.<br />
<i>[She describes numerous difficulties, and how turning to God helped her overcome them]</i><br />
...Over the last few months, I have experienced the glory of God in my own life, and all I can do is praise Him. It is so evident that it is Christ who needs to be Lord over our lives. Going to church, doing good deeds, picking up the Bible every now and then, these will not get you anywhere as a true Christian; you have to have accepted Christ fully and completely in to your heart. It was amazing how my desires changed once I brought Jesus in to my life. I never knew how important and beautiful the Word of God could be, but now I have a hunger for it, a desire to read and study it like I never have before. I have witnessed firsthand what a life is like without God, and what it is like to be transformed by God. Knowing that I have been given a free gift, even though I don’t deserve it at all, even though I knew just how much of a sinner I actually was, changed my desires completely around. I know now just how precious these gifts are: the gift of grace, the gift of eternal salvation, to those who rest in Christ. We are all sinners and will have to face the wrath of God one day. But, if we put our trust and faith in Christ, who gave His life for us, we will be declared innocent."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.secondrpc.org/testimonies/" target="_blank">-Rylie Robinson's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
These testimonies come from the <a href="http://www.scharlestonfirst.org/testimonytime.htm" target="_blank">First Presbyterian Church website</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was raised in the Catholic Church.<br />
...My parents began growing in their faith, and began searching for a home church different than the one we had been attending for years. At the same time, the first (and only) kids to approach me in that first week of school were from the youth group of a local Nazarene church. We decided to go, and I ended up being exposed to something I had never experienced: a group of teens so on fire for the Lord that their behavior could be explained in no other way. My heart changed as a result of knowing those teens, and the Holy Spirit brought me into the fold on a Sunday morning during a revival service. I don’t remember the topic or the words of the Preacher, I only remember the feeling as the Spirit changed my heart and carried me to the altar…and the love poured out by those teens as they knelt and prayed with me.<br />
Since being saved by faith in Christ through the work of the Spirit, I’ve found that life doesn’t get easier... The work of God does not stop at salvation. He is continually showing me things in my life that need correction, that need to be removed by that refiner’s fire. I am so thankful that He found me worthy of His work."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.scharlestonfirst.org/testimonytime.htm" target="_blank">-Aaron Baldauff's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Our merciful Heavenly Father saw fit to lift me from the ashes. He took my battered spirit and broken body away from the heat of the battle. He set me in a safe and peaceful place, and then He breathed into me His Holy Spirit.<br />
For once, my faith was my own. It was not the faith of my parents, nor of my Sunday school teachers, nor of the church – it was mine, because Christ was mine. I finally knew Him. I no longer had a knowledge about Him; rather, I was His and He was mine.<br />
...Many people can point to a specific moment in their history when they acknowledged the power of the Lord over the sin in their life and made a commitment to Him. I cannot. Mine has been a tortuous and arduous path spanning years of silent pain. Yet in that pain I can see Christ more clearly.<br />
...I know – I know – that my God is with me. He is not distant, and He is not uncaring. Do I know all of the answers about Him? No. Do I have any clue about His specific will for me life? No. But that is a part of the Divine Mystery I have learned to accept: I don’t need any more knowledge about Him; I just need Him."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.scharlestonfirst.org/testimonytime.htm" target="_blank">-Paul Smith's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My plan was to just go to church and come back home. Little did we know the plans that God had for us! I began attending church regularly and then Luke came with me on Christmas Eve. We both started reading our Bibles and searching scripture. I began to realize that I knew about Jesus but did not really KNOW Him. Bill preached about having a personal relationship with Him and I had never really heard that before. I believed and knew what he did for me but did not realize that he wanted this personal intimate relationship with me! At receiving the invitation to accept Christ in my heart, wanting to get to know him more, God changed so much about out lives... Of course, I do believe it was all in God's plan! God seemed to open and close doors for us and everything just fell into place."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.scharlestonfirst.org/testimonytime.htm" target="_blank">-Wendy Russell's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I began to be convicted... I did not have an immediate conversion. It took years before I realized that God had granted me His grace through Christ. I had doubts about it for a long time but finally my head knowledge became heart knowledge.<br />
...I learned that when we are weak or in deep waters, we are constantly in His presence and we will not drown. In His presence we are secure, we find strength, comfort and safety.<br />
The Lord is truly active in our church."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.scharlestonfirst.org/testimonytime.htm" target="_blank">-Nan Stiles' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
These testimonies come from the <a href="http://www.covenantpalmbay.org/Groups/1000037756/Testimonies.aspx" target="_blank">Covenant Presbyterian Church</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"One night, a couple days after his death, the group met. I stayed after and talked with the wife. I asked a lot of questions about where he would be spending eternity and where I would be if I died. That evening at the age of 26 I gave my life to Christ.<br />
Everything about my life has changed and I became a different person, including what I like and what I am interested in. Some areas that I struggled with, God just removed from my life and when presented with them, there is now no struggle. Other areas, I am still working out, but now I am able to because I have Christ in my life. That void I had and yearned to fill in all the wrong ways, is now filled with the love of God and the peace that only He can provide. My life may not be perfect but I know where I am going when I die and I no longer fear death. I look forward to the day I will meet my Maker in heaven face to face and hope to meet a lot of family and friends there too, many of whom are currently unsaved."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.covenantpalmbay.org/Articles/1000092572/Stephanies_Story.aspx" target="_blank">-Stephanie's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Our son's teenage life, my search for meaning in my own life, and our lack of an authoritative and spiritual basis from which to guide our children, led to a determined search for a church where God was honored and the Bible was taught.<br />
We finally found a church like this, and over a period of time I came to understand and accept Christ as the central focus of life itself and for my life. This was not sudden, but gradual. God used several resources to bring me to the point of making Christ the boss of my life: My emotional connection through worship at our church; Many respected friends who told me about their faith in Christ, and encouragement to give my life to Christ... My reading and re-reading of The Case for Christ was critical since it gave me answers which significantly helped lead to my intellectual acceptance of Christ.<br />
Eventually I did give my life over to Christ. I have not regretted it. I experience more joy and appreciation for a purposeful life and the wonder of eternal life yet to come. I also gained an intensity to teach my kids and other kids about Christ, and also reach out to my extended family with my beliefs. It has been quite a transformation. I fairly consistently re-examine my life and my works in light of what the Bible teaches. I have an increased desire to share my Christian faith with others (though I'm somewhat scared of others' reactions to my expression of my faith beliefs). I have a more sincere and life changing sorrow for my sins."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.covenantpalmbay.org/Articles/1000042147/Joes_Story.aspx" target="_blank">-Joe's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Then one day in January of 1974, when I was in college, I had an experience that changed my attitude. I can't describe it any other way than to say that God opened my eyes to what was really happening with me. Instead of seeing myself in relation to my friends, I began to see myself based on God's standard.<br />
...This realization shook me to the roots of my being.<br />
...While discussing my life's problems with a fellow fraternity brother who I respected, he began to tell me the good news of God's love and forgiveness found in Christ. I began to see that God designed me and expected me to center my life on Him. My focus in life was on my personal fulfillment. I was not pleasing to God at all; in fact, I was in the enemy camp. My lifestyle was hostile to God. I had no peace in my life because I was not at peace with God. That night in his room I saw that Jesus Christ was the only way to have peace with God, and I submitted my life to Him.<br />
Having given my life over to indulging the sinful desires, I had--like Christian of Pilgrim's Progress--heaped a load of sin and guilt upon myself. When I confessed my sin to God and placed my hope and trust in Christ alone, I experienced a release from that guilt of sin as if someone had taken a heavy burden off my back. And things began to change. Some things changed immediately and dramatically--like my filthy mouth and sour attitude about life--while other things were more subtle and slow in changing--like loving difficult people or honoring my Dad.<br />
But that did change, too.<br />
...I'm 49 years old now, and have a wife and three children. I'm so thankful to Jesus Christ for all that He has done for me. I have followed Jesus Christ for 30 years now. There have been very painful times as well as great and awesome times. Following Christ has sometimes cost me in friends and career. But I would not give it up for anything. The words of Jesus' disciple describe where I'm coming from. He said to Jesus, 'You have the words of eternal life. Where else could we go?'"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.covenantpalmbay.org/Articles/1000042144/Maurices_Story.aspx" target="_blank">-Maurice's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As my neighbors loved me unconditionally, I came to see my need for a Savior. I saw families where love was the main ingredient in the home: love for God and love for one another. As a child I knew nothing of this in my own home. I lived my life in quiet desperation. I wanted what my neighbors had, and I saw that it was centered in an unconditional surrender to Jesus Christ. Out of desperate need, and at a young age, I surrendered my life to Christ.<br />
Everything did not get better. I changed, but my home life was still very miserable. Yet God was with me, and saw me through those tough times.<br />
...I'm thankful my children have very different childhood memories, but I do not regret my past. Jesus took my ugly past and turned it into something very beautiful."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.covenantpalmbay.org/Articles/1000042143/Jackies_Story.aspx" target="_blank">-Jackie's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I became aware of God through Roman Catholic Christianity. I realized from a very early age that the worship houses of the Christian God were much more pleasant than the Chinese temples. I was always uneasy at Chinese temples. An unpleasant fear was a dominant underlying emotion. The temples were dark, oppressive, and scary. The cathedrals, in contrast, were pleasant and peaceful. I wanted to be baptized as a Roman Catholic, but my father disallowed it.<br />
...I remember a lucid moment in time when I realized I had to find out and be 100% sure if Christianity was real... I decided to try Jesus Christ. That was in 1979.<br />
What a decision! I now know it was the right decision. He led me down that road in making that all-important decision. How do I know that? With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, I can see God continued to intervene in my life at various crossroads.<br />
...I met Mark who was on staff with an organization called the Navigators. Through that friendship, I learned the root of my troubles was that my understanding of God was not based on the Bible but on my feelings, emotions and what other men had to say. God, through Mark, taught me to base my faith in the Bible. I learned to let the Holy Spirit guide me through life with the Bible as the instruction manual. I relearned to pray to God regularly and I saw God answer my prayers! Wow!<br />
...God has given us successes in many ways and an unexplainable joy even when things were tough. The Bible says in Ps 34:8, 'Taste and see that the Lord is good'. It is true! I can say that has characterized my experience in life. I was invited to taste God in 1979 and I have seen and can testify that indeed, the Lord is good. The second part of that verse says, 'Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.' I have learned to take refuge in Him. I have been blessed. I thank God."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.covenantpalmbay.org/Articles/1000042142/Richards_Story.aspx" target="_blank">-Richard's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
This testimony is from <a href="http://www.fanwoodpc.org/" target="_blank">Fanwood Presbyterian Church</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I know the Lord has been with me, leading and guiding me every step of my journey. He was with me as I sang hymns in my childhood Sunday School and is with me as I sing or play hymns in church today. God was with me the day I met Bruce in the 1970's and was with us the day we were married in 2008. It was God who brough the Jehovah's Witnesses to Bruce's door and God who brought me through the doors of FPC. God led me to become a Deacon and is with me each time I visit a shut-in or do some other service in His name. He is with me today as I speak to you, and will be with me on the day I die."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.fanwoodpc.org/docs/member_testimonials/K%20adams%20111713.pdf" target="_blank">-Kris Adams' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-17711974846687340922014-10-09T08:09:00.004-07:002015-05-04T10:50:53.119-07:00Methodist Testimonies<div class="tr_bq">
From <a href="http://erietrinityumc.org/" target="_blank">Trinity United Methodist Church</a>:</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Once I did ask Jesus as my Savior, I remember masks lifting from my eyes as the Holy Spirit allowed me to understand more. All that I read earlier quickly started piecing together like a jigsaw puzzle.<br />
...I asked Jesus to be my Savior in December 1981. It seems like yesterday at times. It is an amazing transformation. To God be the glory! God controls my life because He knows better than I do on how to control it. He gives an indescribable peace and joy! The pressure is off! He guides my life and gave me a permanent ticket to Heaven! It is a privilege to serve him out of love, for that is the only way to serve him!"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://erietrinityumc.org/testimonies.html" target="_blank">-Don Grim's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From <a href="http://cambridgechristumc.com/testimony/" target="_blank">Cambridge Christ United Methodist Church</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"That night while sitting in the first pew of the Old Sanctuary, I said a prayer and submitted everything to Christ’s care and control. I was afraid I would be expected to change all the hurts, habits, and hang-ups I had all at once, but God knows what each of us needs when we need it. Little by little he revealed to me hurts I just let build up over the years, and as I confessed I was powerless to change them by myself my wounds began to heal. I began to live one day at a time by the truth of God’s word, by His promises, seeing the world as Jesus would see it and not as I would. When I allowed Him to, God has made these incredible changes in me and every day I am still changing. Not because of anything I have done, but because of what Jesus Christ has done for all of us."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://cambridgechristumc.com/testimony/suzanna/" target="_blank">-Suzanna's Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I don’t remember a time that I didn’t believe in God but I was 28 years old before I realized my need for a Savior. In October of 1979 I prayed asking Jesus to be my Lord and save my soul... At that moment I became a new creation, I had been living in the prison of anxiety and fear for nine years and in Jesus Christ found the hope and strength I needed to be healed. It took several years of learning to trust and obey, my Lord has been will me every step of the way. He has given me His peace that passeth all understanding"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://cambridgechristumc.com/testimony/vickie-l/" target="_blank">-Vickie L.'s Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From a <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/ConversionStories/comments/2gpau2/my_story_from_a_nde_as_a_child_to_angry/" target="_blank">Reddit user's conversion story</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"Then when I got pregnant and gave birth, something happened when I looked at my son and my husband. I can't describe it too well but I felt called to return to church, I felt like God was calling out to me to accept him, to love him, to let go of my pain and my doubts. So my husband and I packed up our son and started going to the local Methodist church. I sat through a couple of services and we talked about baptizing our son, and then I felt this overwhelming urge one night to reach out to the Reverend. I spilled my guts in an email to him. He responded almost immediately and set up a time to meet with me.<br />
Our meetings were incredibly fruitful. We examined my suffering, and my shame, and all my other messy feelings. We confronted them head on. For the first time in my life I cried in front of a fellow human being without me feeling weak or unworthy in the process. I read a lot of books and a lot of scripture, I prayed even when I doubted anyone was there to listen. I threw myself into acts of love and kindness towards anyone and everyone around me, hoping for some peace and grace of my own.<br />
God spoke to me in small ways. Little moments of serendipitous peace. An overwhelming urge to sob and cry during communion (I almost always cry during the Eucharist). I meditated a lot on the plight of Mary and was overwhelmed with love and emotion as I imagined how it felt for her to watch her perfect son be sacrificed and suffer for all of mankind. God also spoke to me in big ways. I was plagued by nightmares before becoming a Christian but once I opened my heart to love and joy, they stopped.<br />
...My life is so much more full, richer, filled with meaning now that I have found God and dedicated myself to practicing what he has laid out for us. My relationships are deeper, I am able to let go more fully and accept and give love as a result. I am a better, happier, more whole and loving person because of God's grace."
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/ConversionStories/comments/2gpau2/my_story_from_a_nde_as_a_child_to_angry/" target="_blank"><i>-from Reddit post "My story from a NDE as a child, to angry anti-theist, to Methodist Christian", by inwateraway</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Rob Hill tells about his call to the ministry.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Well, I felt a real strong call to ministry. I really, I can identify a day, an instant, where I really felt like I was being called to serve God in full time ministry...<br />There was no verbal call. I didn't have a theophany, as they say, when you hear God's voice. I had, I don't know what you call, a feeling, and I knew in that instant that I was being called to ministry. Um, and I went home, and I was so sure about it that it scared me. And I didn't tell my family for weeks that I... intended to go into ministry, or intended to start on that path towards becoming an ordained United Methodist minister."<br /><br /><a href="http://youarenotsosmart.com/2015/04/26/how-minds-change-the-power-of-contact-and-disclosure-to-change-attitudes-on-divisive-social-issues/" target="_blank">-You are Not So Smart Podcast, ep. 48, starting around 31:13</a></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-86713577996325774672014-10-09T08:09:00.003-07:002014-10-09T08:09:43.376-07:00Lutheran TestimoniesFrom <a href="http://www.divinepeacechurch.com/" target="_blank">Divine Peace Lutheran Church</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I came to Divine Peace by chance and at a time in my life when an emotional crisis had taken me as low as I'd ever been. I had been attending another church for some years but had never joined. It just hadn't felt right, didn't feel right, and I was at a point where I needed help.<br />
It was right before Christmas of 2001. I was driving south down 76th street, and it was as if a large hand took hold of my head, made me look at the Divine Peace sign and service times, and said, 'You go there.' And I did.<br />
Churches, some say, have 'a spirit' to them, as soon as I walked through the doors of Divine Peace, it was like coming home. There was a warmth to the church and to the members who welcomed me, a stranger, into their midst. And, if the church was crowded for Christmas Eve service, the ushers made sure I got a seat.<br />
...the warmth I was greeted with at Divine Peace that night literally brought tears to my eyes as I left. I didn't feel alone any longer. I felt part of a larger family, and I've been going back to Divine Peace ever since.<br />
When you're a member of Divine Peace, you are truly a member of a family- God's family, and I feel blessed to have found the comfort and security the fellowship at Divine Peace offers."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.divinepeacechurch.com/site/testimonies.asp?sec_id=140000555&testid=140000090" target="_blank">-Kim H.'s Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From <a href="http://www.clcelkriver.org/" target="_blank">Central Lutheran Church</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I thought, 'Well, that's interesting; I thought I was a Christian.' But had I ever asked God to come into my heart? No! He was always a part of my days. But, I can ask God to come into my heart. So, I prayed the prayer to open the door and let God into my heart... It was a weird date, but this little prayer really took my faith to a deeper level... Pretty much anywhere I was, I felt the Holy Spirit move me to reach out and share Jesus with others. Those were amazing times for me, I had daily devotions, I participated in bible studies, I really felt my walk with the Lord change and grow in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I found myself praying all the time, jogging on campus, driving to work, dealing with difficult people and being ever so thankful for my family and friends."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.clcelkriver.org/care/orphans/115-the-story/story-testimonies/815-testimony-tina-marie-simmonds" target="_blank">-Tina Marie Simmonds' Testimony</a></i></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-91477204795108717022014-10-09T08:09:00.002-07:002014-10-09T08:09:25.464-07:00Episcopal TestimoniesA call to the ministry, from <a href="http://www.episcopalchicago.org/at-work-in-the-church/commission-on-ministry/ministry-of-a-deacon/deacon-testimonials/" target="_blank">Episcopal Diocese of Chicago</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It wasn’t the first time (or the last) that I’d heard the question: 'Ron, did you have an Epiphany?' It was from an old friend, shortly before entering Deacons’ School. I knew what he was alluding to – that sudden, dramatic event like what Paul encountered. I answered as truthfully as I could – 'My life has been a series of Epiphanies.'<br />
...Such was the nature and timing of my call. As I turned my heart to God, to serving Him, there was nothing short of a transformation – a reorienting of some of my deep set values. The call came from a variety of places, starting deep within. Prayer, listening and meditating, study of Scripture, patience, discipline, a feeling of brokenness and humility, all helped prepare me to hear God’s call for my life. Many Scripture verses come to mind, including Deut. 4:29 '...You will find Him if you search after Him with all your heart and soul'.<br />
From the works and writings of Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and C.S.Lewis come a compilation of signs of God’s call which I experienced – peace, joy, tears, a sudden sense of clarity, experiences that seemed to converge and fit together."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.episcopalchicago.org/at-work-in-the-church/commission-on-ministry/ministry-of-a-deacon/deacon-testimonials/" target="_blank"><i>-Ron Valentine's call to the ministry, Episcopal Diocese of Chicago</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
From the book, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=H0TWOTAh43AC&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=episcopal+church+testimonies&source=bl&ots=HS38OhDbHi&sig=mo4Rl8EzaYWOsLy8sqVST4b_7o8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gWg1VJOYL8SuogSTj4LADw&ved=0CFIQ6AEwCTgU#v=onepage&q=episcopal%20church%20testimonies&f=false" target="_blank">"Testimonies", by Freddie Powers</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My parents came back from some type of retreat and they were 'glowing' when they walked in... It had been a weekend retreat that was part of a renewal movement in the Episcopal Church. I would go to a service with them occassionally when they would have a retreat. I liked the atmosphere of the meetings, but they were only held once every few months. Still, there was something about these meetings that seemed 'real,' and I liked it.<br />
When I was 15, I went to one of these retreats for teenagers. This was an AMAZING experience in my life! I went, not really knowing much about what the weekend would entail. It was incredible! I remember feeling loved unconditionally, tears streaming down my face as a result of the joy I felt inside. I never wanted this feeling to end. I knew it was the Holy Spirit touching me and cleansing me. No one told me what was happening, but I felt better than I ever felt."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=H0TWOTAh43AC&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=episcopal+church+testimonies&source=bl&ots=HS38OhDbHi&sig=mo4Rl8EzaYWOsLy8sqVST4b_7o8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gWg1VJOYL8SuogSTj4LADw&ved=0CFIQ6AEwCTgU#v=onepage&q=episcopal%20church%20testimonies&f=false" target="_blank">-from "Testimonies", by Freddie Powers, p. 30</a></i></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-6017889708886059122014-10-09T08:09:00.001-07:002017-11-21T09:00:04.644-08:00Seventh Day Adventist Testimonies<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"...On the day I was baptized I felt like a whole new person. Since that day, I have been spending more time with the Lord in my everyday life. I am convinced that the decision I made to get baptized was exactly what I needed in my life and I could not be happier. I thank God everyday for all of the wonderful people in my life who have helped me through everything and have supported me through this amazing transition into my new life in Christ."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://wi.adventist.org/article/184/resources/testimonies" target="_blank"><i>-Tonya Laufenburg's Testimony</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I am an Adventist because the Bible teaches us that 'If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.' [James1:5 KJV] -I was lacking this wisdom and I asked God and He led me to the Adventist Church."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.adventistegypt.com/en/?cat=6" target="_blank"><i>-from "I am an Adventist because…", by Nasralla Salib</i></a><br />
<i>[Unfortunately, this site is no longer functioning]</i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I am Adventist because I believe that Adventists follow the Bible more
than other religions and I believe that the Bible should be the standard
for my life.
Also I feel convicted by the Holy Spirit that the Adventist church is
the church that God wants me to be a part of."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/adventism/comments/7d89ep/why_are_you_adventist/dpvt42e/" target="_blank"><i>-from comment on "Why are you an Adventist?", by reddit user Wertley</i></a> </blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Born and raised SDA. I left at age sixteen and came back at age forty
five. God led me back to SDA over the course of ten years. It was a
slow process of elimination. I was seeking answers and God narrowed the
path until there was only one direction to go. SDA teaches directly
from scripture, follows the Ten Commandments and is actively aware of
and preaches prophecy... There were so many things that led me back to SDA and I have no doubt
that God had a hand in it. I had too many events happen in my life that
were beyond coincidence. God wanted me here and that's where I'm
staying."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/adventism/comments/7d89ep/why_are_you_adventist/dpytz1c/" target="_blank">-from comment on "Why are you an Adventist?", by reddit user FrethKindheart</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We are told in Matthew 18:20, 'For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.' There is a holiness you feel in such a presence that can't be described any other way than God's presence. I've also seen the Holy Spirit in action too many times to count. It's not a physical manifestation, but a spiritual one, in others.<br />
...I have a friend who confided in me the other day about the difficult time she's having. She mentioned she was thinking of going to church because of it. I witnessed to her and gave her instruction on how to pray and ask God for help. She did so and her own prayers were answered. This is all God, not me."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/adventism/comments/7ecv9c/have_you_as_adventists_had_spiritual_experiences/" target="_blank"><i>-from comment on "Have you, as Adventists, had spiritual experiences, answers to prayers, miracles, guidance from God, etc.?", by reddit user FrethKindheart</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[Through] the theological lens
of Adventists theology I have come to see God in such a loving way that
it never ceases to amaze me. Time and time again I have found myself
weeping at the revelation of his love and mesmerized at deeper
revelations of his grace. To this day I continue to experience newer and
richer insights into the love of God I never thought were there. I have
tried to look at God through the lens of other theological glasses but
all of them fall short of lifting up Jesus in the same way that true
Adventism does."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.pomopastor.com/p/welcome_22.html" target="_blank"><i>-from "Why Am I A Seventh-Day Adventist?", by Pomopastor</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"One of the reasons why I love being an Adventist is because of the blessings that come from reading the inspired counsel and writings of Ellen G. White.<br />
...Our prophetess is not the first thing I bring up when I talk about the church I love... Ellen White’s writings have made me weep with conviction, pray with utter humility, and study the Bible as never before. In all areas of my life, she reminds me that 'He must increase, and I must decrease.' In a very real way, she has helped Jesus shine brighter in my life."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://thecompassmagazine.com/blog/a-gifted-church-why-i-love-being-a-seventh-day-adventist-3" target="_blank">-from "A Gifted Church (Why I Love Being a Seventh-day Adventist, #3)", by Judy Ramos</a></i></blockquote>
Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-52137310531963869862014-10-09T08:09:00.000-07:002017-12-19T15:56:30.381-08:00Non-Religion Based Spiritual ExperiencesThese experiences are not explicitly connected to any religion.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I started my journey, I read books on all kinds of religions. At one time I was scared to death about things, mostly after I read the bible...<br />
While on my journey, I was asking God what the truth was. I mean I was angry and I truly wanted to know. After a few weeks, I stumbled onto a web site that talked about the very things I was curious about. It answered my questions in a way that I had not heard of before. I read everything on the web site and I even tried the experiment of asking God for His love, His Divine Love. After about 6 weeks, I felt a burning in my chest and a sensation that was unlike anything I had ever felt. It was pure happiness and peace. I knew then that God had sent His love to me...<br />
As I absorbed the information on that site, pondered over it, I knew that Love was the key to heaven. I knew that nothing else mattered but Love. I soon discovered other web sites that also talked of Divine Love and how important it was that we acquire it in our souls. These other sites also describe heaven and how we progress to attain perfection."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/religion-spirituality/1057532-how-can-you-sure-what-happens-7.html" target="_blank"><i>-from city-data forum user Reverend1111</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I was just doing some exploring to help me understand what happened to me the other day. I am not a very religious person. I was driving my car the other day just listing to the radio and out of nowhere I got this feeling of total peace in my mind and body then I felt a hand on my shoulder, without even thinking for a split second I said out loud to myself 'I just found God'. I truly believe God was present with me. I felt that hand on my right shoulder for a good few hours. I was so happy relaxed and at peace. At that moment I also had a thought that everything is ok and that I am protected and I didn't have a fear in the world because I now know that God will protect me from all things. I am just amazed at how this feeling came out of nowhere."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.aish.com/sp/pg/48894482.html" target="_blank">-from Anonymous comment 8 on article, "Feeling God's Presence", on aish.com</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Vauxhall station on a murky November Friday evening is not the setting one would choose for a revelation of God! … The third-class compartment was full. I cannot remember any particular thought processes which may have led up to the great moment. For a few seconds only (I suppose) the whole compartment was filled with light. I felt caught up into some tremendous sense of being within a loving, triumphant and shining purpose … In a few moments the glory had departed — all but one curious, lingering feeling. I loved everybody in that compartment. It sounds silly now, and indeed I blush to write it, but at that moment I think I would have died for any one of the people in that compartment. I seemed to sense the golden worth in them all."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://aeon.co/magazine/psychology/adolescents-take-crazy-risks-that-make-perfect-sense/" target="_blank">-from "The Common Experience", by John Cohen and Jean-Francis Phillips, quoted on aeon.com</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In learning about transcendental meditation, I found very quickly access to a deeper state of happiness which is very profound and absolute... What it felt to me was like the disolution of the idea of myself. I felt like separateness evaporated. I felt this tremendous sense of oneness. ...Through meditation, I felt this sort of beautiful serenity and selfless connection. You know, my tendency toward selfishness- I felt... that exposed as a superficial and pointless perspective to have. I felt a very relaxed sense of oneness... I felt love... Love for myself, but also love for everybody else. A constant sense of absolute love between all of us. This for me is a beautiful thing."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/zTG4UcxR_8M?t=199" target="_blank"><i>-"Russel Brand talks about Transcendental Meditation at Operation Warrior Wellness Launch", starting at 3:20, transcribed from video</i></a></blockquote>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"One day I was reading a book on Solitude on computer. It was a fresh morning. I was alone in the house. Slowly...slowly...my mind started to become calm and relaxed & I went in a heightened state of awareness where every thing was seeming one... Everything was connected to everything else. A sort of immense bliss was streaming throughout my entire being. I was feeling extreme love for everyone. My consciousness had become totally radiant and alive. It was great inner silence. Thoughts were there but not so frantic as they were used to be. Everything was seeming so beautiful... So clear... As if I had got a new vision... That I had never experienced it before. It was as if a child looking at the world first time... The fog of ego lifted up and the truth has revealed. It was the experience of total bliss, peace, power, content and much more than I could ever explain. The time had completely stopped for a while. I had a deep feeling... I have always been here for centuries and will always be here... I am home. Everything was just PERFECT as if some kind of mysterious puzzle has got solved. ...This was first time I knew the meaning of PERFECTION in my life. I was experiencing a sense of vastness or limitlessness. I was feeling that I am God for short time... My body is mere a costume and I am beyond this costume... I am in everyone and everywhere at the same time... Everyone including trees, mountains, people are my projections wearing different costumes. I am endless. First time I was experiencing that... God is not in temple or church... He is not mere in the form of idols. He is in me and everyone and everywhere...that's it. He is formless. I can feel now with deep conviction that I KNOW GOD!<br />
A person who has never eaten a chocolate in his lifetime since birth, how can we explain him in words 'HOW DOES IT TASTE?'...I am in the same situation right now. Only personal experience mere can give a real TASTE.<br />
It was immense joyous state without reason. I wished this state would never end.<br />
...It had immense power to transform my life permanently. Till now though that experience has faded away completely, It has left its traces behind in my soul. It is just an unforgettable day in my life...<br />
...Since that day I changed completely. My outlook has become more positive, less angry, less worried. That experience freed me permanently from past hurts. My nature has become more accepting, loving towards people and situations. Ego fluctuations do come, but do not rise to that peak like before. It loses its grip on me. The ego itself feels powerless. Whenever ego arises my awareness harness it & immediately I find the way to peace and things starts seeming perfect.<br />
I feel compassion and love for everyone whom I was hating before. I try to see the positive side of the people. I do not get upset when people do wrong things. I tell myself "Forgive them, they haven't experienced God. They are behaving from their own level of awareness."<br />
I have become more peaceful, efficient, confident and creative. I appreciate the beauty that surrounds me. I enjoy being myself. I do take care of my SELF and fulfill its needs.<br />
I wish everybody in the world should get at least a glimpse of such experience in their journey. I am very grateful that I have had such experience."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.spiritual-experiences.com/real-spiritual-story.php?story=549" target="_blank">-from spiritual-experiences.com, "Be Still And Know... I Am God", by megh</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I am like the Queen of upclose and personal, direct Divine Revelations. Only years later did I find out that a group of Christians had labels or names for such things...(I opened a Bible in 2006, don't like religions or groups...I think that's where I came up with the word 'Revelation', even...) What I took for granted for decades was 'God' opening the Doors of Perception in my Mind/Brain....others called 'Grace' or the 'Holy Spirit'...and they also had that 'look'.... like me....HAPPY, EXCITED, innocently childlike and full of humble wonderment. Why? Bec we had our socks blown off!!! And 'saw'....our spiritual eyes were opened to Reality!<br />
I sure didn't open them...they were opened...by the Divine, for lack of a better word.<br />
...this is pretty special stuff to speak about...in person I usually well up and get pretty emotional...bec it is obvious....I was/am so blessed.<br />
Mostly bec of these Sacred Experiences and all He blesses me with and because of His Divine Presence He allows me to perceive and bathe in...I adore my Father...I worship Him...<br />
<br />
I have sent you a brief description of one major Divine Visitation. That is all I will share, there are too, too many. I will say to you and here...when a person is gifted to receive Divine Insight, it is an automatic by product to 'see' all the religions, no matter the culture, no matter the lingo...all are about This Divine Being, called by many Names. There are no more boundaries, limitations due to another's beliefs. You see and now know the Oneness that permeates all creation... There's no more even caring what others think or believe...bec there is a peace of knowing all is well and perfect and like all the streams that are...we are also going back to our Source, our Creator God...<br />
Our lives are forever changed and we have touched the Joy and Peace that IS the Creator.<br />
<br />
...Religions and beliefs mean nothing when you love God within and without you. The main thing in this life is the intimacy we have with our Father, Source, God. It places debates and man's limited concepts and drawn lines in perspective for what they are, imo.<br />
<br />
...There are too many ridiculous limits humans place on themselves...and thus project onto others....'this is the correct religion, this one is not. This ritual is pleasing to God, this is not. God is a Blue Boy with a flute, no He is limitless... The only way to God is this way, no it is that way.'<br />
When someone gets their socks blown off with a direct up close and personal experience of the Divine Presence....they see God was, is before time before earth, before humans....there are no 'ways' or rituals or beliefs anyone needs to have...just love and acknowledge 'Him' and you will be one connected and happy soul."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/religion-spirituality/1890003-spiritual-knowing-through-revelation-2.html" target="_blank">-from city-data user Miss Hepburn, posts 14,</a> <a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/religion-spirituality/1890003-spiritual-knowing-through-revelation-4.html" target="_blank">35, 37,</a> and <a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/religion-spirituality/1890003-spiritual-knowing-through-revelation-6.html" target="_blank">58</a>. Most ellipses in original.</i></blockquote>
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<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"On the night of the massacre at the Branch Davidian Compound I was dangerously angry... I decided to meditate on it, hoping I could find some rationale for what had happened.<br />
As I was meditating I felt myself floating... I was in darkness but soon felt the presence of beings around me. Eventually, the light was bright enough that I could see and I found myself in the company of several women of various ages... I found myself in a very large circular room also made of alabaster that opened onto a beautiful landscape of trees, grassland, flowers and a stream. The air was warm and pleasantly scented.<br />
As I stood there in awe of the beauty of the vista I noticed a soft glowing shape beginning to take form... It grew brighter and brighter and I began to feel so much love; a kind of contentment that I have never known in the real world. I began to cry. The light, now formed the general shape of a female, but it was so bright that I could not really look directly at 'her'. I also have to say that the form did not appear solid but swirled and moved like fog only very bright.<br />
She asked me why I had come. Through my tears I said that I did not understand why such terrible things as Waco had to happen, how could mothers allow their children to be killed. The entity then pointed to a statue off to my left that I had not noticed before. It was of a man in the greco-roman style. The stone however was covered with mold and pitted. It looked rotten and ready to crumble. 'Do you see this?' She asked. Before I could answer she stroked the arm of the statue and the mold and rotten parts began to fall away. Soon, the statue looked new and beautiful; then it became flesh, smiled at me and walked down into the trees, out of sight.<br />
'I don't understand.' I said.<br />
'My hand is in all things.' I was told. 'There is nothing that happens that I do not see. There is nothing that exists that is beyond saving.' She then asked me did I understand. I said no, not really. She explained that again that her hand is in ALL things.<br />
...At that, she turned away from me as if to view the scenery and I found myself, with a thump, back in my room. I still could feel the overwhelming love. I was still crying. But, I was not angry anymore... Those are the things I felt. I am not sure if I got the message right."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?s=47fb2bcf9ebb1948d04e0ad952848dcc&showtopic=203544&#entry3850442" target="_blank">-from Unexplained Mysteries forum user jaguarsky, post 9</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had my first spiritual experience when I was 16 years old. I was sitting up late one night having a conversation with my mother about something I can’t remember, when for no apparent reason, the doors of perception opened WIDE. In no time I was swept up in an ocean of ecstasy that seemed infinite. I also experienced many insights that unfolded one after the other.<br />
One of them was very interesting. It became apparent to me that all points in space are exactly the same place. In other words, from the temporarily enlightened perspective I was experiencing that evening, it became obvious that no matter where I went on earth or in the universe, at the deepest level, I would always be in exactly the same place.<br />
At the time, intellectually, I had no idea what this meant. All I knew was that from this state of heightened awareness, what I was perceiving was absolutely true."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://bigthink.com/the-evolution-of-enlightenment/the-only-place-in-the-universe" target="_blank">-from "The Only Place in the Universe", by Andrew Cohen</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This is my personal experience of the Impersonal that I was so lucky to live when I was in Bali - Indonesia in 1986.<br />
...One morning, I decided to rent a little motorbike to have a look round the island.<br />
From the start of this ride round the island, I was in a meditative frame of mind. It was not a mere ride, but a meditation. I was in a state of deep peace, without cares, without worries of any sort. My spirit was totally calm. I was living for the present moment, here and now.<br />
...The road rolled out in front of me, through ever more magnificent landscapes. I was still chugging along on my old machine at 10 - 15 km/hour when, seemingly for a fraction of a second, everything around me went completely black. The world as I had seen it up to then had totally disappeared. Then, suddenly, I emerged into a Sublime White Light, a new state of consciousness, a new state of being where everything was Perfect Light, Perfect Unity, Perfect Life. Human forms, nature, trees, plants, animals and stones were, in truth, Light. Their shapes were still there but were no longer living by themselves. They were a manifestation of Life and of the Eternal and Universal Light that animates all things.<br />
Everything was now bathed in Perfect Light, Life, Harmony and Unity. And I gradually became aware of the fact that I, too, as a physical body, a human being, was a manifestation and expression of this Life and Infinite Light.<br />
But I was also infinitely more than this mortal body, this little human personality. I was Soul or Divine fragment. I was also this Light, this infinite Life. I was the life of all Lives. I was the other human being, nature, the animal, the tree, the flower, the blade of grass, the grain of sand, the stone, the mountain, the ocean, the stars in the universe, the whole universe and much more besides. I was Infinite, Unlimited.<br />
There were no more thoughts, no more breathing, no more emotions. I was beyond the mind, beyond breathing, beyond emotions, beyond the duality of good and evil, man and woman, darkness and light, beyond life and death. In One's Supreme Self, the Ultimate Reality. In the Absolute Evidence.<br />
I was bathed in a Silence of Unfathomable Depth and Intensity, which is Eternal Eloquence. That Silence taught me without words, by deliciously intense waves of Love and Bliss. It Is Infinite Presence. Perfect Peace. In a Perfect Unity, it made me aware that I am Soul, Infinite, Unlimited, Immortal, Eternal, Indestructible. Eternally and perfectly happy, peaceful and free.<br />
All cares, all thoughts, all worries, all fears and all desires had completely disappeared. The very idea of death no longer existed. The past and future were no more. I also became aware that in this blessed state, I was beyond space and time. I was at once point A and point B and beyond. I was omnipresent. I was eternal.<br />
I was in the eternal present, Here and Now.<br />
...Nowadays, I realise that this body is just a vehicle allowing the Divine Soul, that we all are, to be incarnate in this world, in this space-time, for a short period of time. A garment we put on at birth and which we cast off when it is worn out, in a process we call death.<br />
...All desires had totally disappeared. Love, Happiness, Peace and the perfect, eternal and indestructible Freedom in which I was submerged had no beginning and no end and could not be destroyed, as they are the very nature of Life, one's Divine Self.<br />
I was perfectly satisfied and would have liked to live in that state for all eternity, whatever the physical and human condition. Nothing else mattered any more. I did not have love, happiness, peace and freedom to be taken away or destroyed. I was Love, Happiness, Peace and perfect, eternal and indestructible Freedom.<br />
...As I rode quietly along, I became aware that I was beyond the cycle of reincarnations, the cycle of successive births and deaths. It is impossible to describe with words. Quite simply, I saw and knew it in the deepest part of my being."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.spiritual-experiences.com/real-spiritual-story.php?story=1494" target="_blank">-from "A Personal Spiritual Experience", by spiritual-experiences.com user alainbadan</a></i> </blockquote>
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<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Several Weeks ago I had the most profound experience of my life!<br />
..I've questioned since the age of 6; who am I, why are we here, what are we really, why the planets, extra, extra. I've always known that I am something other, something different then this human body.<br />
..I started a journey, I was guided to read Law of Attraction again, each book gave me different learnings & aspects, I dug deep within my soul to release unwanted attachments I've built up throughout the years. I asked questions to the universe & it kindly gave me all the answers within minutes or the next day, SMACK BANG in front of me! That alone was awesome in itself.<br />
...Leading up to the night of my experience I had the most powerful feeling from the pit of my stomach, my explaining is pure energy that wanted to burst out of me! I couldn't explain it any other way.<br />
...In bed, lights off, TV on and mobile in hand, messaging my sister in-law, I remember saying I'm going to burst in a minute with this energy surging through me.<br />
...Instantly I felt this energy rise from my belly, as this was happening I heard a voice say 'Let Go' and 'This is what I meant to be doing' talking, sharing, teaching, coaching what was about to happen to me. This energy traveled all the way from my belly up my spine and came out from the top of my head, this all happened very quickly and their I was looking down at my body, as well as seeing everything else in that room, but also a part of the room, the walls, windows, bed, TV, duvet, I knew I was a part of this body but I was not my body.<br />
I was no longer this body I thought to be true, I was & am this pure loving energy immersed with oneness the source, the universe, energy, God, so many names and so many labels, it all points to the same thing. <br />
...The feelings are truly incredible nothing that the human mind or our senses could understand in an intellectual way, be blessed that you have these 5 main senses as well as our thinking our thoughts!<br />
...I instantly saw right in front of me who we truly are, I saw the divided split, on one side the self the other who we truly are, this pure loving, blissful powerful energy, the essence of what we are.<br />
When I say self I mean everything we think to be true, our character, characteristic's, our past, experiences, future, beliefs, likes, dislikes, desires, EVERYTHING! The self as I knew it to be Kerry had shattered into a million pieces, what was left is our true essence.<br />
...The first few days was a massive shift for me, all my attachments, likes, dislikes, longings, desires, dreams, fears all vanished gone! It was only until someone said, pointed out that I didn't like something or it used to piss me off that I would remember I didn't, or I read something or watched a film I would remember I didn't like that or I had a fear around something.<br />
To this day I still have rememberings of things I like and dislike pop up, fears, things that scared me, it's truly amazing when this happens as I'm stilling their trying to get these raw feelings how I used to think and feel about them.<br />
I fear nothing, I'm scared of nothing.<br />
...It's now been several weeks since my experience, every day I learn more insights about life, I have massive downloads of more knowledge and wisdom about my life and of others and of the world, the most profound thing, I now have this permanent knowing feeling, for you the easiest way to explain is that gut feeling, for me its permanently on all the time, I can feel people's energy, I can see peoples lessons in life, their directions, each day this awesome understanding grows and grows."</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i><a href="http://www.spiritual-experiences.com/real-spiritual-story.php?story=1473" target="_blank">-from "My Spiritual Awakening - Life~ What This Means Now", by Kerry Mears</a></i></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-67072779397735838742014-10-09T08:08:00.000-07:002015-03-16T15:32:25.497-07:00Spiritual Experiences in Judaism<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://spiritualworld.com/graham/index.htm" target="_blank">Graham Ledgerwood </a>interviews <a href="http://www.ocjewish.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/112336/jewish/Rabbi-David-Eliezrie.htm" target="_blank">Rabbi David Eliezrie</a>, a Hasidic Rabbi, about spiritual experiences, as well as Shekinah, or the Presence of God. This interview comes from <a href="http://www.spiritualworld.org/hasidic/print.htm" target="_blank">SpiritualWorld.org</a>.</div>
<br />
<blockquote>
"When a Hasid directs the emotion in the prayer, what happens then?" I asked.<br />
"Then a person reaches a certain level of spiritual ecstasy and opens himself up spiritually. He has thought about godliness; he has thought about spirituality; he has thought about the things that God accomplished in the world; then he focuses his prayer on the greatness of God, the spirituality of God. Then he comes out of the prayer with a tremendous feeling of upliftedness," the Rabbi explained.<br />
"Could you give me some examples of states or characteristics which occur in this ecstasy and upliftedness?"<br />
"Characteristics…." He thought a moment. "I think, mainly, there is an awe-ness of God. I think it is a realization by a person of what is important and what is secondary... You develop a proper sense of priorities. You realize what is primary, what is important and what is not important. You have the realization that the essence of this world is really spiritual and that the physical only hides the true qualities of the world."<br />
...<br />
"My dictionary says Shekinah is: ‘the manifestation of the presence of God; or Divine Presence.' Would you agree with this definition?"<br />
"Yes," he agreed, "basically, Shekinah is the manifestation in the physical world of the Divine Presence."<br />
"If I were to come into your place of worship, would I see a physical object? Is Shekinah a physical object?"<br />
"There were times when Shekinah was physically present in the world," the Rabbi spoke thoughtfully. "When the temple was in existence. And, today, when people get together and study the Torah, Shekinah is present. Shekinah can be brought about when the temple is here or when ten or more Jews get together and study the Torah. Or, when people are together in a holy act. When people fulfill a mitzvah, Shekinah can be present."<br />
"What I’m trying to understand," I explained, "is does Shekinah have any form whatever?"<br />
"No form. It’s a holy, spiritual force."<br />
..."What is that like," I asked, "when you study the Torah and Shekinah comes?"<br />
"There are times when people feel in themselves a spiritual sensitivity and holiness — Shekinah is the Presence of God," he answered.<br />
"This Presence, when people are sitting together reading the Torah or doing a holy act, does the Presence occur within them, or does everyone in the room feel it?"<br />
"That depends," he said. "It depends on their sensitivity. For instance, you can be willing to give somebody something but they may not be able to accept it. God is present but not all may be sensitive enough to feel the Divine Presence."<br />
"How, then, can one become sensitive to Shekinah?"<br />
"You become sensitive through learning, praying, and going through a period of spiritual development. Spiritual development in our religion primarily relates to prayer," he said.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.spiritualworld.org/hasidic/print.htm" target="_blank">-from SpiritualWorld.org, "Hasidic Judaism"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<a href="http://spiritualworld.com/judaism/index.htm" target="_blank">Graham Ledgerwood</a> interviews <a href="http://spiritualworld.com/sw_2ndwin/stern.htm" target="_blank">Rabbi Frank Stern</a> about spirituality in Judaism. Rabbi Stern was careful to note that his comments do not necessarily reflect the feelings of all Jews. The interview comes from <a href="http://spiritualworld.org/">SpiritualWorld.org</a>.<br />
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<blockquote>
"I think that there are many ways of experiencing God...<br />
Spiritual experience has to somehow create differences in your behavior, have an effect on the way you live.<br />
...I think the experience of God is a very distinct and concrete experience. Yes, it’s something you can sense that happens to you, and it’s even something you could attempt to talk about...<br />
I personally had experiences where I felt the presence of God. I know members of my family have had those experiences. We have an adult education study program where just a week ago the whole theme of the get-together was personal experiences of God and how a person can share these experiences with others. There were thirty people attending the discussion and I was amazed that not one of them said they had not had these special kinds of experiences. Every single person there had some kind of personal experience of God — of different sorts and different natures. But not all of them translated their experiences in the same vocabulary: ‘I felt the presence of God’ or ‘Some special course opened in my life. I felt the Divine Presence,’ or ecstasy, or whatever it might be.<br />
...I think ecstasy is one of those attributes of the experience, or one of the consequences of the experience... I think the heightened awareness of abilities, skills, potentials, that exist within persons is one of the consequences. I think often a new sense of priorities and values is a consequence. Very frequently a person’s life direction is changed from such an experience, and he begins to do things he wasn’t doing previously — or he re-focuses his life.<br />
There is a kind of consciousness of being chosen, of being special in some regard, also. There’s a sense of awe and wonder, too. There’s a sense of purposefulness in terms of the order and harmony of the universe, usually. Perhaps there is also a sense of special relatedness between yourself and other people — and other things.<br />
But, yet, when you begin to tear it apart this way, all of these are but parts of the same experience.<br />
...Feeling the presence of God or experiencing God in some way pushes you onward — whatever that push is."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.spiritualworld.org/judaism/print.htm" target="_blank">-from SpiritualWorld.org, "Judaism"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
An spiritual experience in Jerusalem:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had an intense spiritual experience when I touched the western wall in Jerusalem. I was overcome by the desire to pray and I blurted out everything I could remember. (This was before I became observant.) I also closed my eyes and felt like I was one with the wall, and simultaneously like I was flying. It is something I often remind myself of when I have doubts or I am struggling."<br />
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<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Judaism/comments/2yua8o/question_from_an_outsider_do_jewish_people_have/cpd9g0k" target="_blank">-from reddit user Future Mrs. Orthodonk</a></blockquote>
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<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-34168580004453484972014-10-09T06:15:00.002-07:002017-08-23T11:36:04.330-07:00Muslim Conversion StoriesThese Muslim conversion experiences are gathered from around the web. I've linked to sources with each quote.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"During my clean up I found my old Qur'an in Arabic that I had bought while I was a student at Rabat. I had bought it as a study guide to help me learn to read Arabic. <br />
It had been many years since I had last read anything in Arabic. I was curious as to if I could still read it. I opened it to Surah Fatiha and the first line literally jumped out at me. <br />
Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem. 'In the name of Allaah, the provider, the Most merciful'<br />
It was like the words glowed and completely filled me with an inner peace I never felt before. I turned back to the preface and saw it was the supplication:<br />
'Auzu Billahi Mina Al Shaytan Al Rajeem'.<br />
(In Allaah(swt) I seek refuge from the evils of Satan)<br />
After over 20 years of not speaking Arabic it all flowed back to me. I could not stop reading and I was not simply reading words, the feeling of each ayyat came upon me with an indescribable warmth and sense of understanding. I could not stop. I do not know how long I read I know it was for at least 48 hours and I still could not stop the feeling was so powerful and filling me with a strong sense of love and joy on the morning of what I believe was the 3rd day I finally set the Qur'an down and knew I was Muslim. I instantly said the Shahadah and knew I was now part of the Ummah."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/28083820-post1.html" target="_blank">-from city-data forum user Woodrow LI</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"...I was finally discouraged, and decided to look into other faiths. I examined Catholicism, Buddhism, and even Native American Spirituality, and I was getting nowhere. I finally decided that I would just believe my own beliefs of a supreme and omnipotent God, and go my own way.<br />
I never even considered Islam until I met the man who was to later become my husband. I had previously always dismissed Islam as a violent religion, full of bloodshed, 'holy wars', and men who abused and oppressed women!<br />
...As the months went by, and as I studied more and more in depth about Islam, my conviction began to grow steadily that this was the true religion. It was so close in many ways to what I already believed!<br />
Then one day at a weekly women’s lesson on Islam that I had been attending, (even though I wasn’t a Muslim yet), one of the sisters was reading a verse of the Qur’an that really affected me. It was about the Jews and their questioning of God’s commands in sacrificing the heifer in Al-Baqarah.<br />
This verse suddenly affected me so much that, much to my embarrassment, I began to cry in the middle of the lesson. The sister who was reading comforted me by saying that the Qur’an – the Word of Allaah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) – often affects people this way.<br />
That evening at home, as I was preparing for bed, I went through my usual routine of opening the Holy Qur’an at random and asking Allaah to select a passage for me to read. The verse that my eyes fell on as I opened the book read as follows: 'And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, you will see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth. They pray: ‘Our Lord! We believe; write us down among the witnesses. What cause can we have not to believe in Allah and the truth which has come to us, seeing as we long for our Lord to admit us to the company of the righteous?’ And for this, their prayer has Allah rewarded them with Gardens, with rivers flowing underneath – their eternal Home. Such is the recompense of those who do good.' (5:83-85)<br />
This was the final message to me from Allaah for me to revert to Islam! I was speechless. He (Allah) spoke to me through the glorious Qur’an. He showed me the straight path – the truth. I said Shahada (Testimony of faith) shortly after that. Shahada was a homecoming for me – I felt that my soul had been set free.<br />
...To this day, and always, it warms my heart and soul to go to a gathering of my sisters and brothers in Islam and hear the quiet murmuring of 'Assalaamu Alaikum', and see the warm smiles, hugs and handshakes, and the welcoming outstretched arms of my Ummah (community)! I will never stop thanking Allaah for guiding me to the light of Islam."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=articles&id=135335" target="_blank">-from islamweb.net, "Carol: I considered Judaism but chose Islam"</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When I was 19 years old, I was sitting in my house, up late, talking to a friend, and he had just become Muslim. And so I asked him, what is Islam? Like, I've heard all these things. And he started to tell me, and it was the most amazing conversation that I think, still to this day, that I ever had. Something inside of me made me feel good. It was like a light, I felt like. And it was like, I was being told the truth. And it was hard to explain, but it was amazing."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/o0spn8ZDCt4?t=60" target="_blank"><i>-transcribed from video, "USA: Matt's Reverts to Islam New Muslim Brother Takes Shahada", starting at 1:00</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I grew up in Dutch family with Christianity... I've always believed in God, but always been searching for the right faith and sought in all religions except Islam. Islam, I found an unjust faith by what I saw and heard (I have my Moroccan family never taught about Islam). I always went to church but my heart always told me that something was wrong.<br />
...I was deeply unhappy. I said to God: 'Please point me the way!'<br />
A few months later, I ...came into contact with Islam. I was convinced that Islam is the right religion and felt the light was burning in my heart. I wanted to talk to God but I had trouble keeping his name on my lips to get and talk to him. I felt him as if he said to me, "but it is good to talk to Me." I finally got it and I thought it was a great feeling. I often spoke to God and He answered me in my dreams.<br />
...Now I understand the truth, Islam is complete and very beautiful.<br />
...Gradually I began to have doubts about this way of holy faith, but did believe in Allah.<br />
...Quran spoke to me more and I was very surprised and shocked. Yet still I hesitated and he asked, 'what does your head and what does your heart.' I said, 'my head says no but my heart says yes it's true.' ...I was very confused and cried to God: 'Please God let me not go astray I want to continue on your way, what do I believe it!'<br />
...That night I had a dream from Allah. He said to me: 'I bring you a new heart, a heart that is pure'. And the next day while I was awake ...Allah gave me the feeling, 'here you do not be afraid of you not coming in'.<br />
...I soon began to pray in the pure way, and since then I was better in my possession. I felt so light and happy... It is impossible to describe what a feeling I had while, so natural and free. I was very surprised how many people have lost the way of Allah."<br />
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<i><a href="http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=49054a86b9001ab46821bdd8cf2918b7&topic=9601423.msg264041#msg264041" target="_blank">-from freeminds.org, "My story about my conversion to Islam", by Amazigh</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Many of my questions were answered! What is the purpose of life? How can the Father be the Son? Why can't God just forgive anyone He wants? What happens to babies who die before baptism?<br />
In Quran 5:83, Allah states: 'And when they (who call themselves Christian) listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognized. They say: 'Our Lord! We believe; so write us down among the witnesses.''<br />
Indeed, my eyes overflowed with tears as I read that verse. Yet I did not embrace Islam until three years after meeting Armando, because I did not want to change. A struggle occurs within everyone, everyday, and everywhere. We struggle to attain what is most important for us. By embracing Islam, we tell Allah that He is the most important and that we are prepared to struggle to do what is right and to avoid what is wrong. I am a Mexican-American Muslim."<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0311-2126" target="_blank">-from islamicity.com, "How Allah Found Me in Texas", by Juan Galvan</a></i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"One day, there was a brother in class... He presented his religion, which was Islam. And the way he did it, his character, it just touched my heart. ...He told me, 'Are you going to convert to any religion?' So, I said, yeah, I might convert to Islam... I had no clue why I said that, but I said it, and Allah opened my heart at that time.<br />
...I started researching about the religion... Something told me in my heart, 'Go to the mosque. Go to the mosque.' So, I took my bike, I started riding to the mosque. So I go in... I say, 'Can I speak to the imam?'<br />
...He comes, he grabs me by the hand, he holds my hand. As soon as he held my hand I started feeling this love, you know, like, growing in my heart... And then, when I walked inside the mosque, the enviroment, I can't explain it... I went to his desk, to his room, and he sat me down. He told me, 'What religion are you from?' ...After two minutes, I started crying. Crying, crying, crying. I couldn't stop crying... So, like, we had to cancel the appointment because I couldn't talk.<br />
...I started listening to Surah Fatihah and all, and it started touching my heart... I went to the mosque, I started following the prayer with the people. I was still Christian, but I was still following the people... My heart was at peace.<br />
...So, I went to the mosque. I stayed there all day... At the end, I was sure I wanted to convert. So, I took my Shahadah the same day, now I'm a Muslim.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.islamreligion.com/videos/10661/" target="_blank">-transcribed from video, Zakariah's Conversion, starting about 0:55</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"ALLAH Saved My Life!<br />
Throughout my life I studied many different religions and couldn't find the real meaning to any of them. I felt so lost! Then in the mist of my despair, I found a friend that understood what I was feeling. We talked for awhile. After crying like a baby 'cause I felt so alone, he told me to repeat what he said.<br />
'Alright,' I said - wiping the tears out of my eyes.<br />
Bismilla -ir- Rahman -ir- Raheem<br />
As I began repeating what he said I started feeling a warm comfortable feeling. 'Like you do when your mom or dad holds you when your scared'. After we were done he asked me if I knew what we just said.<br />
'No,' I replied.<br />
It was the Surah Fatihah.<br />
'Now you're a Muslim.' he said."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Believe-In-Allah/291164" target="_blank">-from the Experience Project, "ALLAH Saved My Life!", by NewWorldConcept</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had never in my life heard of The Holy Qur'an. I began to briefly read some pages. While I was reading I knew that what I was reading was true. It was like a slap in the face, a wake up call. The Qur'an is so clear and easy to understand. I was really impressed and wanted to know more about Islam and Muslims.<br />
...After months of study and research I could not deny the truth anymore. I had put it off too long, but was still living the life I had before, and knew that if I became a Muslim I had to give all that up. One day while reading the Qur'an, I began to cry and fell to my knees and thanked Allah for guiding me to the truth. I found out that there was a Mosque by my house so I went one Friday to see how Muslims prayed and conducted their service... A man got up and began to call the Adthan (call for prayer). When I heard it my eyes filled up with tears because it sounded so beautiful. It was all so strange at first, but seemed so right at the same time. Islam is not just a religion but a way of life.<br />
After going a couple of Fridays I was ready to be a Muslim and say my Shahada (declaration of faith). I told the Khatib (person giving the lecture) that I wanted to be a Muslim. The following Friday in front of the community I said my Shahada first in Arabic and then in English: I bear witness that there is no other God but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammed (P.B.U.H) is His Messenger."<br />
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<a href="http://www.thepeopleofthebook.org/islam6testimony.html" target="_blank"><i>-from a testimony on thepeopleofthebook.com</i></a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It is difficult to describe to someone who has never felt it how Islam can change and improve one's life. But Islam changed me totally. I now have no doubt about our purpose in this world and that I am following the right path, I have a certainty I never knew before, and a peace that goes with it. God's plan makes much more sense to me and I feel I have an idea where I belong."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.islamtomorrow.com/converts/women.htm" target="_blank">-from islamtomorrow.com, "My Journey to Islam", by D. Beatty</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[A Muslim friend] found a good translation of the meaning of the Qur'an for me to read, which I did. I still remember sitting alone, reading it, looking for errors, and questioning. The more I read, the more I became convinced that this book could only have one source, God. I was reading about God's mercy and His willingness to forgive any sin, except the sin of associating partners with Him; and I began to weep. I cried from the depth of my soul. I cried for my past ignorance and in joy of finally finding the truth. I knew that I was forever changed... Once I was sure that this book was truly from God, I decided that I had to accept Islam as my religion. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.islamtomorrow.com/converts/women.htm" target="_blank">-from islamtomorrow.com, Erin/Sumaya Fannoun's conversion story</a></i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Before going to sleep that night, my son told me to pray to God before going to sleep and ask Him alone to guide me to the right path. I promised my son that I would sincerely supplicate to God for the answer. I went to my room and read from the book my son had given me. Next, I opened the Holy Quran and began to read. It was if something had been lifted from my heart. I felt different. I saw the truth in Islam. What had I been fighting against all these years?<br />
That night I prayed to God alone–not to Jesus, not to Mary, not to the angels or saints or holy spirit. Just to God I cried and asked for guidance. I prayed that if Islam was the right choice to please change my heart and mind. I went to sleep and the next morning I woke up and announced to my son that I was ready to accept Islam. He was astonished. We both began to cry."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.islamicbulletin.org/services/new_muslims/carla.html" target="_blank">-from The Islamic Bulletin, "MY INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY OF ISLAM", by Carla</a></i></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I went back my dorm room and considered the facts. Could I deny what I now perceived to be the truth? Could I deny what I had read, what I had seen, what I had heard, and what I had felt? Hadn't I been crying, desperately, on my dorm room floor only yesterday, pleading for guidance, imploring God for help? Islam came and confirmed what I had already thought to be true. I learned that it was the continuation of Judaism and Christianity, sent by the same God, the One and only true God, the God of Adam and Eve, of Noah, of Moses, of Jesus. Yes, these are all revered prophets of Islam. Islam simply means submitting to the will of God. The whole universe is in total submission to God, but human beings are unique in that they are free to accept or reject divine guidance. If we accept, it is for the benefit of our soul, and if we reject, it is to our own detriment.<br />
So, while I had never considered myself religious before, I became so in that instant- the instant that I could no longer deny the facts. I submitted my whole self to God."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.islamicbulletin.org/services/new_muslims/sherman.htm" target="_blank">-from The Islamic Bulletin, "How I Struck Gold - my conversion story", by K. Sherman</a></i></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-65561820765681829462014-10-09T06:15:00.000-07:002017-12-19T15:17:37.233-08:00Hindu Spiritual Experiences<div class="tr_bq">
A description of the way Hindus communicate with God. This article comes from HinduNet.org.</div>
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<blockquote>
"The temple is built as a palace in which the Gods live. It is the home of the Gods, a sacred place unlike every other place on the earth. The Hindu must associate himself with these Gods in a very sensitive way when he approaches the temple. Though the devotee rarely has the psychic vision of the Deity, he is aware of the God's divine presence. As he approaches the sanctum sanctorum, the Hindu is fully aware that an intelligent being, greater and more evolved than himself, is there. This God is intently aware of him, safeguarding him, fully knowing his inmost thought, fully capable of coping with any situation the devotee may mentally lay at his Holy Feet. It is important that we approach the Deity in this way - conscious and confident that our needs are known in the inner spiritual worlds.<br />
...You can feel the presence of these divine beings, and this radiation from them is known as shakti.<br />
... Perhaps not immediately, but the message that the shakti carries from the Mahadeva manifests in your life. This is the way the Gods converse. It is a communication more real than the communication of language that you experience each day."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.hindunet.org/god/ht_article_god4.html" target="_blank">-from "Communicating with God and the Gods" on HinduNet.org</a></i></blockquote>
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Another spiritual experience:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"But, somewhere in the midst of all this, I started feeling there must be more to life than what I was experiencing...<br />
I learned to meditate as soon as possible, and this initiation opened my doorway to spirituality. Subsequently, I devoted most of my adult life to the pursuit of spiritual growth and ultimate awakening.<br />
Some months later, I met Maharishi at a retreat in northern California. As he entered the meeting hall, I gave him a flower, as was the custom in that gathering. He looked into my eyes deeply for a moment, and I experienced a feeling of peace and love unlike anything I had ever experienced before."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.allawaken.net/html/who_am_i_.html" target="_blank">-from Bob Bishop on AllAwaken.net</a></i></blockquote>
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These two blog entries by Susan Ferguson discuss spiritual experiences she had while reading the Bhagavad Gita and other Hindu texts.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My relationship with the Bhagavad Gita goes back to the 1960s and throughout my life I read the Bhagavad Gita and attempted to grasp its subtle meaning. Each reading of these powerful words always left me feeling somehow lifted, my consciousness purified. However, I did not truly understand. Still I knew an invaluable treasure lay within this book and I was not to be discouraged. I would stubbornly say, 'Someday, I will understand this.' I am now 60.<br />
...I remember so well those hot summer days in 2004 reading on the screen-porch in the dappled shade of cedars, maples, and pine trees. Day after day I would listen with my heart to Krishna’s words of wisdom to his friend Arjuna, and I would cry and cry and cry the sweetest tears. Tears come easily when you feel the presence of God. I felt as if I were being given the eyes-to-see and the ears-to-hear. Even now when I think of that time, tears can pool in my eyes and my heart is filled with joy and gratitude. Krishna is my guru!<br />
It is in the spirit of a deeply sincere humility and out of a love that can never be described or expressed that I set out here to share with you my understanding of this remarkable and magnificent text.<br />
...We all have God dwelling within our Heart. We can realize that God not only dwells within us, but within everything. God is ALL!"<br />
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<a href="http://www.inannareturns.com/gita/revere.htm" target="_blank"><i>-from "My reverence & deep respect for the Bhagavad Gita", by Susan Ferguson</i></a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Of all the books I have read, none changed my consciousness as powerfully as the Bhagavad Gita. I was reading J.A.B van Buitenen’s translation when my heart and mind first truly opened to this timeless book of verse, for the Bhagavad Gita is a Sanskrit poem. That fine warm summer’s day when at last Krishna’s words began to have real meaning for me, I cried and cried and cried. Even now sometimes when I read a verse, the sweetest tears pool up in my eyes and I am overwhelmed with awe, love, and gratitude."<br />
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<a href="http://www.inannareturns.com/articles/early_articles/myview.htm" target="_blank"><i>-from "My Personal Journey", by Susan Ferguson</i></a></blockquote>
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Spiritual-experiences.com user Saravananp shares a life changing vision:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I am a hindu. Living in india.<br />
...But after a loss of my pet, it was shocking and I was mentally affected. 2 weeks later another 2 kittens died. I can't explain how terrible it was.<br />
I was helpless and I can't do anything to stop its death. I searched internet to know what death is all about. Then I stumbled upon on near death experience.<br />
...I started reading those NDE experiences, suddenly a world in front of me disappeared. There was no body around me at all. All I see is a vision, at first there is only void empty blackness around me. Here I don't feel any fear. I was totally in other dimension. I still have the awareness of me without my body at all. Suddenly I started moving (not moving but void emptiness vanishing slowly) towards a beautiful light. The light is so beautiful you can't see those light on this earth. Light I saw was changing very slowly from golden brownish, then orange to greenish blue yellow hues so on. Mixture of all colours and hues I see. Nearest possible explanation about light I saw is this. Real beauty can only be experienced when you feel it. It was so beautiful to look at. And I also heard a beautiful sound which is more like angels howling in chorus or may be it is sound of 'OM'. It was so pleasant to hear it.<br />
Suddenly I could feel presence of others around me. There were other like me in this beautiful dimension. It was like heavenly. I could feel other being like me in this dimension surrounded by beautiful light and sound. I feel some being next to me. Suddenly a wave of intense happiness or may be bliss or extreme happiness covered my being. I never felt those happiness ever before in my life here on earth. Remember there was no body of mine but only the feeling of "I" and vision. I could see without my eyes and I could hear without ears. There were no thoughts in me but only this vision. No thoughts, no earth but only heavenly light and sounds and heaven beings like me. I really don't know why those happiness surrounded me. Whether it came from other beings around me in this beautiful dimension or it came from god itself.<br />
Then suddenly this beautiful vision vanished. Then world in front of me reappeared again. I mean I regained this world. Tears came down my cheeks. I felt very emotional. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME PASSED. Maby few seconds or maby be few minutes. Actually, I felt no time at all in this heavenly beautiful dimension. The dimension I saw in my vision may be belong to some eternity and infinity. Time simply stopped. The heavenly vision I saw was like a flash. I can explain lot, better way to understand my experience is by experiencing yourself.<br />
Now I feel that those 3 kittens which came to me were god himself to awake me from ignorance. <br />
...This incidence totally changed me. A life changing experience. Where ever I see a animals, like cat, dog, squirrels, birds etc I wish them to live longer and attain salvation, mukthi as soon as possible. I summon god, I request god with love to give them salvation as soon as possible. I believe only unconditional love can bring me towards god.<br />
After the that heavenly vision I feel everything is ok. Just fine. One day I will go to the same place I saw in vision. I will meet those my lovable kittens and we will be in bliss eternally with love and love alone. We loved ones will be absorbed in this heavenly dimension and remain in eternal bliss. Now I believe there is no death at all. Only our body dies not our awareness (self or being).<br />
...God is not limited to particular religion he is for all. God is something more than what our church or hindu religion thought us."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.spiritual-experiences.com/real-spiritual-story.php?story=434" target="_blank">-from "A Beautiful Heavenly Light And Life Changing Experience", by spiritual-experiences.com user saravananp</a></i></blockquote>
Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-68299600608153308742014-10-09T06:14:00.007-07:002015-03-16T08:59:03.689-07:00Taoist Experience<div class="tr_bq">
A reddit user shares an experience from reading about Taoism.</div>
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"...I pick up Alan Watts' What is Tao. I have been dabbling in Taoism recently to see if it could help me with my life. And reading his book I read about Wu Wei and Te. And it just made sense to me. I dont even know if I am getting the actual meaning, and I dont care. Just be yourself. Dont force it. Dont be self conscious. These kind of things clicked within me. They may be things we have heard all our lives, but I truly internalized it. Truly understanding what 'easy does it' and 'just be yourself' are all about. And for the first time, I feel happy. True happiness is overwhelming me right now, and I feel like I had to share this with you all."<br />
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<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/taoism/comments/2rdswx/taoism_may_have_just_fixed_my_depression/" target="_blank"><i>-from reddit user BAtrogit</i></a></blockquote>
Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-23606259257957309082014-10-09T06:14:00.006-07:002015-05-18T09:09:41.843-07:00More Christian Spiritual ExperiencesChristians describe the presence of the Holy Spirit.<br />
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"A few evenings later I had just finished my bible study and I was sitting on the side of my bed. I was still searching with my spirit man, listening to the sounds of the evening and trying to understand where is God. I would question with my mind... God where are you? Jesus where are you? Holy Spirit where are you? Not even 3 minutes had passed when I experienced a person right in front of me. Though my eyes were tightly shut I could clearly feel His form. I opened my eyes but could not see anything. I closed my eyes again and yes... He was real... more real than anything I could see with my eyes open. I closed my eyes and very gently this Person came inside me and filled me with tingling sensations from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I could feel His presence inside me and all around me and just knew that it was the Holy Spirit. I was startled to be honest. Can this really be happening to me? Before the minute was up I could sense His presence no more but was left in awe of what had just happened.<br />
That very next day... I had again just finished my bible study and I was just sitting still with my back against the headboard of my bed and being mindful, pondering on His greatness, His awesomeness, His splendour, when again I felt this presence of a Person before me. Very powerfully this Presence entered my body. My stomach muscles tightened for what seemed like a minute with all the power they had to squeeze me and a most awesome feeling of excitement, electricity, tingling sensations flooded by whole body from end to end. These sensations would last for about 20 minutes and before I knew it, I heard a small still voice in my mind say 'And here He comes again'. For the next 2 hours I was filled again and again and again with what seemed like waves of His presence entering me. Finally just before midnight I could relax and fall asleep.<br />
For the next 4 months I would once a week receive these waves of infilling and my stomach muscles would tighten each time. Now I am more relaxed and become 'SUDDENLY' more aware of His awesome presence and then know something good is going to happen. My hands & feet go numb when I bask in His presence. Other times it feels like lightening bolts coming out of my hands. If I lie on my bed & I think about nothing - I experience ... nothing, but interestingly, the second I put my thoughts on God and on His awesomenss I immediately become aware of His presence more so than normal.<br />
...There is not a day that goes by when I do not feel His presence. I awake in His presence and go to sleep in His presence. He never leaves me and at times I become very powerfully aware that he wants to use me as His instrument and for His glory."<br />
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<a href="http://www.christianityboard.com/topic/12032-filled-with-the-holy-spirit-my-testimony/#entry81627" target="_blank">-Testimony from Christian Board user B-holy</a></blockquote>
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"One day while just looking out side, I noticed a cloud coming down. I was not real sure what I was seeing, then I felt that awesome power of God all over my body. I did good just to grab the door to keep my knees from buckling. I was in awe at the love and power that was filling me.<br />
Later on... I had been praising God with someone waiting on a ambulance, I suddenly felt that anointing all over and the person was healed right there.<br />
I don't experience that awesome power like some seem to do at every church service, but I can feel the presence of the anointing of God. I have come to learn though, we filled with the Holy Ghost and stay in prayer, faith, and God's will are constantly radiating God's anointing. We get use to it, and we are more anointed than we think. Many times others have said that they saw a glow around me, other said they feel the power of God radiating off me, and I don't notice a thing."<br />
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<a href="http://www.christianityboard.com/topic/12032-filled-with-the-holy-spirit-my-testimony/#entry81629" target="_blank">-Testimony from Christian Board user Brother Mike</a></blockquote>
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"After 4 months of being 'soaked' in His Presence I awoke the one morning to find that I had no awareness of Him at all. All those feelings, all the awareness I had of His Presence were gone... I would sing a song, synchronise my breathing, pray a religious prayer, get on my knees (normally I just lie in bed praying - its more comfortable) and despite all my efforts the awareness of His Presence seemed to have disappeared with the going down of the sun.<br />
...I felt different. I felt normal, as if God had left me. I was depressed, upset... I wanted Him so badly. Again I tried some religious stunts like read my bible, wait quietly for Him... My heart was grieved... God did not want to talk to me.<br />
...I had had enough. I cried out to the Lord. 'Please do not tease me. You have blessed me with your presence all these days, show me my faults that I may walk in the awareness of your presence again. Speak to my heart to my mind and let me know.'<br />
From out of no-where my mind seemed to talk back to me. I could hear my own voice talking in my mind but knew that the origin of that voice was from God and His answer was... 'The anointing does not come from your works . If I choose to anoint you I will'<br />
In that moment I answered God - 'Lord have it your way... I am going to stop all my tactics to force your anointing on me, in future I will trust You, I will believe by faith just like everyone else, and if You should choose to anoint me with your Presence then so be it.' No sooner had I said that prayer when the awareness of His Presence returned as though someone turned the tap on and praise God He is never taken it away."<br />
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<a href="http://www.christianityboard.com/topic/12032-filled-with-the-holy-spirit-my-testimony/#entry81630" target="_blank">-Testimony from Christian Board user B-holy</a></blockquote>
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"Because of the way I grew up, I attended many different churches. Some of these churches I was afraid to enter and remain in for very long. Because there were times when I actually felt the temperature drop, even in the summertime, and I felt terrified.<br />
After I grew up and got married, I was visiting one of my neighbors one day. She proceeded to tell me that her husband, who had passed away, had been appearing to her. As she was telling me this, the temperature in the room dropped to the point that I had chills; it was summertime and her house had been quite warm before this. She asked me, "Do you feel that?" I said, "Yes, I do".<br />
Needless to say, these were not good feelings I was having at that point, I actually felt evil around us. I told her that we should pray and I started praying for help and protection from this evil that we were feeling. As I was praying, the coldness dissipated and I felt warmth instead; this warmth felt good, protective and reassuring.<br />
So in my experience, when one feels afraid, this is not the holy spirit, quite the opposite. It is not a good spirit that is present. But when there is warmth and good feelings, and feeling protected, this is holy spirit. I have felt holy spirit when I pray and I have felt it even stronger when I am in a group of people who are praying. This isn't the only time I have felt the holy spirit but just an example."<br />
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<a href="http://www.spiritual-experiences.com/real-spiritual-story.php?story=898" target="_blank">-"My Recent Holy Spirit Transformation, Baptism, Infilling" by Spiritual-Experiences.com user scarlett2</a></blockquote>
<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-80158854656628806032014-10-09T06:14:00.005-07:002020-04-09T10:29:54.873-07:00Spiritual Experience in Non-Mainstream Judaism<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shlomo_Carlebach_(musician)" target="_blank">Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach</a> describes his experiences with the Presence of God:<br />
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"You may wonder: What is this experience of the Presence of God truly like?<br />
When I asked this question to my young granddaughter, Emunah, she said simply: 'The presence of God? Yes, I remember… I was on a hike, walking in nature.' She stretched her arms out, her voice tone changed, there was softness in her eyes, as she continued. 'It felt like: I love the whole world so much, I want to hug all of it in my arms. Everything is good. Everything is so peaceful, so quiet. What could ever be wrong? I was crying and laughing at the same time.'<br />
...For some people the Divine Presence has been felt as a sense of warmth, exultation and euphoria...<br />
Experiencing the Divine Presence has been described as feeling marvelously alive with a finer energy coursing through, with every cell, every particle of our being vibrating with vital energy. It is like being immersed into a greater Power, connected in love and compassion to every soul in this world, blessing them with the boundless blessings flowing from Infinite Realms. Many realize that this Infinite Presence of eternal Love is ever waiting for each of us to merge with its flow of immense eternal compassion.<br />
For me this feeling is an overwhelming sense of wonder, gratefulness, awe, complete safety and inner peace. It is a state of profound stillness, feeling deeply cherished and loved, honored and protected. In those moments the true nature of my life situation becomes crystal clear. Compassionate guidance reveals to me a wider, more expansive, luminous, loving perspective that helps me live in greater joy. There is also an inner voice which clearly suggests the next practical steps to take in my everyday living. At other times I have become aware of a pristine, transcendent Light. It is very real, penetrating my innermost self, infusing, purifying and cleansing. It steadies me with a sense of strength and balance. A deep certitude fills me, a wondrous knowing that all creation is supported and held in the loving care of an Eternal Power, a Power filling the whole universe with goodness, with beauty, with harmony and with ever flowing life. This Power supports all existence in oceans of love and bliss.<br />
...There has been many unique opportunities in my life to be present when people were gathered together with their attention on profound, heartfelt prayers or meditative focus. In these moments, there is a palpable change in the atmosphere – the ineffable sense of a sacred Presence enfolding all those present. It is a sense of oneness, being embraced by this infinite Force, this intensely alive, transforming, empowering Presence that is regenerating and healing us.<br />
In those sacred moments our stress and fears simply melt away. There is a yearning to dedicate ourselves to God’s service, to honor the voice of our soul, to listen to our heartfelt promptings toward kindness and toward courageous, creative action. The soul beauty of others, their precious uniqueness, suddenly reveals itself to us with a sense of peace and compassion. We are awed, humbled and grateful, totally engaged, totally devoted to this infinite, loving Presence that created all."<br />
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<a href="https://jewishoutlook.com/experiencing-the-presence-of-god/" target="_blank"><i>-Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, "Experiencing the Presence of God", on JewishOutlook.com</i></a></blockquote>
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This non-mainstream Jewish Rabbi interprets "Shechinah" as a female aspect of deity. She describes her spiritual experiences with Shechinah.<br />
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"In workshops on Shechinah that I have conducted during the last few years, I find that men and women, Jews and non-Jews, carry concepts, feelings, and images of the Shechinah within them. Again, in most people experience precedes naming the energy or having a knowledge of her characteristics as presented or expressed in the Jewish sacred literature. Interestingly enough, when we share these experiences, we find that individuals 'know' or uncover most of the traditional characteristics of Shechinah on their own. The most common experiences are of light and radiance, which is consistent with the writings of many Jewish scholars who describe her as a great light which shines upon all God's creatures. Many writers consider her the light of creation itself or the place of the primordial light.<br />
Some people's experience of Shechinah involves hearing a voice or feeling a great warmth. For myself she is most present on Friday nights after I light the Shabbat candles; that is when I hear her speaking to me. At other times I feel she is present when I begin composing songs with words that address issues or people I care about. During these times, usually in the forest or at the ocean, a great sense of joy overcomes me, and all ordinary problems fade alongside the bliss I feel. On other occasions I have experienced myself falling into a great soft whiteness that is her embrace, as if all the down feathers in the world were in a single pile waiting for me to fall into them. My favorite image came when I saw her 'dressed' in stars and the planets. Her size was beyond imagination, and her celestial 'diadem' was made up of the heavens. I was overwhelmed."<br />
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<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=SV9bBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA211&lpg=PA211&dq=shechinah+experience&source=bl&ots=NQmefieDOo&sig=FjCZ2Tb8LoE315fsb0Zl3BxQzo0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=w4b_VO69Eou4oQTU-4HoDw&ved=0CEYQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=shechinah%20experience&f=false" target="_blank"><i>-Rabbi Léah Novick, "Encountering the Schechinah, the Jewish Goddess", from the book "The Goddess Re-Awakening: The Feminine Principle Today", edited by Shirley Nicholson, p. 211-212</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-73324138429955038222014-10-09T06:14:00.004-07:002015-07-15T13:27:28.218-07:00Hare Krishna Spiritual Experiences<div class="tr_bq">
These experiences come from the <a href="http://howicame.com/" target="_blank">How I Came to Krishna Consciousness website</a>. Thanks to a reader for the link!</div>
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"...the guitarist from my band invited me to the Hare Krsna feast... I instantly felt a strong sense of spiritual energy as the chanting hit my ears and we sat and chanted the mantra along with the devotees and other guests.<br />
For some reason the name Rama struck me as something odd but I appreciated the strong vibration of the Holy names.<br />
After we feasted I felt an incredible spiritual surge running straight to my soul, I was very convinced that what I had been looking for all my life has finally manifested in the most unexpected way.<br />
...During my first kirtan I felt an incredible surge again...<br />
...One day... I got an overwhelming spiritual surge again and right at the point I decided in my mind 'I don't need to do anything else in life except become a devotee of Krsna'. It was a very powerful realization and it affected me very strongly."<br />
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<a href="http://howicame.com/note/rasa-rasika-dasa/" target="_blank"><i>-from Rasa Rasika Dasa's conversion story</i></a></blockquote>
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"...every night I was reading a few pages of 'Bhagavad Gita As It Is' and I continued doing that until I finished the book. ...I found that my whole world view had been affected, unbeknownst to me. Everywhere I looked and everything I did, somehow those words that I had read in 'Bhagavad Gita As It Is' would resonate in my heart. And I found that I just could not see things the same way as I had previously seen them. And at one point I was thinking that I should just forget everything that I had read in that book completely, but it would not let me go. It was a power beyond my control. And it was unknown to me at that time, but it was Srila Prabhupada calling me, because, as I gradually came to realize, when one reads or hears something spoken by the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, if one is generally searching for the truth, then he will also get confirmation within the heart that the words that he is hearing are true. When somebody gets confirmation within the heart about something which is absolutely true, it is very difficult to give it up. If Srila Prabhupada himself had not been a surrendered servant of Lord Krishna, then his commentaries would not have that potency. But we understand that because he was fully surrendered to the same teachings which were spoken by Krishna Himself, His words had potency. And therefore those words would act in such a way that entered into the ear and went into the heart and then one would get confirmation within the heart from the Supreme Lord. When a pure devotee’s message enters the heart, then what does it do? It creates a revelation in the heart of that person"<br />
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<a href="http://howicame.com/note/niranjana-swami/" target="_blank"><i>-from Naranjana Swami's conversion story</i></a></blockquote>
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"My best experience during this Bhagavatam Saptha is that is the first time I participated in Harinaam Sankirtan. I was chanting loudly attentively and I was getting tears from my eyes and I did not understand why are they coming and thought for myself that probably Lord Krishna is washing away my previous sins I have commited and continued chanting. The same experience was repeated when I started chanting during Narasimha Chaturdashi when the ISKCON president His Grace Vedantha Caitanya Prabhu was leading Harinaam Sankirtan."<br />
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<a href="http://howicame.com/note/radha-shyamsundar-das/" target="_blank"><i>-from Radha Shyamsundar Das' conversion story</i></a></blockquote>
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"One day in the privacy of my room, I called out to God. 'My Lord, I'm in a world of distress! If You're really there, please give me shelter.'<br />
The next afternoon I wandered into a museum, intent on forgetting myself by browsing through antiquities... As I surveyed the paintings and artifacts, my eyes fell upon the most beautiful painting, marked 'Krishna and His Milkmaids.' The scene captivated my attention, and I moved closer to read the text that went with it: 'This scene depicts heaven, where God enjoys eternal life.'<br />
...I looked around for someone to explain the painting in more depth... I walked out the main entrance and came upon a most amazing sight. Seated on the lawn before me were orange-robed monks with large staffs in their hands. They were speaking intently to a crowd around them.<br />
I inched forward to hear better and was stunned when the tallest monk told the crowd about Krishna and the spiritual world.<br />
'That's it!' I yelled out.<br />
'That's what I'm looking for! ...I prayed last night. Then I saw the painting in the museum … and now I've found you!'<br />
...And so it began this new life, my life as a devotee of Krishna way back in 1971."<br />
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<a href="http://howicame.com/note/indradyumna-swami/" target="_blank"><i>-from Indradyumna Swami's conversion story</i></a></blockquote>
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"I was attracted, not simply by an unusual style of living, but by the real experience of coming closer to someone whom I knew intuitively to be the most significant person in my life, the eternal, all-attractive Lord. I saw that all materialistic paths would cheat me of this very deep happiness of intimate exchange with Him."<br />
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<a href="http://howicame.com/note/dvarakadhisa-devi-dasi/" target="_blank"><i>-from Dvarakadhis Devi Dasi's conversion story</i></a></blockquote>
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"I prayed to the Lord, 'I don’t know if you a person or if you are impersonal. I only know that chanting your holy name is the best means to attain you which is accepted by both personalists & impersonalists. O my Lord please show me the right path to your devotion.'<br />
The Lord answered my call. No, I did not have a mystical vision or something.<br />
...When I heard Bhagavad Gita 18.65 from him, a firm conviction arose in my heart that Bhakti is the ultimate path. This was a beacon of hope for me.<br />
...Now I had the full satisfaction of knowing : the path I wanted to follow & the right spiritual guide. I felt the Lord had answered my prayers."<br />
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<a href="http://howicame.com/note/ravikant-jagtap/" target="_blank"><i>-from Ravikant Jagtap's conversion story</i></a></blockquote>
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Testimonials from <a href="http://www.krishna.com/blog/2012/03/28/10-testimonials-krishnacom-visitors" target="_blank">krishna.com</a>:<br />
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“I first read the Bhagavad-gita six months ago, and it completely enlightened me and answered all of the questions that I have ever had throughout my life and my struggle with the Christian religion. I feel that everyone needs to experience Krishna consciousness and without it there is no possibility of true happiness... Krishna Consciousness is the most valuable thing in the world, and I would never trade it for anything. I am trying my best to enlighten anyone around me and it is spreading like fire.<br />
I am a Navy Seal deployed to [a current war zone]. I have two years left till I get out, and I can’t wait for the day, but it doesn’t matter because I just spend my time in Krishna consciousness, and everything is always perfect. Krishna has taken care of everything and I have no complaints. I just feel so fortunate to have been given this chance to hear about Krishna."<br />
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<a href="http://www.krishna.com/blog/2012/03/28/10-testimonials-krishnacom-visitors" target="_blank"><i>-from an anonymous krishna.com user</i></a></blockquote>
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"[Krishna.com’s 'Teachings'] were the first teachings I had in Krishna consciousness. It was like a light bulb being turned on in my soul. I’ve directed many a curious person to them. I was a born-again, but not practicing Christian when I discovered Krishna consciousness on your website in 2005...<br />
Prabhupada gave us the Absolute Truth, and you are continuing in his effort to bring this information to everyone. Thank you."<br />
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<a href="http://www.krishna.com/blog/2012/03/28/10-testimonials-krishnacom-visitors" target="_blank"><i>-from Svayam Rasesvari Devi Dasi, Utah</i></a></blockquote>
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Spiritual experiences while chanting the Krishna Mantra:<br />
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"The first time I heard a studio recording of the Hare Krishna mantra with careful attention, I found myself crying. I didn’t know why. There’s a possibility that I was crying over something that was perhaps locked somewhere in my subconscious. But I remember feeling very overwhelmed and completely absorbed in the song. I listened to it and sang it many times after.<br />
One of the most distinct memories I have of the power of the Hare Krishna mantra is this:<br />
I woke up one morning, after having a really weird/bad dream...<br />
I started to chant. Then I started to feel like Krishna was watching and he was enjoying it. I felt like he was playing his flute to my chanting. I started to dance. Like really dance... My body was airy and I don’t know the proper dance (it is a traditional Indian dance) but I was feeling it, you know? Like really feeling it.<br />
And it was the best feeling in the world.<br />
Other times, while chanting, I have felt Krishna’s presence. I have felt Krishna and Radha looking at me, watching over me while I sang their names. Many times, I have anticipated Krishna’s moods. I have sensed him laughing and giggling in amusement... Yeah, I do wonder if I concoct these things myself, sometimes. Like, I wonder if I’m just imagining it. Either way, Madhav is present so it’s more than enough.<br />
...He really is the Father of the universe. He is the perfect Friend. He is the most adorable Son. The best part is, he is anything you want him to be. And he is that because he is Love."<br />
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<a href="https://bloggingupthedrainpipe.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/my-experiences-with-the-hare-krishna-mantra/" target="_blank"><i>-from "My Experiences with the Hare Krishna Mantra", on Blogging Up The Drainpipe</i></a></blockquote>
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from the comments on the same blog post:<br />
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"I have been chanting Hare Krishna mantra for about a year and it has brought great changes and peace in my life. Initially when I started chanting I could feel the presence of something very positive and peaceful. It was like there was a void inside me which was getting filled up. It satisfied me greatly. Moreover my concentration increased, my grades shot up, I acquired more will power, confidence and many more things. After reading your post I feel so inspired and happy. Please do pray that I advance more in Krishna Consciousness. I will also pray for you that you continue to advance in your wonderful spiritual life and continue to motivate others."<br />
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<a href="https://bloggingupthedrainpipe.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/my-experiences-with-the-hare-krishna-mantra/" target="_blank"><i>-from commenter nikhil104ah4, Dec. 4, 2013</i></a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ND2QiXYBzA" target="_blank">A young woman recounts her experience learning about and reading the Bhagavad Gita.</a> This is transcribed from video. I highly recommend watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ND2QiXYBzA" target="_blank">the video itself</a>.<br />
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<blockquote>
"When I was 17 or 16, I was searching for the meaning of my life- searching for the truths, why, what, where. All these questions arose. One person, who was my chess teacher, he told that I have a secret book which can answer to all your questions. I said, Oh, my God, give me that book! I want that book! He said no. Why? Because you have to become purified. What should I do? He<br />
said, I have to follow... principles, and chant sixteen rounds of Hare Krishna mantra. I said, OK, I will do. Please give me everything, I will do. So, for six months I had to chant and follow [the] principles. The chanting was very tough, I couldn't understand what I'm doing, but I said, no, I have to do it because I want that secret book.<br />
One day, after six months, teacher brought one book... When I saw this book, I said, oh, my God, how I've waited for you! And I took this book and embraced my heart. I didn't know what was inside, but I knew that this book would solve all my problems. This book, which I have waited for so long time. I started to read and suddenly, Arjuna, warrior, war, elephants, horses, some kind of guns- what is going on? It is war! It is war-filled! It is not about religion. It is not about the meaning of my life. What is this? I think my aged teacher, maybe he made a mistake. I went to him. I said, what is this? I cannot understand. It's about war, and there's no anything... which is philosophical, which will answer my questions. He said, you just continue. Just continue. Then I was reading, reading, reading, but I couldn't put this knowledge into my heart. I couldn't digest this knowledge... because I was not understanding anything. I was reading, what is this. Just reading. I felt very dry. I couldn't understand, and it was very painful.<br />
I read nearly sixteen chapters, but still I couldn't understand. And I went to him. I'm sorry, I could not understand. What's going on? I want to understand, but I cannot understand. I am not satisfied. I am losing my time. I wasting my time. So my teacher told, please open the image of Srila Prabhupada and pray to him very nicely. We have to cry, and beg, and I told you that you have to become purified. So now you are following the ...principles and chanting the holy names, and now you have to pray for him so that only by his mercy can you understand.<br />
So I said, OK, then I went, and before reading seventeenth chapter, I opened Srila Prabhupada's photo, and I started to say, please, Srila Prabhupada, I don't know who you are, but my chess teacher told me to pray to you, because by your mercy I can understand this book. I am so, so much disturbed and my heart is paining. I am wasting my time, because I don't understand what I am reading. Please be merciful to me. And, I remember my teacher told me to cry. But I tried to cry, it was not happening. Tears were not coming. And I started my heart, still tears are not coming. And I started to pray, prayers went on, said, please, I don't have any shelter, please, help. Where I will go if this book won't answer my questions? Please, Prabhupada, please!<br />
And in that moment, these tears fell off and I felt that prayers, power, and Srila Prabhupada's mercy... Something happened that I prayed nicely and I was satisfied. These tears were coming and I started to read. My teacher said you have to read it prayerfully and you have to be very humble.<br />
And I was reading seventeenth chapter. Something happened. I was alone in the home. And I was sitting down on the floor and book was on the bed, I was... reading, and suddenly something happened that- light was there, was in my heart or outside of my heart, I don't understand. But that moment of light, that realization, that, time stopped. And whatever I read runs through, or before my<br />
eyes or before my heart, I was reading. I was looking up, and I said, Oh my God, it is my way. Oh, my God, I understood. And I said, Oh, my God, what knowledge! Everyone should know about it! No time! People are suffering because they don't have this knowledge of Bhagavad Gita. That very moment that realization came. All of whatever I read- what is karma, what is next life, why I took births and peace at death, and birth, old age- whatever I read in the Bhagavad Gita in that moment appeared before my mind, before my heart. So, that was the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. And I said, yes, now I will chant my sixteen rounds very properly. <br />
Now it is my way... I have to share it with my parents, I have to share it with my sisters, brothers, and everyone. So, this was the power of Srila Prabhupada's mercy.<br />
...There are so many people who are searching for the truth. So, they need Bhagavad Gita, and Bhagavad Gita will solve their problems."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ND2QiXYBzA" target="_blank">-Bhaktin Moral, "My personal Experience of Reading Bhagavad Gita". Transcribed from Youtube video.</a></i></blockquote>
Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-11172356852535711612014-10-09T06:14:00.003-07:002015-02-24T11:16:53.349-08:00Baha'i Spiritual ExperiencesThese spiritual experiences and conversions come from practicing members of the <a href="http://www.bahai.org/" target="_blank">Baha'i faith</a>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Instead of going straight to bed I sat at the kitchen table and, just out of curiosity, opened the little red book and began to read a few lines. Then another strange thing happened. It was as though someone hit me gently, but firmly, on the top of the head with a huge rubber mallet. I had the feeling of waking up, as if all my previous life I had been asleep. The printed words on the page of the book seemed like the surface of a vast and fathomless ocean of truth and wisdom. Whatever it was, I knew that it was completely true and infallible. Therefore the author must also be true and infallible. The small red book, which I still have, was The Hidden Words.<br />
...I began sharing my new Faith with friends... During the conversation one of my companions asked me what the name of the Founder of the Faith was. I told him, and as the word came out of my mouth I had the sensation of something descending and enveloping me. I felt like I was in a little spiritual bubble all of my own surrounded by joy and light."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://bahaihistoryuk.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/nigel-moody/" target="_blank">-from Nigel Moody's Conversion</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"How this religion-averse soul became an ardent believer was through a sort of spiritual awakening. In that year I had a baby, and in the many night-time feeds I had the opportunity to reflect on the miracle of life... I also felt a loving presence which is something I couldn't place and didn't understand at that point.<br />
Then I found a book in the library called 'Life After Life' by Dr Raymond Moody which was about near-death experiences. As I read this book I knew that the people telling their stories were telling the truth. They said that their experiences were more real to them than life in this world, and they spoke about a life review with a Being of Light. They knew at this review that the purpose of life was about love, and they could see where they had failed in their life. But the Being of Light was never displeased with them... I felt that this Being of Light might be the loving presence I had been feeling of late.<br />
...I became thirsty to know what [all religions] taught, and I started reading... But then I took down the book my Bahá’í friend in Holland had given me, 'Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era', and there was a chapter on life after death. I read it, and, astonishingly, I found that same loving spirit as the Being of Light in what was said there. A little explosion had taken place in my heart, and now I realize that I had recognized Bahá’u’lláh in that moment; although I couldn't have said that at the time."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://bahaihistoryuk.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/suzanne-brush-gerstner/" target="_blank">-from Suzanne Brush Gerstner's Conversion</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"As I read book after book I could find nothing to disenchant me. Almost everything unequivocally confirmed my sense that this was right and true.<br />
...I felt I was finding a system of belief and practice that exactly corresponded to what I had always believed, could never have articulated so well and had always wanted to find in something else apart from somewhere behind a fog in my own mind.<br />
So strong was the sense of home-coming that when I went on pilgrimage four years later, I ended up at the gates near the Shrine of the Báb, overcome by waves of relief and gratitude, such as a person who had been decades in exile might feel after a long and arduous journey as he looked down from a nearby hill top on the sunlit roofs of his birthplace.<br />
...I found myself uncontrollably sobbing... These were tears of profound relief – a return from exile, as I said.<br />
This was the beginning of a completely unexpected sequence of reactions to the whole experience of pilgrimage. I was completely unprepared for the power of this sense of return.<br />
...Then, somehow, I managed to force myself to enter. Completely contrary to my expectation at the time, I felt waves of immense power pass over me and the whole air vibrate with an irresistible intensity.<br />
...Each Shrine that I stepped into on that pilgrimage had its own particular impact. The Shrine of the Master glowed gently with a warm acceptance... However, the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahji, on the other hand, also totally defied my expectations. Here was where I had expected the raw power, but felt instead enveloped in a loving embrace of such unconditional completeness that I sobbed uncontrollably once more.<br />
...On 2 December, I declared as a Bahá’í and I’m still utterly convinced I did the right thing."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://bahaihistoryuk.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/pete-hulme/" target="_blank">-from Pete Hulme's Conversion</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I went on pilgrimage in 1982... When I went into the Shrine, there was a spiritual vibration, almost in greeting, that seemed almost physical. I communed with Baha'u'llah, and I forget how that went now, but at the end I was completely peaceful. I am usually not very peaceful anyway, as I have generalized anxiety. Later, I went to the house of Abbud, where Baha'u'llah lived for a few years in Akka.<br />
When I went into the room where He lived, I stopped in shock, it seemed as if He was there. I got down on my knees and prostrated myself and was completely filled with the glory of His presence. I wept and I trembled before Him. No one else in the room reacted like this. I went to other places where Baha'u'llah lived, but nothing remotely close to this happened at the other places.<br />
When I went to a house that Abdu'l-Baha lived in, we went to his bedroom, and I had the strong sense that Abdu'l-Baha was lying on the bed, even though I did not see him there. I was as if the bed remembered Him, and was projecting that memory onto me.A few years ago, and it was in a February but I don't know what year, I was looking at a quote from Baha'u'llah on-line. when all of the sudden I was in the presence of Baha'u'llah and God, and I couldn't tell the difference between Baha'u'llah and God, and I felt very happy, in ecstacy. I then knew what He meant when He said:<br />
'Pleasant is the realm of being, wert thou to attain thereto; glorious is the domain of eternity, shouldst thou pass beyond the world of mortality; sweet is the holy ecstasy if thou drinkest of the mystic chalice from the hands of the celestial Youth.'"<br /><br />
<a href="http://forums.delphiforums.com/planetbahai/messages/?msg=12166.1" target="_blank"><i>-from PlanetBaha'i user Duane (DPDawson)</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We had a few extra days for our Pilgrimage... We were all seated on the outer most path and facing towards Bahji, while one person read the Tablet of Visitation. I recall having had a vision of Baha'u'llah standing on the top corner of the upper balcony at Bahji looking out at me... It was a very strong feeling of his presence. I also remember feeling his presence very strongly at his room in Bahji.<br />
...There was a period in my early twenties when every evening during a whole summer, I used to walk down to a park and used to sit on a point where two rivers met. I used to pray there for quite a length of time. I remember how I would imagine my prayers floating down the river and eventually reaching Haifa... I felt very joyful that whole summer and would love to have the time to repeat the experience."<br /><br />
<a href="http://forums.delphiforums.com/planetbahai/messages/?msg=12166.3" target="_blank"><i>-from PlanetBaha'i user IndubitableD</i></a></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In Abdu’l-Baha’s Shrine other people were praying. After they left I got as physically close to where I considered His coffin to be. Suddenly it was as though any perception I had that the world outside the Shrine existed was gone, as I keenly sensed the consoling presence of Abdu’l-Baha. I cried until I had no more tears or awareness of pain. If one had a connection of the heart to Baha’u’llah’s son and Centre of His Covenant, I reasoned, what better proof than that could there be that I had an emotional connection to the Faith? I was so full of joy that my personal purpose for going on Pilgrimage had at last been achieved."<br /><br />
<i><a href="http://forums.delphiforums.com/planetbahai/messages/?msg=12166.14" target="_blank">-from PlanetBaha'i user lfragland</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I had a profound mystic experience during Ramadan in 2003, on the night that most people thought was Laylatul Qadr... commemorating the day that the first revelations of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. I was so overwhelmed by the communal prayer that I broke down in tears and felt as if electricity was shooting from the middle of my spine and out through the top of my head. After we took a break, a young teenager approached me and said that he didn't knew I could speak Arabic. I said that I couldn't, and he said that he thought I could because I 'acted like you understood the words'. I said, 'Maybe I did in a spiritual sense.'"<br /><br />
<i><a href="http://forums.delphiforums.com/planetbahai/messages/?msg=12166.15" target="_blank">-from PlanetBaha'i user SufiLove</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"...it was while reading 'Thief in the Night' by Bill Sears one evening, that my heart really felt very moved to know the truth of this remarkable Message, and indeed, if God even existed! ...I put the book down and went to the window of my student room (I was at university by this time), and looked up at the dark night sky and implored whatever was out there to let me know if this was really the truth. 'GOD!' I urged, 'If you are really there, can you please let me know?'<br />
About three nights later, I had an incredible dream. In the dream, the first one that I remember having in colour, I was in a pub with three friends. I decided to leave the pub and went out into the evening and looked up at the myriad stars in the night sky. Then I saw a shooting star! I ran back inside and called to my friends to come out and see the shooting star. Only one came out with me. I saw there were more shooting stars! They came closer and closer in, spinning around the earth and as they came closer, I saw that they were in fact planets, of different colours – red, blue, orange, yellow, etc. They came in still closer until the earth and all these planets were united into one and my friend and I were lifted up into the sky and, looking downwards at the earth with its beautiful blue seas and green land, I shouted to my friend, 'Now I know the answer to the universe!'"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bahaihistoryuk.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/greg-akehurst-moore/" target="_blank"><i>-from Greg Akehurst-Moore's Conversion</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Back in Swansea I joined others in a shared house with a Hindu-based Ashram lifestyle. It was a good way to find inner peace and soon I was blessed by going deep into ‘The Light’. This had a profound effect on my consciousness; so much so that after a short time I had an awakening into the awareness of the oneness of all things. In other words I began to grasp the concept of God in my own mind and felt reborn in a deep spiritual way."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://bahaihistoryuk.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/geoff-akhurst/" target="_blank">-from Geoff Akhurst's Conversion</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Why did I become a Bahá’í? I can’t really put it into words. It was/is something deep inside me. It has added so much to my spiritual life. Through Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings all the religions of the world have opened their scriptures, sharing their wisdom and riches. All prejudices are ignored as meaningless, thereby enriching life and making it happier and simpler. Far from losing the Christianity that I was born into, Bahá’u’lláh has fulfilled the prophecies in the Bible and made Christianity more real. No priest comes between me and my understanding of the holy writings – I am exhorted to study and meditate. The spiritual doors and windows have been opened and we can see and step out into the sunlight."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://bahaihistoryuk.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/ann-dymond/" target="_blank">-from Ann Dymond's Conversion</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It is my firm belief that God sent Prophetic Teachers, or Divine Educators to many peoples of the world, far and wide, and that the evidence of this is the high degree of spiritual and moral education found amongst so many noble people.<br />
I have sat in the Sacred Sweat Lodges where the prayers were all in Lakota and God was present as much in any church. When properly conducted, these ancient ceremonies cleansed us of the defilements of the world and of ourselves, leaving behind that which was unholy in such a manner that when one exited the Sweat Ceremony it is as if one was indeed 'born again'"<br />
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<i><a href="http://forums.catholic.com/showpost.php?s=c503db9914f725b4aeff7e0ccf95a205&p=10828285&postcount=7" target="_blank">-from Catholic answers forum user daler, post 7</a></i></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"My life became totally transformed. I learnt voraciously about the Faith, attending every Bahá’í meeting I could get to. I had more real friends than I had ever had since my earliest childhood. I was happy and it showed! I loved my job and I had friends who loved me. I felt totally fulfilled! When tests came my way and I felt tempted to leave the Faith, I thought of the life that I had left behind when I 'declared' [converted] and the future I faced if I cut myself off from Bahá’u’lláh and knew that there was no contest! I knew that every problem could be solved and every disappointment faced with the help of prayer and meditation. I knew that I could always depend on Bahá’u’lláh in times of trouble.<br />
...Over the years the Bahá’í writings (and the teachings they contain) have been my constant companion and taking part in deepening activities have been a major part of my life. I’ve attended Bahá’í summer schools ...and the Bahá’í Academy for the Arts at Sidcot. The spiritual atmosphere at one of these summer schools (Kelston Park, I think) was so palpable that my return to work in the non-Bahá’í world with all its negative vibes was a very unpleasant experience."<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://bahaihistoryuk.wordpress.com/2014/09/19/jeremy-lockyer/" target="_blank">-from Jeremy Lockyer's Conversion</a></i><br />
<div>
</div>
</blockquote>Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-42879182365060956132014-10-09T06:14:00.002-07:002017-08-28T14:38:13.265-07:00Noahide Spiritual Experiences<div class="tr_bq">
This is a <a href="http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2010/11/show-me-the-tru.html" target="_blank">testimony of the Noahide book, "The Garden of Emuna"</a>. This man prayed to know whether doctrinal a book written by his Pastor or the book "The Garden of Emuna" held the Truth.</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Until six months ago, I was a member of a Protestant church here in Tennessee. Our pastor, a highly respected individual with a PhD in Divinity, wrote a hand book describing the main doctrines of the church... I had a business appointment with a colleague in Alabama. I... saw this eye-catching book on his desk. The name of the book was 'Garden of Emuna'. By the way, my colleague is not Jewish; he's a Noahide. I had never heard the term Noahide before, and he explained to me that these are non-Jews that simply believe in the Jewish concept of the One God, with no additions or subtractions.<br />
...I ordered a copy of the book for myself, which by miracle arrived within 96 hours to my home. I read it three times. The truth simply felt like a glove that fit. But, years of conditioning left me with doubts. I took the book's advice and went down to the river for secluded personal prayer. I held the pastor's manual in one hand, and the Garden of Emuna in the other hand. I cried, 'Dear Lord, please show me the truth!' I thought that an hour went by, but by the time I finished praying, three hours went by. I never felt so exhilarated in my life. Such simplicity - The Lord, Emuna, and me. All the pieces of the vast puzzle just came into place in my mind. I didn't have any lightning-struck revelation, but I walked away knowing the truth. I threw the pastor's hand book in the river. Then, I immersed myself in the river and declared myself in my heart a pure believer of God, nothing more and nothing less."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141022155955/http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2010/11/show-me-the-tru.html" target="_blank"><i>-a letter from JT, "Show me the truth!"</i></a></blockquote>
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<br />
<a href="http://asknoah.org/noahide-essays-art-education-science/a-gentiles-experience-of-authentic-torah-learning" target="_blank">A non-Jew studies Torah and attends Synagogue.</a> These experiences lead him to become Noahide.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"Having attended the weekly shi’ur for about 18 months, I reached a point where I wanted to attend a service, to acknowledge and give thanks to HaShem, G-d, for all that He is and does. For anyone who loves G-d, the service in itself is awe-inspiring... You can feel the energy shift as He responds to the call.<br />
...When I first started attending, the next few days would be framed in peace and a sense of connection with something greater than self – a very loud quietness. It was a noticeable energetic shift that I had not experienced before... Although one may enter into Torah spirituality for more self-focused reasons, the more s/he moves into its practices and teachings, the more this presence can be felt.<br />
What blows my socks off every day is the fact that, through my involvement with Torah, my energetic and spiritual connection grows stronger and more aligned to HaShem, G-d. There is increasingly an energy, a presence, that is just with me as I travel along the way – when I need help, it is there."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://asknoah.org/noahide-essays-art-education-science/a-gentiles-experience-of-authentic-torah-learning" target="_blank"><i>-from "A Gentile’s Experience of Authentic Torah Learning"</i></a></blockquote>
Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-34204695586691549182014-10-09T06:14:00.001-07:002014-10-24T15:28:54.595-07:00Testimonies from True Jesus Church<div class="MsoNormal">
These testimonies come from the <a href="http://www.tjc.org/" target="_blank">True Jesus Church website</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I asked the Lord Jesus Christ for a sign to show that
the True Jesus Church has the whole truth...<br />
One day, I was sitting under a tree, thinking deeply. I was
trying to recall some Bible verses on baptism and praying about a doubt that I
had. Suddenly, a miracle happened to me. It was like a light that I could not
exactly figure out. It shone on me and took away the doubt in my mind. It
seemed that the darkness in my mind was lifted. The doctrine on
infant baptism, which I could not at first accept, suddenly
became very clear me. I could then accept it with my mind and heart. Since that
incident, each time I read the Bible, that former opinion to oppose and the
refusal to believe and accept were gone. Today I believe that infants must be
baptized in order to be saved.<br />
...Now I know and am confident that this is the end of my search for the whole truth. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for answering my prayer and giving me a sign. I have found the whole truth of my salvation. Glory be given to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!!"<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://members.tjc.org/sites/en/my/cr/pj/USGA%20Newsletter/Testimonies/Testimonies.pdf" target="_blank">-from "How I was Converted to the True Jesus Church", by Ernesto Torres</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I testify.<br />
...I had been seeking the truth and looking for God all my life, but I still felt so lonely in my heart. I said to myself, life must be better than this.<br />
...I was still constantly searching for the truth all this time, but without any success.<br />
...After I left this second church I said to myself, forget it, God doesn’t exist. I just focused on working... One of the women who worked there belongs to the True Jesus Church. One day she saw my Bible on my desk and asked me to attend a Bible study. I thought, why not, I have nothing to lose, and went to the Bible study. At the end, when they knelt down and prayed in tongues, I was really scared.<br />
One of the sisters must have been praying for me, because the next week I couldn’t wait to go to Bible study. At that meeting, I felt God move me. I started going to Bible study, and then I started to attend church services regularly. I felt that God was there, even though we gathered in only a prayer house. I started to pray sincerely every night because I felt the movement of God. Every biblical teaching that I learned and followed came true.<br />
One night when I was sleeping, God’s power came over me and said, 'Vuthy, get up and pray.' So I said, 'okay,' and I started to pray.<br />
I said, 'Hallelujah,' and this power came into me, and I started to speak in tongues. I started to weep from joy because I felt so much love and mercy from God. This was the first time I felt joy in my heart, and I knew it was from God. During that prayer God made me realize what kind of a person I was, and all the sinful things I had done in my high school and college years.<br />
While I was praying, God moved me to say, 'Turn to 1 Peter.' I didn’t even know where 1 Peter was in the Bible. So I got up, switched on the lights, and turned to 1 Peter, chapter 1. As I was reading, the words of God came alive, almost like they were three-dimensional. Every word came to me like it was living, and it really touched me.<br />
<br />
<i>[He also tells of his father's conversion]</i><br />
<br />
...After I was baptized in the True Jesus Church, I started to tell my father about God.<br />
...In June 1999, I went fishing with my father. By then, I’d been regularly attending services in the True Jesus Church. I really believed that God exists and I felt His love. So I said to myself, this is a great opportunity for me to talk to my father about God. I told him, 'I’ve never asked you to do anything in my entire life. But I’ve found God, and I want you to come to church only five times. If after five times you don’t feel anything, you don’t ever have to come back.' He agreed, 'Okay son, I’ll do it for you.'<br />
...Thank God, my father came to church that Saturday.<br />
...The next Sabbath, my father came to church and knelt down to pray again. I had never described to him what the Holy Spirit felt like. After the prayer, he said that he felt this tingling all through his body, and it felt really good. I really thanked God.<br />
During that same week, my father’s left leg began to hurt so badly that he couldn’t even walk. He didn’t understand why this was happening to him. On the way to church he said to me, 'If your God is the true God, let Him heal my leg.'<br />
...His leg hurt for a week, and then one night he woke up crying from the pain. The minute he got up, he felt this power from his foot all the way to his knee, and he was able to walk. He called and told me about it, and I was so joyful. The brothers and sisters at church had prayed really hard for him.<br />
On our way to the next Sabbath service, he told me, 'Son, I will follow your faith; I have already told your mother that I will follow your faith and follow your God.' I really thank God.<br />
...Now my father, mother, and brother are attending Sabbath services regularly. God’s love and mercy is beyond my imagination. When we pray with sincerity and faith, everything is possible through God. May all the glory and praise be unto our Lord Jesus."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.tjc.org/catLanding.aspx?tab=stories&catno=stories00" target="_blank">-from tjc.org, "God Touched Me", by Vuthy Nol-Mantia</a></i></blockquote>
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"Hallelujah, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I testify about an experience I had during prayer on December 26, 1999, in Toronto Church, Canada.<br />
...A few minutes after the prayer began, a bright light suddenly shone into my eyes and began enveloping me until it completely surrounded me. I saw a person dressed in a white garment coming toward me. Following him were five to six people who were also all dressed in white. I then realized that the first person was Jesus and the people following Him were angels!<br />
Jesus walked toward me and placed His loving arms around me. At that moment I felt incredibly joyful, peaceful, and comforted. I felt totally safe and protected. Jesus hugged me for what felt like a long time. Then He said, 'I am your Father, I am your God.' Jesus was telling me not to worry. My father in Taiwan would be all right, and Jesus would look after him and me.<br />
Out of curiosity, I looked up because I wanted to see what Jesus looked like. But I could not see His face, because it was shining so brightly--even brighter than the sun. The faces of the angels were also shining brightly like Jesus'. The angels formed a circle around Jesus and me, holding hands. They sang hymns in a spiritual language, praising the Lord. Even though I did not understand what they were singing, it sounded heavenly, harmonious, and melodious. I had never heard such beautiful singing in all my life!<br />
I then looked down where I was kneeling. The ground had turned pure white, and the whiteness started to spread gradually from the spot where Jesus and I were, radiating out in all directions until it covered the entire area. The church seemed to disappear, and I felt that I was no longer in the world--I realized that I was in heaven! This was the first time I saw a glimpse of the heavenly kingdom with my own eyes. Words cannot describe the beautiful view that surrounded me. Everything was pure white, but it did not seem strange.<br />
Then I heard the prayer bell ring. Jesus stood up and walked away with the angels following Him. They all disappeared into a white light in the distance.<br />
As the vision ended, I started to sense the presence of the other brothers and sisters who were praying beside me. I opened my eyes, and I realized that I was in church. I felt incredibly joyful that I had been hugged by my Heavenly Father and that I saw Him with my own eyes!<br />
This was a wonderful experience that I will never forget. I now know that the Lord my God is also my dearest, most precious, loving Heavenly Father. He will take care of me, love me, and always be at my side. I feel very blessed to be His child. May all glory and praise be given to our Lord Jesus forever. Hallelujah! Amen."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.tjc.org/catLanding.aspx?tab=stories&catno=stories04" target="_blank">-from tjc.org, "My Father in Heaven", by Johnny Cheng</a></i></blockquote>
Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504006918495464436.post-65784192202691247992014-10-09T06:14:00.000-07:002017-10-02T15:54:37.378-07:00Non-Mainstream Mormon Spiritual ExperiencesThese testimonies come from around the web, and represent various non-mainstream Mormon groups.<br />
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This is a testimony from a Fundamentalist Mormon.<br />
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"The Scriptures are wonderful things. Even when you don't really feel like reading or studying them, a great thing happens when you do. Your spirit calms, your heart expands, and you can really begin to understand the things that God is teaching you through them. When you're done, it's like you've quenched a thirst you never knew you had. It tastes like something you've been needing.<br />
And for me, all truth has done this. When I prayed about and discovered where the Priesthood was, I felt this. When I've searched for the answer to my prayers, and tried the path that I knew was right, it tasted like something I had been needing.<br />
And I find in this the solution to my worry over what is right and wrong to do in my current situation. I am sure, that when it comes time for me to get married I will feel this, too, and I already do to a point.<br />
And speaking of points this is it for today. The truth, the Truth, tastes like something you've been needing, and you can trust that."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.truemormonism.blogspot.com/2006/11/truth-of-matter.html" target="_blank">-from "The Truth of the Matter", by blogger JLL</a></i></blockquote>
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This person converted to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_and_Living_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Saints_of_the_Last_Days" target="_blank">True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints</a>. This testimony is transcribed from the radio show, <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/21/factions" target="_blank">"This American Life"</a>, starting at about 5:00.<br />
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"You know, I've been searching for, for a witness of this work and of this church, and just tonight I got my witness. And, it's burning within my soul of how important this work is and how true it is. I know it is. And it's hard to believe that just a year ago I was in high school, I was in plays, I was a typical teenager, and now I'm in a plural marriage, and struggling. I'm not going to lie to you. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt that this is the Lord's work. That I've finally found it. And I love you guys and I'm thankful for your prayers and for all that you have to offer me. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ Amen."<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/21/factions" target="_blank">-testimony from TLC member</a></i></blockquote>
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This person converted to the <a href="http://www.cofchrist.org/" target="_blank">Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)</a>. This comment is from the <a href="http://mormonmatters.org/2010/08/02/why-mormon-history-is-not-what-they-say/" target="_blank">Mormon Matters blog</a>. She gives <a href="http://wackychipmunk.blogspot.com/2013/04/httpwww.html" target="_blank">further details about her spiritual experience on her own blog</a>.<br />
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"I had personal revelation that Joseph smith had one wife, and that polygamy was not a requirement of God, that d&c 132 was a fabrication. I was dumbfounded... but I had reason to pray about Joseph after reading his many anti-polygamy speeches. Having a testimony of Joseph and the bom [Book of Mormon], I believed Joseph was no liar and therefore I needed to pray. When I received the answer I was astounded, but was also impressed that all evidence would reveal itself and Joseph and Emma would be found innocent, and I was also impressed that any anyone saying Joseph was a polygamist no matter how sincere they came across, were liars and be revealed as such. ...He is very precious to me, and I want his named cleared and revered, its been trashed for too long and innocent saints suffer too because they leave church believing the lies, when reality is Joseph was not involved with polygamy, racism or slavery, he was a good man, and his family have been trashed by lies ...it all needs putting right."<br />
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<i style="font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><a href="http://mormonmatters.org/2010/08/02/why-mormon-history-is-not-what-they-say/" target="_blank">-from a comment on the blog, "Mormon Matters"</a></i></blockquote>
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These comments are from a man who follows the teachings of <a href="http://denversnuffer.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Denver Snuffer</a>.
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“Today I was baptized again.<br />
…I studied the writings of a man who claimed to have seen the Savior. I confirmed his claim in solemn prayer.<br />
This man claimed to have been given a message from the Lord to be delivered in a series of ten lectures. I read, listened to, attended some and studied all of the lectures. I was and am convinced the message he delivered is authorized of the Lord. I confirmed this using the principles I learned growing up in Primary, Sunday school and seminary – I studied them out, then asked the Lord.<br />
I have been told by some, including Carol, that the message of this man is offensive. I did not find it so. It felt right as I studied it. It felt good. I guess you can say it 'tasted' good. It fed my soul. The message led me to the scriptures. It caused me to ponder them again and again. I acted upon the message. I exercised faith in prayer culminating in the action I have taken this day.”<br />
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<i><a href="http://latterdaycommentary.com/2014/09/21/a-day-of-rejoicing-a-new-beginning/" target="_blank">-from "A Day of rejoicing - A New Beginning", by Tim Malone</a></i></blockquote>
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“The more I share, as directed by the Lord, the more I feel His pleasure at what I am doing. The more I bear witness of the revelatory process, the more I sense the joy He has promised. As I am blessed, I desire to share that with others. As I do so, He pours out more blessings and fills my heart with joy. I know He is pleased. Revelation is real. The Lord is willing to speak with us.”<br />
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<i><a href="http://latterdaycommentary.com/2014/08/06/parting-the-veil/" target="_blank">-from "Parting the Veil", by Tim Malone</a></i></blockquote>
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A testimony regarding <a href="http://thesealedportion.com/tsp/index.htm" target="_blank">The Sealed Portion of the Book of Mormon</a>.<br />
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"I've had three encounters with the spirit of truth.<br />
The first one I had was like 2yrs ago when I prayed and asked God to show me why the conditions of us blacks were so bad and what I found out was a miracle, Now you don't have to believe me just read Deut 28:68 after I read this the spirit burned like fire within me.<br />
Now the second encounter was more stronger than the first after I read the Bible I was working at a hotel in Mankato MN and I ran across a copy of The Book of Mormon and what I found out is the reason why I call myself the unlearned man.<br />
...This third encounter is unbelievable. I was searching the net for more things about the Mormon church and as I was typing in something to search for the spirit told me to type in (sealed books of Moroni) and when I did it happened again.<br />
As I read these word it felt like fire this portion is holy and it deals with our current situation in the Mormon church I copied all the pages for myself only me and one other has read them and I know their true because it told me how strong my faith was and it also deals with the elect of god hidden among you gentiles."<br />
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<a href="http://hopeofzion.com/reply/2525/Key-to-discernment#reply-2525" target="_blank"><i>-from Hope of Zion forum user unlearned man, post 18</i></a><br />
<i>[I edited the text slightly for readability]</i></blockquote>
Faith Observerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10501923799736843769noreply@blogger.com0