A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
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to this ministry"But with You there is forgiveness" (Psalm 130:4). "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
This Saturday I will be conducting a wedding service in New England. I find great blessing in the long-term results of ministry and look forward to seeing many of our friends we met while we served in that region of the country from mid 1993 through 2000.
Yvette came
into the church we pastored when she was in her mid-thirties. She has a
powerful testimony of God’s forgiveness and
restoration and is pleased to share her testimony
with the hope that Daily Encouragement readers will rejoice with her in
the transforming power of Jesus Christ. Her testimony is rather graphic
but certainly not unlike that of many who have been trapped in sin.She was raised in an ungodly home where she experienced physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from her mother’s boyfriend as well as his step-dad. Due to this ongoing abuse Yvette ran away from home when she was fourteen and lived on the streets.
She describes her life for the next 20 years as a series of addictions to alcohol, drugs, tobacco and sexual immorality. She had an abortion, as well as two children by two different men in abusive marriages. Many would call her life a "hopeless cause." But with God there are no hopeless causes!
A friend invited Yvette to her church and for the first time in her life she heard the message of Christ’s love and forgiveness. She accepted Christ and thus began the major overhaul that is the process of spiritual transformation. After a couple years of staggered spiritual growth she came into our church with a tremendous amount of baggage that often contributed to her wavering Christian experience.
Over the next several years Brooksyne and I, along with the congregation, spent a great deal of time praying with her and sharing specific Scriptures pertinent to the current trial she was facing. She spent a lot of time in our home – we wanted her to witness a Christian family setting.
Yvette continued to experience great loss in her life and was homeless for a period as well. She did tremendous battle with the enemy who still greatly desired to have her. But her heart was tender and Jesus desired to have her far more than Satan because He wanted to take the ashes of her life and turn them into something beautiful, and He has done just that.
Due, in part, to her lifestyle prior to becoming a Christian, both of her children followed in her path and entered a sinful lifestyle that was similar to hers. I recall as her pastor, along with our church, frequently praying for her children but seemingly to no avail. Since there were no visible signs of change I must admit my faith was often weak, but we continued to pray.
Yvette
has stayed faithful to the Lord, and in the years since we
moved to Pennsylvania from New England, both of her children,
Nicole and
Joey, have also accepted the Lord and are in active Christian service as they both attend Bible College.
To the left is a photo of her son Joey and daughter Nicole.In Christ there is complete and continual forgiveness! There’s no hopeless cause. He is able to save to the uttermost. A statement from a book I read many years ago by Max Lucado comes to mind. He uses it to conclude a powerful redemptive story of a wayward child. It’s God’s call to all: "Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn’t matter. Please come home."
Yvette met Wayne as she worked at a Christian rehabilitation center
called Teen Challenge. Wayne received Christ and renounced his old way
of life while he was a student of Teen Challenge. Following his
graduation he became a staff member. This
Saturday I have the privilege of conducting their
wedding ceremony. They both intend to serve the Lord together and help
others
to find the restoration and new life that Jesus Christ offers to all
those who turn to Him.A fervent prayer rose up to heaven,
A fragile soul was losing ground,
Sorting through the earthly babble,
Heaven heard the sound.
This was a life of no distinction,
No successes only trials.
Yet gazing down on this unlovely one,
There was love in heaven's eyes.
In heaven's eyes there are no losers,
In heaven's eyes no hopeless cause.
Only people like you
With feelings like me,
Amazed by the grace
We can find in heaven's eyes.
The orphan child, the wayward father,
The homeless traveler in the rain.
When life goes by and no one bothers,
Heaven feels the pain.
Looking down God sees each heartache,
Knows each sorrow, hears each cry.
And looking up we'll see compassion's fire,
Ablaze in heaven's eyes.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen C. Weber
Brooksyne's Prayer: Jesus, Yvette's story inspires me and spurs me on to pray for my loved one who just doesn't get it. Though I've prayed year after year and have felt great frustration at his willful defiance to spiritual truths I want to pray for him again. He is not a hopeless cause, but rather a fragile lost soul who has yet to recognize or acknowledge his need for redemption from a life of sin. Thank You, Jesus, that You save the vilest offender who surrenders his will to You. All who come to Christ are miracles of Your grace and I commit my loved one to You once again believing You for his miracle of redemption.
Note from Brooksyne: For 24 years I prayed for my parents to come back to Christ after they turned away from Him when I was in high school. Finally, only a few years before they died, they restored their broken relationship with God and had a fervent walk with Him. God does answer prayer - keep on praying!
A personal word from Yvette: I want to encourage those who are struggling to keep on pressing forward, do not give up, and don’t lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5&6). God is faithful to those who earnestly seek Him and put Him first (Hebrews 11:6 and Matthew 6:33). When you’re praying for your loved ones don’t give up when you don’t see instant results or outward change. God works where only He can see the thoughts and intents of the heart (Galatians 6:9).
Yvette singing "Breathe"
For information on becoming a Christian
Teen Challenge is a powerful ministry with a long history of presenting the delivering power of Jesus Christ.
Max Lucado, “No Wonder They Call Him Savior” (Portland, Oregon; Multnomah Press, 1986) p. 73
"In Heaven's Eyes" McHugh, Phill © 1985 River Oaks Music Company (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing) CCLI License No. 2005306
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.
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