What Makes Me Believe-My Journey

• A meaningful relationship with God

• Answered prayer

• Help through grief & loss

• An understanding of the meaning of life

• Assurance of heaven

• Forgiveness for wrongs I have done

• Help with guilt & shame

• Truth about who Jesus is and the salvation (rescue) he brings

I didn’t grow up in a church-going family and this is a surprise to some people who think that a practising Christian must have been heavily influenced as a child by their parents. The reality was the opposite, my family and those at school actually put me off any idea of being ‘religious’! Let me tell you a little of my story and how I came to believe and why I now find my faith gives meaning a purpose to life. A way to find inner peace and keep hope alive in a world with so much bad news.

Let me start from when I was at school. The most significant moment of my childhood was when I was 8 years of age and my father died. This was very sudden and unexpected. My mother was devastated and my brother and I were left to work through the grief as best we could. I do not remember blaming God as I know others do when they lose a close loved one, but God if he existed was not there to help me. The deep sadness I had inside for the loss of Dad was something I carried alone.

In my teenage years I was sent to a church school. Looking back it is surprising that none of my teachers or anyone else told me anything about their personal faith. I came to the conclusion that Christianity, church and anything to do with God was irrelevant to my life and boring. This mindset was challenged when a Christian music group visited my school from the U.S. They were amazing musicians and far from boring they were young and exciting. They said something I had not heard before. That Jesus their friend who never let me down. They believed in the power of prayer, and I remember how one of them lost a precious ring and, after praying, found it. I was also impressed by the joy and peace they had and what they said about the personal relationship they had with God because of Jesus. I’d not heard that before. My interest in God was kindled, but when they left, I forgot about them (and God).

I didn’t think about God again until I was in my early twenties and a business student at university. Some Christian students helped me find answers from The Bible to the questions I had about who God was and why there was so much suffering in the world. One day I remember saying to Linda (one of my Christian friends, who a few years later became my wife!) I felt I was OK because I believed in God and her answer shook me. She said anyone can believe in God and for that to make no difference to their lives, for example even the Devil believes in God. What Jesus is looking for is for each of us to make a promise that we will change our lives so that we aim to live our lives in a way that pleases God, Jesus says when we do this our lives will become full and fruitful in ways we could not have imagined. When I got home that night, I knelt by my bed and prayed a simple prayer and asked God to forgive me the wrongs I had done to others and for ignoring him for most of my life. I thanked him for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins so I could ask for forgiveness because of Jesus. I asked God to fill me with his Holy Spirit, to come into my life and guide me (as promised in the Bible). I can honestly say from that point something radically changed inside me. I became convinced that Jesus and His love for me was real. Jesus’ death on the cross was truly significant. This change of heart I can only describe as supernatural, an answer to prayer.

Looking back I see that prayer as the start of a journey with God. When we trust God with our lives it doesn’t mean we become perfect overnight. We are still the same flawed human being we ever were. The difference is that we have Jesus in our lives to help us and can see another way to live. God’s Spirit in a person nudges conscience and speaks to us as we study the Bible. But soon after my prayer of commitment to Jesus I did notice my attitude to life changing for the better. I found myself so much more positive about myself and other people.

Becoming a Christian has been a life-changing experience affecting all aspects of my life. Believing in God has given me purpose, a new direction for life, and meaning. I have seen God answer prayers many times. One example I remember was when I was unexpectedly given notice at work. A worrying time as I had a wife and two little children. But I prayed and before the end of the day I had a phone call with a job offer!

Looking back on my life I say with confidence, God is in control of whatever circumstances we go through. The Bible says God will never leave us or forsake us. However bad the world news and what is going on for us personally, we need not despair if we know God is there and with us through whatever we face. I would encourage anyone reading this to reach out to God and ask Him for help and to give you peace. You will never regret it.

Please check out the articles about life and hope on this website, the course we run and links to videos on our YouTube channel