HENT

I was raised in a Christian home, and I remember believing in Jesus and all that I heard taught about Christianity from the first time hearing it at a young age. But looking back I now see how I struggled with believing that God loved me personally, and that Jesus died and rose again for me personally.

I could believe it for others and I believed that it was true but internally I struggled to believe that part could apply to me. Looking back I can see that it was due to external circumstances hard for a child to understand that might influence someone weak in the faith to come to that conclusion. 

So that was basically the spiritual world view that I would have up into my 30s.

That, not so great foundation, would cause for some many struggles growing up through my teens and most of my 20s but there were also a few really good spiritual seasons during that time also. I even would get baptized during one of those good seasons of life.

But those good seasons wouldn't last because when circumstances would change or bad circumstances would come my way my shaky foundation would give way and I would again struggle with standing firm in knowing that God loved me.

God would eventually lead me to a church where he used it to teach me the importance of having a good relationship with Him through time in the Word. It was then that the seed of faith that was planted in me at an early age, finally started to really take root and I began to see real spiritual fruit that I had always longed for.

I could finally start to see according to scripture that God really did love me, He did not hate me, and that Jesus really did die for me not just others. I saw also that God really did love everyone, the whole world, and that Jesus really did die for everyone, he was the propitiation for the entire world.

Growing in that understanding of God's love, and growing in my relationship with scripture, overtime would become the fundamental shift I had always needed as being a kid growing up in the faith.

So now my passion is to stand firm, according to scripture on the foundation that God loves me, and everyone and that Jesus died and rose again for me, and everyone. Also to let that truth guide my life daily, and not circumstances. And also to encourage my family and others unto that salvation also.