I lived a very good life. God was so lavish with the life He gave me. I was born to good parents, grew up in a sweet small town, had great friends, went to a fantastic college, married a good man, and have a beautiful daughter. God protected me in many ways along the way by helping me choose not to get involved with things that would be damaging to my heart and by gently nudging me along a path He chose for me. When I was 18 and living with a heart that should have been completely closed off to His voice, I distinctly heard Him call me and tell me that I would serve Him and I would serve His church. But in the goodness of the life that God gave me, I still lived a self hyphenated life that was bitter, shallow, and judgemental. I needed a miracle and four years ago today, I became a miracle.
It's really amazing and beautiful how God pursues us. Even when we don't believe in God, He still believes in us. I deserved none of what God gave me and I still don't deserve it today. It's only by His amazing grace that I get to live this life. You see, I worked really hard the first 29 years of my life doing church and striving to do what I thought God wanted me to do. I was worn out and I had no peace. I was becoming more bitter and callous along the way. Then one amazing day God spoke to me so strong that I had to brace myself against a wall. He told me that I would not go to heaven when I die.
I was not living with a personal relationship with Jesus. I knew a lot about Him, but I did not know Him. Yes, I believed in Jesus and I never questioned what He did on the cross. But even all of hell's angels believe Jesus, they know who He is, and they know why He came. At that time there was truly no difference between me and then. Then a few days later, I became different. In the middle of a group of women... my Life Group... I came before Jesus and gave Him my ugly self-hyphenated heart and received a new grace filled heart from Him. I surrendered my entire life to Jesus and there was no looking back.
Life has been so amazing since then! I live with a peace and joy that can only be experienced by living a life with Jesus. God talks to me; I distinctly hear His voice and I recognize it every time. I get to live with a passion that is no longer about me and what I want to do. I am now a messenger of His good news... I run errands with God... I don't do just good things for Jesus, but the good things He wants me to do.
I went from bitter to joyful... judgemental to compassionate... unaccepted to adored... identity in what I did to an identity in who I am... bond to free... living a life that was picked for me.
The true desire of my heart is for EVERYONE to experience this. If you are living without Jesus in your heart, then you are living a life that is small, shallow, narrow and bound for hell. I know that sounds rough and judgemental, but it is the truth. Come to a place of not just knowing about the person Jesus but experiencing a personal walk with Him. If you have questions, ask me. This is my favorite thing to talk about. You may think that you can never change who you are, and that is true. You can't change yourself, but Jesus can! Don't go another day living without Him. Give up your life and accept the one He has planned for you. I promise that you will NOT regret it.
Questions? Put them in the comments below or message me via Facebook or email at alesha.graves@gmail.com. I can't wait to hear from you!
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