It was the summer of 2012 that I started having doubts about the LDS (Mormon) Church. That summer, I was away from my family at a remote job in Nebraska. I was there for five months but still went to church for most of it. The LDS Ward I went to never really fellowshipped me, minus the Bishop one Sunday. The people never said Hi to me during the meetings and I always sat alone. This gave me time to think to myself if the church I had been raised in all my life was true or not. If it was true, then why didn’t anybody show love towards me. While feeling alone, I decided to do some research on the church. I found out different things about Joseph Smith, the first prophet, and more about the Church that I never knew before. That Joseph Smith had over forty wives and even married kids as young as fourteen. In that relationship, Joseph Smith was thirty seven years of age. This relationship would be considered illegal, and if their were sexual relations it would be called “Statutory rape”.
I learned that Joseph Smith had three versions of the first vision. That the Book of Abraham was found to be a false translation. After this point, doubts were swirling in my mind. To top it off, for all my life I always felt that I had to be in a super quiet place to be close to the Spirit. That I needed to obey the ordinances and laws of the Mormon Church to be saved. That I needed to pray to Heavenly Father and not Jesus for answers. Because of this, I was never close to Jesus and never had Him in my heart, even though I searched for Him. I was always hoping each Sunday that sermons would be on Jesus, but instead most of the time they were on the Temple or Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith was taught more often than Jesus it seemed. If it was one thing that led me out of Mormonism it was the lack of Jesus and the bible in the church. Everything else just topped it off.
In 2012, I really started having doubts about the church and went to many websites looking for anti-Mormon literature. In January 2013, I came to a realization that the church was false. I hated the fact that I went to a church that gives praise to Joseph Smith in song. So after deciding to no longer attend the Mormon church I decided to share my findings with my Mormon friends and family. In that time, I felt an urgency to tell everyone I knew about the research I found. Because of the way I came at them with my findings, my message may not have taken as being loving. Many family members didn’t want me to come over any longer. Even when there were special family gatherings I was not welcome. Then in 2014 I discovered Dave Bartosiewicz YouTube Channel, and Calvary Chapel via a Roku App and on live TV. I loved how Dave’s YouTube Channel was geared to bring Mormons to Jesus. So I watched it as often as I could. I also watched the Calvary Chapel worship sermons as often as I could. However, I was just scared to go to Calvary Chapel by myself so I never went at that time.
In February 2015, I decided to make the first steps of my faith to God and go to a church. That Sunday, I finally went to a Calvary Chapel. The first time I set foot in it my heart began to swell inside of me. The praise music was so amazing and I couldn’t believe how wonderful I felt inside. I had been searching for so long for Jesus and finally found Him. Last year I was still fighting the flesh and getting over bad habits before giving my life to Jesus. Then in November I felt a change in my life from God, so I told the Lord that I wanted to be committed to Him. I started reading the Bible daily and praying often. On December 6th 2015 I gave my life to Jesus and got baptized. Since then I’ve devoted my life to Him. I’ve been writing a daily devotional on my website and posting them on Facebook ever since. I want to always have Jesus in my heart. Because of this reason, I want others to draw closer to Jesus like I have. Jesus is my all and His love is amazing.
Philippians 1:7-17 (KJV)
7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
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