ANB 11, “A New Year, my testimony”

Dear friends,

As we enter this new year I want to thank you so much for allowing me to pass on to
you what God says to me, and even allowing God to speak through me to you.
I questioned before why God has me do this, but your responses and support clearly
show His reasons.

Allow me to begin this writing by saying that a Christian's life is one of servanthood.
Jesus said to His disciples, "I am among you as he that serveth." Luke 22:27. That tells
those that would follow Jesus that they must not seek to be served, but to serve. So I seek
to serve you. My greatest desire is that you would come to know God the Father better
through these writings. So I serve you in this, and in this I will endeavor to make them
clearer and easier so you may all be most edified. But aside from that, I am here to help
you in any way I can. If you have a question about scripture or Godly principles, I am
here to help. We'll do whatever it takes to find an answer. I am happy to stand with you
in prayer and faith at any time. It is an honor for me to write these to you, in truth, no
matter what you may get out of them. So I thank you. I pray for you all, and if I can do
more, just let me know.

Allow me to give you a very short version of my testimony (of how I came to my life in
Christ today) and then a short word for the new year. I was in the third grade, I went to a
Christian school and had heard of Jesus. One day, after I heard a friend of mine had
prayed with the teacher and been born again, God tugged on my heart, and soon I too
prayed with the teacher and was born again. But for the next 12 years or so I did little to
further my Christian walk. However, God never gave up on me. He was always there in
my heart and in my mind.

I will tell you the revelation that changed my life. From childhood I believed in God. I
knew He was there and He had certain ways of doing things (let's call it the Kingdom of
God system). In my heart I knew that if there was a Creator, who had the power to
control all things, then my life would be infinitely better if I got on His team and learned
His system. I always knew this, and I always planned to put it into action one day, but
that day kept getting pushed back. Then one day when I was 20 I had a dream, in this
dream God showed me I had so confused my mind and damaged my life that I could no
longer tell what was a lie (or not reality) from what was truth (reality). You see you may
not realize this, but while what you can see with your physical eyes is certainly reality,
God's influence on this reality (which is largely unseen) is a more powerful reality. I saw
that I need to learn about God's reality, and I knew in doing so I would forever better my
life.

This summer past (of 2004) I returned home to work for Judge Whittemore, during this
time I lived in the other house on our property, which houses the church where my dad
preaches. I decided that I would never have a better opportunity to come closer to God,
so I laid it all on the line, I chose Life, and here I am today, living as never before. I am
far from perfect, but it is my desire for the Lord and willingness to change that prompted
God to begin using me for His purposes. And I tell you the truth, I have truly tapped into
the power of God. I see Him everywhere in my life, and I am blessed far above all I
could ever ask or even dream for. God is no respecter of persons. Romans
2:11. God longs to do for you all He has done for me and more. The question is will you
let Him.

So allow me to begin this new year with a verse, and I pray we all together can renew our
lives towards God as this year begins and forevermore. God has many things to show us,
and He has told me to tell you all that He tells me, and I will. But for now,

"I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou
and thy seed may live." Deuteronomy 30:19.

This world, as sad as it is, has nothing to offer you compared to what God has. Moses
was telling the people to follow God in this passage. This world is a curse, but our God
is The Blessing.

How do you choose life, you choose God and His way of doing things. You choose His
love and His blessings over the lesser feeble realities that this world has to offer. Draw
near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8. How do you draw near? Pray,
read the Bible, go to church, and then do what He tells you to do. God is looking for
those who will make quality decisions to choose Him (Life). Just start small, if you
will make one move towards God, I know it is like He makes ten moves towards you.
There is no better way, there is no better life. This is for everyone, everyone just has to
see this individually. Choose God, live this life to the fullest, and fulfill your destiny on
this earth. For now we will walk this road and learn from God together.

Byron (813) 205-6314