| Heaven's Saints M/M Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. REVELATION 12:11 |
I'm going to start my testimony just prior to Tim (my husband) getting saved. Tim was in an out- law type motorcycle club for about six years and we truly loved being in the club, we had the best times and the best friends and Tim had gone through the ranks from "member" to "road-captain" to "Sargent at arms," then to "chapter president". Since there were four or five other chapters he was also running for "national vice- president." At that time we were buying and selling drugs in three different cities and the number of our customer's was increasing not to mention we had all the drugs for personal use that we could want. I was interested in witchcraft and considered myself an atheist. Then, one day, Tim wanted to "get saved." This was something I was completely opposed too because my mother was "saved" and I wanted nothing to do with that, but someone was praying for me. The reason I wanted nothing to do with God was because of the way I was raised. I was born and raised in Toronto. I never knew my real father, (quiet normal now but not so much then, middle 50's), but my mother said he saw me when I was two weeks old, and then I never saw him again. When I was about four years old my mom started living with my stepfather, my mother and him had a rocky relationship at best. They fought all the time. He would start to hit her and from there he would continue to abuse her. My mom always worked and at that time she was working in a factory where she ran a punch press machine. One day while she was six months pregnant with my youngest brother her right index finger was completely cut off and her thumb was damaged by one of the machines she was working on. This accident sent her into early labor. At that time (in the early 60's) the doctors couldn't save many premature babies, but my brother was born weighing 2lbs 11oz's and he was perfect except the had asthma. The doctors were not able to save my mother's finger, but she was all right otherwise. While she was in the hospital my step- father started to have an affair with another woman who was a close friend of my mother's. I was only about eight years old then and didn't understand much about what was going on, but I know that after that things got much worse at home. By the time my little brother was about 15 months old my step-father left my mother for good to live with this other woman. When this happened my mother was very bitter and angry. She was determined this wasn't going to happen to her again, so she thought if she knew the future she could avoid these problems. She soon ventured fully into the occult. She started with astrology, card reading, tea-leaf reading, Ouija boards and seances. I've been personally involved in seances where I saw a wall turn completely blood red and once when my mother left us alone at night to visit a friend across the road, something grabbed my neck while I was in bed, it left a mark on my neck for a week. Because of all this I was utterly full of fear. I was afraid of everything, especially the dark; even as an adult I |
wouldn't do the laundry by myself because the machines were down in the basement, I would wait till Tim or someone else could be with me. When I was nine years old I started smoking,and by the time I was eleven my mom allowed me to smoke in the house because she was afraid that I would catch it on fire hiding my cigarettes. I remember the first time I stole money from my mother (or rather the first time I got caught), She caught me because she went into my room and found the food I bought. Most kids buy candy or toys but I bought bananas, cereal, and lunch meat. My mother beat me with an electrical cord from an iron, but I was just more careful when I stole from then on. I was full of anger and bitterness towards my mother. She still worked all the time and that meant I had to do everything that a mother would probably have to do around the house such as cook, clean, do the laundry (we did not have automatic washer & dryer). I hated my life and tried seriously to kill myself three times. By the time I was thirteen we moved to Windsor and my mother started watching Billy Graham and she "got saved". She was still very bitter; however she did stop all the occult practices she was into. My mother tried to get me to go to church, but thats when I decided I was an atheist. With the way things were in my life, I questioned how there could be a God. So when Tim said he wanted to "get saved" that brought back painful memories of my childhood which I hated. I loved Tim with all my heart; he saved me from my mother, but now this. There was no way I was going that route again, but someone was praying. Tim just prayed and asked God to save me. He would read his bible in the morning before I got up and then he would hide it so I wouldn't find it because if I had found it, I would of ripped it up! Tim did leave this book about bible prophecy lying around, I know now because of prayer I started to read it. In this book it talked about different events that were taking place and that the bible foretold that they would happen. Tim knew I was reading the book because it was moved from the spot that he left it. We started talking about what the book said, and I became fascinated with it just like Tim. He told me how God foretold these events two thousand year ago in the bible. When I got to the end of the book I saw the "sinner's prayer" for the first time, and it said how God truly loved me. I had probably heard that before but somehow this time it was different. I was by myself and the author of the book explained how Jesus died for my sins and all I had to do was believe in my heart and say with my mouth that Jesus was raised from the dead and paid in full my debt of sin that I would be saved. I couldn't believe that I could live forever with God who "really love me". I said that prayer and because I didn't know any better every time I saw the prayer in the back of different books, I would say the prayer again. I wanted to make sure I was going to heaven. I fell head over heels in love with Jesus. I couldn't get enough and still can't. Now I know I'm saved and God heard me the very first |
time I prayed the sinners prayer, (I don't say the sinner's prayer anymore). Thank God someone was praying for me. For a few months after I got saved Tim stayed in the club, we didn't know we weren't supposed to. All our friends started telling us we were changing even though we didn't think we were. We would have them over to our house and we would tell them all about what we had discovered, what Jesus had done etc... We were so excited to share all the great things that we were finding out in the Word of God with our best friends. But they just thought we were crazy. We couldn't understand why they didn't believe us and how could they not fall in love with Jesus too. Now we know that someone has to be praying in faith. The Word says in II Timothy 2:4 "it is God's will for all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. We are told in I Corinthians. 2:14 "how the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Why is it difficult for the natural man to receive the thing of the Spirit of God. II Corinthians. 4:4 tells us, "In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Our friends couldn't understand because the god of this world had them blinded to the things of God. In our natural state, the things of God are foolish. Still, "God is not willing for any to perish." Since we were always talking about Jesus the guys in the club told Tim we had to stop talking about Jesus or quit the club. So we left, and God has blessed us everyday since. But we still care very much for all the people in the club, and were still praying for them. It all started with someone praying in faith for us. One of the people that was praying for us was Shelley, Tim's sister. She was only a "baby Christian" then, but that was OK, she never gave up on us even though she prayed for over a year, and it looked on the out- side that nothing was changing. Shelley just kept standing in faith for us. A Pastor in Chatham where she lived at that time told her that if Tim and I would give up the club, get rid of the bike, and clean up, that God might save us then. She knew that couldn't be right since God loves everyone and is willing to receive them right where they are at. So, she just kept praying and standing in faith, believing God was answering her prayers. God did answer her prayers! I believe that if God could get through my hard heart, He can get through to anyone that truly wants to know Him. If anyone will just pray in faith based on the Word of God (Romans 10:9,10) they can know "for sure" that God will move heaven and earth to save them. Proverbs 18:24 "...there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother."
Tim and I, 24 years after we got saved. We still love biker's and bike's, thats our ministry now, but most of all we love Jesus. |
| Testimony by Joan Carson Heaven's Saint Windsor Chapter |
| JESUS IS LORD |
| If you would like to know more details about this "getting saved" stuff please go to this link, we have some great information for you. |
| JESUS IS LORD |
| Written by, Joan Carson |