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| A SHORT TESTIMONY by Rev. Steve Charles It's now been over 25 years since I gave my heart and soul to Jesus. But it seems like yesterday! The event was so compelling, so dramatic, and so genuine that it utterly transformed me forever! I grew up without a mother and was raised by a father who's military career kept him from participating in my life the way I needed. I was always an overly sensitive kid, and I needed more support than most. My loneliness and emptiness caused me to seek fulfillment in the pleasures of the world --and turned me into a cold unfeeling person who lived only for himself. At on time I'd have just as soon shot you as spoke to you. I left home at an early age, and I grew up in the streets more or less, starting a life of drugs at age 12 in the safety and security of my father's house --and ending up homeless in a foreign country with a $350 dollar a day drug habit. This was a considerable drug habit in 1972, probably equivalent to over $1200 today! I supported my habit through petty crime, selling drugs, and other illegal activities --as well as living off of "the system" whenever possible! I was a true user in every sense of the word, and nothing important existed for me outside of myself. Everyone said I'd end up either DEAD or IN JAIL! There are many thousands of stories like mine. A person falls to the lowest depths of despair, looks for a way out, and in utter desperation turns to God! But the most amazing thing about finding God is His power to uphold me and keep me these past twenty-five years. Not that I did everything right! I've had to learn a lot since rejoining society, and I haven't always done the right thing. I went straight from the street to the pulpit, and at one time I only knew two ways to live. Either with a needle in my arm or a bible in my hand. I had missed all the steps in between! But God has been faithful and has never left me nor let me down. It hasn't always been easy. At one time if I didn't like someone I simply had nothing to do with them, or I "punched them out" if they got in my way. But I've learned to mortify my flesh, walk in the Spirit, and to love the unlovely! No small task for someone who at one time had lost the ability to love altogether. My lack of social skills and lack of life skills also got me into some problems in my early walk with God. A failed marriage, a bancruptcy, and other problems arose as I blundered my way back into the "real" world. There has also been much tragedy and I've had to relearn a lot about life! The death of my firstborn son, an adulterous first wife, two battles with cancer, disfiguring surgery, and a "past" that constantly tried to haunt me. I've had to educate myself, learn a trade, and raise a family through all of this. It's true that we reap what we sow, and I sowed the whirlwind! But I have also seen the salvation of the Lord as He extended his love, mercy, and grace towards this once broken figure. I have felt His power and Majesty in my life, and his healing strength has sustained me these past twenty-five years. And while we all pay for the sins of our past in one way or another, it is also true that Jesus lifted the scourge of a life gone bad and raised me up into heavenly places. Since sowing good seeds into my life the harvest of sin has had less and less effect on my life, and I have reaped the benefits of my new life continually. Before becoming an internet CyberPastor, it had been my great privilege to minister on God's behalf with and/or for some of the greatest ministries and evangelists in the world. Kathryn Khulman, R.W. Schambach, World Ministry Outreach International, Jews for Jesus, Youth for Christ, and many others. It has been an honor to serve these ministries, when at one time my only service appeared as if it might be serving time in jail. Not only has God raised me out of the gutter and set me in the company of His beloved, but He has also given me the desires of my heart. I've been blessed to serve as a missionary to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and to preach on radio and television. I've been entrusted to write a Christian newspaper column and allowed the opportunity to promote Christian musicians, politicians, and other personalities. Travel, adventure, excitement --god has given me all my heart's desires for this world. Not to mention my beautiful present-day family! Since starting ICT and creating this CyberMinistry we've been honored to supply graphical resources to The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (Decision Magazine), World Wide Prison Ministries, and other international organizations. We had the great joy of praying with hundreds of individuals, supplying resources and services to Believers around the world, and meeting tens of thousands of visitors. I thank god that one day I came face-to-face with Jesus Christ and the very act of knowing Him and experiencing His Glory stopped me dead in my tracks!! Then, in His marvelous grace and love, he raised me from the grave and transformed me into a new creature. He gave me back my life and placed a new heart within me! And for that I shall always love and serve him! |
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