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The Testimony of a Born-Again Christian
Greetings!
There have been TWO major turning points in my life. Both were of a spiritual nature, and both occurred only a few years apart.
The FIRST turning point took place in 1962. An atheist at the time, I "happened" to tune in to a radio program describing and extolling the work of Edgar Cayce. It featured interviews with a number of people whose lives had been marvelously touched, blessed, and ministered to by the psychic discourses of this most remarkable individual. A man of reason and a scientist at heart, I had no room in my life for anything beyond the reach of my five senses, anything I couldn't weigh, measure, or analyze--and certainly no room for anything spiritual.
I realized, however, that if the radio presentation about Cayce were true, then I was wrong--terribly wrong--in my answers to life's three great questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? and Where am I going? With such weighty issues hanging in the balance, I decided to investigate Edgar Cayce and find out for myself whether he was, as seemed to be the case, an incredibly gifted individual who had tried to use that gift unstintingly in the service of humanity.
For the next three years, I immersed myself in the Cayce readings, in therapies recommended by them, and in study group activity. I also attended Cayce-related lectures and seminars, meditated regularly, and attempted to introduce as many people as possible to the Cayce phenomenon. I consulted psychics and astrologers for guidance and direction in my life, and I read widely in the fields of parapsychology, mysticism, and the occult. I began attending a local church, sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, and even became a tither.
I knew that I should be totally fulfilled, but, for some strange reason, I wasn't, and I couldn't imagine why. After all, I believed in God, the power of prayer, the varied effects of gems and stones, and in the validity of reincarnation, astrology, numerology, and other esoteric doctrines. I believed that Christ was the Son of God. I believed in His atoning death, burial, and resurrection, and in His imminent bodily return. In addition, I tried to follow His teachings and lead a truly moral, righteous life.
In 1966, while listening to an episode in the dramatic radio series "UNSHACKLED!", I heard a message based on the same answer that Jesus gave Nicodemus: "The world is full of people who speak well of God, who are very spiritual, and who adhere faithfully to the tenets of various religious belief systems. To them and to all the world Jesus is saying, 'Ye must be born again.' It is not enough to believe ABOUT Jesus--it is necessary to believe IN Jesus, and this means placing complete faith and trust in Him, and yielding your heart, mind, and life into His hands, His care, and His keeping. It means making Him the Lord and master of your life, and receiving Him into the very depths of your being in all of His fullness and splendor: 'Ye must be born again!'"
At first, I thought Jesus was referring to reincarnation in this enigmatic statement to Nicodemus. But then, listening to the same program over a period of several months, I heard about people whose empty lives had been filled to overflowing by surrendering--totally, utterly, and completely--to the lordship and sovereignty of Jesus Christ, often through the simple prayer, "God be merciful to me, a sinner, and save me--for Jesus' sake!" These transformed people professed to be "born again," and, moreover, they seemed to possess that "something" I lacked. So, one night, I, too, prayed the same simple prayer and meant it with every fiber of my being.
For what seemed like hours, I felt as if the God of the universe were bearing down on me, almost crushing me, opening my heart, cleansing me, and giving me a new nature. Finally, when I seemed to be on the verge of bursting, I prayed, "Enough, Lord! Enough!"
From then on, my life took on new meaning, purpose, and direction. I found the Bible far more relevant and understandable than it had ever been. Moreover, I experienced a joy and a peace I had never known before, and my attitudes, values, and outlook on life were noticeably different--more positive, more hopeful, more rooted and grounded in love--the deep, abiding, infinite love of God.
I realized that I had, indeed, been born again--not in the sense of being reincarnated (although I still firmly believe in reincarnation), but in the sense of being born anew, born from above--born of the Spirit of God!
I had become a new person in Christ (that is, in union, in fellowship with Him), the literal fulfillment of the verse in Scripture which says, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Cor. 5:17)
This, then, marked the SECOND major turning point in my life, and I would heartily commend this blessed experience to any and all. Now I am no longer just a Cayce fan, but a FULFILLED Cayce fan, and to me there is a world of difference between the two.
I have learned that it's not religion, philosophy, or metaphysics that really counts, but a RELATIONSHIP--a cleansing, healing, redemptive, transformative relationship with GOD, the kind of relationship that can be yours only by turning in complete faith to Jesus, the Christ, the living Lord who transformed my life, and who stands ready, willing, and able to do the very same thing for you.
With love in Christ,
Punchbug2_2000
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