And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ~ I Timothy 1:12-13
I was not a 'good' person before I came to Christ. Do not get me wrong I was kind at times and compassionate, fun loving and had a good sense of humor; it is not like I was a Bond villain or anything. I helped people and did do some good things, but at the same time I was an angry vindictive person. I was a liar and a cheat, a thief and a bully who would take any opportunity to get what I wanted and to hell with anyone else and what they needed. Sometimes I look back on the person I was and shake my head in disbelief at just how selfish I had been, often to the detriment of those who were close to me. Worst of all, I was a heathen blasphemer. I practiced Wicca and performed rituals with the intent of getting my way in life and I do believe they were effective at times. I have much to say on the reality of the occult but I will save that discussion for another time. As a warlock, that is, a male witch I hated Christians. I did not hate them because of their faith but because they were always coming to me telling me what I could and could not do with my life and I was very vocal in my disregard for the Church, to put it mildly.
I am not bringing this up to belittle myself or cast myself in a harsh light, I was who I was at the time and nothing I do now can change the past. In a recently Let's Play I did on my YouTube channel I go into detail as to how I got from there to where I am now and I might write it down at some point but again... not today.... that is not the point of this post.
I was a blasphemer and a persecutor of the Church, looking back I see many similarities between who I was and Paul when he went by the name of Saul. I was insolent and self-righteous thinking I knew what was correct though I could not have been more wrong. And yet. Even with all of this going on, God saw something in me. He had a purpose for me even when I was seeped in pagan mythology and new-age witchcraft. He had made me for His service from the very beginning and only required of me to turn to Him and to open my eyes to what His Kingdom was really about. It was not about rules and restrictions, casting aside the pleasures of life and living as a monk or a Stepford Wife. It is about love; about caring for each other, loving each other with all of our hearts and building something that is bigger then ourselves and more important then what 'we want'. God's Kingdom.
This was true for me, and it is true for you too. If God can take a degenerate warlock and turn him into someone who has dedicated his life to God's Kingdom and giving children a strong moral and spiritual foundation; just imagine what He wants to do with you?
I am not bringing this up to belittle myself or cast myself in a harsh light, I was who I was at the time and nothing I do now can change the past. In a recently Let's Play I did on my YouTube channel I go into detail as to how I got from there to where I am now and I might write it down at some point but again... not today.... that is not the point of this post.
I was a blasphemer and a persecutor of the Church, looking back I see many similarities between who I was and Paul when he went by the name of Saul. I was insolent and self-righteous thinking I knew what was correct though I could not have been more wrong. And yet. Even with all of this going on, God saw something in me. He had a purpose for me even when I was seeped in pagan mythology and new-age witchcraft. He had made me for His service from the very beginning and only required of me to turn to Him and to open my eyes to what His Kingdom was really about. It was not about rules and restrictions, casting aside the pleasures of life and living as a monk or a Stepford Wife. It is about love; about caring for each other, loving each other with all of our hearts and building something that is bigger then ourselves and more important then what 'we want'. God's Kingdom.
This was true for me, and it is true for you too. If God can take a degenerate warlock and turn him into someone who has dedicated his life to God's Kingdom and giving children a strong moral and spiritual foundation; just imagine what He wants to do with you?
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