Young Men's Con '24 Testimony

Just wanted to share with you guys a little bit of my story with you all

I grew up in a Christian home- nothing new- Bible Belt

I have wonderful parents who have stayed together, giving my siblings and I a great example, but my mom was more of the spiritual leader in the household

I got “saved” when I was young, but I didn’t know what it meant. I just wanted to do it becaue my older brother got saved and I wanted to do whatever he did.

Then, when I was twelve years old, I went to church and a pastor came to Grace, and shared a sermon about how the devil confuses people into thinking they’re saved when they really are not, so it freaked me out and I made sure that I knew that I knew I was saved.

But after that, I didn’t really know where to go from there. I just knew I wasn’t going to hell and my parents were happy knowing I knew Jesus.

I knew that I needed to live for Jesus, but I didn’t really know what that meant. I knew the Bible was good and it could help my solve problems in my life but I didn’t know how. The only thing I knew how to do was pray.

fast forward a couple years I started getting involved in horrible, sinful stuff like pornography, using foul language, trying to be the center of attention by trying to be funny. I was doing whatever I could to be liked or to be considered cool.

I was also dating girls and I had no idea how to even be a good boyfriend. I just figured we hang out as long as we could and if it goes down in a ball of flames, it goes down in a ball of flames. I had no idea how to lead a girlfriend, much less, my future wife!

This continued on for a few years, and I was in and out of coming to GSM. I would come for a few months and then quit for like a year and then try again and then quit.

Sometimes I felt like I wanted to dig but nobody else wanted to so I would get frustrated and sometimes I felt like the leaders didn’t really care about me.

And then in my sophomore year of high school I got really sick which led into me struggling with anxiety and depression and in that season, I started trying to read my bible and develop good habits, and I learned a lot but I still had no idea how to study scripture. I would read it and highlight some stuff that looked good, but that’s not studying really.

Life went on like this until I was a senior in high school. I started struggling really bad with anxiety, crazy thoughts that would pop into my head because I have a very active imagination, and I had no one pouring into my life.

I went to do some counsiling with Pastor Bobby Lewis and he asked me, “are you involved in GSM or any kind of serving?” and I said no, and he said, “start there. You’re sitting around thinking about yourself and how you feel too much. You need to be out serving, thinking about other people.” and so that’s what I did. I started coming to GSM and getting to serve and get involved for about a semester.

Then after that, I started college and kept serving in college ministry.

It was in that ministry where I really began to have people speaking into my life and showing me how to live a godly life because at the time, I was still struggling with lust and studying my Bible, but the Lord used Pastor Mike Floyd in my life to teach me to man up.

When I would say something stupid, acting like I knew what I was talking about the Bible, he would call me out.

Mike toughened me up and showed me that I need to take ownership of my faith because we are not just a product of what we were raised by. We will be held responsible before God for every word we say, every joke we make, and every thing we do.

He also showed me how to take scripture seriously

And then, one season of life, I broke up with my girlfriend which broke me for some reason. I was so caught up in this girl, but the Lord used this season of heartache and struggling with the desire to be in a relationship to call me to ministry.

So I got an internship with Mike Floyd in the college ministry where he got to pour into me further.

I also had Pastor Bryan Thomas and Pastor Frank Catanzero pouring into me showing me how to love people. Because I was Mike’s intern, I didn’t get a ton of time with Frank and Bryan, but wherever they got time, they would challenge me to be a better, godlier man. They would teach me to be a leader.

So the main point that I wanted to share with you guys about my testimony which is somewhat confusing because I was hot and cold for the Lord at times but it is to show you how important it is for you guys to have someone, probably older or more mature than you, pouring into you. You need someone teaching you to be a man because as men, regardless of your personality, you are called to be a leader of some kind whether it be through your profession, your marriage, or whatever else, you will need to learn to be a leader.

We all need someone coming alongside of us and asking how are you spending time in God’s Word right now? or telling you you don’t know what you’re talking about you should probably listen rather than speaking. Or even simply telling you, I love you, man. How can I pray for you right now?

These mentor and mentee relationships are so important and I wish I had it when I was your age. You guys are at an age and a place here at GSM where you can find someone to pour into you.

Challenge: Tonight, Justin is going to give us a word on being committed to the Lord, but I want to challenge you guys to find someone older, it could be me or Justin or one of the guy leaders, or it could even be someone who is simply older than you but you know they are solid in the Word and ask them, “will you disciple me?”

Or maybe, for our group leaders in the room and the guys who are solid in the Word if you know someone who might need help reach out to them.

This is what a D-group is. The goal is that once you are made into being a steadfast disciple, go and start your own D-group.