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All Things Do Work Together For Good!
Posted by
James P. McGarvey
,
26 March 2011
·
757 views
Last Sunday morning my grandson Adrian was dedicated to the Lord by our pastor Brian Brookins at Riverside Christian Fellowship in North Lauderdale. Before Brian prayed the prayer of dedication, Sarah, Adrian's mother, shared the following testimony with the church. I am so proud of Sarah and how she has allowed the Lord to work in her life and circumstances. Read what she said and you will see why. Adrian has been such a blessing in our home.
Sarah McGarvey Testimony
In Romans 8:28, God promises us that He works all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Over the past two years of my life I have seen this promise prove so true, despite my sinful choices and mistakes. I grew up in the church and learned a lot about Jesus and what He had done for me. In fact, at an early age, I even professed faith in Christ but simply found myself “going through the motions.”
As I went through high school I began to live a double life. Going to church on Sundays but living for myself throughout the week. I descended further into deception, so much so, that by the time I graduated high school I entered into a sinful relationship with a guy. I thought he would bring me satisfaction and security and I found myself quickly willing to compromise.
Our relationship was a roller-coaster ride from the start. As I ran further into the relationship I ran further away from God, my church, and the people who could help me most. I eventually stopped going to church altogether and after a year of a very rocky relationship my boyfriend and I got engaged. One month later we found out I was pregnant. Even though our relationship wasn’t healthy, we decided to move in together and try to make things work.
As the pregnancy progressed I found myself increasingly uneasy and unhappy. God used all this to slowly soften my heart. For the first time, in a very long time, I began to listen. I began feeling convicted about how far I was willing to compromise and sin against the Lord. And now I had a son on the way and wondered to myself: “How will he be raised? What kind of an example would I be, living in sin, instability, and confusion?” Eventually things got so difficult with my fiancé that I broke off our engagement and moved back home with my parents.
Now I was a single mom, living at home, and feeling hopeless for the future. I eventually came to the place where I knew Christ was my only answer. The sin and false hopes of that relationship had to die and I repented. Through the wise and godly counsel I received, I finally made the choice to follow through in obedience. I made the choice to put what I knew before what I felt. I knew that I needed to trust my Savior, and not myself. I gave my heart back to Jesus, believing only he could make it pure and whole again.
Once I stepped out in obedience, Christ began to fill me. For the first time in my life my sin, God’s forgiveness and His faithfulness became real to me. I felt and saw Christ in my life like I never had before. He began to provide for each and every need that I had in every area of my life. Although things continued to be difficult His grace was now present to see me through. He brought my church family and Home Group to rally around me and friends to support me in just the ways that I needed. Christ filled me with a sense of hope and peace, despite my circumstances. I came to realize that, besides my salvation, my son Adrian was the greatest blessing I had ever received from God and my desire to raise my son for the Lord was further intensified. God truly does work, even the most hopeless and pressing situations, for the good of those who love Him!
Sarah McGarvey Testimony
In Romans 8:28, God promises us that He works all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Over the past two years of my life I have seen this promise prove so true, despite my sinful choices and mistakes. I grew up in the church and learned a lot about Jesus and what He had done for me. In fact, at an early age, I even professed faith in Christ but simply found myself “going through the motions.”
As I went through high school I began to live a double life. Going to church on Sundays but living for myself throughout the week. I descended further into deception, so much so, that by the time I graduated high school I entered into a sinful relationship with a guy. I thought he would bring me satisfaction and security and I found myself quickly willing to compromise.
Our relationship was a roller-coaster ride from the start. As I ran further into the relationship I ran further away from God, my church, and the people who could help me most. I eventually stopped going to church altogether and after a year of a very rocky relationship my boyfriend and I got engaged. One month later we found out I was pregnant. Even though our relationship wasn’t healthy, we decided to move in together and try to make things work.
As the pregnancy progressed I found myself increasingly uneasy and unhappy. God used all this to slowly soften my heart. For the first time, in a very long time, I began to listen. I began feeling convicted about how far I was willing to compromise and sin against the Lord. And now I had a son on the way and wondered to myself: “How will he be raised? What kind of an example would I be, living in sin, instability, and confusion?” Eventually things got so difficult with my fiancé that I broke off our engagement and moved back home with my parents.
Now I was a single mom, living at home, and feeling hopeless for the future. I eventually came to the place where I knew Christ was my only answer. The sin and false hopes of that relationship had to die and I repented. Through the wise and godly counsel I received, I finally made the choice to follow through in obedience. I made the choice to put what I knew before what I felt. I knew that I needed to trust my Savior, and not myself. I gave my heart back to Jesus, believing only he could make it pure and whole again.
Once I stepped out in obedience, Christ began to fill me. For the first time in my life my sin, God’s forgiveness and His faithfulness became real to me. I felt and saw Christ in my life like I never had before. He began to provide for each and every need that I had in every area of my life. Although things continued to be difficult His grace was now present to see me through. He brought my church family and Home Group to rally around me and friends to support me in just the ways that I needed. Christ filled me with a sense of hope and peace, despite my circumstances. I came to realize that, besides my salvation, my son Adrian was the greatest blessing I had ever received from God and my desire to raise my son for the Lord was further intensified. God truly does work, even the most hopeless and pressing situations, for the good of those who love Him!
