bmooretestimonyofaprodigalson

Testimony of a Prodigal Son

by Elder Brian Moore

"but rise and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;" Acts 26:16

The glorious news as it was delivered to Paul by Christ in a heavenly vision must surely have placed Paul in a condition of doubt........self doubt! Nonetheless, Paul indicated that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. When a man experiences the heavenly call, which is an act of the holy spirit, to preach the word of God, self doubt surely begins to creep in. But just as man is undeserving of the free unmerited gift of God's Grace, in regards to eternal salvation, he is also unworthy of the calling to the ministry. God does not call the qualified he gualifies the called!

This leads me to the subject at hand, the testimony of a prodigal son. No, not the same prodigal son that is depicted in the pages of the Holy Bible, but rather the author of this article for I consider myself to be totally unworthy of God's calling in my life, yet I desire to be obedient to the great I AM.

Glory to the God of all creation, the omnipotent and ever wise, ever loving and ever adoring Father of light. The God who was able to take this poor sinner, who was dead in sins and trespasses and deliver him from the bonds of darkness into everlasting light. My life was empty, I had a new town, a new job and a new beginning,...... just not the one I had expected. Having been separated from my family for nearly three years by what seemed like endless miles of wasted road, I was finally able to move closer to home and closer to my first love,....family and friends! The people that I needed to get by in this life, the people I needed to overcome the depression in my life, the people who would be with me through thick and thin. Or so I thought.

Upon arriving home, things continued to improve. The night life became a part of my existence, loud music, alcohol and the lust of the flesh occupied my every desire. This desire led me on one last journey far from home. My friends and I traveled to New York, while there we would take in the sights and sounds of the Big Apple and indulge in further worldly lusts at the 30th anniversary of Woodstock. The three day event was supposed to be about peace and love, instead it promoted hate, violence and evil unlike anything I have ever experienced.

God is the author and finisher of our faith, he is the giver of life and he needs no assistance nor means when it comes to the regeneration of a dead alien sinner. It was on this journey that I found myself in the mud and mire, longing to feed with the swine. It was on this trip that God chose to show me his banqueting house. It was here in the most unlikely of places that God placed his banner over me and made me realize what I was by nature and what I must be by his Grace.

Having become severely dehydrated, following hours of basking in unbearable heat and consuming nothing but alcohol, I began to become dillusional. My speech became slurred, my ability to reason was lost, I saw things that were not real,.....I was having a heat stroke. With nowhere to turn and no friends in site I searched for help among a crowd of 300,000 plus, none offered to help nor did any care, I was lost and all seemed hopeless. It was then that I came to a tent, I fell upon the ground and looked to my left, there, an elderly lady, who was very much out of place, helped me up and gave me a drink, she then sent for medical assistance. As I lay in a military style M.A.S.H. unit, the title over my cot read "CRITICAL." I earnestly begged for help, but none would answer my cries, I thought of home and my family and how terrible my condition must be, my heart raced and beat loudly in my chest. My breath became shorter and my sweat was cold as rain, surely my life would end. Then it happened!

The sunlight could not have been warmer, peace could never have been more sweeter, a voice spoke to my heart and I was made to stand up on my feet and praise God for His love mercy and Grace! I know that God works in mysterious ways, and I also know that every experience of Grace is not as dramatic as the one mentioned above. But to the heart of a hopless, dead and helpless sinner there is never a more dramatic event in their life, than when God reveals himself to them. I began to recover from the heat exhaustion and have to this day been made to remember where ALL of my help comes from.

In reflection of that journey I am made to realize the following. That when I was lost in a desert land, he found me. When I had nothing to offer, he paid the price. When I was thirsting, he gave me drink. When I needed help, he sent someone to care for me. When I could not stand he held me up and gave me strength. When I was lost ruined and undone he made me whole and gave me a precious hope. A hope that the world can never take away from me, a hope that the world can not find nor give. When I had nothing He bacame my everything. I pray that I can rise, stand up, minister and witness of the things which he hath shown me. I trust in his words that he will go with me alway even unto the end. Praise God and his wonderful majesty, the rich ever reigning King of kings.





	Testimony of a Prodigal Son by Elder Brian Moore "but rise and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;" Acts 26:16 The glorious news as it was delivered to Paul by Christ in a heavenly vision must surely have placed Paul in a condition of doubt........self doubt! Nonetheless, Paul indicated that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. When a man experiences the heavenly call, which is an act of the holy spirit, to preach the word of God, self doubt surely begins to creep in. But just as man is undeserving of the free unmerited gift of God's Grace, in regards to eternal salvation, he is also unworthy of the calling to the ministry. God does not call the qualified he gualifies the called! This leads me to the subject at hand, the testimony of a prodigal son. No, not the same prodigal son that is depicted in the pages of the Holy Bible, but rather the author of this article for I consider myself to be totally unworthy of God's calling in my life, yet I desire to be obedient to the great I AM. Glory to the God of all creation, the omnipotent and ever wise, ever loving and ever adoring Father of light. The God who was able to take this poor sinner, who was dead in sins and trespasses and deliver him from the bonds of darkness into everlasting light. My life was empty, I had a new town, a new job and a new beginning,...... just not the one I had expected. Having been separated from my family for nearly three years by what seemed like endless miles of wasted road, I was finally able to move closer to home and closer to my first love,....family and friends! The people that I needed to get by in this life, the people I needed to overcome the depression in my life, the people who would be with me through thick and thin. Or so I thought. Upon arriving home, things continued to improve. The night life became a part of my existence, loud music, alcohol and the lust of the flesh occupied my every desire. This desire led me on one last journey far from home. My friends and I traveled to New York, while there we would take in the sights and sounds of the Big Apple and indulge in further worldly lusts at the 30th anniversary of Woodstock. The three day event was supposed to be about peace and love, instead it promoted hate, violence and evil unlike anything I have ever experienced. God is the author and finisher of our faith, he is the giver of life and he needs no assistance nor means when it comes to the regeneration of a dead alien sinner. It was on this journey that I found myself in the mud and mire, longing to feed with the swine. It was on this trip that God chose to show me his banqueting house. It was here in the most unlikely of places that God placed his banner over me and made me realize what I was by nature and what I must be by his Grace. Having become severely dehydrated, following hours of basking in unbearable heat and consuming nothing but alcohol, I began to become dillusional. My speech became slurred, my ability to reason was lost, I saw things that were not real,.....I was having a heat stroke. With nowhere to turn and no friends in site I searched for help among a crowd of 300,000 plus, none offered to help nor did any care, I was lost and all seemed hopeless. It was then that I came to a tent, I fell upon the ground and looked to my left, there, an elderly lady, who was very much out of place, helped me up and gave me a drink, she then sent for medical assistance. As I lay in a military style M.A.S.H. unit, the title over my cot read "CRITICAL." I earnestly begged for help, but none would answer my cries, I thought of home and my family and how terrible my condition must be, my heart raced and beat loudly in my chest. My breath became shorter and my sweat was cold as rain, surely my life would end. Then it happened! The sunlight could not have been warmer, peace could never have been more sweeter, a voice spoke to my heart and I was made to stand up on my feet and praise God for His love mercy and Grace! I know that God works in mysterious ways, and I also know that every experience of Grace is not as dramatic as the one mentioned above. But to the heart of a hopless, dead and helpless sinner there is never a more dramatic event in their life, than when God reveals himself to them. I began to recover from the heat exhaustion and have to this day been made to remember where ALL of my help comes from. In reflection of that journey I am made to realize the following. That when I was lost in a desert land, he found me. When I had nothing to offer, he paid the price. When I was thirsting, he gave me drink. When I needed help, he sent someone to care for me. When I could not stand he held me up and gave me strength. When I was lost ruined and undone he made me whole and gave me a precious hope. A hope that the world can never take away from me, a hope that the world can not find nor give. When I had nothing He bacame my everything. I pray that I can rise, stand up, minister and witness of the things which he hath shown me. I trust in his words that he will go with me alway even unto the end. Praise God and his wonderful majesty, the rich ever reigning King of kings.