The Crash – My Testimony

I have been in all sorts of crashes. First off, there’s the crashes on my feet. I’ve tripped too many times to count. One time I was running next to my friend and I accidentally kicked his leg and broke my toe. I’ve fallen down stairs, and up them too! I’ve crashed riding my bike. There was one time when I was riding my bike that I was trying to grab my cell phone and I had to hit the brake. I wasn’t thinking and I hit the front brake and flipped the bike. I have fallen off a snowmobile and I’ve even ran one into a tree before. I fallen of a jetski and hit the water hard. I have rolled four-wheelers, flipper four-wheelers, fallen off four-wheels, tipped four-wheelers, had a head-on collision on four-wheelers, and even been crushed by four-wheelers. Oh, and the one time I tried to drive a dirt-bike I tried to jump it and I fell off of it and it crashed!

Luckily though, even with all of these crashes that I have had, I’ve never been in a car accident. I’ve known people who have gotten in them and have gotten severely injured. I definitely thank God that I’ve never had to go through such an experience. The funny thing is that even though I haven’t been in a car crash, it was one that changed my life.

You see, I grew up in a Christian home. God was never a question he was always a reality. Church was never an option it was always a necessity. (Hey, that rhymes!) When I was just a child my father actually pastored a church. I remember seeing him baptize someone and thinking that I wanted to do that, because it looked like fun! I faked my salvation and told my parents and I got baptized, my goal was accomplished. But just because I was baptized didn’t mean that I was.

A couple of years later under conviction of the Holy Spirit, I started to realize that I wasn’t saved. But rather than actually repent and get saved, I said a prayer in front of a Sunday-School teacher to appease my conscience and again I got baptized in front of a church. This false profession only created problems later on in my life.

Deep inside of me I realized that I wasn’t saved but I kept fighting it. “No,” I would say, “I said a prayer and got baptized. You’re saved, don’t worry about it.” Often times I would be at home and I couldn’t find anyone and I would worry that the rapture had happened and I was left behind! I distinctly remember one time where I got so scared that the rapture had happened that I actually broke down and started crying.  I struggled with the fact of my salvation for a long time.

Well, Christmas of 2003 came and we went to visit my sister who was in South Carolina at the time. We weren’t actually going to be there on Christmas day so we celebrated it earlier on Saturday the 20th. Sunday morning came and we were going to drive to church. I was sitting on the passenger side in the back seat and I remember looking out the window and seeing a blue car pass us. He was going only a little bit faster than us, but I remember seeing him and thinking that he must be in a hurry, because he looked rushed. He passed us and I didn’t think much of it and I continued to gaze out the window out at my surroundings.

Suddenly, I heard a sound I have never heard before. The sound of two metal objects colliding at a high-speed, rubber tires as they screech across the ground, and glass shattering all at the same time. I looked up and out the front windshield. The blue car that had just passed us seconds ago was now half of its orignal size and It was on the opposite side of the road now facing us.

Apparently, in the time that I had looked away, the blue car was going through and intersection and a pick-up truck ran the red light at the intersection and T-boned the blue car. The car wasn’t that big of a vehicle, but the truck was big. When it collided with the passenger side of the car it completely crushed the side. Without a doubt if there was anyone in the passenger side of that car, they would have died immediately.

My dad parked and got out of the car and I think he called 911. I honestly don’t really remember much after that because so many thoughts were rushing though my head. If we would have left the hotel a second later, that would have been us. Or if we had driven just a bit faster, that would have been us. And if that would have been us, I would be on the passenger side, and I would be dead. That thought scared me more than any other thing in the world. I was in no way ready to stand before God. I was not ready to face death! For the first time I actually had to face reality, that death could happen at any moment.

We got to the church service and we listened, but the whole time all I could think of was death. I started to think about all the things I had learned in church. I knew that there was a God, that was never a question in my mind. I knew that I had sinned. I had lied before and disobeyed my parents. I had no doubt I was a sinner. I had read in the Bible that there was a penalty for sin. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…” For the first time this became a reality. That if I had died in that car accident, I would have died in my sins and suffered the “death” that verse is talking about, an eternal separation from God.

But luckily that verse goes on. Romans 6:23b says, “…the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ out Lord.” I had heard this vers a million times growing up and I knew the story of Jesus coming to earth through the virgin birth and being born as all God and all man. He lived a perfect, sinless life and then died on the cross in my place and paid my debt for me. Though I had known all of this, I had never fully accepted it for myself. I never placed all of my trust on Jesus. I believed He was real and had a head-knowledge, but never a heart-knowledge.

That day at my seat I bowed down and prayed to God, asking him to forgive me of my sins. I told him that I knew I couldn’t do anything to pay for my sins and if I died the way I am right now that I would go to hell. I accepted the gift God gave and put my trust and my eternity in Jesus’ death on the cross.

At that moment, not because of a prayer or a ritual, but because of a genuine faith in Christ, my sins were forgiven. Now I am destined for Heaven and I have no fear of death. All of my sins are forgiven and my salvation is forever, never to be lost!

Today, if you’re reading this post today and you feel the same way I did when I saw that car crash, that if you died you wouldn’t know what would happen, than I can show you how you can have the assurance of knowing that you’re on your way to Heaven when you die. Please carefully read  the following:

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” There is a God who loves you more than anything.

Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Realize that everyone, including yourself,  has sinned.

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Realize that sin has a price that must be paid for and because you’ve sinned, you have to pay this price too.

Romans 5:8, But God commeneth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Realize that when Jesus died on the cross, He was paying the price that you were supposed to pay for your sin.

Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord thou shalt be saved.” and Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Repent of your sin and place your faith fully on Christ’s death rather than any good thing you could do to get you to Heaven.

The way to salvation is so easy. It’s as simple as accepting a gift from someone! If you have any questions on salvation I ask you to please email me!