"I became too much of a problem to bring to church." | Isaac's Testimony

In this powerful Christian testimony, Isaac Guevara shares how he went from being raised in a Christian home and becoming agnostic to fully surrendering his life to Jesus Christ. After attending seminary school and spending years preaching the Gospel, Isaac opens up about faith, healing, hearing God’s voice, temptation, and growing closer to God. If you’re searching for Christian podcasts, testimonies, or faith-based content about Jesus, this conversation will encourage your walk with Christ. 

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Chapters

00:00 Intro
00:02:11 Isaac Guevara’s Powerful Testimony | From Agnostic to Following Jesus Christ
00:17:22 How God Healed Me Spiritually & Emotionally
00:21:40 Is Divine Healing Part of My Christian Calling?
00:22:38 Temptation, Sin & Struggles at Bible University
00:26:45 Catholicism vs Protestantism | Why Is the Church Divided?
00:31:59 How to Hear the Voice of God as a Christian
00:36:15 Why I Came Back to God After Unanswered Prayers
00:40:32 My Message to the World About Jesus Christ

Credits:

Music: Limitless by Soundridemusic

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NJ1CMMnfug&list=PLKXtr1txsTzYDnWhw-Py9IdVSOzoEHloZ&index=2 

#JesusChrist #TheMountPodcast #ChristianPodcast #FaithInGod #Gospel #Christianity #HolySpirit #BibleStudy #Testimony #Jesus 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

So it's just at first and like this is it's where I get kidnapped. I was still succumbing to sexual sin. Not all of us have been fully sanctified and have allowed ourselves to be changed by God. I grew up in a Christian household, but I didn't know Jesus. I just became too much of a problem to bring to church. My parents got divorced. Someone who just injured their leg, like had a full-blown cast and everything, they were able to walk in the hills. Healing after healing, I've seen tumors in their heads just disappearing. Gotta work in mysterious ways. So I don't know how long does that make it?

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Five, seven, about eight years going on nine.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Alright, so uh you've been walking with the Lord for quite some time, but what has he been revealing to you recently?

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Man. Um so recently he's been revealing to me uh his great healing works. I feel like he's put a burning desire in my heart to start sharing the gospel in in terms of healing. Um he's done a great work for me in my past, and you know, every time I hear preaching on healing and the salvation that Jesus offers us, it's just it motivates me to just go out and start sharing it with other people. So yeah, I mean, just revealing to me again and again his healing power.

SPEAKER_00 2:00

Hey, I mean, there is a reason it says in the word, but by his stripes, but by my stripes, you are healed. Amen. And with that being said, please share your testimony.

SPEAKER_02 2:14

So I I guess I'll start from the beginning. I grew up in um a Christian household, basically. My grandmother, she was very devout into God. Um, she would drag me to church until I was about five years old, and then it I just became too much of a problem to bring to church. Um, I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus or God or really know who anyone was, and I didn't even know who the Holy Spirit was. Um, and then in high school, my parents got divorced, and so I knew God was supposed to be good, and so I took the time to like pray to God, you know, once in a lifetime chance to pray to God and say, Hey God, if you could do anything, if you are really good, you know, bring my parents back together. And you know, God works in mysterious ways. He didn't bring my parents back together, but um with that prayer, you know, it I guess you could say that was the start of me acknowledging that he actually existed. Uh, that was my sophomore year of high school where I saw that he didn't uh bring my parents back together. And then personally I would just decided to say, hey, alright, well, I don't think God, uh my grandmother's God, is the God that she says he is. So I'm gonna be either agnostic or atheist, and I try to think about being an atheist for I don't know, maybe a couple days, and I'm like, this is stupid. There's there's no way that nothing, that all this that we have in our world right now can just come from nothing. Like, there has to be a a a designer, a creator, you know. And so I'm like, alright, agnostic. There's a God, I don't know who he is, he exists, I don't know what he does, I don't know how he is. So I was agnostic until my well, I guess until my first year of college. And I went to a Catholic university where, you know, they try to have a lot more religious uh meetings and um much more religious outlook on things. Um, and while I was walking on campus to one of my classes, or I guess to my dorm actually, one of the guys who worked with the campus ministry they came out, they invited me to a dinner. Um the group was called St. Paul's Outreach. I love them, they're great guys, Holy Spirit-filled Catholics. Um, so they were really awesome. And although it was sketchy at first, like showing up to the dinner late at night, uh it was a Thursday night, and all the lights were dim. They had this super long driveway. I'm like, this is it, this is where I get kidnapped. But praise God, I did it. You know, it was an actual dinner, they prayed over the meal. Uh and yeah, they after the meal, they invited me to join small groups. Uh, so I did. I'm like, if there's any place to learn about religion, it'd be at a religious school. And you know, I stuck with the small groups, they taught me about God, they show me how true fellowship should be like walking with each other, and as iron sharpens iron, you know, sharpening each other, making sure that we're checking in on each other and being vulnerable with one another. Um and I really like that. I like how they built that community um around God, and so I stuck with them. I went to a fall retreat. Um, that's when I verbally accepted God, but I was still skeptical. Like, I saw people getting healed at the fall retreat. I'm like, uh, maybe you know, maybe that was just the time for them to be healed. Like, I don't know if it was God, like, you know, a doctor says, Oh, you need two weeks to get off your wounded leg or whatever, and then you'll be good. So I in my head I'm thinking about it, and then I hear the testimony, I'm still thinking, I'm like, nah, maybe maybe she's not telling something honestly. But, you know, it was amazing to see, regardless, that someone who just injured their leg like three days ago was able to walk on their leg. Like they had a full-blown cast and everything, they were able to walk on their leg all over again. So I was like, oh, yeah. The skeptic in me is like, nah, and then, you know, I guess it started to do a work in my spirit at that point. And so I went to a summer retreat right after my first year with St. Paul's Outreach still. And there, um, you know, after that whole year of fellowship with them, I started dis discerning whether I should do what they do, like start my own small group and um join them as a student missionary on campus. Um that that was the start of it, and then it took me a whole nother year uh with my second year uh summer retreat that I finally decided, like, oh yeah, this is definitely something I'm gonna do. It was at a worship session during our summer retreat where I just suddenly felt like I was praying about it, like, oh Lord, I I like really want to tell people about you because you've done such a great work in my life, you know. Even though my parents are separate, you've kept us, you've continually provided for us, you've continually healed us, you continually looked out for us. Even when my mom was struggling with money, we always had money, we always had food on the table. Even when my grandmother was feeling sick, like she was still able to move around and do things for us. Um so with you know, the the reminders of how good God has been in my life, and during that worship session, I'm like, okay, that this is definitely something I want to do. And as I was in the midst of worshiping, I just felt like God's His desire for us to come to Him, like how He sees all the people that turn away from Him and how that hurts Him, you know, and how Jesus He went to the cross so that we can all come to God, so that we can all be saved. Um, and yeah, that that broke me down. I I shed so many tears during that worship session. I it felt like an I was crying for hours, man. My my eyes were swollen, bro. But it was a great work that the Lord was doing in that those few moments of worship. Um, so from that moment on I decided, like, alright, Lord, you can't be left alone. Like, you literally died for us so that we can come to you. Like, this is your one true desire for all of your creation to come to you. Um, so yeah, I started doing student missionary work. Um, starting my third year, I did it my fourth year. I lived in an off-campus house with the St. Paul's Outreach Group. Um, we hosted dinners, we hosted uh events where we could point to God. You know, we did fun things like um the you know, the world has beer pong. We did like outside pong with like a volleyball and giant trash cans, no drinking. Um, but you know, we just got a bunch of people together, we prayed, we talked about God with each other, um, continue to try, uh continue to grow our small groups and have other people invite other people, you know, try to build up like with the grassroots kind of idea. Um but yeah, those were my college days. Uh back in 2019 was the end of my college, my time in college. And then once I graduated college, I'm like, alright, I know I need to be baptized in water to truly separate myself, like have that conviction to truly separate myself from the world. So like this summer after, yeah, the summer after I graduated, I went to my grandmother. I'm like, Mama, I want to get baptized. Uh is your church doing anything for baptisms anytime soon? And she's like, Yeah, well, we're actually doing one next week. I'm like, done. Sign me up. So I got water baptized, and it fell so quick. I'm like, oh, I thought this was gonna be like a more emotional train, you know. Um praise God, it happened. Like it definitely, it definitely did uh work on my flesh. Uh but yeah, I got baptized in 2019, and then I was in the workforce for about three years. I was working with Amazon, hence the sweater, and um it well, almost three years, it was like two years and six months or something like that, and in the midst of it, I'm like, this isn't what I should be doing. Like, I want to do more for God. Like, why am I working for my own hand? Like, there's like I was attending a church and then COVID hit, and then everything went virtual. I'm like, uh, this isn't even church anymore. Like, I have to be at home and sit and watch it. Like, I it's not there's no church involved. It's you know, yeah, they're still preaching the gospel, but there's no community uh that I was involved with, so I'm like, I feel left alone. But I knew God was still with me. I I knew He's still the good God that I met when I was in college, and I knew I told them that I would give myself and uh preach the word, like share how good Jesus is with the world. So I was like, alright, what can I do for you, God? And then amidst my prayers, I was I felt that God was calling me to do uh something greater for him, and I'm like, alright, God. That's definitely not me, because that's not something I would ever want to do. That feels like so much responsibility. But if it is you, I need to know more about you because all I know is God is for me. I don't know that God is for like I know God is for everyone, but I don't know how to say that, you know, in a in a fully fledged way. And so um I'm like, hey, yeah, if you put me in Bible school, I'll uh we can work on getting that bigger job done for you. And so I went to my church, you know, after they reopened after COVID, and um I asked them about a Bible school. They're like, Yeah, we have a Bible school that um we send our people to. And so I hit up the pastor, like I sent him an email and I did it like once or twice, but he never got back to me. And I'm like, okay, maybe that's not the school for me because I have no information about it. Excuse me. Um, and so I told my grandmother that I was looking for a Bible school, and she's like, Okay, you know, maybe a month or two passed since I brought it up to her, and she's like, Isaac, they're gonna talk about this Bible school that you can attend for free. I'm like, I like the sound of free. Um so her church was going to a healing crusade up in Elizabeth, um, New Jersey. And I'm like, oh, I don't know if I want to spend hours at a healing crusade just to hear about a school. But honestly, I don't remember much about the crusade itself, but I did learn about the Bible school. I signed up, the school followed up, I showed up, and yeah, the so the last three years I was in that Bible school studying the word of God, uh practicing ministry, like actually going out in the streets and evangelizing, um, working closely within the church, you know, doing healing school, kids ministry, um, media, sound, ushering. You know, I did a lot with them and praise God that they offer those opportunities because it definitely like stretched me. I was like, man, I thought this was just gonna be a school where I study the word, but now they're having me actually put into practice, so that was a true blessing. Like I I I would do it again if I could. Well, if I had to. Because I think I could go back and restart it all. Um, but yeah, it it was definitely a great experience, and now here I am, um, back in New Jersey after my time in Bible school, and there's stuff that I want to do for the Lord, but I feel like right now I just need to get everything situated. And like I I started attending a new church, and the second time I attended there, like no one knew me in the church. My friend from Florida, um, when I was down at the Bible school, he told me about this church, and I'm like, dude, that church is only five minutes away from my house. Say las, I'm gonna go. So I showed up there, and I didn't introduce myself to anyone really. Um, but the second time, the second Sunday I showed up, the pastor came up to me and you know, he prophesied all for me. He's like, Look, there's a lot of stuff that you have to do for the Lord, and you have a great desire and heart, like a fire to do it. But my pat my pastor now, he's like, Yeah, I feel that the Lord is telling you that take this time to rest, to recuperate, settle down, and then once all that's settled, you'll be able to start doing the works for him full steam ahead. And that was confirmation that I needed because I was like, I, you know, I'm I'm rushing. I'm like, man, I gotta do all this stuff for the Lord. Like, I just finished my Bible school, it's time to put my hands to the plow and get things done. But then I'm like, yeah, but my family's in this situation and it has to get fixed, you know, stuff has to get rectified. Um but yeah, that's where I am right now. Working a job, um, building up like a surplus of sermons and things to preach on, topics to talk about um when the time comes, and I'm all settled down.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

Wow. Thank you, that was a great testimony. So you mentioned a lot about healing. Yeah. So how has the Lord healed you in the past?

SPEAKER_02 17:26

Yeah, so my second year of college, I helped a friend move out his house. Well, helped my friend's family move out their house, and I think I was lifting a couch or something. Uh man, it it tore me apart, bro. Um, I had what's it called? Sciatica. Sciatica? Yeah, I I had a pinched sciatic nerve, and every time I would like try to bend down or when I got up from bed, this jolting pain went down my leg. And it would only happen on my right side. Um, and that happened well, uh not that it happened, but it stuck with me for I don't know, and maybe until like I think until 21, like post-COVID. Oh, post-COVID initial outbreak. Uh I was seeing my doctor and he was like, I like I was asking him options about like how to deal with it. He's like, Yeah, you could get surgery, uh you could do like massage or electric therapy or whatever, or you know, just live with it. I'm like, Yeah, alright, I'll live with it. So after that uh meeting with my doctor, and I'm like, Alright, Lord, I'm not living with this garbage. Get this out of me. And then I I don't even know how much time passed, but it's gone, you know. Like I can bend down, I don't feel any jolting pains anymore. I'm like, see, the Lord did it. I don't have to live with garbage, I don't need no surgery or electrotherapy. But yeah, I love that doctor. He's funny, he he is cool with me. Um, and then the same doctor, you know, he's getting my blood uh tests and stuff, and he's like, hey, we're gonna have to do like a liver biopsy. We think you have like this immuno what's it called? This liver immune disease where your body attacks itself at the liver. I'm like, what kind of garbage is this now? Honestly, bad on my part because I was kind of excited about it, like, wow, something terrible is happening to me. And I wasn't even thinking about like healing and stuff. God forgive me. But you know, I'm like, oh man, am I gonna die to my own body? Like, this is stupid. Uh so yeah, God forgive me for those stupid thoughts. That's crazy. But I, you know, I got my liver biopsy, and bless the Lord, it came out negative. They're like, Yeah, you don't have anything. I'm like, that's right, I don't made me pay a lot of money to get that liver biopsy just to tell me I had nothing. I'm like, I had no, I had nothing. God's my healer. Jesus went on the cross for me. So, I mean, he's done that, and then just the healings I've witnessed. I uh like when I was in the Bible school, um it was healing after healing. I've seen people come back with negative cancer reports, uh, the tumors in their heads, their body, their liver, wherever it was, just disappearing. Like they come back with the physical reports, and bless the Lord, uh, they're gone. Um, people who are hard of hearing can start hearing again. Um, and just hearing other testimonies, like, even I don't have to witness it. The Bible says we overcome by our testimonies, and that better for those who believe without seeing than those who have seen and believe, you know. So we gotta take things for as they as they're said. Like if someone says the Lord did a good work, bless God, the Lord did a good work. Um, but yeah, that's that's how healing comes into play for me. I'm still waiting for my eyes to be healed. I'm believing for it, but you know, in due time, it's bound to happen.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Well then. So we hear a lot about the Lord healing people, but we never get to witness it. And the Lord's been blessing you with tons of testimonies. Do you believe healing has something to do with the calling he has for you?

SPEAKER_02 21:45

Uh yeah, with the calling he has for me, I do believe it. Um ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a doctor. Um I have strong faith that. God does want me to still pursue healing in the way that He has designed it to be, you know, by faith and building up His people in that way.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Alright then. So you mentioned you went to Bible College, correct? Yes, sir. Bible school or Bible college? Or it's the same thing? Same different?

SPEAKER_02 22:24

I guess it's the same difference. It's a Bible university, actually. They have different schools inside of it.

SPEAKER_00 22:28

Alright. So when you're in Bible school. Or should I say Bible university?

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Yeah. I'll take I'll understand.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

Were your sins and temptations amplified or muted?

SPEAKER_02 22:43

They were not muted, unfortunately. Um there's still a work of sanctification that had to get done in me. Um I was still succumbing to sexual sin. I did bring it up to the pastors, they helped me out. Um but yeah, there I I wouldn't say it was amplified. There my what my pastor at the university always said, he said, There are two times the devil comes to attack you. It's when you're serving the Lord and when you're not serving the Lord. Like it's gonna happen regardless, and you have to make the choice of whether you succumb to the temptation or not, you know. So although my temptations weren't muted, I was definitely, I did find it to be easier to overcome because I had that community again that would encourage me and edify me and remind me, like, hey, look, even if the enemy comes and you succumb to it, you know, God is still with you and you confess your sins and he's faithful to forgive. But even as it says in Romans, like, you do not continue to sin, you know. We have the power of the Holy Spirit that's within us that resurrected Jesus to overcome the sin. So you don't give into the temptation, not intentionally, you don't continue to sin. Um, but you do do your part, you know. You have to fight the battle, even though Jesus has a victory, you have to fight the battle and stand your ground. Like even when Jesus was tempted, the devil came and told him the word and tried to twist it. But Jesus corrected the devil, you know, he stood his ground and he overcame.

SPEAKER_01 24:25

Well said. Well said. So since we're on the topic of Jesus. Amen. What is something you wish someone told you about Jesus when you were younger?

SPEAKER_02 24:37

I wish they told me everything about Jesus. Oh man. Yeah, I mean, like I said, I grew up in a Christian household, but I didn't know Jesus. Like, I knew that you prayed to God and that Jesus went on the cross and died for us. But what does that really mean to a kid that that's all they know, you know? Like, what does it mean to die for you? What does it mean to offer your only child as a living sacrifice? Like, I I didn't understand that. All I all I saw was nothing really. Like, I I didn't understand it. So I wish growing up, someone actually spent the time to tell me, like, this is who Jesus is, this is who God is, this is who the Holy Spirit is. Like, Jesus is the healer, he's our wisdom. The Holy Spirit is the power that Jesus has granted us to be bold, to uh heal, resurrect, um, to be bold and share the gospel, you know, to share the truth, that God is truly a loving God, that he would give his only begotten son, so that all the people that turned away from him can come back to him, you know. Even when Jesus was persecuted by the people he came to save, like he still offered his life gladly. The Bible says that it was his great pleasure to go on the cross and sacrifice himself for that. So, yeah, just having a deeper understanding of all that, like it would have I pray to God, it would have blessed me back then, like I would have had the ears to hear.

SPEAKER_00 26:19

Hey, like it says in the word John 3.16, literally for God so loved the world, he gave his one and only begotten Son that whoever puts their faith in him will receive everlasting life. So, let me ask you a question about your experience in college. So you mentioned how you were raised in a Christian household, but the people you hung out with in college were Catholic. What's your opinion on Christian versus Catholic, and overall, why do you think it's it causes such a separation in the church?

SPEAKER_02 26:57

That's great. Um, so just to start off, I do like how the Catholics they seem to be a lot more united in thought because they follow one leader, the Pope, you know. I I appreciate how they have that kind of unity within their own uh I guess group. Um I mean they still do believe in Jesus Christ, they still do follow the same God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, you know. Um they do believe in the Holy Spirit and the power that he offers us. I feel like the divide comes when we talk about more tradition than faith. So, from my understanding, um Catholics believe that Mary is the mother of God, which she is. Uh, well, the mother of Jesus, not God. She's the mother of Jesus, and that because she's the mother of Jesus, she has power over Jesus because who doesn't listen to their parent? Um, I feel like that's misconstrued because yeah, Jesus was raised by her physically, but spiritually, Jesus' father is God. Like, who's gonna override God? You know? Um, I feel like that's where one divide happens, and then there's also that Catholics pray for intercession from the past saints. The Bible refers to all people who follow Jesus as saints, um, whether they're dead or alive, and that you don't see many examples of people praying to the dead for guidance. There's the one example in I think Samuel, where um uh Saul asks for guidance from the deceased Samuel, and Samuel came down and corrected him. But that's the only example where you see anyone praying to the dead um and actually getting a response. Like we pray to well, I I guess that wouldn't exactly be the dead, because the Bible says that God is a living God, and he's the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who will also be living with him. Um, but yeah, like you don't see many intercessions bet between the living and the dead in the Bible. And so I feel like that's where another divide happens. Um we pray to Jesus for our answers and guidance, we pray to the Holy Spirit for power and the ability to you know act out what Jesus has acted out, and we pray to God for uh also wisdom, love, guidance, patience to be more like Him. Um there was one more thing I want to say. Yep, I lost it. But I I feel like those are some divisions. I mean, even within the Catholic Church, you see division between like how they believe the Holy Spirit works. Like, bless God, the Catholic group I was with, they believe in praying in tongues and that there's power uh in that, you know, and that they believe in the uh that healing is still for today, and that um people are can still prophesy that the five-fold ministry isn't you know gone and dead. Like you can still be an apostle, you can still be a pastor, you can still be a teacher, an evangelist, and a prophet. Um so praise God for them, St. Paul's Outreach, for doing that great work and being wholly united with the Bible. Um but yeah, I feel like just when it comes to tradition, like how do you how do you decide to worship the Lord and the people that follow him? I think that's where the greatest divide between Catholicism and Christianity comes from. Because Christians, they don't they shouldn't be praying to the dead, as far as I'm aware, uh, for intercession. That's why we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit, the one who gives us all wisdom. Um yeah, that's how I've seen it.

SPEAKER_01 31:55

You talk about coming to God for wisdom. So how do you hear from God?

SPEAKER_02 32:03

Well, praise God that we have the Bible, which is his word, his living word. Um, so if you ever want to hear from God, read your Bible, because that's his word made flesh. You know, Jesus, Jesus is the word made flesh, and Jesus was the word and is the word. So with the Bible, you know, you have all of God's word written out for you. Um one way recently I've heard God was literally through reading the book of Ezra. Like I was praying to him, I'm like, God, um I don't know what to do with my life right now. I'm like at this standstill, and I just don't know what's happening. Like, I I serve you, but I don't know where to go next. And he pointed me to the book of Ezra, where it's a book about the reconstruction of the temple. It's a book about um yeah, basically reconstruction and uh to a greater design. And so I was going through it, I'm like, oh man, God, you said that we are the temple where you abide in. You know, Jesus lives with us and Holy Spirit abides in us, and wherever Jesus' God is. Um, so as you see in the book of Ezra, the temple was torn down, the brilliant uh temple that Solomon designed was torn down and brought to ruin. But Israel then had the opportunity to rebuild the temple, you know, after pleading with the kings over and over again, saying, Hey, look, we need a place to worship our God. And so, even though the temple was initially built by Solomon, um, and it was grand, it it was destroyed. So, I saw myself in that moment as a destroyed temple. And I was comforted with God's wisdom that, hey, look, the temple's gonna be rebuilt, even though it's down to the ground, it'll be rebuilt, and it's gonna be greater as Habakkuk, uh, I believe it was Habakkuk, as he promised, uh, as God promised through Prophet Habakkuk that the temple would be greater than it ever was previously. And even though the temple's a lot more humble right now, because they don't have all the riches of Solomon, um, God still abides there, and it it was a beautiful way that he revealed himself to me. Um, but aside from reading the word, uh I mean, like I mentioned earlier in prayer, I just I don't know how to really describe it. It's the Bible says that he comes in a still, quiet voice, right? So I heard God answer my prayer, like, oh Isaac, you're gonna do this. And I'm like, oh no, that's not me. That's not me. Like, that's not what I want to do, you know? So I've heard God in those ways, and then before I left uh Florida, which is where I went to the Bible university, I was at a job interview, and they asked me, like, Isaac, how long can you stay with us? Because you mentioned that you want to do all this other stuff. Um are you able to give me a give us a year? And I'll in the flesh I want to say yes, but in that very instant as I was about to say yes, I just I I guess we refer to it as like an unction from the Holy Ghost. Uh I had jitters. I I don't normally get jitters, you know, I don't normally shiver or get goosebumps or anything like that. But as I was about to say yes, I felt that unction and it I said, no, I I honestly can't give you a year. I appreciate your time, but I'm out of here. So I dipped on the interview and then started packing my stuff and came back to New Jersey. Um, so those are the ways that I've heard the you know, heard God and Jesus and the Trinity give me wisdom um to do what is right.

SPEAKER_01 35:56

Alright. A lot of people struggle with I can't hear God, I can't do this, like what does God want me to do with my life? It seems like based off what you just said, you just gotta walk by faith sometimes. You do? Yeah. The righteous live by faith. Amen. But I want to take it back for real quick. When you were indecisive about being agnostic and atheist, what kept your belief in God despite not getting your prayer answered?

SPEAKER_02 36:26

Well, like I I wouldn't say I believed in God, I believed in a God, like that there was a higher being when I was when I was agnostic. Um I guess maybe the question would be what allowed me to turn back to God when I decided to follow him.

SPEAKER_01 36:49

Yeah, I guess yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:50

Yeah. Okay. Um, yeah, I mean with the Yeah, with a group in college, um St. Paul's Outreach, you know, they taught me a lot about the word and how good God is. How God is our father, even if we don't have an earthly father. Um you know, I I don't know what really turned me on to God. I all I can say is like it it it was his goodness that and the goodness of him and his people that showed off his love for others, you know. I feel like that's what really brought me to God. I'm like, like I mentioned earlier, it was the community that really helped me turn to my faith. Like it wasn't just an aha moment, like, oh, this is God. It it took me two years of the group to finally decide, like, oh hey, yeah, I want to do like missionary work too, you know. Um but like I mentioned earlier with the agnosticism, the Bible tells us that all who see the creation uh will know that there is a God, you know, there's not just some random everything's not just by a random design. Like who decides that the plants grow when they're watered and the sun shines on them, you know? Like they could just wither and die in the sun. You see ants and slugs and snails and stuff just wither away in the sun? Like, why does why does that benefit the plants? Why does the why is Earth the only planet that has life as abundant as it is, you know? Why why aren't we burnt up and scorched like Mars and Mercury? Why aren't we frozen like Neptune and Jupiter? Like why aren't we a gas planet? Like it it's just there's gotta be a reason and a purpose, and I guess that was one of my first steps to understanding that. Like, even in my I guess what helped me take my first step to following Jesus and accepting him into my life was during an ethics class in college where the teacher she mentioned, you know, when it comes to religion and Christianity, if there is a God and you don't follow him, you go to hell. If there is a God and you do follow him, you go to heaven. If there is no God and you don't follow him, you're you could end up a bad person, but you're just dead. If there is no God and you do follow him, people see you as a good and charitable person. And I'm like, so it sounds like following God is a plus on either end, whether he exists or not. And I think headwise, that's what got me to follow God. Um but definitely uh in terms of like building up my spirit, it was a community that helped me turn to him.

SPEAKER_00 40:05

Thank you for that.

SPEAKER_02 40:07

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_00 40:08

So we really appreciate you answering all these questions and giving your testimony. But there's still one last question. Okay. So get ready for this, lock in. Okay. So, Isaac, we've had a great time today. We have so with that being said, what is your message for the world?

SPEAKER_02 40:36

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 40:38

Lock in.

SPEAKER_01 40:39

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 40:42

No pressure, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, dude, it's actually funny that you asked me that. Not not that I'm ready for it, but I was just watching um one of I was watching a church service from the university I attended, and they had this faith conference, and the pastor, his desire is that everyone who comes to that university is ready to preach on the fly, like in and out of season. And so what he did on the I I think it was the final day, uh, he just started calling up different pastors and uh reverends I guess you could say, like deacons and stuff, you know, different leaders within the church to say, Oh, hey, you come up and preach. You're the this is the scenario, you're in a tribal village that doesn't even know, doesn't know the pastor, doesn't know the university, doesn't know anything that they're willing to listen and hear you out about what you have to say about Jesus. And that was an epic thing. Like, I I would recommend watching that if you ever have the time. I'll send you the link, Jonathan and Anthony. But uh my message to the world would definitely be to learn about Jesus, learn about God. He is a life changer, without a doubt. Um I tell you that I I would love to say every day there's something that's revealed to me, but unfortunately that's not true. There's some work that I have to do. You know, the Bible says that it is God's it is to the glory of God that He has mysteries, and it's uh the glory of kings to find out what those mysteries are. Something along those lines. I don't think those are the exact words. But um, so yeah, there's a work to be done when it comes to learning about God and Jesus. Be open-minded. Um, like I told you, I I was skeptical when I first came to it. I stuck with it. I will I was open-minded, even though I've seen and heard things that were terrible. Like when I've gone out preaching on the streets, people have literally threatened my life for saying God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Like, man, what do you mean get out of here or else you're gonna beat the garbage out of me? Like, I I'm just here talking to you. You no one can have a peaceful conversation anymore. But you know, there has been people that have been hurt, and if that's one of you, you know, I'm sorry that happened. Humans are humans, we're all born into this world with sin. Not all of us have been truly sanctified and have allowed ourselves to be changed by God. Like there is a work to be done in everyone, like it takes time to be sanctified. Um, but yeah, if you do have that church hurt, if you have been hurt by people who are supposed to be Christians or people within the church, or even the church itself, I would say find different people. Give Jesus another chance, you know. He's there for you. God does have a wonderful plan for your life, and he does love you. So much so that he gave his only begotten son for you on the cross. And it was his great pleasure to do so. You can turn to the world, but the world will only satisfy you for a moment. There's an eternal satisfaction that you can gain by turning to Jesus. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:16

Beautifully said. Hey Jonathan, I think Isaac locked in for that one. But Isaac, thank you so much for joining us on the Mount Testimonials. And for everyone who has made it this far, don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, smash that notification bell, and hey Jonathan, what else?

SPEAKER_01 44:39

Don't forget that Jesus loves you. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 44:44

Amen.