By D.J. Speckner
I am one of those people who did not grow up in church. As my life unfolded, I only went to church for a short time while in junior high. It was during that time when I made a decision to accept Jesus Christ. But my family soon moved away to another city, and I was out of church once again.
It wasn’t until I was in my early 20s that I started taking my relationship with Jesus more seriously. I started to understand that Christ wanted to be a part of my life on a day-by-day basis. I also began to see “church” as something more than just a place to go. Church became to me a people who loved me, and whom I could love in return.
It was during those days that God started to work on me; or maybe better yet, He started to work with me. God began telling me there was more to life than what I’d been doing. I believed the Lord was calling me into His ministry.
I struggled with this, mostly because I saw all of my shortcomings, fears, and my lack of Christian maturity as hindrances to doing anything for Jesus. I would grasp at any excuse not to commit myself to what I knew God wanted me to do. Of course, He had an answer for all of my excuses.
I began arguing with God. I actually told Him, “Lord, I believe You created heaven and earth. But as far as calling me into Your ministry, this time I think You’re making a mistake.” Imagine, arguing with the all knowing, all powerful God and telling Him, “I think You’re making a mistake,” but when you are desperate, you say desperate things.
It came to the point that I finally cried to God, “I can’t do it!” A still, small voice within my soul answered, “Of course you can’t. But if you let Me, I can do all things through you.” By the way, this answer came to me before I knew Philippians 4:13 was even in the Bible.
It was also then that I began to learn the real meaning behind the words of the hymn “I Surrender All.” The truth is, God wants total surrender from any one of us who will follow His Son. And now I can truthfully call Jesus “my Lord.”
Since I finally surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, I have been amazed where He has taken me. I helped start two churches. I would pastor a couple of churches for a combined 30 years’ experience. Since then God has called me into a full-time Christian writing ministry. This career change has been challenging, but Jesus has always been there with me, helping me become the writer I am today. Through His help, I have been able to recently publish a book entitled “Our Need for Revival.” This book is a unique look at God’s spiritual renewal for us today.
D.J. Speckner is a freelance writer who enjoys a novel perspective on life and the world around him. With over 30 years of experience in writing, public speaking, and pastoral ministry, he graduated from Wayland Baptist University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He lives in Brandon.