Personal Story: Kaitlyn
by London
I grew up in a family that believed in God and believed God worked in our daily lives. My brothers and I went to church every Sunday and every Wednesday night with our parents getting to know bible stories and the personal stories of our friends in the assembly around us.
When I was 9 quite a few of my friends received God’s Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues as described in the bible, and were then baptised. It was around this time that I started to take my relationship with God a little more seriously. I knew it would no longer be enough to count on my parent’s walk with God to see me through. I sought the Lord more earnestly and sought his spirit through prayer.
When I was 12 I was praying in a prayer meeting with a group of young people at a camp in NSW when my tongue began to change. I spoke out in a tongue I hadn’t learned as evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit. Back in Melbourne, about a month or so later, I was baptised by full immersion by my Uncle Phil at our assembly hall in Box Hill.
My faith was not unwavering as time went on. I would often doubt that I had God in my life the way others assured me I did. I thought perhaps I’d done something wrong, perhaps I’d fooled myself and wasn’t right with God. I was terrified I’d be held accountable for deceiving everyone. So I put it to prayer and asked God for some sort of guarantee. I suppose God knew it was what I needed and very quietly praying at a Wednesday night meeting, my tongue changed again. Perhaps it was a matter of finally hearing my tongue, finally praying with new fluency, but I knew in that moment that I would never need to doubt again.
Throughout school and university, I sought God often for his peace and guidance. He graciously grants me clarity and patience and I find myself time and time again surrounded by the support I need. I pray more and more for humility and wisdom and opportunities to share with others the gospel as I know it. God has brought me peace and comfort when I’ve been bullied, when I’ve felt alone and He has healed my broken heart time and time again. I don’t know how I would have got through my lowest times without His presence.
God works in my life every day. His peace is indescribable, palpable in inexplicable ways. Despite occasionally feeling lost, not knowing what I should be working towards in a practical day-to-day sense (work, school, career) I have a sense of purpose and a hope of greater things to come through Christ.
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