Re: What are "Christians"?

Many people, after experiencing Jesus, go through a period of testing. They go through a wilderness experience. After experiencing great joy in the Lord, they feel nothing now but dry and empty. They feel like the Lord left them.

This happened to me. I did not understand it. I knew nothing about having to go through testings and desert experiences that the Bible speaks of. I thought at first perhaps God was mad at me over something that I did. I had no idea what I did to bring this on. I could not hear God speaking to me anymore. I felt very alone. At first, I felt that God was now rejecting me. Later on, I began to doubt His existence. I then became an agnostic. I remained an agnostic for years. During this time I made the devil very happy as I continued life in sin.

When the Lord had enough of it and decided enough prayers had been prayed on my behalf, He made my life so miserable that I knew it was either death or Jesus. He decided in my misery to let me know that He truly is real.

I began to seek Him again. I sought Him like I never ever had. I sought Him like I should have sought Him in my time of testing and wanderings in the wilderness of life. How different my life would have been if I would have only known to do that then. When He saw how hard I was seeking Him, He once again filled me with His joy. He once again started speaking to me. He once again became real to me.

I wish I would have understood how this all works before agnostism hit. Even after reading about all the trials people went through in the Bible I was too dumb to even think I would have to go through things too.

I am thankful I did not die in the wilderness. I would have been in hell right now.