After the Storm Testimonies

[Avyn]

I really need to hear some testimonies y'all. I was just listening to Tye Tribbett's song, and the chorus says "If you only knew what I was gonna be /after the storm you would/ not even bother me."

Do you guys have After the Storm Testimonies of how you were better, stronger, wiser, how God really demonstrated His power, etc. after it was over? I really, really, really need to hear them.

 

[LifeafterLHCF]

Well mine is really long but I will give a snipet.I have been abused,raped,misused,molested,shacked,tricked and so forth.In spite of all I have gone through and my attempts at ending my life God has pulled me through.I know that there are days where Im really confused as to why on earth would God allow such horrid things to happen to someone he loves but I have faith deep down that one day some of it will make sense.For now I try to encourge myself with mediation and prayer.I don't look like what I have gone through but when you hear my story it will surpise you.

 

[loolalooh]

I have a few testimonies. I sometimes have to remind myself of these moments when I go through a storm. He has never failed me:

COLLEGE:
While in college, I failed a physics class. The way my school was set up, if you botched a class like that, it set you back a whole year or worse. I got really down because I knew God had placed me at this school to succeed and not to fail ... so why was I failing? To make a long story short, I wrote a petition to the department and left it in God's hands. So what happened? The department approved my petition to allow me to start my major on time while retaking the physics course. There were many other academic trials to follow, but by God's grace I graduated on time and with decent grades. This 4-year storm definitely made me stronger, wiser, more patient, ... and more humble. I also think He used this period to show me that my talents are through Him. That no matter how hard I study, if I don't acknowledge Him, then I won't make it.

HEALTH:
Years ago, my mom suffered a stroke that left her right side paralyzed and left her in the hospital for weeks. She couldn't write, walk, or speak. Today, she is writing, walking, and speaking as though she never suffered a stroke. God really demonstrated his power here. Even if she wasn't back to her normal self, the fact that my mom survived is a miracle too; I knew an uncle who died from a stroke.

FINDING HAPPINESS - MY CURRENT STORM:
This is my current storm but I see God working in it already. Wrong choices I have made have caused my recent storm. Not "wrong" by the worldly definition, but "wrong" by God's definition. At the time, I didn't realize it was my choices ... I thought it was Him and I blamed Him. However, God has spoken to me and told me that I haven't been listening to Him -- that I've been following my own will. So in this storm, I'm learning a few things. First, that I must obey and rely on Him more because He has my best interest at heart. Second, that my source of happiness and self-worth is in Him and not in things I accumulate and other people. Third, that He is my best friend and will never forsake me. I still have more to learn and the storm isn't over, but the end in sight.

 

[Mrs.TheBronx]

Well mine is really long but I will give a snipet.I have been abused,raped,misused,molested,shacked,tricked and so forth.In spite of all I have gone through and my attempts at ending my life God has pulled me through.I know that there are days where Im really confused as to why on earth would God allow such horrid things to happen to someone he loves but I have faith deep down that one day some of it will make sense.For now I try to encourge myself with mediation and prayer.I don't look like what I have gone through but when you hear my story it will surpise you.

God knows the strong ones!! You are a conquerer!!!!!! You are here to share your testimony! God is molding and shaping you to help someone else who has gone thru the same exact thing!! Mark my words, He is going to bring someone to you that has gone thru it and you will be able to share His goodness and give Him the glory as to how He has helped/helping you out of bondage!! You don't even realize how much of an inspiration you are to even me who has not been thru what you have been through, so i can only imagine when God leads you/ You get lead to the soul who needs you! It will be AMAZIN! We just have to be available to be used by Him.

 

[plainj]

Well mine is really long but I will give a snipet.I have been abused,raped,misused,molested,shacked,tricked and so forth.In spite of all I have gone through and my attempts at ending my life God has pulled me through.I know that there are days where Im really confused as to why on earth would God allow such horrid things to happen to someone he loves but I have faith deep down that one day some of it will make sense.For now I try to encourge myself with mediation and prayer.I don't look like what I have gone through but when you hear my story it will surpise you.

Girl I know your story is amazing. God still has you here for a reason after all of that. He's using you in a mighty way. Just continue to follow Him.

 

[mrselle]

I won’t go into detail, but when I was in college I had low self esteem. The things I did when I didn’t have a steady boyfriend embarrass me to this day. My friends judged me behind my back pretty harshly. The things I let men do to me, the way I let men treat me….I am ashamed and I pray my daughter never goes through the same thing. But God….he delivered me from all of that and today there is no hint of that young, insecure, lonely and sad girl. If I told people today the things that I did they would never believe me. That’s how much God turned me around. But the things is….that was never who I was to begin with and God knew that. The devil didn’t know, but God knew and He knew what I would be in the years to come. My friends didn’t know….in a way, they wrote me off, but God knew.

There was a time when I struggled so bad financially that I carried a calculator to the grocery store because I could NOT go over a certain amount in groceries. Sometimes certain bills would not get paid. My credit score was so low no one would consider me for anything. I once bounced a check written for two dollars. Not on purpose, but because of some fees I was not aware of. My friends talked about me bad…told me I didn’t know how to handle my finances, when the truth was that I didn’t get the same kind of help from my parents that they did. I wore my shoes completely out. I had no choice because I had no money. I did my hair myself and I didn’t do a good job of it because I had no money to get it done by a professional. My friends talked about me and laughed at me. I was going out on a date with a guy and a friend offered to buy me an outfit for the date. Not to be nice, but because she would be embarrassed to know that I wore something I already had in my closet. But God….He has brought me to a place where I am pretty content financially. I have nice clothes and people always compliment me and tell me I look nice. And I don’t spend a fortune on clothes either. I always buy things on sale. I don’t take being able to buy clothes for granted. Something that is simple to someone, like having nice pajamas, I don’t take that for granted. My credit score is very high now. I don’t say this to brag, but just to emphasis how good God is. God never wanted me to focus on the outside anyway. He wanted me to focus on my inside and once that was right He gave me the means to fix up the outside.

I barely graduated from college, but you know what? I graduated. No one believed that I would graduate from college. My prayer partner and I were the only two people who believed it would happen. My mom says that she always believed, but I know she had her doubts. A few days after graduation some of my friends called to wish me a Merry Christmas. When I told them that I had graduated they were SHOCKED.

My husband and I struggled to get pregnant. After a year of actively trying to conceive we finally got pregnant only to have a miscarriage a month later. We continued to struggle for another year and a half. It was hard, painful and I will never forget the tears I cried. I hate to say it, but there were people who didn’t want me to get pregnant. They didn’t want us to have a baby together. But man has nothing to do with God’s plan for me. We have a beautiful three year old daughter and I am pregnant with twins right now. God is awesome.

 

[Reminiscing]

Mrselle - such a powerful testimony! Thanks for sharing. I got chills at the end when you said you struggled to have kids but now you have a 3 yr old and are pregnant with twins. Beautiful! Congrats to you and you're hubby. God is good!

 

[LifeafterLHCF]

I won’t go into detail, but when I was in college I had low self esteem. The things I did when I didn’t have a steady boyfriend embarrass me to this day. My friends judged me behind my back pretty harshly. The things I let men do to me, the way I let men treat me….I am ashamed and I pray my daughter never goes through the same thing. But God….he delivered me from all of that and today there is no hint of that young, insecure, lonely and sad girl. If I told people today the things that I did they would never believe me. That’s how much God turned me around. But the things is….that was never who I was to begin with and God knew that. The devil didn’t know, but God knew and He knew what I would be in the years to come. My friends didn’t know….in a way, they wrote me off, but God knew.

There was a time when I struggled so bad financially that I carried a calculator to the grocery store because I could NOT go over a certain amount in groceries. Sometimes certain bills would not get paid. My credit score was so low no one would consider me for anything. I once bounced a check written for two dollars. Not on purpose, but because of some fees I was not aware of. My friends talked about me bad…told me I didn’t know how to handle my finances, when the truth was that I didn’t get the same kind of help from my parents that they did. I wore my shoes completely out. I had no choice because I had no money. I did my hair myself and I didn’t do a good job of it because I had no money to get it done by a professional. My friends talked about me and laughed at me. I was going out on a date with a guy and a friend offered to buy me an outfit for the date. Not to be nice, but because she would be embarrassed to know that I wore something I already had in my closet. But God….He has brought me to a place where I am pretty content financially. I have nice clothes and people always compliment me and tell me I look nice. And I don’t spend a fortune on clothes either. I always buy things on sale. I don’t take being able to buy clothes for granted. Something that is simple to someone, like having nice pajamas, I don’t take that for granted. My credit score is very high now. I don’t say this to brag, but just to emphasis how good God is. God never wanted me to focus on the outside anyway. He wanted me to focus on my inside and once that was right He gave me the means to fix up the outside.

I barely graduated from college, but you know what? I graduated. No one believed that I would graduate from college. My prayer partner and I were the only two people who believed it would happen. My mom says that she always believed, but I know she had her doubts. A few days after graduation some of my friends called to wish me a Merry Christmas. When I told them that I had graduated they were SHOCKED.

My husband and I struggled to get pregnant. After a year of actively trying to conceive we finally got pregnant only to have a miscarriage a month later. We continued to struggle for another year and a half. It was hard, painful and I will never forget the tears I cried. I hate to say it, but there were people who didn’t want me to get pregnant. They didn’t want us to have a baby together. But man has nothing to do with God’s plan for me. We have a beautiful three year old daughter and I am pregnant with twins right now. God is awesome.

You made me shout on this part..I love how God will use you for his good and make the naysayers oh so mad..I love it..God will never put on you more than you can handle..Im slowly learning this when i go through I have to tell myself God did this bc he knows you have it in your to do it..and God gave you double for your trouble with the twins..

 

[plainj]

I won’t go into detail, but when I was in college I had low self esteem. The things I did when I didn’t have a steady boyfriend embarrass me to this day. My friends judged me behind my back pretty harshly. The things I let men do to me, the way I let men treat me….I am ashamed and I pray my daughter never goes through the same thing. But God….he delivered me from all of that and today there is no hint of that young, insecure, lonely and sad girl. If I told people today the things that I did they would never believe me. That’s how much God turned me around. But the things is….that was never who I was to begin with and God knew that. The devil didn’t know, but God knew and He knew what I would be in the years to come. My friends didn’t know….in a way, they wrote me off, but God knew.

There was a time when I struggled so bad financially that I carried a calculator to the grocery store because I could NOT go over a certain amount in groceries. Sometimes certain bills would not get paid. My credit score was so low no one would consider me for anything. I once bounced a check written for two dollars. Not on purpose, but because of some fees I was not aware of. My friends talked about me bad…told me I didn’t know how to handle my finances, when the truth was that I didn’t get the same kind of help from my parents that they did. I wore my shoes completely out. I had no choice because I had no money. I did my hair myself and I didn’t do a good job of it because I had no money to get it done by a professional. My friends talked about me and laughed at me. I was going out on a date with a guy and a friend offered to buy me an outfit for the date. Not to be nice, but because she would be embarrassed to know that I wore something I already had in my closet. But God….He has brought me to a place where I am pretty content financially. I have nice clothes and people always compliment me and tell me I look nice. And I don’t spend a fortune on clothes either. I always buy things on sale. I don’t take being able to buy clothes for granted. Something that is simple to someone, like having nice pajamas, I don’t take that for granted. My credit score is very high now. I don’t say this to brag, but just to emphasis how good God is. God never wanted me to focus on the outside anyway. He wanted me to focus on my inside and once that was right He gave me the means to fix up the outside.

I barely graduated from college, but you know what? I graduated. No one believed that I would graduate from college. My prayer partner and I were the only two people who believed it would happen. My mom says that she always believed, but I know she had her doubts. A few days after graduation some of my friends called to wish me a Merry Christmas. When I told them that I had graduated they were SHOCKED.

My husband and I struggled to get pregnant. After a year of actively trying to conceive we finally got pregnant only to have a miscarriage a month later. We continued to struggle for another year and a half. It was hard, painful and I will never forget the tears I cried. I hate to say it, but there were people who didn’t want me to get pregnant. They didn’t want us to have a baby together. But man has nothing to do with God’s plan for me. We have a beautiful three year old daughter and I am pregnant with twins right now. God is awesome.

He is so awesome. He is faithful. He is a sustainer and a keeper. He always knows what we don't know and can't even fathom to know. Praise Him!!!!!

 

[MSee]

Where to begin. I've been through so many storms. Lately I've been going through a storm. It almost seems like whenever I try to accomplish something, whenever I help someone, whenever I'm about to receive my blessing, there comes trouble. This year I've been lied on both to my face in a crowd and behind my back. I've been slandered, talked down, walked through way too much negative destructive land mines. These were done by family, friends, my Pastor, my mother. If I had time I could write about the things I made it through just last night in a Church meeting, of all places. God has brought me through and inspite of what was happening around me I was amazed at the lessons, true Biblical lessons I was learning and the changing of my mind from fixing things my way to letting God handle it. He does handle it, it may take more time than I would like but, all that I have gone through have proven GOD IS faithful.

What is amazing is that I am now able to pray for my enemies as Jesus said we must do. God knows I still have the urge to give them a piece of my mind that they do not know exists but, GOD IS faithful. I am so much stronger and so much more aware of God's work in me and around me. I have had to rely more on His word when it seems like noone had anything good to say to me. There is a verse in Proverbs that has a question "Who can stand before envy." I've come to realise that most of my attacks came because other people, who I deemed to be at a higher level than myself, just didn't want to see me succeed in anything. But God has blessed me so much that He uses me to accomplish things that are amazing to me. I give Him all the glory. There are things I've done that I know I just was not qualified to do but GOD IS, He sure is.

Thanks all for blessing me with your testimonies. May God's blessings forever be with you all.

 

[Avyn]

WOW!!! Such great testimonies. I am sooo encouraged by you guys. We overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony and I always take others' testimonies and meditate on them when I need strength. Pretty Face I cannot believe the amount of strength God has given you to be able to come through a storm like that and the authority that you have over the enemy as a result. I know you didn't speak about it but I just sense and know enough about trials to know that you have great amounts of supernatural power over the enemy (as we all do, but each of us walks in a different gifting).

Mselle, thank you for sharing your overcoming testimony!! I have gone through similar things as far as dealing with church members and leaders. Congrats on your babies, the future kingdom builders!! Your words reminded me that God holds my times and seasons. If I keep leaning and depending on Him, I will be blessed with good things in His time.

Msee, I am convicted by you praying for your enemies because I am at the point where I want them to hurt like they are/have hurt me. I so struggle with this and I know I need to overcome this in order for me to have a breakthrough. *sigh* I have come to the point of being able to forgive them (i think), but it is hard for me to pray for/speak blessings on them when they have sought to literally take my life. Your testimony has added to my ammunition against hard heartedness and bitterness.

Loolaloo, just yesterday I was thinking about my situation and the things I don't have and going over negative things in my head when the Holy Spirit completely changed my train of thought and I began to meditate on my own testimonies (hence this thread) and the things He has already blessed me with and although it took about an hour of singing praises and meditating on the goodness of the Lord, my emotions shifted. I know that God wants me to have peace and joy even as I go through this time regardless of whether I have a lot or a little, the support of people or not.

Thanx and keep em coming!!

 

[mrselle]

Where to begin. I've been through so many storms. Lately I've been going through a storm. It almost seems like whenever I try to accomplish something, whenever I help someone, whenever I'm about to receive my blessing, there comes trouble. This year I've been lied on both to my face in a crowd and behind my back. I've been slandered, talked down, walked through way too much negative destructive land mines. These were done by family, friends, my Pastor, my mother. If I had time I could write about the things I made it through just last night in a Church meeting, of all places. God has brought me through and inspite of what was happening around me I was amazed at the lessons, true Biblical lessons I was learning and the changing of my mind from fixing things my way to letting God handle it. He does handle it, it may take more time than I would like but, all that I have gone through have proven GOD IS faithful.

What is amazing is that I am now able to pray for my enemies as Jesus said we must do. God knows I still have the urge to give them a piece of my mind that they do not know exists but, GOD IS faithful. I am so much stronger and so much more aware of God's work in me and around me. I have had to rely more on His word when it seems like noone had anything good to say to me. There is a verse in Proverbs that has a question "Who can stand before envy." I've come to realise that most of my attacks came because other people, who I deemed to be at a higher level than myself, just didn't want to see me succeed in anything. But God has blessed me so much that He uses me to accomplish things that are amazing to me. I give Him all the glory. There are things I've done that I know I just was not qualified to do but GOD IS, He sure is.

Thanks all for blessing me with your testimonies. May God's blessings forever be with you all.

Your testimony inspires me. I have been talked about and lied on. It makes me angry to have someone talk about me like yesterday's trash and then smile in my face like I'm too dumb to know any better. Praying for my enemies is something that I have always struggled to do, but I've realized that when I do my heart softens towards the people who have hurt me. My heart softens to a point where I'm no longer angry.

 

[Avyn]

bumping...i know some more of yall can testify to how your lives have been changed for the better after a trial...more...more...more!!!

 

[Butterfly08]

I LOVE this thread! 5 stars! *****

2009 has been the most trying year of my life. In addition to an acrimonious divorce, a tree fell on our house during a rainstorm, damaging the roof and allowing mold to spread wildly right before we put it on the market. I had to move around a few times while the house was repaired. In addition, I was in graduate school while working full time. The stress was unreal erplexed, but we got the house repaired, SOLD IT , and that first semester (Spring) I STILL got all A's in school, despite the stress. In addition to being a mommy, working and school, I had to do most of the daily upkeep while the house was on the market (which was very time-consuming) until it sold near the end of November, but again God blessed me with one A and one B for both the summer and fall semesters.

I am still being challenged in the settlement terms, and there are a lot of unanswered questions in my mind about my future. But through it all, I believe God broke down my life to dust so that he could rebuild it exactly the way He wants it. He removed people from my life (that hurt terribly) but He also bonded me closer to my daughter, mom and twin than I have ever been before.

And He brought me to that Jacob point where I said "I won't let You go until You bless me." And to that Job point where I told Him "though You slay me, yet will I trust You." I have committed to trusting God even through some very bitter disappointments. He didn't answer all my prayers, or at least He hasn't on MY time table. But I am finally at that place where I will say "I'll trust You anyway." I will trust that HIS plan for my life is perfect, no matter how long it takes Him to unfold and execute it. Over this break He has been telling me simply to BELIEVE.

Praying for my enemies is still a challenge, because I have been hurt this year more than I ever have. Trust me some days I want to.......But God is working on my heart in this area. For now, I simply confess every day that I forgive my enemies. Slowly, I pray more and more for true repentance, redemption, and deliverance. That's about all I can manage for now.

So my storm is FAR from over, but God has kept me and truly CARRIED me for much of this year. I think about that famous footsteps poem because I have finally lived it. I look back and know that the only way I made it through is because God carried me. Emotionally, I have gone from the top of the mountain to the very bottom of the valley, and the ride has made me dizzy , but God has been my anchor through it all. I had nothing else to grip onto other than Him (all other things were sinking sand) - and my prayer life and relationship with Him has soared to the highest and most consistent level that it has ever been.

God is good. All the time!

 

[phynestone]

Butterfly,

Thank you for your testimony. The Jacob scripture is so true.

 

[Avyn]

Thanx Butterfly!!! If the pre-finale testimony is good, I know that when the storm is finally completely over, there will be an even greater overcoming testimony!!