Doubt, Fantasy and Truth with Grace Adewumi
#21stcenturyBiblestories Issue 009–2020
I am so excited to receive Grace’s testimony on different levels. The first is that if I never met her I probably would not be doing the #21stcenturyBiblestories series. If you read the article that propelled this series you’d remember I mentioned a conversation with a colleague that never left me which then promoted the collection of testimonies. The colleague I referred to, I met at Grace’s workshop. Without further ado, let’s go into her testimony.
“Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:9 (NLT)
Salvation! Salvation is a story that I’ve been privileged to experience but tell quite little of my story. I am compelled by Tega this early hour of the morning to remember how God saved me from my old ways.
That God saves is an awareness that’s been wedged into my consciousness over the years. One story that stands out on my mind right now is how God saved me from depressing and suicidal thoughts.
While growing up, I had quite a lot of pent up anger as a result of having no friends or close family members to share deep desires and well, the pressures of being the first child. Over time, I became very introverted and withdrawn to depressing extents. Pornography and addictive masturbation were just a few vices I indulged in just to feel “alive”. This led me deeper into even worse situations. Through pornography, I was exposed to lesbianism and perverse realities, which I would have actually dipped myself into had God not stopped me in my tracks. Had I had a more enabling environment, I know I would have eventually started indulging in drugs and worse vices.
How God saved me from such lifestyles was one of such simple means that it’s almost unbelievable. Imagination. God used my imaginations — the very same imagination I used while masturbating and engaging in evil vices.
In 2009, I encountered God through my imaginations. I was in church that day (Oh! Yeah, I had been a church girl all my life 😅) and I don’t exactly remember what was being preached but I remember vividly imagining how Jesus was beaten, ridiculed and then crucified for me. The whole imagination literally broke me down and I started crying like a baby as I literally imagined Jesus as if He were standing right before me.
“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT)
Yeah! So God saved me through the very thing that was destroying me — my deep imaginations. Have I slipped after then? Well, yes, I have slipped a few times since then but He’s managed to be in my thoughts through the very same imagination.
Today, I whisper the old lyrics: I once was lost but now I’m found.
The second exciting thing is that today is Grace’s marriage ceremony (she already married sef)! I think this was divinely arranged because I had planned to schedule her testimony for today before receiving her wedding invitation. Gracious God! Pun intended. Also, her getting married today also holds true of how much God has worked and transformed her thinking and lifestyle.
Sexuality and identity is one topic where many have questions. Kindly click here and here, Jackie Hill Perry has done some justice there to the topic.
Songspiration: New Wine by Hillsong
This article is a sequel to the article Doubt, Fantasy and Truth where I spoke about the disbelief of some people in the authenticity of Biblical accounts. The #21stcenturyBiblestories movement was enacted not only to establish that the Bible tells no lies but to show a contemporary representation of Bible stories and realities. And of course, to also boost faith in God.
Please kindly maintain the hashtag trail (#21stcenturyBiblestories) when sharing on various media platforms. Thank you for staying put. I hope this article has sparked something revolutionary in you.
Grace is a product designer with years of experience in the ICT industry. You can reach out to her on Instagram here and also on Facebook. She is also a hair consultant at Blacklush Beauty.
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Till the next publication
