I have never shared this part of my testimony with anyone. I prayed a very dangerous prayer in the fall of 2005. My life was going nowhere, and I was really ashamed to think of standing before Jesus and really feeling like I had failed with what he had called me to do. I had failed at ministry and marriage and about everything else I had tried. I prayed “Lord, whatever you have to do to change me, just do it, give me a vision of heaven or hell, just spare my life. I hoped for a 10 minute vision of heaven or hell to motivate me, but what I got was 7 years in hell. God would use this to transform my life.
Some people may question my vision of hell. They might say did you really go there. Remember, I didn’t go there it came to me, but it was just as real. I experienced it and lived it for seven years. Hell is a very real place. It is the final destination for everyone who doesn’t accept Jesus and put their faith in him as their Savior. Let me share what I
experienced.
The strongest thing that stayed with me is the feeling of hopelessness. I had one advantage over people that were actually there, I could be healed or die if I could just hold on. I had asked God to change me and he was allowing this to transform my life. This experience changed my character. This experience: in my mind, soul and body would give me a taste of hell. It would give me compassion towards the lost and the urgency to warn them.
I was in constant physical pain. I was not able to get comfortable for seven years. It was like being tortured. When you are in constant, acute pain all you can think about is how can I get out of this pain? Will it ever end? What would if be like to not have pain. We know that hell is a place of torment. Many people right here might stop and say why would a loving God send anyone to hell? I want to address that before I go any farther. We in reality send ourselves to hell. God sent his son to die on the cross for us and if we don’t receive that payment for our sins and the ultimate gift of love of his son, we reject eternal life. We really say to God, “I don’t care what you did for me on the cross.” God wants those who want him and he wants everyone to want him. But we do have free will and he doesn’t force himself on anyone. Everyone has a choice. I know one thing that came out of these seven years in hell for me, I don’t want to go there and I don’t want anyone else to go there! I choose Jesus and want to serve him with all my heart and will do my best to do just that!
I had many other physical things wrong with me. I had eighteen different symptoms. I felt like Job. I think Job had a taste of hell, too. I was tormented by demonic forces on many different levels. Some were just oppressive evil spirits, and some manifested. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. It was an awful thing to experience. The worst part, however, was the loneliness and hopelessness. You will be completely isolated in hell with no one to talk to. It always blows my mind when people say stuff like “Yah, I’m gonna party in hell.” It will be like solitary confinement with no visitors. Your memory will be perfect. You will remember what you lost and could have had. The thought of that to me is unbearable now, even though I am out of that trial. It is final, there is no second chance. It’s over! Can you imagine that? You could have had millions of years in heaven but you made the wrong choice!
For every person who knows Christ personally, I hope this will stir up within them a fire to win and disciple the lost. For anyone reading this that does not know Jesus and has never been born-again, I hope this will make you think. God has abundant life for you for you down here and eternal life forever and ever in heaven waiting for you. If you choose not to accept him, you get what you get down here, and the door will be slammed shut some day when you don’t expect it. Don’t put that decision off!
In Luke 16, there was a rich man who went to hell and wanted to come back and tell his brothers to accept Christ so they wouldn’t end up where he was. He also wanted his constant thirst quenched. I realize talking about this isn’t popular; it’s kind of like looking at pictures of children with swollen bellies in third world countries that are starving. No one wants to talk about or look at unpleasant things, but someone has to. Hell is a real place!
There is good news; however, you don’t have to go there. God gave me a second chance at life and ministry and I am not gonna blow it. You can abundant life on this earth. You can be a world-class over comer in Christ and get eternal life with Jesus. I wrote a song called “Streets of Gold” a few years ago. Now when I think about the contrast between eternity in heaven and walking on streets of gold versus the alternative of living in solitary confinement forever in pain with no hope and no way out, it just boggles my mind.
Please choose wisely! If you need to know how to become a Christian, please click on this link:
http://www.howcanibehealed.com/how-do-i-become-a-christian.html
Some people may question my vision of hell. They might say did you really go there. Remember, I didn’t go there it came to me, but it was just as real. I experienced it and lived it for seven years. Hell is a very real place. It is the final destination for everyone who doesn’t accept Jesus and put their faith in him as their Savior. Let me share what I
experienced.
The strongest thing that stayed with me is the feeling of hopelessness. I had one advantage over people that were actually there, I could be healed or die if I could just hold on. I had asked God to change me and he was allowing this to transform my life. This experience changed my character. This experience: in my mind, soul and body would give me a taste of hell. It would give me compassion towards the lost and the urgency to warn them.
I was in constant physical pain. I was not able to get comfortable for seven years. It was like being tortured. When you are in constant, acute pain all you can think about is how can I get out of this pain? Will it ever end? What would if be like to not have pain. We know that hell is a place of torment. Many people right here might stop and say why would a loving God send anyone to hell? I want to address that before I go any farther. We in reality send ourselves to hell. God sent his son to die on the cross for us and if we don’t receive that payment for our sins and the ultimate gift of love of his son, we reject eternal life. We really say to God, “I don’t care what you did for me on the cross.” God wants those who want him and he wants everyone to want him. But we do have free will and he doesn’t force himself on anyone. Everyone has a choice. I know one thing that came out of these seven years in hell for me, I don’t want to go there and I don’t want anyone else to go there! I choose Jesus and want to serve him with all my heart and will do my best to do just that!
I had many other physical things wrong with me. I had eighteen different symptoms. I felt like Job. I think Job had a taste of hell, too. I was tormented by demonic forces on many different levels. Some were just oppressive evil spirits, and some manifested. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. It was an awful thing to experience. The worst part, however, was the loneliness and hopelessness. You will be completely isolated in hell with no one to talk to. It always blows my mind when people say stuff like “Yah, I’m gonna party in hell.” It will be like solitary confinement with no visitors. Your memory will be perfect. You will remember what you lost and could have had. The thought of that to me is unbearable now, even though I am out of that trial. It is final, there is no second chance. It’s over! Can you imagine that? You could have had millions of years in heaven but you made the wrong choice!
For every person who knows Christ personally, I hope this will stir up within them a fire to win and disciple the lost. For anyone reading this that does not know Jesus and has never been born-again, I hope this will make you think. God has abundant life for you for you down here and eternal life forever and ever in heaven waiting for you. If you choose not to accept him, you get what you get down here, and the door will be slammed shut some day when you don’t expect it. Don’t put that decision off!
In Luke 16, there was a rich man who went to hell and wanted to come back and tell his brothers to accept Christ so they wouldn’t end up where he was. He also wanted his constant thirst quenched. I realize talking about this isn’t popular; it’s kind of like looking at pictures of children with swollen bellies in third world countries that are starving. No one wants to talk about or look at unpleasant things, but someone has to. Hell is a real place!
There is good news; however, you don’t have to go there. God gave me a second chance at life and ministry and I am not gonna blow it. You can abundant life on this earth. You can be a world-class over comer in Christ and get eternal life with Jesus. I wrote a song called “Streets of Gold” a few years ago. Now when I think about the contrast between eternity in heaven and walking on streets of gold versus the alternative of living in solitary confinement forever in pain with no hope and no way out, it just boggles my mind.
Please choose wisely! If you need to know how to become a Christian, please click on this link:
http://www.howcanibehealed.com/how-do-i-become-a-christian.html
RSS Feed