Here is my testimony:

I accepted Christ as a young child. I remember going to a revival where the evangelist told a group of us as teenagers to never date a person you wouldn't marry. Unfortunately as a young adult I forgot that message.

I grew up very naive, but that is no excuse for my actions. I met a man that I thought was divorced... he wasn't. I thought I fell in love with him and was having an affair with him. He told me he was still married and later told me he was going back with his wife and their daughter. I was heart broken and felt so guilty. I couldn't face God. I felt totally separated from God. I had trouble even praying because I knew I had been wrong in my actions. I knew that God forgave me but I couldn't forgive myself. I knew he forgave the woman with so many husbands and told her to go forth and sin no more. I also knew that I was the one who moved not God. At the same time I couldn't understand why I couldn't forgive myself.

Years later a friend helped me work through it all. You see, I knew that God forgave me for the affair and that I had sinned against the man's wife and family and that I was plainly a sinner. I knew that together we had sinned. What I never thought of was that my sin was directly against God. That I needed to ask God for forgiveness for sinning against Him, not just for my sins but that I had hurt Him with my sins. I believe this friend was sent to me just for that reason because we didn't know each other lonag and then he died not long after he helped me work through it all.

Later I met a wonderful man and we married. We are so much alike and are so much in love that I can't forsee my life without him.

My point is that God forgives us for our sins; but we need to accept that some things are wrong and that we need to go forward with God's help. Jesus is our Lord and Savior, but even though he forgives us, he doesn't expect us to continue in our sins. And when He always has a better plan for our life when we are ready to accept His will for us.

May God bless you in Jesus' name,
Patricia McKinney