Personal Testimony of Steven Goss

In my youth I was the type of person who would try anything once,

especially if I thought it would get me into the "in" crowd. Those

days were characterized by experiments with alcohol and drugs, dabbling

in philosophy, and wondering whether I would find real meaning in

anything. After high school I was anxious to get out from under my

parents' authority so instead of going to college, on their money, I

joined the Navy. It turned out to be a rude awakening in some ways;

there were some hard lessons including an evening in jail, and my try

anything once lifestyle more than once got me into real trouble.

By the time I had completed four years of my six year enlistment I was

getting tired of life in what I thought was the "fast lane". The

drunken carousings and weekends of "thrill sports" left me feeling more

empty than before. I was curious about the true meaning of life and

had talked to people involved in transcendental meditation and a cult

group, but never fully committed to either. Several people had even

shared the Gospel of Christ with me, and because of my parents

influence I always thought in the back of my mind that Christ was the

answer.

Finally, at the end of December in l978 I met a guy on my ship who

asked me if I was a Christian ... to which I responded "No, I joined

the Navy to get away from all that church stuff." He told me that

Christ didn't come to start a religion, and I was surprised that this

guy knew where I was coming from and had a past much like mine. He

told me of how he had accepted Christ and been changed, while I

recalled the changed lives I had seen in other friends. When I asked

tough questions about things I didn't understand or bothered me, he was

able to show me verses in his Bible that clearly explained God's truth.

I remember in particular Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth His love

toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." My

new friend, Jack, said, "Since He died for you, in your place, you

don't have to die!"

I was thinking real hard of the things he had said and of the words we

had read together from his Bible. He didn't have to convince me that I

was a sinner. I kept thinking of the "newness" of 2 Corinthians 5:l7

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things

are passed away; behold, all things are become new." I wondered what

it would be like to trade that empty feeling for a new life; and

instead of wondering what truth was, to know that I had the truth.

When Jack asked me if I wanted to pray and recieve Christ I said

"Yes!" and we prayed right there. He had warned me that becoming a

Christian was an act of faith and wouldn't necessarily produce a

feeling, but I felt a calm assurance that I had done the right thing

and that the rest of my life would be different ... new.

Jack loaned me a Bible and as I began reading it I was amazed at the

promises and truths available to those who are properly related to God.

I began to change from the way I had been before ... I was surprised

at the language the saliors around me used, even though I had cursed

with the worst of them; I began to dislike rock music and got rid of

many of the record albums I had; and I lost my interest in TV and

movies.

At my next duty station I met other Christians that were learning about

Jesus Christ from the Bible, and during that time I also met a

Christian girl that I dated and later married. After several years of

marriage, my wife and I are glad that we have Christ in our marriage,

and as we observe the world around us we are glad that God gave us a

clear plan in the Bible for our life together, and glad that He has

promised to provide for our needs. We have been encouraged to see God

come through when we prayed according to His will during times where we

otherwise could not see an answer.


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