Living Waters Fellowship

Debbie Albright’s Testimony

It was pure confusion that caused a frustration to well up inside of me and give me reason to question the Bible and what truth really was. I have spent my entire life attending Sunday school, Wednesday night programs, service, Bible schools, and Bible clubs. I’ve been drilled with Scripture and Biblical principles since I can remember.

I was six years old and attending Bible school, Wednesday Bible club, Sunday school, and doing my best to listen and understand the services on Sundays. I specifically remember each of my teachers during this time. Romans 3:23 was often discussed by each of them. Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This was something I understood clearly. I was a sinner and unable to go to heaven without Jesus. The Jesus part was the area that caused so much confusion. One teacher told me I had to “ask Jesus into my heart”, another explained that I needed to “pray to Jesus”, another teacher explained my need to “obey mom and dad” and the other simply said I had to “believe in Jesus”. I was positive that I didn’t care to take part in any open heart surgery to stuff anyone into my blood pumping muscle (not even Jesus), I wasn’t very good at the praying thing, I definitely wasn’t great with obeying my parents, and I thought I already believed in Jesus…

I remember sitting at home on the kitchen floor working on a word puzzle for Bible club. One of the questions was “how do you get to heaven?”. With much frustration, I finally asked my mom what the real answer was and gave details of the many answers I’d been receiving in all of my classes.

I remember my mom explaining away my fears of open-heart surgery and perfection with the book of John.

John 3:15 – 18 “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe in condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

It was through those verses I finally came to realize that not only was I a sinner but God sent his Son to this world to save me. It wasn’t anything I could say or do but something that Jesus had already done for me by dying on the cross and rising again. My own personal belief in Jesus as my Savior is what allows me to have a relationship with him and a promise of heaven one day.

Since then, God has been growing, challenging, and teaching me through many different circumstances. A verse that sums up my desire would be 2 Corinthians 5:15 “and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” I desire a life that mirrors the selflessness God showed through Jesus dying on the cross and raising again.