I was born into a Christian home.
I was taught right from wrong at a young age.
I’ve been blessed with the most loving and amazing parents that anyone could ever ask for.
Honestly, my testimony started before I was even born. Let me start from the beginning. It’s long but worth it.
I was supposed to be aborted. My life was almost over before it even started. My birth mother went to the abortion clinic because my birth father was in the military and she could not take care of me. Praise God for the videos they make women watch before they go through with abortions. That’s the only reason I’m alive and is the main reason I am so prolife. I’m one of those lives.
That’s a cool story, but that’s not where my testimony starts.
My dad, the one who adopted me, had been praying for me before I was even conceived. His prayer for me would be that I would lead others to Christ. While my birth mother was pregnant, she gave her life to Christ because of her pregnancy.
My father’s prayers were answered before I even took my first breath.
Because my birth mother was a Christian now, she wanted me to go to a good Christian home. She chose my family. She wanted me to be raised with an older sister and she wanted God to be the center of my life. I can tell you that she couldn’t have chosen a better family. My birth father’s parents wanted to take me, and to my understanding, they were Muslim. God had his hand of protection over my life.
My parents named me JoAnna because
The name Joanna is a Hebrew baby name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Joanna is: Gift from God.
I was their gift….along with my sister too I guess. I’m just kidding she’s great.
My parents always reminded me that being adopted was a blessing, not a curse. They’ve told me my whole life to look at the people in the Bible who were adopted. They did amazing things for the kingdom of God. Moses, Joseph, David and more! They were all taken out of their family for one reason or another, and they were all vessels used by God to do his wonders. I am one of those people. God took me from one place, and put me in with an amazing, God fearing family. My dad’s prayer has been for me to lead people to Christ, and so now I am going to use this blog to do so.
My parents raised me knowing who God was. I knew Bible verses and Bible stories and all the books of the Bible by 1st grade. At the age of 7, I prayed a little prayer and asked God to come into my life, but that wasn’t when I became a Christian. That wasn’t the moment I followed Christ.
I went through 6 more years thinking that I was a “Christian” and that God was up there on his throne, sitting there wanting us to worship him. That’s what I thought God was…I thought that he just wanted my worship and that he would be good as long as I gave him that.
I went to church camp when I was 13 years old and I’ll never forget the night I became a Christian.
I was sitting in the seats of the basketball coliseum at Stephen F. Austin University at Student Life Camp 10 years ago. A man named Todd Agnew was our worship leader. He told everyone in the crowd to close their eyes. He said that he wanted us to picture God in our minds, however we see him. (I personally pictured God on a thrown in heaven and I pictured myself among a lot of other people bowing down to him). After we had our own personal visions in our head, he told us to picture God, pushing through the crowd to find you, whoever you are, and he stretches out his arms to just hold you…just you.
This was new for me. I thought that God just wanted me to do good things and praise him…I didn’t know that he wanted a relationship with me. I didn’t know that he wanted me too.
At that moment, I realized why Jesus had died on the cross. I realized that it wasn’t about praising him, but rather, that praise came from having a personal relationship with God. It’s not the sole purpose, it’s a result of something deeper.
I wanted that. Whatever it was, I wanted it. I wanted to have my OWN relationship with God. I had to have it. I didn’t know what to do! I didn’t know what to say. And then, I remembered that prayer that I prayed when I was 7. It all made sense now, but now I fully knew what it meant. I understood why I was asking Jesus Christ into my life. I now understood that it was about a relationship and that making him Lord of my life wasn’t signing my life away, but rather, it was saving my life completely.
I then proceeded to pray a version of that prayer that I prayed so long ago. I told God that
1. I knew I was a sinner. Because of that sin, I am guilty of wrong and not worthy to enter into a perfect Kingdom called Heaven. Sin is like muddy shoes in a clean white room. It’s not allowed.
2. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and is God’s Son who was sent to be a sacrifice for my sins so that I wouldn’t have to endure eternal death.
3. I asked Jesus Christ to be the Lord of my life forevermore. I said it out loud with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord over my life. Mine, JoAnna Moore.
In Romans, it says “that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, AND believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
That’s what I did. I began my relationship with God at that moment. It’s been a long hard journey, but I can honestly stand before you today and tell you that I have a personal relationship with God, the creator of the universe. A relationship. That means that I talk to him and he talks back. He knows MY name. He knows JoAnna Moore personally.
By no means am I perfect. To be honest, I’ve been a horrible reflection of Jesus Christ, but when Christ died for us, ALL our sins were in the future. It’s been said that “I’m not a Christian because I’m strong and have it all together. I’m a Christian because I’m weak and admit I need a savior.” That statement couldn’t be more true. A Christian life is a hard one, but it’s the ONLY one filled with Joy and Peace and an eternal life with the Father above. No sin is too great to keep you out of God’s Grace, and once you’re in God’s family, he will never leave you or forsake you…even when it feels like he isn’t there, he is.
If you’re reading this, and if you’ve made it this far, cause I know this is a long blog…I just want you to know something. I want you to know that God says to COME AS YOU ARE! He doesn’t say “fix yourself then come to me”. He says that he wants a relationship with you here and now in WHATEVER condition you’re in. You could be broken, hurting, at the bottom, or on the top of the world. Either way, know that you’re wanted by a loving God who made you.
I don’t know why bad things happen. I’ve questioned God many times, but I do know that God is faithful. I’ve questioned death before, and I’ve questioned the evil on this earth. However, I also realize that there are some things I’ll never understand and that my loved ones are in heaven waiting for me to complete my job here on earth. My best friend is there now. I can’t tell you how much peace it brings me knowing that she was a Christian and I will see her again.
There is a place for everyone including you. If you’re ready, don’t hesitate to pray that prayer yourself and ask Jesus to be the Lord over your life. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m not here to debate, I’m here to tell you about what God has done in my life. [email protected] is my email.
I don’t know who you are, but I’ll be praying for you. With love
-Just Jo
