Clint's Story!

Hey girls! So, I plan on posting a different personal story each Monday, but Im not sure if I will be able to get online tomorrow! So, please read it and if any of you feel led to share your story let me know! I am more than willing to let you girls share what God has taught you!

JEN

Hello friends. I’m Clint Dean. For those of you who don’t know me I’ll share a little about myself. I’m eighteen years old. I have my own ministry called M.A.D. Ministries. I started it about three years ago after a life changing encounter with my Savior. But things haven’t always been so “good” in my life.
At the age of two my parents divorced. It tore me apart. I couldn’t understand. My father was abusive both physically and mentally to my entire family. By the age of five I had became depressed. By the age of seven I was having regular thoughts of suicide. I even attempted it a few times. I struggled with depression and suicide until the age of twelve. At the age of twelve I had finally overcame those issues. But my problems were nowhere close to being over.
Not long before I turned thirteen I started getting involved with the wrong group of people. I quickly found myself popping prescription drugs, being very vulgar, and participating in immoral and unclean acts. This led me into a place I never wanted to go. I was so lost. I was caught up in the things everyone said was cool and fun. I was doing things a thirteen year old shouldn’t have been even thinking about. I tried stopping many times because I knew it was wrong but these things had some kind of hold over me that I couldn’t explain.
This continued until I was almost sixteen. Then my life was radically changed at a new year’s church service in South Alabama.
It was approaching midnight and the worship group was singing “How Great Is Our God?” I suddenly started feeling a strange warm sensation all over. The feeling kept getting more and more intense until I could hardly contain it. I had no clue what was going on but I knew it was God. I got to the altar as fast as I possibly could. Once I reached it, I fell to my knees and cried harder than I ever have in my entire life.
I wanted to pray but I wasn’t sure how. And so these were my words: “God, I have no clue what to say. I am the worst person I know and I want to change. Please take these useless, shameful things out of my life. I don’t care what it takes. Just make me more like you.” At the time I didn’t know what I was asking, but I soon found out. When I stood up from that altar I felt different somehow. I couldn’t explain it. It was like I just took a shower after running a marathon. I felt relieved, refreshed, and I had found a new energy.
The next morning when I woke up, I had a strange urge to read my Bible. So I grabbed it and started reading, which I hadn’t done in a very long time. The first thing I read was Matthew 5:13: “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden under the feet of men.” I cried when I read this. I didn’t want to be “thrown out” by God. I wanted to be the salt of the earth for Jesus. I wanted to make a difference. But to make a difference, I had to be the difference.
A wise man once told me “To change the world, you can never be changed by the world.” I have held on to that for a long time because it’s so true. I realized I had to be different. In fact, that’s exactly what the word “Holy” means; belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred. In 1 Peter 2:9 God says that we are “an holy nation, a peculiar people…” We must be set apart from everyone else.
So to all you young ladies out there, who are reading this, do NOT give in. You are beautiful and special in your own way. God says He created you in His image. You must set an example to all the young ladies of the world. Show them that they do not have to conform their selves to this world to have friends or find a good guy.
Stay pure in Christ. Keep you’re thoughts, conversations, and most importantly, you’re relationships pure. Guys will try to convince you to do things that you know are wrong. They will use things like, “Well if you love me you’ll sleep with me.” And “We’re going to be together forever anyways so why not?” But all of those are lies. God says love is “kind, patient, does not seek for its own gain, thinks no evil…” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
So as you can see, God radically changed my life. He can do the same for you. It’s not about where you come from or what you’ve done in the past. It’s all about what you’re going to do. God can forgive all sins just like he forgave mine.
It may not always be easy. You probably won’t always feel like serving God. But living a life for Him is like swimming up stream in a river. You will get tired, might even feel like giving up at times. But if you keep swimming you will reach you’re goal. If you stop swimming, you go backwards. So no matter how difficult things may seem just call out to Jesus and keep pressing forward.
Now, in conclusion, remember this ladies. Christ should be you’re number one priority. You should go to His feet and leave your heart there. Then, any boy who wants to get you’re heart, he must go through Jesus to get it. If you do that, then who ever you end up with, you can rest assure in knowing he is the one.
And remember this also, you are precious, beautiful, and special. Never let anyone tell you different. You were created in His image. You are a princess, an heir to the throne of Christ. So keep your chin up and a smile on your face, because you have the whole world at you’re finger tips.
My prayer is that this will encourage you and give a boldness to stand for what you know is right, no matter the cost. Be brave and strong for Jesus. I love you all in Christ. Be blessed.

With love,
Clint B Dean