Introduction
Duane was living a life that seemed to him the right way to go. But rather than directing him to God, the path was quickly leading him to death. Years of indulging in an immoral lifestyle landed Duane in jail for prostitution and testing positive for HIV. He decided it was time to let go of living his own life and start giving God control.Duane's true story is one of many uniquely featured testimonies from you, the members and visitors of this site. Each story reveals a life transformed by Christian faith. If your relationship with God has made a significant difference in your life, we would like to hear about it. Submit your testimony by filling out this Submission Form. To receive weekly messages of hope and encouragement from real-life stories of changed lives, sign up for eTestimonies.
Duane's Way to God
I'm a twenty-five year old male living in Orlando, Florida. Recently, on February 8, 2006, to be exact, I received Christ into my life - for real.Something that has always plagued me was my thought of being saved, even though I lived a lifestyle that was an "abomination" according to Leviticus 18:22 (NKJV) . You see, I was born in Detroit, Michigan to unwed parents. I grew up in what society would consider to be a rough home life. My mother was often physically, mentally and verbally abusive. I later learned she treated me this way because that was the way she was taught.
My father did not live with us. He only fathered me, though I have three other siblings I grew up with, and I love each of them dearly.
My mother was addicted to crack for several years before rededicating her life to Christ. Her return to the Lord happened sometime before her "home going," when she passed away in 2003.
When I was really young, we moved to Niagara Falls, New York. My father passed away shortly afterwards, sometime between 1990 and 1992, though I'm unsure of the exact time.
Seeking False Comforts
After this I started to really seek false comforts. I began indulging in the homosexual lifestyle. I recall being in a few churches here and there, and never really "being there." I would go to alter calls and think that I was giving my life to Christ, and then after leaving, I would continue to live the way I had been living. I would make excuses or avoid Christians who tried to tell me that the lifestyle I was living was not going to get me into heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).I was saved, by grace, but I was living in sin. Years later I began living as a female, heavily participating in a sexually immoral lifestyle. I began smoking crack cocaine and prostituting. The whole time I was crying out to Satan, thinking I was crying out to Christ. And Satan, being a great deceiver, had me thinking that I was under the provision of God.
Letting Go of My Own Life
For several years I went in and out of jail. Then I went to jail on December 17, 2005, and finally began to see that I had to let go of my own life - the life that I thought was right. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (NIV)Shortly after, while in jail facing two years for prostitution, I found out that I was HIV positive. I went to the chaplain there and told him what I had just found out. He told me to read Romans 8:36 out loud. It said that the wages of sin was death. That's when it became very clear to me, that God was calling me to run from my old ways, repent and become a soldier in his army!
So, as I said, on February 8, 2006, I gave my life to Christ and allowed him to come into my heart. I began a long process of healing and sanctification.
Becoming a Complete Man of God
With every day, and every slip up, I learn that every lesson takes me a step closer to becoming a complete man of God. I praise him, for his son Jesus Christ, and the love he has for all of us (John 3:16).
I just want everyone out there to know that there are too many things going on in a perverse world that seem right to blinded eyes. In the eyes of the Lord, they are against his will for us. The answers to life's questions are all in his great book - the Bible. There I found faith, and something to actually strive for in life. May God bless you!
