Saturday, April 4, 2009

Lynn Squire Shares Her Story

Today is the SECOND of eleven salvation testimonies to be shared on Selah the days leading up to and just after Easter. I can't think of a better way to celebrate His resurrection than hearing God-stories of souls raised from death to life. So pause. Ponder what He has done. Then praise Him!!!!

Sooo I'd like to introduce you to Lynn Squire from Faith, Fiction, Fun and Fanciful, a wonderful writer with a heart for God. Her testimony begs for someone else to join her in the Kingdom, don't you think?

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Every saved person can tell of a time in their life when he realized he is a horrible person and needed rescuing. This realization, when met with the Gospel, led that person to bow down before the Lord Jesus Christ believing that God made Jesus the perfect sacrifice, the payment for all the evil deeds he has ever done and will ever do. At the moment of confession before God, he has the assurance that when he dies he will be with the Lord Jesus in Heaven (what a glorious day that will be). Each person who is saved will recall this day (though he may not remember the time or date) and can rejoice.

I have had such a time in my life:

When I was five years old I came home from Sunday School and sat on my bed. I prayed that I would one day be with Jesus. I did not understand all that was involved, but I knew that was what I wanted.

About two years later, I was answering questions in a Mailbox Club handout from Vacation Bible School. A question caused me great concern; when were you saved? I thought I was saved, but I couldn’t be sure and I knew I needed to get this point settled. I could not wait until I could ask my teacher how I could be sure I was saved.

The next day I stayed after VBS and the teacher took me through the Wordless Book, a book that illustrates by use of colors how a person can be saved. She showed me the black page and said how this represented my sin, all those bad things I had done. She quoted Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

She then showed me a red page. She quoted Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

She told me that the debt of my sin needed to be paid for, so Jesus shed His blood by dying on the cross for my sin. He died, was buried, and rose again.

The white page represented my heart if I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and come into my heart. The black page showed the condition of my heart, but should I be saved, Jesus would wash me clean. Psalm 51:7 says “…Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

My teacher then turned to a gold page and said that this page represented the streets of gold found in Heaven. She told me that there was only one way to get to Heaven, and that was through faith in Jesus Christ. John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”

I then prayed with her and accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.

Afterward the teacher showed me the green page and said this represented the growth a Christian should have. I took all of this to heart and I know that my life changed from that day on.

I have eternal security; I know for certain that when I die I will go to Heaven, because of what the Bible says.

Romans 10:9-13
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

I John 5:11-13
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

I know that I am a miserable sinner saved by grace, but I rejoice greatly in a loving, holy heavenly Father who saw fit to give the greatest gift ever that I might be reconciled unto Him.

Perhaps you, like me have come to realize you have done bad things in your life and that you need someone to forgive you of these bad things. Perhaps you recognize that you need someone give you new life. Perhaps you long to know God. You can pray and ask for His forgiveness, humbly accepting that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again conquering death. He gave His life for you, that you might have fellowship with Him and no longer be a slave to sin and death. Are you willing to give your life over to Him?

If you need someone to pray with you, email me at lynnsquire@gmail.com.

LYNN SQUIRE grew up on a farm in Southern Alberta where much of her perspective on life was shaped. As a child, she came to understand who she was in light of a Holy God, and that she needed Jesus Christ as her savior. This relationship became her life’s driving force, as long as she kept “self” out of the way. Nonetheless, God led her through educational valleys, across plains of complacency, and over mountains of life experiences, to her present location, California. She was baptized in a Baptist church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and currently attends Calvary Baptist Church in California with her husband and three children.

History has fascinated Lynn since childhood when she spent many hours playing and daydreaming about living as a pioneer. Today, this passion finds fulfillment in reading and writing.

At her church’s missions conference in 2007, her pastor posted the “Trail of Blood,” a chart covering martyrs from early church history to present day. The martyrs in Colonial America became of particular interest to Lynn since her ancestors may have been Anabaptist indentured servants in that period. She began researching the era, and was moved by the courage of those men and women who died for their faith.

Lynn’s first book, Management of Resources for Horsemanship Programs, sold out and is no longer in publication. She wrote several articles for horsemanship periodicals and websites. She was a contributing author to a number of manuals, including Certified Horsemanship Association Riding Instructor and Trail Guide Manual. Every other month, Lynn authors a fiction-writing column in the Ready Writer. She also had a short story and a poem published in the Northview Clarion. In 2008, she published a collection of short stories, poems, and prose entitled: Best of Faith, Fiction, Fun, and Fanciful.

In 1999, she received an Author’s Award from the Horse Daily Planner Publications and later a diploma from the Institute of Children’s Literature. She graduated from Trinity Western University with a B.A. majoring in Business Administration.

Lynn is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of the Christian Writers Guild, a co-moderator for the Fellowship of Christian Writers online critique groups, and she actively participates in a number of online writers' groups.


8 friends shared a comment:

Denise said...

Such a beautiful testimony Lynn, bless you for sharing.

Peter Stone said...

So wonderful to hear a testimony of someone being saved as a child. So many have great salvation stories of how the Lord rescued them from the world, but the ideal situation is 'Raise a child in the way he should go and he will never depart from it.' I too was raised in a Christian family, who introduced me to Jesus, rather than hoping I would find faith myself. One of my earliest memories is of talking to Jesus while sick as a three year old. I was aroundseven when I realised I needed to ask Jesus to be my Lord and Saviour.
Thanks for sharing your testimony, Lynn.

Beth in NC said...

Such a sweet testimony! Thank you for sharing with us.

I would to have one of those books myself. That is great for children!

Love,
Beth

Chris said...

Beautiful testimony!

Josh said...

I too had first been saved as a child (I later asked God into my heart a second time), and I think it is crucial that children hear about Jesus from a young age. It really lays the foundation for the future as you illustrated, Lynn. I appreciate you sharing your testimony with all of us.

Joanne Sher said...

That color book is SO neat. What a beautiful testimony, Lynn. I love how clearly the gospel can be explained.

LauraLee Shaw said...

Lynn, I dearly love this story. As someone who led kids' worship for 20 years, I have had the privilege of leading a child to Christ, and it is so rewarding. I love that your VBS teacher was willing to stay late to walk you through this. She'll be someone you'll be happy to see in Heaven.

thanks for letting me share this!

LaLee

Lynn Squire said...

LauraLee, thank you for the opportunity to share my testimony. God bless you for it.