2.Miracles Signs and Wonders 2024

My Journey to Salvation

by. A. Odems

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

My journey to salvation began many years ago in New Orleans, Louisiana. Everything was going well, I was working, making money, at least I thought so. My focus was on working and taking care of my family. When the weekends came, I wanted to drink and have a party! I felt like I worked all week, and it was my time to have a good time.

Now, I was always taught about God, but He was not on my mind. After drinking all weekend, I would wake up on Sunday morning and look in the mirror and I knew something was wrong. I knew that something was missing in my life, but I did not know what it was. It was midnight April 15, 1983, the phone rang and the person on the other end of the phone asked to speak to Mr. Alex Sr. I said, “This is Alex Sr.”

He said I am sorry to inform you that your son Alex Jr. has been shot to death. I was in total shock! My world had come to a complete stop! A young man who knew our family came to pick me up to take me to the scene of the crime. When we got there, I blacked out!

All I could remember was seeing my son Alex Jr. laying on the ground not moving. The pain and hurt was unbearable! It was the most difficult time in me, and in my family’s lives. I am telling you this as an unconverted man, I went through many different emotions. I would cry and load my gun and say if I would see that man who killed my son, I would kill him.

But my mother, who was a praying Christian woman, said to me, “Son if you were to take that man’s life it would not bring Alex Jr. back.”

She said, “Jesus Christ can bring you and our family through this most difficult time.” My son was only 20 years old. My mother told me that some of her members were coming from church to pray for our family. It was two days after my son had been killed when they came. It was a couple, a deacon, and his wife. I did not know that at that time my conversion would start, but it did. They begin to tell me how they gave their lives to Christ by repenting and changing their mind and the ways of this world. He and his wife told me that they could see I was very interested in what they were saying. They told me to repent and change my old way of thinking and to turn from my sinful ways. They gave me scriptures to read, Acts 2:37-39 and Romans 10:9-10. That night I got on my knees, and I cried out to God and His Son Jesus Christ. I confessed my sins, and asked Jesus to come into my life and save me.

That night was the most difficult night that I have ever experienced. All night something was pulling at me, it was like chains were being broken from me! Chains of bondage. I did not know at that time what it was, but I know now. It was the enemy trying to keep his hold on me.

The next morning when I woke up it was so quiet, it frightened me. I asked myself, “How can I continue to live like this?” A soft voice, Jesus said to me, “You ask for me, you won’t have to worry anymore, I am with you.” And He has been with me ever since. This is my journey to Salvation. I hope this testimony helps someone. Thank You!