Delivered from the Hurt of Abuse and the Scars of Sin
MY TESTIMONY OF GOD'S AMAZING GRACE – SHELIA HOLCOMB
Before I begin my testimony I feel it is important to give
you some information on my childhood, so you will be better able to understand
some of the decisions I made in my life, however stupid they may have been.
When I was born my mother was only fifteen years old and now years later and
after I went through the process of forgiving her and working through a lot of
things, I am now able to look at her life through her eyes to try to understand
better how she must have felt. This is some advice from some very wise council,
I was told by this person that I could maybe forgive easier if I try to see her
life through her eyes and not the eyes of a hurt child, you know what it worked
I can understand her more clearly now. She was not mature enough to take care
of herself much less a baby. So she would send me here and there to whoever
would be willing to take me at that particular time, most of the time it was my
grandmother, several times throughout my life she would decide that she wanted
me back and she would come and uproot me again. I never really knew any
stability in my life and I always felt as if no one really loved me or wanted
me.
Then at the age of nine she came and got me and took me away
from my grandmother which really at this point of my life was the only mother I
ever know and I was very attached to her, anyway she took me to Illinois where
she lived, by now she had remarried and she had two more children by this man.
He hated me and the only reason I could think of was basically because I was
not his. Now this was not my fault although I blamed myself for years. He
started just physically abusing me but then it changed at the age of nine he
raped me and he told me he would kill me if I ever told anyone, I was very
young and scared, this went on until I was thirteen and I finally told my
mother, she did't believe me, actually nobody believed me. Finally I just let
it drop and I buried all those feelings of anger and hate for years, that has
now been dealt with and forgiven and it is under the precious blood of Jesus,
Praise God. I told my mother that I wanted to go back to Memphis to live with
my grandmother and she said alright because I was causing her to much trouble
anyway.
Now my grandmother was now remarried and I resented him
taking my grandmother's time and I was awful to him. My grandmother finally
with to the courts and told them I was out of hand and she just could not
handle me any longer, so they removed me and placed me in a foster home, the
home I went to was wonderful but at the time I could not see that, all I could
see was that I wanted my grandmother no matter the cost so I ran away. They
called my bluff and as a ward of the State of Tennessee I was placed in a
Catholic all girls reform school for three and a half years. Now I look back
and I can honestly say it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
But at that time all I could see was that I was totally alone, unloved and
unwanted in this great big world.
Now I will jump ahead some. In 1987 I lost my own three
children to their father and I totally lost it. I turned heavily to alcohol and
eventually that turned into crack and cocaine. By this time I had lost
everything including my dignity as I had turned to prostitution to support my
drug habit. I was arrested several different times on various charges but I was
never convicted and I never served any time and I know God was taking care of
me even back then in my sin, He saw what I would be one day in Him. I Give GOD
all the PRAISE, HONOR AND GLORY for that.
Salvation
My roaming and my drugs had taken me to many places but on
December 20,1990 my life changed and so did I from the inside out, praise God,
on this day I found myself at the 76 Truckstop in Little Rock, Arkansas, I was
hitchhiking trying to get home to Memphis, Tennessee where I did most of my
growing up and where my grandparents live. I was walking into the truckstop
when I had an inspiration to turn and walk straight to the fuel islands, there
were many drivers there getting fuel but I was led to one particular driver,
his name was John, I walked over and asked him if he was going east, he said
yes so I asked him if he could give me a drive to Memphis, it was only 124
miles and he agreed to help me out. Now I had not eaten in a couple of days and
he asked if I was hungry and he took me in to the restaurant and bought me
something to eat. The entire time we spent together eating and driving he just
began to share Jesus Christ with me. He told me Christ could and would set me
free if I was willing, He would give me a new life without all the pain and
turmoil I was living in. Of course being a christian does not eliminate us from
pain, trials and tribulation but with Christ in our hearts He will give us the
strength to withstand even in the worst times. I began to tell John about my
life and he still said Christ was the answer for it all. So 124 miles later
even before we reached Memphis I had made a decision and given my heart to
Christ and decided to live for Him.
I also had made another decision, I told John I was going to
marry him, we were both single but he laughed and said the only way you will
ever marry me is if God allows it, well about four months later on April
25,1991 we joined our lives together in matrimony in Las Vegas, Nv. The day we
met John continued to tell me all about God and he shared with me that God had
called him to drive a truck and to minister on the road to the lost,
truck-drivers, drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, homeless people, anyone
who was down and out. I continued with him in that ministry until July 2000
when God spoke to us and told us to come down to Lincoln, Alabama where we
could help Pastor Shirley James in her ministry and church, we are an outreach
to the lost and hurting. John is from Digby, Nova Scotia and we lived up there
for almost ten years until we moved here. We have a music ministry as well as
word ministry, I will travel anywhere I am asked to give my testimony and we
both preach and teach. God has really been good to us and it is to His glory
that I am writing this if one soul is reached it is worth everything.
Voice Restored
I had destroyed my voice by smoking and drugs and I told God
if He would restore and heal my voice that I would sing for Him the rest of the
days of my life and He has done exceedingly and abundantly above all that I
could ask or think. He has also gifted both my husband and myself with the gift
of writing, we have both written many songs and I continue to sing them for
they are God's songs I only held the pen. It does not matter where you are,
Christ will come to you and meet you if you are willing to let your life go and
let Him be God of and in your life.
When I first got delivered of the drugs the doctors
convinced me that I had done massive damage to my nervous system and to my
body, I am sharing this because some of you may be going through this and need
help. They had me on nerve pills, pain pills and sleeping pills among others,
again I was a walking zombie. I just went from illegal drug addictions to
prescription drug addictions, but since coming to Alabama I have now been
delivered of that too. Praise God!. It feels so wonderful to be free. This is a
process and it may take some time for healing but it is worth every mile.
Healed of a Bowel Condition
I have had so many miracles in my christian life as I am a
walking miracle myself but one really stands out to me and I would like to
share this with you. About three or four years ago I was diagnosed as having an
incurable bowel condition, the doctors were not even sure of what it was exactly
but they had come to the conclusion that with ulcers all through my body and
many in my bowel system, they said they wanted to do surgery and remove a fifth
of my bowel. I said no I am going to get prayer for this and I believe God is
going to heal me. They went ahead and scheduled me for another scope a few days
after Christmas.
So a few days later on Christmas Eve I called a friend of
ours over in another Province and asked him to pray for me, he said alright but
he would call me back in a few minutes, he had to get to a phone in private, it
being Christmas Eve he had a house full of people. By the time he called back I
had got together about ten of the Bibles that were at our house and laid them on
the floor in a circle opened and I placed one in the middle of the circle
opened and I knelt on that one and I told him to pray.
When he prayed for me, the fire of God hit me and went
through me, I had such a peace come over me. I went over to the bed and laid
down and went to sleep ( now Adam was put into a deep sleep in Genesis when God
removed the rib to create woman) God did the same for me, a deep sleep came
over me so God could perform healing surgery, I slept for seventeen hours and
John came in to check on me he wanted to make sure I was okay because before
this I was bleeding quite badly and he was concerned, he could feel such heat
emanating from my body he knew it was God so he left me in the Lord's hands.
When I work up I knew without a doubt that I was healed and I just praise God
again. I had been on $400 a month medication and I went in the kitchen and put
every bit of it in the trash and I have not had any of those problems since
that day.
Again I can't say enough it is all for the glory of God that
I am here and my life is what it is today, for without Christ we are nothing
but through Him we are Joint Heirs with Him. He is our Deliverer, Savior,
Helper, and Healer and any problem wee may have is never to great for Him to
help us, we just have to take it to Him and get rid of it.I thank God for His Power
is still healing, still saving and still delivering, He is good all the time. I
have made my mistakes and I have even fell off the wagon a few times but God
loves us and if we truly repent and confess our sins He is faithful and just to
forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If I can help anyone out there you may contact us at the
information below and we will do our best to help you in any way we can, if you
have questions about loved ones who may be on drugs or have other addictions we
will try to answer your questions and if we don't know the answer we will find
someone who does. Please always remember we are human and we will make mistakes
but just confess to God those mistakes and get them under the blood as soon as
possible, God still loves us and He will help us in all of our situations.
GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU ALL. I GIVE FULL PERMISSION TO ANYONE
WHO CAN USE THIS TESTIMONY TO COPY IT AND GIVE IT OUT OR SHARE IT PUBLICALLY
BUT PLEASE GIVE THE GLORY TO GOD, THANK-YOU LOVE AND PRAYERS YOUR BROTHER AND
SISTER IN CHRIST.
JOHN & SHELIA HOLCOMB
Feel free to email us at: rainbow@imws.net www.rainbowoftexas.org
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