9.11 Devotional - Daniel's and Ava's Stories

0:00Today is Friday, September 11th. For our devotional today, we're going to hear the baptism stories from Daniel Brockoff and Eva Fait. Growing up, I always knew what church was and the knew the big stories of the Bible. But being a kid who was pretty stubborn, I mostly stuck with the basics of faith and religion. I believed in God, but I never really took the time to remember verses, read my Bible, or build a personal relationship with Him. That started to change about four years ago when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and I had to go through chemotherapy and radiation. Obviously, it wasn't an easy time, but one thing that really opened my eyes was seeing how everyone in the church came together to support my family and me through that time. Seeing so many people care for us, pray for us, and be there for us, showed me how good God can be, even in situations that aren't good or easy. As I continued growing in my relationship with God, I feel like it has made me a better

1:03person, it's how we become more understanding of what others may be going through, and it has given me a different perspective on life. I'm still learning and growing in my faith, and I definitely don't have everything figured out, but I know that I want God to continue to be a part of my life and to trust Him and His plan is more. Another big part of my life right now is that I recently got engaged in my high school sweetheart, Ava. Being able to be baptized together makes this moment even more meaningful to me. As we begin this next chapter of our life together, I feel that it's important for both of us to depend on God and His plans for our future. I want to continue to grow in my relationship with God and with Ava, and I want Him to be at the center of both. So I'm here today to publicly declare my faith in Jesus and to commit myself to continue growing in my relationship with Him. Growing up in the church, I always had a belief in Jesus. I have a very faint memory of being about seven years old and sitting down with my mom on the living room ottoman and telling her I wanted to accept Jesus into my heart.

2:06I always went to church and youth group and enjoyed the routine of it. But what I called my faith was just a copy of my parents' faith. It was around sophomore year of high school that things started to change. The winter of 2021, Christy's started to hit me from left and right. Loved ones got sick and others struggled with some pretty rough situations. This caused me to spiral into a deep depression. I was self-harming and pretty miserable. The reason for this was my loneliness. While everyone around me was struggling, I felt so alone. With no one to turn to for comfort, I turned to the Lord. When I was the first time in my life, I remember actively seeking Him out and begging for Him to comfort me. And He did. Deuteronomy says, be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. You will not leave you or forsake you. While everything was falling apart around me, I clung to the Lord and He did not forsake

3:08me. Standing here almost five years later, I am a completely new person. It turns out I was never alone. I always had the Lord by my side.