9.7 Devotional - Korrine's Story

0:00Today is Monday, September 7th. This week we're going to hear devotionals from those who were baptized on August 22nd at Church Camp. Today we will hear Korean co-volts story. Growing up I didn't attend church very regularly, but I always felt like I had a relationship with God. I vividly remember kneeling beside my bed to pray and talk to God. So much so that I would apologize for hogging the phone and always let him know I'd call him again tomorrow. As a kid, I viewed him as a friend I could share my day with. As I got older, I had a few friends whose parents would wake us up early on Sundays after a sleepover and make sure everyone was dressed for church. At the time, I didn't take much away from those Sundays, but I liked the feeling of knowing I had gone to church. My core group of friends in high school never really spoke about God, Jesus or church like

1:01many kids I hear today. So I never felt like my relationship with God needed to be shared. It was something personal between him and me. Fast forward to 2019. As I mentioned, I always felt I had a good relationship with God, but I wasn't actively seeking a deeper relationship with Him. That began a change during a season when I was working a corporate job that I was absolutely miserable in. I knew my heart was set on being in the classroom, or even more so at the time on the softball field. On a whim, I quit my big-head job with health benefits and all to coach a high school softball team. I went back to subbing, which at the time was never guaranteed work. I was still talking with God through all this, but I never truly felt like He was leading me. Looking back now, there's no way I made those decisions alone. There have been so many moments in recent years where I have truly felt God has placed situations, people, conversations, you name it, in front of me at exactly the right time. I was subbing on a random Tuesday when a former teacher of mine came into the library.

2:05She asked how to search for a full-time English position was going to which I said horribly. The next thing she said changed my entire life, my faith in Jesus, and the person I am today. She simply asked if I had ever considered special education. At night, I applied to a master's program. I got accepted the next day. The day after that, I applied for a teaching position and was hired. To say that God didn't place that conversation in front of me and answer all the prayers that I had been praying would be a lie. To this day, I not only credit God for that conversation, but forgiving me this blind child-like faith in Him and His plan for me. I feel like this was the moment in my life when I went from simply knowing God to actively wanting to follow Jesus. Professing outwardly, my belief in love for the Lord is something I've been actively doing over the last couple of years, especially since joining Life Bridge. This community has been one of my family's biggest blessings. It has given me a deeper understanding of the Word, opened my eyes to the ways God can

3:08present Himself in the mundane, and show me what it truly means to surround yourself with people who freely and boldly shout their praises to Him. In trying times when I have felt lower than I could ever have imagined, I have felt unworthy of God's grace and love. Through my own prayers and struggles, there have been times when I felt like I couldn't quite reach Him. But then a group of friends I met here literally stood around me, placed their hands on me and prayed over me. How can you experience something like that and not want to thank God? If I went through every time I have felt a wave of calm in the middle of my stresses and anxieties, knowing it was the hand of God over me, this testimony would never end. Having a full belief in trust in the Lord has given me a peace and situations that would have normally sent me into a spiral. As somebody who struggles with anxiety, God is often right there letting me know He can help. Philippians 4, 6-7, became my life first in 2024 after a conference leader encouraged

4:10us to pray and ask God to send us a verse we could remind ourselves of each day. It says, do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And that is exactly what I have experienced countless times. All this to say, I know that I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I have always known us in my heart, but today in front of my family, my friends, and this amazing church community, I get to publicly declare my unwavering belief and love for God. Today I get to proclaim that I believe Jesus is my Savior that I trust Him with my life and that He can make all things new. Even a spastic, anxiety filled busy mom like me, and I am so incredibly grateful that He does.