Amanda Stewart

Children’s Ministry

Growing up, I lived within ¼ mile of my church. Our family was at church every time the doors were open. At church, I was taught to respect, fear and honor God. I was also taught that it was good to pray. As a child, I memorized Psalm 23, John 3:16 and The Lord’s Prayer. I was taught about Hell and I knew I didn’t want to go there. I was taught that Jesus did die on the cross, that He was God’s son and that I needed to believe in him. As a young girl, I remember sitting at church and my heart would start racing during the invitation.  One night, when I was eight years old, I told my parents that I wanted to be saved. I was scared of going to Hell. We knelt down in the living room floor and my dad prayed the sinner’s prayer for me. We called our pastor and told him what had happened and I was baptized. 

Life moved on and I continued to go to church and tried to be a “good” girl. In middle school and high school, I didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, didn’t party, didn’t date. I believed that I was a good person when I compared myself to those around me. In high school, I had many friends who  didn’t go to church and knew that they weren’t saved. I didn’t want my friends to go to Hell, so I organized 3 county wide youth revivals. I organized bible studies and I was in charge of our youth group at my home church. I worked and worked and worked trying to gain God’s favor and prove that I was a “good” girl. Through all of this, I often had doubts about my salvation. I talked to many people about my doubts and was often told that it was Satan trying to convince me that I wasn’t saved. Others would tell me that since God had used me to point them to Jesus, then they knew I was saved. That answer would ease my conscience for a little while but in time the doubts would return.

God allowed Brent and I to meet and get married. I struggled with many sins but pride and jealousy were besetting sins for me. I would talk with Brent about my doubts of assurance of salvation and these indwelling sins. He wouldn’t try to convince me that I was saved but would simply pray with me asking for God to help me.

In God’s Sovereignty and kindness he brought some amazing Godly women into my life. One lady invited me to start walking with her. She and I would push our new babies in strollers and she would challenge me to memorize scripture, sharing the gospel with me and praying for me. These women taught me that God's Word is life and that prayer is a gift!

During this time, God also allowed Brent and I to be part of an evangelism class called Way of the Master. In this class we were taught how to go out and share the Gospel with people. I went out into the community with a sister from church. Each time, I was great at greeting people and carrying on conversations with them, but I was never the one to share the Gospel because I didn’t understand it. I continued to go with the Evangelism team. I heard the gospel many times but there was still something wrong.

Not long after we were married, Brent was preaching at my home church and he was talking about sin. God opened my eyes and showed me that I am a sinner. He showed me that I can never be good enough on my own!  The Holy Spirit convinced me of the depth of my sinfulness. I finally realized that Jesus lived the perfect life that I could never live and died the death that I deserve. I saw and understood His love for me in a way I never had before. I repented of my sin and received Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I am a sinner saved by God's grace and I am still learning everyday just how much I need Jesus!