My name is Micha Petty. I have
been born-again by the grace and love of God- and I am honored to have the
chance to share my experience with you. I once heard a Christian speaker
say that the first time she spoke from behind a pulpit, she knew she must be
ready, because she felt like throwing up. Writing this to share with all of
you tonight, I know what she means.
I grew up in
Louisiana, the son of the town flower lady. When I was
twelve, my family and I moved to Minnesota. I left home at
fourteen, due to an unbearable amount of hate in my
household, and began living on the streets. I tried going
back to stay with my mom and her husband a time or two, but
it never worked out. I slept in abandoned buildings
sometimes, but mostly I just lived outside. Panhandling was
the only way I ate for that first year. It was certainly by
God’s grace that I did not freeze to death, or have a host
of other things happen to me. I lived on the streets of
Minneapolis those first two years, selling drugs and living
in sin- quite contentedly, I thought at the time.
By the age of sixteen, I felt I had learned just about
everything there was to be learned from being a street kid,
so I set out to see the rest of the country. I hitch-hiked
around for the next several years, eventually getting an old
school bus, and traveling to all but five of the states in
the U.S. I made my living partially as a roadee; building
Superbowls and concerts for everyone from Glen Campbell to
the Rolling Stones. I made the rest of my money by accepting
donations from schools and daycares for telling stories.
There are still a few thousand people that remember me as
the long-haired, tie-dyed “Micha the Storyteller.”
I learned and told hundreds of old stories from around the
world, each that I felt conveyed lessons of morality and
justice. It seemed I was really making an impact on the
world. It got to the point where almost right away in every
new city I came to someone would recognize me from a hippy
gathering or some such event and know my name. People would
come up to me years after I had last seen them, relaying
again how much a story I had told them had meant to them.
After awhile, I got to seeing myself as many others saw me:
a young man- born maybe a little too late for his time- who
was wise beyond his years. Someone who had captured an
indescribable “something more” from life; always ready with
some “age-old story” to shine “light” on the human plight.
This went on until I was twenty-one- until three o’clock in
the morning, June 3rd, 1999, to be exact.
You see, during that time my mother had gotten saved, and she
had a whole church praying for me. Looking back, I didn’t
stand a chance really. The next time I came to visit her,
all I heard was “Jesus this… Jesus that…” and all I wanted
to do was run, let me tell you. I had heard all that stuff
before from the Bible thumpers on the streets of more than
one city by then, and I certainly didn’t want to hear it
from my mom. I mean, I used to tell Bible stories and
parables, and I had even felt Jesus touch me during a
near-death experience in the wilderness once, but this
“Jesus” all the time stuff seemed way overboard. Besides, I
didn’t need to be saved- I was living a life of freedom,
going places every day other people only daydreamed about.
Somehow, though, my mom talked me into coming to church with
her. Speaking that day was a missionary from Nigeria. After
service, He asked those that would like prayer to come up
front. My mom kind of pulled me up there with her, and he
cast out the sprit of wayward living from my life, in Jesus’
Name. Well, that must have started something, because the
next day I was willing to read a book describing the
spiritual battle to take place in the last days. It has
already begun. Somewhere in the course of reading that book,
by the work of the Holy Spirit, it dawned on me that Jesus
was real, and He was knocking on the door of my life. I
looked around at the school bus I lived in, then went
outside and started a fire. I burned all kinds of things. I
burned hundreds of dollars worth of “spiritual” books,
music, various worldly collector’s items, old clothes, even
porn magazines and smoking paraphernalia. The flames were
blue and green and went several feet high. I even went
around and tore off all my new age bumper stickers. All I
knew is that a huge portion of the “cool” things I had
surrounded myself with for so long were contrary to the
truth of God.
But I still didn’t have Jesus- or, more accurately, He still
didn’t have me. As a matter of fact, I didn’t yet realize
there was more to Him than just knowing that He was there.
Well, the following night, I stayed up very late watching a
several hour long video from a church in Kansas. They had a
man on who had been a literal witch before he was saved. His
family had been in the occult for seven generations, and he
personally was in charge of over a thousand people by age
seventeen. At some point during the video, as he was
describing all the demonic forces actively at work in the
world, something happened. I realized that- even if I was
not on one side or the other personally- two opposing forces
were certainly at work in the world. I realized, through the
work of the God’s Holy Spirit, that day was the appointed
day of salvation. I needed to “get right or get left."
Well, at the end of the video, the pastor came on and asked
anyone who was watching to repeat the prayer of salvation
with him. I did. Then, I turned off the TV and went into the
kitchen. I laid on my face and prayed and cried for I don’t
know how long. I asked Jesus to wash every part of me. I was
so sorry. All I wanted to do was be forgiven for living so
selfishly all my life. For the first time, I truly knew God
had created me and loved me. And I knew I had been ignoring
Him all this time. I cried and poured my soul out to him,
and I really did feel myself die that night. Every cell in
my body went numb, and then something equally extraordinary
happened.
As if of it’s own violation, my body reared up onto my hands
and knees and tensed up. All of my tendons and muscles from
my loins up were as tight as steel. My mouth opened as if I
were throwing up, but never have I convulsed with such
force. Out of my belly I could feel what I can only describe
as a snake made out of shadow crawl up through my mouth and
then down into the ground.
The next day, I had no desire to smoke or do anything but
worship God. I went to church that night and decided to walk
home, just to be walking with Jesus. Life was sweeter than I
had ever imagined. As a matter of fact, someone else around
me said the prayer of salvation within days, without me even
saying much. It was just so obvious that whatever had
happened to me was wonderful and real.
God had finally showed me that the freedom I had thought I
had was a lie. I was a slave to sin. I thought I was a good
man. I thought I had it together. I thought I was perfectly
happy, and that it would take me winning the lottery to make
my life more complete. What God showed me is that all our
righteousness is as filthy rags before Him. His ways are as
far above our ways as the heavens are above the Earth. I
realized that all of our talking about truth and light and
love- even talking about Jesus and God- accomplishes nothing
without Him. God is so gracious and holy. Darkness and Hell
are very real. God really didn’t create Hell for us to end
up in, but we choose to go there if by no other means than
by not having the decency to thank Him for our lives. Your
salvation experience may not be as, well... drastic as mine-
He works with each of us differently, but they don’t call it
being born-again for nothing. Like a phone that is plugged
into a wall but doesn’t have a dial tone- I was dead. I
lived and talked and breathed as if I were alive, but I can
tell you now that life has no meaning without Jesus. If it
seems to you that you are running in circles without Him,
you are right. When we finally look to Him- with the faith
that HE gives us- is when life begins. I praise Him right
now for not giving up on me, though I never even knew I
needed Him.
If you have a son or family member who seems as if they will
never be saved, for God’s sake- do not give up. Remember
that it is the Holy Spirit’s job to show them the way, He
just uses you as a street sign, as the case warrants. Keep
praying, with all hope and sincerity, because I can assure
you He wants them saved, too, and you never know when they
will happen upon that gate without even knowing it.
Please, if you don’t know Jesus today- I urge you to talk to
Him. He has been watching you your whole life, just waiting
to be a part of it with you. All he needs is an invitation.
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW JESUS CHRIST TODAY, PLEASE SAY THIS PRAYER
OUT LOUD, BELIEVING IN YOUR HEART THAT HE IS LISTENING AND THAT HE WILL
FORGIVE YOU:
God, be merciful to me a sinner. Please forgive me for all my sins. I know
Jesus Christ, Your Son, died on the cross for my sins and rose again. I ask
you Jesus to become the Lord of MY life. Please cleanse me and wash me clean
so that I may spend eternity with you. I renounce all allegiance to the Devil.
By faith, I claim you as my Saviour. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and
save me in the Day of trouble. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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