MY SALVATION TESTIMONY
Dennis McBride ~ April, 2009

I love the Lord and am deeply grateful for His love and grace in my life. Although my spiritual upbringing was inconsistent and somewhat shallow, the Lord never left me without Christian influence.

My paternal grandparents were Assembly of God missionaries to South America, but Grandpa eventually denied the faith and spent the remainder of his life criticizing Christianity. But Grandma remained faithful and outspoken about her love for the Lord. When I was just a child she taught me how to pray, confess my sins, and trust in Christ.

Due to that early training, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t believe in Jesus, but my commitment to holy living was erratic until I was almost 30 years old. I knew what it meant to repent and trust Christ for forgiveness, but I knew very little of spiritual growth, victory, and assurance.

In my 29th year the Lord did a deep and powerful work in my heart. Through a series of difficult circumstances He taught me how far I had drifted from His Word and how deeply committed I had become to some areas of sin. Those days were so profound I’m tempted to think of them as the point of my salvation. But despite the inconsistencies and doubts of my earlier years, I was characteristically sensitive to the Lord, aware of my own sinfulness, and desirous of pleasing Him. So I believe I was saved at a very early age.

I believe those difficulties were a time of purging in preparation for the ministry to which God would later call me. From those experiences came a greater dependency on Him, an appreciation for His sovereignty in my life, an almost insatiable appetite for His Word, and a passion to serve Him in full-time Christian ministry.

I must add that God’s faithfulness and sustaining grace were never more evident and powerful to me than they were in 2006 when my wife and ministry partner for 38 years was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor that would eventually take her life. In a sense, everything I had learned about faith, hope, compassion and prayer were in preparation for ministering to her throughout her illness and as I literally held her hand as she was translated into the presence of the Lord.

Mere words are inadequate to express my love for the Lord and my deep gratitude for His grace and mercy throughout my entire life, but especially during that profound period of time. Now, He has blessed me with a precious new wife and with even more opportunities to serve Him. I am blessed, and I am so thankful.