I ONCE WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE

I praise God for how Jesus has changed my life! I was once a broken man with a cold, dead heart. Jesus has remade me into a new creation, giving me a love for people and a burden for the lost. He has delivered me from a sinful past, assuring my salvation. But most importantly, He has taken His rightful place as Lord in my life!
BEFORE CHRIST (BC)
In the past, BC Ben was very lustful and materialistic, hateful and angry, judgmental and unloving. I would hate others for no reason and had created a system where they had to earn my tolerance. I used to drink heavily on weekends and socially. Most weekdays, I would drink as a way to disconnect. I was always searching for something to fill the God-shaped hole in my heart. I attempted to fill it with the things I collected, cherished, or hoped to obtain. However, I always felt underwhelmed, and the search continued. I believed in God, but I also believed that I had to earn my place in heaven by being a good person. I lived my life with the scales of justice in my mind, hoping that God would see my good deeds and tip the scale in my favor. I didn’t grow up in church and thought it was a waste of time to go. “I already believe in God, why waste my time sitting in church?” is something I used to say.
BORN AGAIN
So what happened, you ask?
I was engaged in a battle with someone, and it was one of the worst times in my life. I sought advice from anyone who would listen. I spoke to local police, state police, and lawyers, but no one could provide me with the advice I thought was appropriate or what I wanted to hear. During this time, one of my friends persistently tried to convince me to attend a men’s church camp. He asked me about it mulitple times, and initially, I had no desire to go. However, I started feeling as if I should go. I wasn’t sure why I felt that way, but I made the decision based on the need for some time away from my problems and to clear my mind.
Attending the camp turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. For the first time, I was surrounded by strong men of God. These were men who were not afraid to sing, show emotion, and care for one another. They took a genuine interest in my life and wanted more for me, without taking away from me. They shared testimonies of how God repairs broken lives and hearts. They were men who did not act superior to me, and I didn’t find myself hating them. However, the most life-changing aspect was when the Lord showed me, in a single moment, to let go of the idea of trying to be a good person. He revealed that the scales of justice I had always tried to tip were nothing more than a blindfold covering the sinful life I was leading. But, most importantly, He showed me that He wanted me just the way I was: sinful, broken, and unloving. I was incapable of mending my own broken heart, and Jesus was the missing piece I had been searching for.
My sinful life has melted away since I invited Jesus into my life. I want to be a Godly man in the lives of others, full of encouragement, and pushing them to go deeper in faith with assurance of salvation through Jesus. I now love people, attend church with my family, and actively participate in a ministry that focuses on leading the lost to the cross. I want everyone to experience what I had been missing for 39 years and understand that there is no such thing as a good person—only a grace-filled and loving God who forgives us, as we could never be good enough to earn it! Salvation is a free gift paid in full by Jesus, but you have to want it! Do you want it?
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! 
Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Benjamin Kitson 
Chaplain ~Gnome~
Least of saints MC, Michigan Chapter