Neil's Life Changing Testimony
Hi, my name is Neil Burton and I would like to share my testimony with you. Please just take the time to read this. It is an honest and true account of how Jesus can change your life!
It was only a few years ago that when I used to finish work, and on my days off, I would spend it in a drunken stupor, smoking weed and gambling. I had a reputation of being excessive and it was nothing unusual for me to have been drinking all day and falling into a pub to join my mates at 8pm; as they were just on their way out. I put my girlfriend through many hardships, but I thank God that she stuck by me!
It was only a few years ago that when I used to finish work, and on my days off, I would spend it in a drunken stupor, smoking weed and gambling. I had a reputation of being excessive and it was nothing unusual for me to have been drinking all day and falling into a pub to join my mates at 8pm; as they were just on their way out. I put my girlfriend through many hardships, but I thank God that she stuck by me!
WHAT HAPPENED??
I always believed in God and had one particular Christian friend (Mark) who spent the time and effort to talk to me, but never judge me. He patiently waited for something to happen or for me to listen. For 15 years he never gave up talking to me because he knew God had never given up on me either. I used to go to a church in my younger years and not one of them kept in touch to try and help me, so please don't fall into the trap of thinking that if you belong to a church everything will be okay! You see God created me and you and ONLY he knows what's best for us. He's our best friend but we think we know better and the more we reject our creator the more things will go wrong in your life. Can anyone deny that there is good and bad in this world? There are murderers, rapists and on the other end of the scale; there are people who are loving and will do anything to help other people out!!
MY FIRST ANSWERED PRAYER.......
To be honest I was lonely and I wanted a girlfriend (wife). Someone to love me and to have a proper family like most of my other friends had. So after a weekend drinking session in London. I got home and for the first time in years I prayed earnestly and I begged God for someone who would love me. I needed a girlfriend. It's human nature that God has installed into all of us ever since Adam and Eve, that we should not be alone but have a partner to love and to be loved. So after I said this prayer, off I went to a night club in Derby and I exchanged numbers with a girl named Natalie. We started seeing each other and I knew she was different from the other girls. She was not interested in how much money I had. She did not sleep about and was a genuine, nice and caring person. This was something I'd never experienced for years and in fact I had lost faith that there were any decent women left out there and that if there were there was no way that I was going to meet her!!
The amazing bit is that we are still together today, getting married in September and have a lovely son!
The amazing bit is that we are still together today, getting married in September and have a lovely son!
DIVINE APPOINTMENT.......
A couple of years later Tilly (Natalie) and I are still together and she was 7 months pregnant. We have a static caravan on the east coast that we use for weekends away together and it helped stop me going on my drinking sessions; there is a fishing lake on-site. So I had found a new hobby and had started fishing but I was still as bad with drinking and I still smoked a lot of dope. But being at our caravan sort of calmed me down. Then one morning my friend Mark rang while we were sat in our caravan, and he invited us to a camping weekend with the House Church that he was running. When I asked where it was, it turned out they were just a matter of meters away on the same camp site as us, but both of us were nearly 100 miles away from our homes! Please bare in mind that Mark and I had not spoken for a good few months and I received the phone call as an 'out of the blue invite'. The chances of this happening must be 1000-1, but with God these occurrences happen all the time. They are called divine appointments!
We had a fantastic weekend and looking back this was the first time that I started questioning my life and whether I was truly happy living the way I was. There was no way I could accept this as an coincidence!! It wasn't!!
We had a fantastic weekend and looking back this was the first time that I started questioning my life and whether I was truly happy living the way I was. There was no way I could accept this as an coincidence!! It wasn't!!
MY SEARCHING AND ENDLESS QUESTIONS????
Even though I know the basics to the Christian faith and a little about the bible from years before when I attended a church, I was not prepared to walk into a 'religion' without being 100% convinced it was correct and there is a God that loves us and answers our prayers. There are so many religions about, how did I know the Christians have got it right? So I was a pain in the backside because I had to have sufficient answers to my many questions and trust me there were quite a few!
Here are a few links that may be able to answer some of your questions...
www.housechurchesuk.weebly.com - there are many in depth answers within this website and it has been designed and written by my friend Mark. You will find answers to questions about evolution, how did we get here, the kingdom of God, but one particular article I would encourage you to spend a little time reading is 'LIFE`S BIG QUESTIONS'.
One thing that we all must do is to ask God himself. You see man does not have all the answers. Not even the best preachers in the world can answer everything, but God can!! Jesus teaches that if we are earnestly seeking truth he WILL reveal it to us. So I encourage you to pray, read a bible and pray even more to open up your heart to God and don't hold anything back. Give him all your questions, even your anger! God WILL answer everything in his way and in his time, please trust in him!
Here is a example of what I mean. God gave mankind 10 commandments. Take one of these commandments and if you apply it to today's society and just think how much better this world would be better to live in if they were followed. For example, don't steal. There would be no locks on our homes, our old people would not be afraid to walk the streets at night and just think of how much crime would drop! You see God gave us these laws for us to live by because he loves us and knows what's best for us. He created us and the whole universe; yet we are not forced to follow them. He has not made us robots, we have freewill and it's that freewill where we can make choices in life. Either trust the all knowing and loving God that designed this world for mankind or trust what man thinks is right?
MY SECOND ANSWERED PRAYER....
By now I had given myself to God. I am born again through Jesus. This may sound strange to you but believe me it's quite a normal thing. It's what's known as being a Christian. We were attending Marks House Church and I felt more content and happy than I had been in ages. My prayers were being answered and I was being filled with knowledge from teachings and reading my bible. Life was good but I wanted to somehow show my girlfriend this way of life without forcing anything on her. Then one day our cat was taken seriously ill. The vet said on one evening not to expect him to last through the night although after many tests they could not find out what was wrong with him. So I said to Tilly, pray for him, but she told me that there was not any hope because the vets have said; so but she did pray. My prayer to God was not so much about our cat even though I obviously didn't want him to die, but it was a prayer that would put Tilly in a situation where it proved God does exist and does answer prayer. If only the cat would be healed and live. The next morning he was still alive and the vet Tilly spoke to could not believe he had lasted through the night. Within two days he had made a full recovery and was back at home with us as if nothing had happened!!
The vet stated that in 30 years of her practice she could not believe or answer why or how he had lived. She had no idea what was wrong with him apart from his organs had been shutting down which is a sign of poisoning, yet there was nothing in the tests the suggested any form of poisoning. His blood was okay, everything was okay, but his organs were on shutdown. Yet now he's just a normal cat. They didn't even know what to put down on the records for him as they had never known a case like it and after many phone calls to different vets they still have no answer to it!
This is another typical example of trusting in God, not man, no matter how many qualifications he or she has! This was also the start of my girlfriends walk with God. You see God can use any situation and many ways to answer prayer and bring you close to him. Even now as you're reading this, there is a high chance you are only reading it because God wants you too and he has chosen you and is calling you to accept his son Jesus!!
The vet stated that in 30 years of her practice she could not believe or answer why or how he had lived. She had no idea what was wrong with him apart from his organs had been shutting down which is a sign of poisoning, yet there was nothing in the tests the suggested any form of poisoning. His blood was okay, everything was okay, but his organs were on shutdown. Yet now he's just a normal cat. They didn't even know what to put down on the records for him as they had never known a case like it and after many phone calls to different vets they still have no answer to it!
This is another typical example of trusting in God, not man, no matter how many qualifications he or she has! This was also the start of my girlfriends walk with God. You see God can use any situation and many ways to answer prayer and bring you close to him. Even now as you're reading this, there is a high chance you are only reading it because God wants you too and he has chosen you and is calling you to accept his son Jesus!!
TO PRESENT DAY....
I'm really pleased to say that my girlfriend has now become a Christian. We both attend and are active within a House Church in Tibshelf that my friend Mark runs and also go to a church in Stapleford near where we live. I have been baptised by Mark in the sea at Skegness beach. Baptism is a requirement that Jesus tells us to do and is done as a believing Christian to express his belief by full water submersion. I've had some very spiritual times with Mark as he has been giving me in depth teachings of the bible and as a result God has allowed me to be filled with knowledge about many things which I may write about in the future. I have been moved to write a diary about my walk with God and a booklet about the Holy Spirit, which are in working progress.
The amazing thing is that my life has really turned around. I'm now happy and content. I no longer lie about just nipping for a pint knowing I'll be coming home at 3am (that's if I made it home). I've got the reassurance God has my life in his hands and whatever happens, He's there, moulding me. Through good times and bad times. You see, just because you're a Christian, it doesn't mean everything will be just as we want it. But we know there is a reason why certain things happen and that it's because God allows them to happen, either to build our faith in him or because he has better things in stall for us; so He (God) has to change circumstances or remove things from your life to receive it. But the longer I walk with God. I can look back and realise why these things happened. It's all about trust and not giving in when God says no; or does something you don't like and I can see that in my own life now. Nobody can do a better job in this life than God himself can do for you. I feel and know I'm getting closer to God as his Holy Spirit resides in me. Jesus says you will know his followers by their fruits and it is a joy when people comment on how nice a person I've become. But this is not done by myself. It is the spirit of God inside me. I've been on the streets with Mark helping as he evangelises and I'm here now giving you this tract about my life! I've gone from complete self destruction and making peoples lives around me a misery, even my own family and the ones I love I have shown no respect at all, to being a different person living with peace and gaining respect because I now help people. I'm reliable and do what I say. I have morals now. I would never cheat or steel or hurt my family because I now know the meaning of true love!!
This is my testimony, please carry on reading....
The amazing thing is that my life has really turned around. I'm now happy and content. I no longer lie about just nipping for a pint knowing I'll be coming home at 3am (that's if I made it home). I've got the reassurance God has my life in his hands and whatever happens, He's there, moulding me. Through good times and bad times. You see, just because you're a Christian, it doesn't mean everything will be just as we want it. But we know there is a reason why certain things happen and that it's because God allows them to happen, either to build our faith in him or because he has better things in stall for us; so He (God) has to change circumstances or remove things from your life to receive it. But the longer I walk with God. I can look back and realise why these things happened. It's all about trust and not giving in when God says no; or does something you don't like and I can see that in my own life now. Nobody can do a better job in this life than God himself can do for you. I feel and know I'm getting closer to God as his Holy Spirit resides in me. Jesus says you will know his followers by their fruits and it is a joy when people comment on how nice a person I've become. But this is not done by myself. It is the spirit of God inside me. I've been on the streets with Mark helping as he evangelises and I'm here now giving you this tract about my life! I've gone from complete self destruction and making peoples lives around me a misery, even my own family and the ones I love I have shown no respect at all, to being a different person living with peace and gaining respect because I now help people. I'm reliable and do what I say. I have morals now. I would never cheat or steel or hurt my family because I now know the meaning of true love!!
This is my testimony, please carry on reading....
WILL YOU ACCEPT JESUS?.....
Many answered prayers and divine things have happened, too many to write down, but I'm willing to talk to you about them or answer any questions you have the best I can? Either over the phone or over a pint in the pub. Whatever you feel most comfortable with? I'm not a religious nut case. I'm just a normal guy who happens to be a Christian and I'm proud of that fact! That's why I've written this testimony in the chance; that God may speak to you through it or you may do something to search and question your life? I'm here to help, not judge! It doesn't matter to me what you have done? But it does matter to God and if He can use me to guide you into a relationship with your creator then so be it. Don't pass this chance by! You've got nothing to lose but much to gain!
I'm not trying to get you to contact me to talk you into joining a certain church denomination or anything like that, I simply want to tell you about the gospel of Jesus and how it can change your life ETERNALY. Remember, when you die it is NOT the end. Your soul will live forever and ever and God loves you that much he sent his Son to be murdered; so that you can receive eternal life with God Himself when he brings heaven down to earth. As we read the gospels prophecies are now taking place that mark the return of Jesus, because he WILL come back and if you have accepted Him. He will call you to Him as His own, because you are a son of God. IF Jesus doesn't come back in your lifetime, you can live in assurance of peace with God and be on an amazing journey with Him. You cannot understand the implication of this without accepting Jesus. Let me explain what sin is. Sin is an act of what we choose to do that is against God and His will for us and it separates us from God. But Jesus, when he was crucified, became the bridge back to God. For if we believe in Him and ask for His forgiveness (repentance) from all the wrong we have done in our life (sin), He WILL forgive us and we become what is know as born again. You become a son or daughter of the living God of love that will hold your life and future in His hands. Guiding you and protecting you. Giving you peace and happiness that you have never thought possible. Good deeds don't give you this. Only your repentance of sins and believing in Jesus Christ does! The alternative is Satan’s road of unhappiness, destruction through drugs, alcohol or gambling and that's just to name a few. EVERYTHING He has to offer looks good on the outset, but soon turns to pain and misery and will eventually send you to eternal flames! I have not said this as a scare tactic. It's fact and God does not want anybody to go down that road; but we all have a free will and can make a choice. Now you're at the crossroads, which way will you turn??
If you choose to trust in our creator, please pray. This prayer WILL be the best decision you can make in your whole life!! Give God a chance. What have you got to lose??
Prayer......Jesus, I know I have sinned in my life but now I'm asking for forgiveness. I believe God sent you to earth to die for my sins. I believe God created the whole universe and loves me. I'm sorry for all the wrongdoing and bad things I've done in my life, but now I repent of these and choose to follow you as my Lord and saviour. Please protect me and send your Holy Spirit to guide me as I start my life as a Christian. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
I'm not trying to get you to contact me to talk you into joining a certain church denomination or anything like that, I simply want to tell you about the gospel of Jesus and how it can change your life ETERNALY. Remember, when you die it is NOT the end. Your soul will live forever and ever and God loves you that much he sent his Son to be murdered; so that you can receive eternal life with God Himself when he brings heaven down to earth. As we read the gospels prophecies are now taking place that mark the return of Jesus, because he WILL come back and if you have accepted Him. He will call you to Him as His own, because you are a son of God. IF Jesus doesn't come back in your lifetime, you can live in assurance of peace with God and be on an amazing journey with Him. You cannot understand the implication of this without accepting Jesus. Let me explain what sin is. Sin is an act of what we choose to do that is against God and His will for us and it separates us from God. But Jesus, when he was crucified, became the bridge back to God. For if we believe in Him and ask for His forgiveness (repentance) from all the wrong we have done in our life (sin), He WILL forgive us and we become what is know as born again. You become a son or daughter of the living God of love that will hold your life and future in His hands. Guiding you and protecting you. Giving you peace and happiness that you have never thought possible. Good deeds don't give you this. Only your repentance of sins and believing in Jesus Christ does! The alternative is Satan’s road of unhappiness, destruction through drugs, alcohol or gambling and that's just to name a few. EVERYTHING He has to offer looks good on the outset, but soon turns to pain and misery and will eventually send you to eternal flames! I have not said this as a scare tactic. It's fact and God does not want anybody to go down that road; but we all have a free will and can make a choice. Now you're at the crossroads, which way will you turn??
If you choose to trust in our creator, please pray. This prayer WILL be the best decision you can make in your whole life!! Give God a chance. What have you got to lose??
Prayer......Jesus, I know I have sinned in my life but now I'm asking for forgiveness. I believe God sent you to earth to die for my sins. I believe God created the whole universe and loves me. I'm sorry for all the wrongdoing and bad things I've done in my life, but now I repent of these and choose to follow you as my Lord and saviour. Please protect me and send your Holy Spirit to guide me as I start my life as a Christian. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
!!!!STRAIGHT TALKING!!!!
Now you are a Christian you must live to the standards God has set. Repentance means to turn away from the thing(s) you have repented from. For example, if you had problem with gambling, don't walk into the bookies and lose your wages again and again. Or if you struggle with getting drunk with your mates, don't go out on a Saturday night and drink a bottle of vodka etc. Jesus has now given you a better life than that and He has given you the power to overcome the temptation to carry on as you were. True repentance is to stop what you were doing. Turn around and go the other way. Believe me, I'm talking to myself now as much as you because I'm only human and I fall sometimes. But this is no excuse. God has given us everything we need to overcome our past life. Tell God what your weaknesses are, and ask for His help! Basically don't mess God about. He doesn't deserve it and neither do you. You're a Christian. A son or daughter of God. Believe and trust in Him and if you do fall, reach out for Him and say sorry, because you WILL fall but provided you're trying to live your life in accordance to true repentance, God will always be there and will forgive you. What I'm trying to say is, don't wake up every Sunday morning (for example) after getting bladdered and taking cocaine and say “ooops sorry God”, then do the same thing week in week out, because God knows if you're truly sorry or not!!
NOW WHAT ?......
Please reflect on what I've said to you about me helping you. I can place you in a church of good biblical teachings. There are many so called Christian churches out there and it can be confusing where to go, but it is important to fellowship with other Christians. We are all brothers and sisters now and want to help you. You will need to pray for the right one or at least let me help you! As I've said I'm not pushing a certain denomination on anyone, but I DO know that there are certain churches out there that do not follow biblical teachings and are dangerous to get involved with. I will even attend a meeting to make sure it is spiritually sound. I am involved in a House Church too and the advantage of attending a House Church is that it is more intimate and a personal way that the pastor can teach you the bible, because there are only so many that can attend with it being in homes. They are free from man made rules and I can help you find a sound House Church too if you feel that's right for you. But please let me help you with this. I know people that can help you in any situation you may be in which is strictly confidential and are only helping you as proper Christians for God has confirmed to them it is there ministry!
CONTACT ME
You can text me at ANY TIME, and I shall reply by text if you feel you're not ready to talk. Or just leave a message on here I will get back to you ASAP. We give tracts out most weeks so text us to see where we are. We will be in a local pub from the area we have just attended after we have finished for a quick pint if you want to pop in for a more personal talk. (See below for time and pub). or just text me?
Thanks for reading this!! God bless you and please pray, read your bible and pray again!!
If you do not own a bible, I shall supply one free of cost. There are more tracts you can have that are free of charge too. Make that step. Even if you text me, I will not pester you, but simply answer any question you may want to ask.
Ring me now on
07761805319
Thanks again,
Neil Burton from Stapleford
Nottingham Uk.
Thanks for reading this!! God bless you and please pray, read your bible and pray again!!
If you do not own a bible, I shall supply one free of cost. There are more tracts you can have that are free of charge too. Make that step. Even if you text me, I will not pester you, but simply answer any question you may want to ask.
Ring me now on
07761805319
Thanks again,
Neil Burton from Stapleford
Nottingham Uk.
Below is a tract I use on the street of how God changed my life.
I hope it will inspire you and bless you!
THIS IS MY TESTIMONY ON HOW GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU A WAY BETTER
LIFE!!
Before you think im a religious nut case I will sate im not involved with religion but only with the truth of the bible, no denomination or creeds or doctrines, im not here to get any money but only to share my experience with you, I drink I smoke and I am a 'normal' person!! please give me
a chance and read on................A few years ago I was pulling my hair out wanting to know what this life had to offer, I tried to find the answers in all day drinking sessions, smoking joints and being a fool, then one day I meet with a old friend who told me all about Jesus and the bible, you see anything you do other than knowing the truth that we find in the bible is only on a temperary basis and will not answer your questions, smoking weed will get you high for a few hours, then what?
The world can not give you the inner peace we all seek
You smoke more and more until you dont do nothing apart from sit around stoned,
this is not what you was created for you deserve better, getting drunk for
example will not answer any questions or fill that void in your life.
I openly admit you may have a laugh on that night out but you WILL want more and
more and as time goes on until you find yourselves on drinking on all day sessions which
in time will cause trouble with your family, finances, job and even your health
until the excuse is given 'well thats just me thats the way I am' and for what?
A temperary relief from the pressues of life or trying to fill in a spiritual
void of not feeling loved etc, the same can be said in all forms of adictions
and drugs, it IS only a temperary release and will get worse and worse till it
may even kill you!!
this is not what you was created for you deserve better, getting drunk for
example will not answer any questions or fill that void in your life.
I openly admit you may have a laugh on that night out but you WILL want more and
more and as time goes on until you find yourselves on drinking on all day sessions which
in time will cause trouble with your family, finances, job and even your health
until the excuse is given 'well thats just me thats the way I am' and for what?
A temperary relief from the pressues of life or trying to fill in a spiritual
void of not feeling loved etc, the same can be said in all forms of adictions
and drugs, it IS only a temperary release and will get worse and worse till it
may even kill you!!
God changed my life and he wants to change yours! Will you let Him?
My testimony is that I was once like that until my friend shown me that there is a God that cared and is so longing to change your life for the better, for you to be happy and content, for you to talk to Him in the form of prayer and pour out your hurts and problems so he can and WILL do something about it that is best for you, so ive given you this tract as a hope you will contact me or allow me to have a pint and a chat with you so you can learn more, Jesus never said not to drink but its the drunkeness God hates, being a Christian is not boring and if you have had a bad experience in a church in the past I urge you to forget about that put all the doctrines and religious rights and wrongs to one side! We meet up in a house church because we try to be just like the early
church was in Jesus time, we follow the bible only and we defernutly do not judge, im only trying to give you the first step here because its God that will change you not man!
If you want to chat with me or text use this number
07761805319 my name is Neil, your first step is to tell God your fed up with the
way your life is or you just want to experience the love and power of Jesus the
rest God will take care off, eventually you will know what sin is and will
repent of those sins if your serious? Please let us help you and guide you as
all churches cannot be trusted!!
God-Bless NEIL X
church was in Jesus time, we follow the bible only and we defernutly do not judge, im only trying to give you the first step here because its God that will change you not man!
If you want to chat with me or text use this number
07761805319 my name is Neil, your first step is to tell God your fed up with the
way your life is or you just want to experience the love and power of Jesus the
rest God will take care off, eventually you will know what sin is and will
repent of those sins if your serious? Please let us help you and guide you as
all churches cannot be trusted!!
God-Bless NEIL X
