My name is Lana McCloyn and I go to Joliet Junior College. I’ve been saved for a year and a month. I’m a particular saints child, I was pretty much brought up in the church, but the devil still got a hold of me.

            Before I backslide I was “saved” for about a year and a half, since I was young I wasn’t fully committed to it. I backslid on October 20, 2003 and from there my life went down the drain. The devil had me doing things I never would have thought I would have been doing, but I was. I know your thinking that I’m only 14 what trouble could I have possibly gotten myself into. Well to my surprise also there was a lot of trouble I got my self into. I was no different then any other 14-year-old girl out in the world. Even though I had saved parents the devil didn’t care, he just kept pulling me deeper and deeper into sin. When I went to camp this year it was a changing experience. We were having our devotion when the Holy Spirit came to me. At first my heart was too hard for me to step one foot towards the altar. Since all my unsaved friends were standing around me I tried to use them as distraction, by talking and joking around with them. But that didn’t work because they all went to the altar. While I was standing there all alone God started talking to me and I started to cry. God let me know that I had been out in the world too long and I was deep in sin, but he could pull me out and change my life. Soon a sister came to me and asked me if I wanted to go to the altar, I told her yes. Another sister came to pray with me and I accepted Christ that day. Since then I’ve had a joy that’s been unexplainable and a thirst for God’s word.

            Most of my friends have saved parents, but I do know some people who have saved parents and aren’t saved. I know what you all are thinking I thought the same thing, “ My parents did it why can’t I”; “I’m tired of all this God stuff I just want to do things my way”; or “The things out in the world look good to me and I want to do the same thing”. Well, the devil hears you saying these things and he sees this as an opportunity to destroy your life. That’s why God wants you to get saved because he doesn’t want to see you hurt out in the world. In church we’ve all heard the saying “the devil is here to kill, steal, and destroy”; that saying is actually very true. He steals your joy, he kills your uplifting personality, and destroys your beauty (my personal definition, applies to others also).

            I have a long ways to go in my salvation so I would like for God to draw me closer to Him, sanctify me, and give me more boldness. 

   I've been saved for a year and 3 months.