"Before I got saved, I grew up in a Christian home but never had a relationship with Jesus, I would claim to be a Christian when applying for jobs or when friends asked what religion I am, and I found myself going off from my parents faith and doing the generic prayer and simply following a religion. I then left church at 16, and as a teenager, I was trying to seek validation from the things of the world, my friends, going to parties, drinking and so on, but I found I was never satisfied. During that period, my older brother got saved, and I saw a difference in his life. I saw his purpose and a future through the way he was living, and I wanted that for myself. However, I was in deep bondage with the world, so I tried to do both. At the age of 18, i joined "The Potters house, hounslow" but with still the wrong mindset, doing the generic prayer and leaving the same way I came in, I didn't surrender my heart to the lord, I was still living a sinful life, going to parties on Saturdays and then going to church on Sundays, i was very double minded. I had a desire to serve God, but I couldn't let go of the world until I got convicted, a piercing pain in my heart. Pastor was preaching about hell and the people who meet the requirements to enter, two scriptures touched me that day -

"So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth" Revelation 3:16 and "not everyone who says to me 'lord lord', shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day.

'Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name and one many wonders in your name?' and then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness" Matthew 7:21-23. These scriptures touched me because I met the criteria of being lukewarm, and I thought that just acknowledging Jesus was enough to get me into heaven, only having one foot in and not both feet in, and being rooted. The second scripture scared me because it showed me that even Christians, or should I say people who look like Christians, who thought they were serving the lord, will be cast into hell as they never developed that spiritual relationship with God and never truly surrendered their hearts. From this fear of making hell my home, I gave my life to Jesus, however, God isn't all about fear. He is also a loving God. 

GÈRARD