How God Pursued Jesse

Even when we are running in the opposite direction, God relentlessly pursues us. He’s constantly moving on our behalf—orchestrating divine encounters and placing people in our path to show us His love. We can often chalk these things up to chance, but if we pause to look back at our journey, we can see He’s been in every single detail.

Today Jesse shares her story of how God moved in her life and used several different people along the way to bring about a big change…

Well really my testimony started just a few months ago. In June of 2017 my life really started to unravel. I was heavily addicted to Xanax for about seven months. I was at a point where I was taking six pills a day and mixing that with alcohol. I hated who I was…I would look in the mirror and start crying because I didn’t like what I saw.

I was so broken and I didn’t even know it.

Up to this point, I had never really prayed much, but I remember praying and asking God for help because I didn’t want to do what I was doing anymore. I knew it was going to be hard for me to stop so I just asked Him for strength.

About two weeks later, I stopped cold turkey and that sent me into a very bad withdrawal, and it caused a severe case of psychosis. I wasn’t Jesse at all. It was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever been through and after four days of not knowing if I’d ever get better, I woke up on my couch and I was back. I knew it was over.

After what happened I reached out to this God-fearing amazing woman that I knew.

She was a light in my life and showed me what it looked like to be a true Christian. She didn’t judge me after I told her what happened. She loved me and started to teach me things about God that I never knew. About six months after being clean, I was invited to Milestone by a friend.

The first time I went was the Sunday before Prepare 2018. I went all by myself and I sat in the risers. I saw a lady walk in with the nicest smile and I felt led to go sit by her. So I walked down and asked if I could sit and we started talking and she told me about Prepare. I got my shifts covered at work and the first night I was there there was a family who just struck up a conversation with me.

I told them how I was led there and they were just so kind! They showed me around after the service and told me about the Who Am I? series and bought me a book.

Then they walked me up to the front and I met two awesome women named Liz and Kendyl. I told them a little bit about myself and Liz asked if I had found a small group, but I hadn’t yet and she said she’d get me in touch with her friend Krista. Then I saw Krista’s testimony played on video in the service and it touched me. I was so happy she was going to be my group leader. It was my first small group ever and it was what I looked forward to every week.

I was baptized January 28th, 2018 and it was a moment I will hold in my heart forever. God has done such supernatural work in my life.

He knew exactly where I was supposed to be
and He knew exactly how to get me there.

It’s just really amazing. Now I am getting plugged in with student ministry and am starting Freedom with Krista’s group here soon. The amazing thing is God’s not done working in my life…He’s only just begun and I’m the best me I’ve ever been.

There’s a supernatural happiness that’s taken over!

— Jesse

Milestone, this is what it looks like to be an everyone church. We don’t believe ministry is for a few professional people…everyone gets in the game and loves and serves each person who walks in our doors. Every time we serve, love, and invest in someone else we are partnering with God and the results have eternal significance. What a powerful picture of how the Church is supposed to be!