Hazen Stevens’ Testimony

My name is Hazen Stevens, and I am 38 years old. Jesus has done incredible things in my life, and I want to share the story of how my life was transformed through encountering Him. First, I grew up in a nominally religious household and attended a Baptist church near the farm where I lived in Marietta, Georgia. I recall having a conversation with the pastor at a young age. He invited me to look out the office window and asked how I thought the sky, trees, and birds came to be. As a child, I didn't know the answer, but he explained that the creation pointed to a Creator. In that moment, I felt God's presence and the conviction that He was real.

Throughout my formative years, I continued to have experiences with God. I attended Sunday school, read my Bible, but things changed when my parents divorced when I was eight years old. The divorce, marred by marital infidelity and my father's struggle with alcoholism, caused me a great deal of pain and left me without a father figure. Longing for love and affection, I experienced whole seasons where my dad wouldn't even speak to me, which was incredibly painful.

As I entered high school, I made a decision influenced by the hypocrisy I witnessed within the church. The church I belonged to went through a nasty split, and I saw people divide and treat one another poorly. So I chose chose to begin to walk away from God, because of how I saw him misrepresented within the church. I feared being fake and hypocritical myself, in the way I had experienced in others. I also had a secret addiction to pornography I couldn’t overcome, and I wrongly believed that if I couldn’t represent God then I shouldn’t try to at all. So I took off the wooden cross necklace I wore, deciding not to represent God anymore because I felt I could only continue to fail in doing so. Unfortunately, this led me to become more distant from God as I pursued dating relationships, money, and popularity. By the end of my high school and college years, I was far from God, but realizing these pursuits were leaving me empty and unfulfilled.

During this time, I had a relationship with a woman I thought I would marry, but it ended in unfaithfulness and brokenness. It made me believe that I was destined to follow the path of my parents' failed marriage. In a church service during that difficult period, I began to turn my heart back to God. The preacher spoke about how fixating on our parents' faults and vowing not to be like them can lead us to reproduce the same mistakes. I realized the truth in this and recognized that I was repeating the very things I said I would never do.

The pastor urged us to focus on receiving new spiritual DNA from heaven, asking God to transform us and make us His children. I felt the Holy Spirit's invitation to ask God to change my life and make me His son. I prayed, asking God to be a father to me, and told him I wanted to be His son. While the external changes didn't happen overnight, my heart underwent a dramatic transformation. I started feeling convicted about my sinful actions and speech, changing my foul language and addressing my addiction to pornography. I felt the Holy Spirit's drawing within me, and I knew that God was calling me to a different life.

Now, after over 17 years, I am married with four beautiful children. The journey hasn't been without ups and downs, but God has blessed me with a loving family and a deep sense of satisfaction and joy that I had never experienced before. Even in moments of hardship, I am living in peace and confidence that I am loved through my relationship with God, hearing His voice and walking with Him every day. I want to invite you into the same reality. No matter what mistakes you've made or what kind of family background you come from, your pain and brokenness are not too big for Jesus. He wants to come into your life, transform you, and bring healing, just as He did for me. He wants to be a father to you, and for you to be His child.

Your Response:

If you resonate with what I've shared, I invite you to join me in praying a simple prayer. If you're reading this and feeling a connection to the words I have written and are recognizing the need for transformation in your life, these simple truths can bring about that change.

First, confess that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and acknowledge Him as your Lord, surrendering every aspect of your life to Him.

Secondly, repent of your sins—the wrongdoings you know have created a separation between you and a holy God. Identify areas where you need to stop engaging in lying, cursing, or indulging in perverse things. Though you may not fully comprehend the extent of your sins, you recognize moments where you disobey what a holy God would ask of you. So, acknowledge Jesus as Lord, repent of your sins, and, lastly, accept the new life He offers through the Holy Spirit by faith. Simply invite the Holy Spirit to come in, transform you, and make you new.

Prayer:

Let's pray together, starting now: Lord Jesus, today I choose to make You the Lord of my life. I submit every part of my life—my time, money, reputation—to You. I repent for all my wrongdoings, including lying, perversion, hurting others, harming myself, and dishonoring You through my actions. God, I believe I'm made in Your image, but I'm broken because of sin. I ask for Your forgiveness—for the sins of the past, present, and future. Please forgive me, and I accept the exchange of my broken, sinful life for the newness of life that comes through the Spirit. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Transform and change me, making me a new person. Lord, I believe that through this prayer and your grace, I transition from death into eternal life, receiving it as a free gift through faith. I also view this commitment as akin to the vows of marriage—a daily pledge to walk in Your ways. Grant me strength to read Your Word, to pray, to find Christian fellowship, and give me grace to live this way consistently until I see You face-to-face in eternity.

Going Forward:

After praying this prayer, I encourage you to consider seeking Christian fellowship. I urge you to pray every day, communicate with God, and open the Scriptures. Start with the gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—which are located in the middle of your Bible. These four accounts provide the direct experiences of Jesus' disciples and are an excellent starting point for reading the Bible. Lastly, I want to emphasize that making this commitment today is similar to the commitment of marriage. Just as marriage requires daily effort to uphold vows, being a Christian means walking out your commitment each and every day.

If you've made a commitment to Jesus today, welcome to the family of God. I challenge you to rise each day for the rest of your life and live out that commitment with all your heart.

Lastly, share with those around you the decision you have made, if they know Jesus it will be a celebration, if they need to know him share the testimony of what I already expect God is doing in your life! It doesn’t have to be perfect, it only needs to be real.

Let’s Connect:

If you want to connect, share how this story has impacted you, or ask some questions just email me at presencecenteredlife@gmail.com.