My Journey to Christ
By Matthew Goodman
A Rocky Takeoff
My journey to Christ has been quite an odyssey. It has been challenging and transformative. Earth shattering by all accounts.. The story is stranger than fiction story, one only God could write. I've received visions, ideas, and undeniable signs of His existence, yet I struggled to fully accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the savior of humanity.
As a Jewish individual, I carried strong cultural conditioning from my religion, and I held reservations about Christianity. I was taught early on, that Jesus just "wasn't our guy." And, personally, I thought Christians were a bit crazy in their fervent devotion to Jesus.
However, life led me to question my own beliefs. My family leaned towards atheism, creating a growing disconnect within me. In my adulthood, I went through many trials and tribulations which prompted me to question God even more. I struggled with addiction and holding a steady job, and was even homeless for some time. However, I kept searching for God.
During my work with Christian ministries to help the homeless in St. Louis, I encountered something remarkable. Christians were deeply engaged in helping those in need, driven by their unwavering faith in Jesus.
Still, I hesitated to fully embrace Jesus. I left St. Louis without accomplishing my initial goals, and my spiritual journey continued, marked by more struggles and challenges. It wasn't until I reached a turning point at the age of 40 that I began to compare my journey to the biblical tale of the Jews wandering in the desert for 40 years.
A Divine Encounter
My modern-day desert was in Arizona, where I encountered a woman who would profoundly impact my journey. Initially, her devotion to Jesus seemed off-putting, even radical. We engaged in debates, but she consistently turned to Jesus and the Bible as her guiding lights.
To better understand her perspective, I decided to read the Bible myself. Initially, I intended to engage in debates with her, but as I delved into the New Testament, a revelation occurred. I realized that debating her was akin to debating Jesus Himself, for His presence was undeniably embedded in the scripture.
Inspired by her faith, I attended Bible study sessions, engaging in meaningful discussions about life's purpose, love, and inner peace. I stirred the pot. I asked hard questions and posed controversial takes, yet each conversation pointed back to Jesus, prompting me to share my own experiences and testimonies.
As I delved deeper into the Bible, I recognized that my life's journey had always been intertwined with Him. I felt God's presence more profoundly than ever before, which led me to pray earnestly.
A piece of scripture kept repeating over and over in my head. It was this woman's favorite verse.
Ask and it will be given to you;
Seek and you will find;
Knock and the door will be opened to you.
I realized that Matthew 7:7 -- asking, seeking, and knocking -- was the KEY to everything.
Jesus wasn't just a missing piece of the puzzle; He was the entire picture. Asking, seeking, and knocking in Jesus' name allowed the fragments of my life to fall into place, all in His Way, not mine.
The Birth of the Matthew 7:7 App
Soon after this realization, I met a fellow Christian brother and engineer, Bob Webb, who possessed a unique perspective on asking, seeking, and knocking. His insights transformed my understanding of Christ and prayer even further, which he considered a divine and almost scientific process.
Recognizing my child-like grasp of these Christian concepts, he became like a father figure to me, teaching me the power of prayer and how to use it effectively. Our collaboration birthed the the Matthew 7:7 App—a revolutionary education platform designed to inspire children to ask, seek, and knock in engaging and innovatively new ways.
I realized that this was the way I needed to grow with Christ because, like the children of our world, I was still in elementary school when it came to understanding the Word and how to pray effectively. After all, I was a baby Christian.
We liken the Matthew 7:7 PrayerCraft to reverse engineering prayer, breaking it down piece by piece and reassembling it in a simple, child-friendly manner in the heavenly skies. This innovative approach allows children to understand and visualize the core principles of prayer. The app offers a cockpit view of the world for children to engage with other believers from around the world. And it's a ton of fun with Jesus as the PrayerCraft's in-flight captain!
The mission of the Matthew 7:7 App is to empower children to embark on their unique spiritual journeys, fostering collaboration, inspiration, and support for one another's dreams within a global community. We believe that by following the principles of Matthew 7:7, children can unlock the true potential of prayer and experience His divine presence in their lives.
To learn more and support our mission to inspire children to ask, seek, and knock in prayer, be sure to pray on our website today and preview my first three children's books, Little Prayer Warrior: Part 1, 2, and 3. The new series aims to educate children on the power of prayer by taking the reader on an epic spiritual quest with little Matthew and Grandpa Bob. Yes, the characters in the story are inspired from my real life prayer adventures!
In closing, I want to thank you for visiting the Matthew 7:7 App and sharing your prayers with the world. We need them now more than ever. I'm so grateful to God and Jesus for the gifts they have bestowed upon me. ALL glory goes to God! And I can't wait to pray with you all in the heavenly skies soon!
With Love and Blessings of Peace and Joy in Christ Jesus's name,
Matthew
A Turbulent Takeoff
My journey to Christ has been a roller coaster ride through the skies of life—marked by challenges that shook me to my core and transformations that only God could script. It’s a story stranger than fiction, where I’ve encountered visions, received divine signs, yet struggled to fully embrace Jesus Christ as the Savior.
As a Jewish individual, deeply rooted in cultural beliefs, I held reservations about Christianity. I was taught early on that Jesus wasn’t our path. Personally, I found the fervent devotion of Christians a tad bewildering.
However, life had a way of questioning my beliefs. Raised in a family leaning towards atheism, I felt a growing disconnection. Adulthood brought its own trials—addiction, unstable jobs, even homelessness. But through it all, my search for God persisted.
During my stint with Christian ministries aiding the homeless in St. Louis, I stumbled upon something profound. Christians, driven by unwavering faith, were actively changing lives.
Still, I hesitated to fully embrace Jesus. Leaving St. Louis without closure, my spiritual journey continued—marked by more trials and questions. It wasn’t until my 40th year that I started seeing parallels between my life’s journey and the biblical tale of the Jews wandering the desert for 40 years.
A Divine Encounter
My desert moment unfolded in Arizona, where a woman profoundly impacted my journey. Initially put off by her strong devotion to Jesus, we engaged in spirited debates. Yet, she consistently turned to Jesus and the Bible for guidance.
To understand her perspective, I began reading the Bible myself. What began as a debate tactic led to a revelation—the presence of Jesus was undeniable in those scriptures.
Inspired by her faith, I joined Bible study sessions, diving deep into discussions about life, love, and inner peace. I stirred the pot with tough questions and controversial viewpoints, but each discussion pointed me back to Jesus, prompting me to share my own experiences.
As I delved deeper into the Bible, I realized Jesus had always been part of my journey. I felt God’s presence like never before, leading me to pray earnestly.
One scripture echoed incessantly in my mind, her favorite verse:
Ask and it will be given to you;
Seek and you will find;
Knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7—asking, seeking, knocking—became my roadmap. Jesus wasn’t just a missing piece; He completed the puzzle. Asking in Jesus’ name aligned my life’s fragments in His perfect plan, not mine.
The Birth of the Matthew 7:7 App
Shortly after, I crossed paths with Bob Webb, a Christian engineer whose insights deepened my understanding of prayer. He became a mentor, teaching me prayer’s power—a divine and almost scientific process.
Our collaboration birthed the Matthew 7:7 App—an innovative platform inspiring children to ask, seek, and knock in prayer. Like children exploring a cockpit, the app simplifies prayer’s core principles, with Jesus as our in-flight captain!
The app’s mission is clear: empower children on their spiritual journeys, fostering a global community of support and inspiration. Following Matthew 7:7, children unlock prayer’s true potential, experiencing God’s presence firsthand.
To learn more and support our mission, visit our website and preview my children’s series, Little Prayer Warrior: Parts 1, 2, and 3. These stories share the power of prayer through little Matthew’s spiritual quest with Grandpa Bob—inspired by my own prayer adventures!
Thank you for visiting the Matthew 7:7 App and sharing your prayers. Your prayers matter more than ever. All glory goes to God and Jesus for the gifts they’ve given me. I look forward to praying with you in the heavenly skies!
With Love and Blessings,
Matthew
Matt Goodman
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