Chris Pritchett Testimony of God’s Grace
Hello, my name is Chris Pritchett and I just want to thank you for letting me share a slice of what Christ has done in my life.
Looking back, I can say that I lived much of my life in confusion, with no direction, and with no goals.
My childhood was plagued with loneliness, isolation, hunger, separation from family, and multiple types of abuse. I was not raised in church and grew up giving little thought to God.
In my early 20’s I spent several years living a very selfish and reckless life. I abused alcohol, treated women as objects, and went from high to high including a near-death encounter by overdosing on crack cocaine.
With those choices came numerous consequences and heartache in the years that followed. When I got married, my wife Cindy and all my children suffered due to my selfish lifestyle. Some of these consequences have been lifelong and are embedded lifelong memories.
But then about 15 years ago, God intervened in my life. He saved me. By Gods grace he knew that I desperately needed my wife Cindy in my life, and thanks to her church attendance became a regular pattern. The church bulletins were always previously placed in all the seats prior to the service. One morning the title said, “Believing in God, But Not Living Like It.” Reading this immediately crushed me. I was convicted and knew this was 100% me! I was saved before church even started. God called me to himself so profoundly that morning that I don’t remember the words I said. I just know I gave up, received him, and that specific morning changed the trajectory of my life forever. He forgave my sins and rescued me from a life of self-destruction.
God began placing Christian men in my life. Specifically, James Harrison who was my boss at a mechanical construction company. James was different. His large white board was full of people he would pray for while kneeling at his office chair. His heart was gentle, and his wallet was generous. James took the time to listen and counsel me through life’s circumstances and was always able to share scripture with me that was similar to my circumstances, and this left me encouraged. James loved me, he prayed with me, he spoke truth to me, and pointed me to Gods love for me.
However, I still felt shackled to my past because I thought that I should have no more sin in my life. I believed I should do more and work harder to earn my keep with God. Eventually I found myself believing that God couldn’t love me and that he viewed me as a failure. I struggled to feel close to God.
But God kept pursuing me. He sent relationships. He sent people to invest in me and live transparently. He anchored me in preaching that pointed to his grace and helped me understand His true character.
Ultimately it was God's kindness to allow the spirit of Jesus to live inside of me so that I may begin to know his love for me. I’m so thankful God did not leave me when I was most vulnerable. I don’t live in order to earn his love. I live in a thankful response to the love he’s already given for me at the cross. He’s placed a desire in my heart to try and honor him with my life.
God's word says there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
I have sinned and I need a savior. And I stand here now because God has rescued me from a life of self-destruction and given me a life of freedom through his son Jesus Christ. In Jesus, there is no condemnation. There is always more that’s right in Jesus than there is what’s wrong in me, more forgiveness in him than sin in me. And however deep my mess goes, his holiness goes deeper. My sins, they are many, but his mercy is more. And he’s committed to changing me from the inside out.