My Testimony
Welcome to the Holy Spirit Untethered. My name is Amber Beals, and it is my job and my mission to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me, to help demystify who he is, what his role is, and to deeply encourage you to seek a relationship with him. Alright. Let's get started. Hey, guys.
Amber Beels:Welcome back to the holy spirit untethered podcast. My name is Amber, and I have a little bit of a treat for you today because my wonderful husband, he recorded my testimony that I gave to my church on Sunday. Now if you tuned in to last week's episode, I did an episode on the power of a testimony or a power of your story. And, basically, I talked about how powerful it is to be able to tell your story and how important it is to have your story ready for whenever somebody asks, like, well, what's your testimony? Or how did you come to Christ?
Amber Beels:Like, having your testimony in your, like, little tool belt, if you will, to be able to edify somebody and really give glory to God in what he has done in your life. So that was last week's episode. So if you haven't already, go check that one out. That one was pretty good. So this week, I decided to share my testimony.
Amber Beels:So pastor Shane asked me to give my testimony. And the last time that I did that at the church was several years ago. It's five minutes. And that was the first time that I really got up in front of the church and spoke, and it was very nerve wracking. And it was only five minutes, but I was very, very, very nervous.
Amber Beels:And he gave me a lot of headway to be able to prepare for that five minute little speech, if you will, but it was very hard for me back then. And now, you know, I've I've grown a lot since then. I've been able to preach some sermons and speak in front of people a lot more. I'm a lot more comfortable with it, which I never thought I would say. I'm more comfortable with being in front of people.
Amber Beels:It's really is, like, kind of weird. But, you know, the Lord gave me gifts that I'm discovering, and it's it's a good thing. It's still a little scary. I still get, you know, the flutters before I get up. But I have learned to yield to the Holy Spirit and just allow him to speak through me.
Amber Beels:And it's very rewarding. It's very rewarding. So this is what this episode is gonna be on is that recording of my testimony. Now I think I have given bits and pieces on this podcast throughout the now 40 episodes that I've recorded. And but the I haven't really told my story to you guys to know my background, kinda where I came from, and my journey with the holy spirit, and just my walk with the Lord, right, and how I became to be a Christian and all the things.
Amber Beels:So I think it would be good for you guys to to know that and to kinda maybe be able to relate to me a little bit more. So I'm excited for you guys to hear it. I just wanna warn you. It is a recording from a phone, so it may, you know, not sound the best like my voice does right now. So just be aware that it is a recording from a phone.
Amber Beels:We're outside in a park. I think there's a generator in the background. So it's not the best audio, but you can hear me and you can see hear my story as I told it this last Sunday. So I'm really excited for you guys to hear that, and I hope it blesses you. I hope that it also encourages you to go out and share your story with somebody whether it be an acquaintance, a friend, maybe a complete stranger, whatever it is.
Amber Beels:Like, whatever the Lord puts on your heart on where to share your story because and I say this in the recording, but, you know, this is my story, but this is the Lord's message of how he transformed my life and how he loved me and how he sought after me. So the same thing applies to you. It's your story, but his message. Allow others to be edified by your message, your story of how the Lord intervened in your life, how he came through, how he loved you, and how he transformed your life for the better. So I really, really highly encourage you to do that.
Amber Beels:So without further ado, here is the recording. Alright. Good morning.
Amber Beels:It's on you.
Amber Beels:How are you guys? Good. It's beautiful today. Hopefully, that sun stays out of my eyes, then I can take these off and I can see your beautiful faces. Hi.
Amber Beels:Hi. So four years ago, we were at Hickory. Who was there at Hickory? Few of you? Yeah.
Amber Beels:Yeah. Shane was here. Yes. I remember that. So four years ago, we were at Hickory, and it's been such an amazing blessing to see what the Lord has done since we were at Hickory.
Amber Beels:I think our church was like a third of the size that it is now, and it's like awesome to see that we're
Amber Beels:at the
Amber Beels:Center for the Arts. The Lord has reasons for everything. Right? He may we may have been kicked out of Hickory, but we are blessed to be here at the Center for the Arts. Amen?
Amber Beels:Amen.
Amber Beels:So four years ago, about three years ago, Shane asked me while we were at Hickory to share my story, and I had five minutes. And I had never done any kind of, like, public speaking or anything. And, you know, do you guys know it's like the number one fear, is public speaking? Yeah? Am I alone in that?
Amber Beels:No? Yeah. No. It's kind of nerve wracking. And I was sweating bullets.
Amber Beels:It was five minutes. And I was like, okay. You got this. It's alright. So and he gave me, like, three weeks ahead of time to come up with five minutes to share my story, which, you know, I'm the expert of me.
Amber Beels:I should be able to tell my story. Right? So this time, Shane asked me on Tuesday, so not even a full week, heads up, if I would share my testimony. And I was like, oh, I'll think about it. I'll think about it.
Amber Beels:And then we were having a meeting. Twenty minutes into the meeting, the Holy Spirit was like, what do you need to think about? It's your story. And I was like, okay. Fine.
Amber Beels:Shane, yes. I'll do it. I'll do this. Here I am. And this is my story, my testimony.
Amber Beels:But really, this is my story, my testimony, but this is the Lord's message. Amen. This is his message of love and transformation that he's done in my life and that he's done in many other lives, but mine specifically today. So I was born in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas. I know I don't really sound like I'm from Texas.
Amber Beels:I, you know, I sound very Californian, but if you ever catch me when I'm tired or I'm angry, the southern comes out. So, you know, just keep an eye out for that. My family had a history of having kids really young, from my great grandmother, my grandmother, my mom was no exception. She had me at 21. And she was still trying to figure life out at 21 as a lot of us are.
Amber Beels:I wasn't exactly planned, but I was welcomed by most of my family. The first six years of my life, I lived with my mom, and I lived with my great grandparents in Texas, and they were from Bolivia. So do you guys know where Bolivia is? South America? Yeah.
Amber Beels:The culture is way different than it is here, and they basically raised me. My great grandmother basically raised me until I was six because my mom, she worked at night. And so I got to only see her certain parts of the day. And so my great grandmother, she was raised in an orphanage, and so she didn't get a lot of love in her early years. And so my first six years of life wasn't exactly rainbows and sunshine being raised by her.
Amber Beels:She was emotionally and verbally abusive. And as far back as I can remember, she used to tell me that my mom didn't love me and she didn't want to be around me from ages zero to six. I remember hearing that every day. And it was affirmed because she worked nights, and so I never got to see her. And she would leave in the morning or she would go to bed in the morning.
Amber Beels:And because of that, that translated in my little head that I was not worthy of love, that I didn't deserve it. And I had nightmares every night. I remember those were my first dreams of me trying to find my mom. I was in a supermarket or out in public, and I'd find my mom, and then she'd be like, don't know you. No.
Amber Beels:I don't love you. And I'd have that dream every night, and I never told anybody until my cousin, she came to visit me. And I don't know why, but I just felt like I could trust her. And I told her, like, people would ask me, oh, what did you dream about? And my favorite animal was lion.
Amber Beels:So I was like, oh, I was a lion running around. But with her, when she asked me, I was like, you know, I have this dream every night, and it's a nightmare, I hate it. And so she prayed for me. And that was my first experience with the Lord, was my cousin praying over me, and I never had that dream again once she prayed for me. When I turned six, my mom decided it would be best to send me to my grandparents here in California.
Amber Beels:So I left my great grandparents, and I technically became a ward of the state of California and was given to my grandparents to take care of. And I went to a more stable environment. I actually went to church. I went to Emmanuel Faith for many, many years with them, for the three years that I lived with them. And, again, more stable, didn't have the verbally abusive, just words constantly every day.
Amber Beels:But I missed my mom. I had a special connection with my mom even though I was told she didn't love me. I loved her, and I desperately just wanted to be by her. And so after three years, they sent me back. At this point, my mom was married to my stepdad.
Amber Beels:His name was JT, and she lived in her own home. I lived with them for five years. I gained a brother in those five years, but I lost a stable household again. My mom and my stepdad, they fought a lot. It was a house full of anger and resentment and just not God.
Amber Beels:God wasn't there. At least I didn't feel him in their relationship, And we never went to church. While they fought, I would bring my brother into my room to try to shelter him from all those things, from the fights. Police were called. It was bad.
Amber Beels:And I was around 10. And around four years of living from or living with them, my mom told me she was gonna leave my stepdad. And I was happy because I thought I could finally live with just my mom and my brother, and we could just be at peace and just live together. A few months after that, when we were living at my great grandmother's house, she wasn't there. She let me know that she decided she was gonna live back with JT, and my heart was broken.
Amber Beels:My grandparents at the time, they asked me to come back to California to live with them because they knew that I wasn't happy. And so I had to make a decision at 13 years old if I was gonna stay with my mom and deal living with my stepdad or move to California for high school. And I didn't know how to make that decision. I was 13. I loved my mom, and I so desperately wanted to be with her.
Amber Beels:And that was the way I wanted to go, but I knew in my heart of hearts that I would not be happy. And so during the time that I was with my mom, I went to a Christian school. And so I decided, okay. I'll pray. So I paced in my room for, like, two hours, just back and forth praying to God, just crying out to God.
Amber Beels:Like, what do I do? How do I make this decision? I don't know how. And finally, he answered me, and he said, it shouldn't be your decision. Give it to your mom.
Amber Beels:So I went to my mom, and I said, I wanna live with you, but I don't wanna live with JT anymore. I can't live in that environment anymore. So if you decide to go back with him, then I'm going to California with mom and dad or my grandparents. She wasn't happy about that, but a few days later, she made the arrangements for me to move to California. So I came back out here.
Amber Beels:I was here for high school. I went to classical academy. I was back in a stable environment, but the day that I came to live out here, I wept because I missed my mom. And those lies that I was fed as a kid that she didn't love me or I wasn't worthy of love, they were just affirmed. So I was back here, went to high school.
Amber Beels:I did well in high school. While I was here, my mom, she finally divorced my stepdad and left him. And she also joined the Wicca religion. If you guys don't know what Wicca is, it's a witchcraft pagan religion. And I was intrigued.
Amber Beels:When I came to visit her, I would excuse me. I would attend their rituals just to see what it was about. Thankfully, the Lord made me smart enough not to join, but just observe the people in this religion that I knew very little about. And from what I saw, with all the spells and everything that they could do, they lived lives that were broken, full of anger, and they were broke. They were not living in the abundance that they claimed they could live in.
Amber Beels:So I knew that wasn't for me, And I did not partake, but it did make me question everything. I became agnostic. And I believed that there was some kind of higher power, but I wasn't convinced that it was the God of the Bible. So when I became agnostic, I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. Go figure.
Amber Beels:Those things came hand in hand. I was on medication that barely kept me above water, antidepressants. I was so, so severely depressed. I became numb, and I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't feel any emotion, nothing positive, negative, nothing.
Amber Beels:No fear, nothing. But God, God sent me a friend. A friend to this day, I still have not met in person. We were friends online. And he was always full of life and joy, and I knew that he was different.
Amber Beels:And he would speak life and encourage me. So finally, after months of speaking with him and him ministering to me, I finally made the decision for real this time. I sat in my bed, and I chose to accept the Lord as my my savior. And as I did, the peace that surpasses all understanding flooded all around me, and I wept, and I felt emotion again. I immediately just I just wept, and the Lord released me from my medication.
Amber Beels:I had tried to get off my antidepressants many times, and he just released me, and I felt lighter. And I had color in my life again. I was 20 years old when I did that. One month after I gave my life to Christ, my mom sent my grandfather because I was in California. Thank you.
Amber Beels:Thank you. My mom had sent my grandfather a suicidal message. And it was not the first time that she had done that. My mom has bipolar type one and two. And at this point, she had been admitted to the hospital a few times for her mental illness.
Amber Beels:This was just the first time that I was old enough to understand what was going on and that I felt like I could help. So my grandmother and I, we flew to Texas to help her out. At this point, my mom was living with a different boyfriend and had developed nonepileptic seizures. As soon as I walked into that house, the holy spirit spoke to me and said, this is not a battle of the mind, Amber. This is not her mental illness.
Amber Beels:This is spiritual warfare. And my heart sank. I had never liked paranormal things. I don't like scary movies. I don't like anything like that.
Amber Beels:And so when he told me that, I was afraid. I was never used to any of that. I mean, I have been one month baby Christian, and he sends me to the front lines. And I was like, Lord, okay. That first day, the Holy Spirit just kept downloading and revealing things to me that her seizures were attacks of the enemy.
Amber Beels:They weren't in her head. They were attacks and that she was possessed, that she had let something in through her religion. I told my grandmother immediately because we went there to admit her in the hospital, and I told her exactly what the holy spirit said, and she just kinda was like, okay. I'll let you handle it. And I was like, okay.
Amber Beels:Cool. I didn't wanna leave my mom at all that first day. As soon as I found out, I just felt like I couldn't leave her and there were certain things that started happening happening, weird things that just confirmed what the Holy Spirit was telling me and that the enemy knew I was there, and the enemy was not happy. And that first night, again, I didn't wanna leave my mom, so I slept with her in the same bed. And I just spoke to her, and I was, like, just told her the good news that Jesus loved her and that what was going on and revealing things to her, and she listened.
Amber Beels:She was actually open to listening to what I had to say. And then finally, she was tired, and she's like, okay, Amber. I'm gonna go to sleep. As soon as she fell asleep, she started contorting her limbs and doing things a normal human just shouldn't be able to do. She started moaning and doing things that just made me scared.
Amber Beels:And so I started speaking in authority of Jesus, doing what I thought I should do to get it to stop. And one of the things that I said to to it was, you're I'm not afraid of you. And it spoke back to me through her voice, not her voice, through her mouth, not her voice, and said, if you're not afraid, why are you trembling? And then it left. To say the least, I was a little shaken up, but I knew that it wasn't over, that it hadn't left.
Amber Beels:And so the next morning, I called up a local Calvary Chapel, and I said, help. Please. I told the pastor what was going on, and he graciously let us come in that same day. And my mom said yes to going, which was very important. We walked into the church, and my mom was very hesitant.
Amber Beels:She stared at the door and finally walked in into his office. He ministered to her, shared the good news, and she ended up accepting Jesus that day. As soon as she did, he laid his hands on her, and she was delivered. I didn't realize how hard her face had gotten over the years. And as soon as she was delivered, her face was softened, and I had my mom back.
Amber Beels:And after that, I asked myself, how can I not believe in the goodness of Jesus after what I just witnessed? That was thirteen years ago today. My mom has not had one seizure since. Possession and oppression are not openly talked about today, but it's still very much around, and it's still very much real. But our God is bigger and stronger and able.
Amber Beels:He never stopped chasing me and never stops, and he won't stop chasing you. My mom is now saved, and she attends Heart Church. The Lord continues to work in me and my family. And one thing that I know today is you don't have to be afraid of the enemy. You have the authority of Christ and the boldness of Christ within you.
Amber Beels:You can take care of those things. I didn't know that at the time because I was still a baby Christian, but you have authority. So the Lord will continue to work in my life as he will continue to work in yours. He's never done, And he never gives you more than what you can handle. And whatever you go through, he uses it for good.
Amber Beels:We are a work in progress, but we are his masterpiece. And we live a life of victory. As I've grown up, I've had to combat those lies that I wasn't worthy of love, and the Lord healed those wounds. He corrected those lies, and he replaced them with his truth that I am worthy of his love, that he died for me, and he died for you. That's how much he loves us.
Amber Beels:So I wanna encourage you guys never to hesitate to share your testimony. It's the good news that the Lord has done in your life, and it will encourage others. Thank you. So
Amber Beels:weird. Wow. I'm gonna have Amber pray for each of us, but before she does, I just wanna read a passage that was on my mind as I was kind of preparing my heart for Amber's incredible testimony and the goodness of God and the power of God. Ephesians chapter one nineteen says this. This is Paul praying for us.
Amber Beels:I pray that you will understand, much like Amber has explained, the incredible greatness of God's power for those who believe. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand. Verse 21. Now he, Jesus, is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else, not only in this world, but also in the world to come. And here it is.
Amber Beels:God has put all things under the authority of Christ. That's good news. Amen?
Amber Beels:Amen. So,
Amber Beels:Amber, I wanted you to pray for us, and specifically, I would love for you to pray if anybody's battling with something and they feel like it's too strong for them, and maybe it's not demonic, but it's something that feels like it's overwhelming and maybe it's a mountain, but it's too strong, and just as you experience the simplicity of the power of God, the name of Jesus that is above, and that there's nothing in this world, including the enemy, that has any power over us, and that people would leave assured based on your testimony.
Amber Beels:Alright. Dear heavenly father, I just thank you so much for this opportunity to share what you've done in my life and that you are able to do in every other people's lives, Lord. We are your children, Lord, and you care. You care about everything that we're going through, whether it's we're on the mountaintops or we're in the valleys, Lord, or we're facing a mountain that just seems too big. You are bigger, Lord, and that we can depend on you.
Amber Beels:So, Holy Spirit, I pray that you would just encourage us today, Lord. I pray for the people who are going through it right now, Lord. I pray you would reveal your voice to them, Lord, and just encourage them, give them life giving words, Lord. Speak the truth that they are under your authority and they have your authority to speak into their own lives, Lord, and speak into others, Lord. And I just I just thank you for that.
Amber Beels:I thank you for what you've done on the cross that we have that resurrection power in us, Lord, and we have access to it every day, every minute of every day, and that we can use it because you've given it to us as a gift. Not because we've done anything for it, but because you love us so much, Lord. You, Holy Spirit, are our helper, Lord. You help us go through the trials of life and and bless us through it, Lord, and just make us more like Jesus, Lord. And I thank you for that, Lord.
Amber Beels:So I just pray for those who are going through it, Lord. Encourage them. Lift them up, Lord, and just allow them to be able to feel your authority and your boldness and to be able to come to the throne room and praise you and just love you, Lord. We thank thee. We thank you in Jesus' name.
Amber Beels:Amen. Alright, guys. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed my story. I, you know, had to keep it to around fifteen minutes. And so this episode is gonna be a little shorter because of the time constraints that I had with the church.
Amber Beels:But I hope that it did what it was supposed to do. I hope that you are blessed by my story. I hope that you can relate in some way with maybe you were told some not so nice things when you were a kid or, you know, had a rough past that it doesn't matter where you come from. It's where you are now in your relationship with the Lord at this moment and how far you've come from that past and what you're doing right now to become more like Jesus. That's that's the point.
Amber Beels:It's where you are now, where your heart is now, and your relationship with the Lord at this moment. And it will bless someone. I promise you that. Your testimony will bless somebody. So I really encourage you to share your message and share your story.
Amber Beels:Maybe sit down, spend a few minutes, you know, writing your thoughts down. Sometimes it takes a little digging to get your testimony where it needs to be to be able to tell the right story, to pull on the heartstrings, and really remember where you were at when you came to the Lord. So I wanna encourage you to do that. And if you can, it would be awesome if you guys would share this episode, share this podcast. If it's blessed you, then hopefully, it'll bless somebody else.
Amber Beels:So if you can, go ahead and share this episode and give it a rating too on whatever platform that you listen to, whether it's Apple or Spotify, whatever platform you listen to, go ahead and give me a rating. That would be awesome. It helps the algorithm and just get this podcast out there so that people can understand who the holy spirit is and hopefully further their journey with the holy spirit and ultimately the lord. Right? I love you guys.
Amber Beels:Thank you so much for listening, and I'll see you next week.
