Jesus has spoken to me many times, especially through the past 7 years. During the early part of this time, I was not walking the walk, and He and I were, well, let's say at odds.
Nothing was going right. I had just given up a job that I had had for the past 15 yrs, for what I thought would be a great step upwards in the direction of financial security, and earthly pleasure.
Needless to say God had other things in mind. The 1st ten weeks of my new job was training, which meant I would be a way from home for the majority of the time. During this time things began to happen, things that I now realize were happening because He was trying to get my attention. It is amazing how stubborn we can be and how thick headed we become.
Well let's see, during this ten week span, I became sick with gallbladder, our house burnt to the ground, one of my brother in laws passed away ridden with cancer, and I nearly was terminated one day at work for leaving some checks laying out on the desk when making a deposit.
One year later I was knocked back down, this time with coronary artery disease and was found to have a 95% blockage. This as usual [as my luck goes] was merely the beginning of another attempt to get my attention. Well, the next several months proved to be quite rough. I was in and out of the hospital with recurring chest pain. I spent probably 78% of the rest of the year in the hospital. Finally after the third attempt and 4 stents, I was back at work.
Next, I was becoming severely depressed and this started a time in my life for the next 3 years was a ride of pure hell, even though there were at times things happening that made be believe things would get better.
I received a promotion, which also meant a huge move for me and my family. The next 8 months were probably the worst months of my life to this point. Nothing went right, nothing, the store I was put in was the worst in the company. At the end of the 8 month, I was ripped from my promotion and returned to my former position, but the store I was placed in was an hour and half away from home. We were struggling majorly financial because I had been sucked in to the real estate markets web.
Our house went into foreclosure, we were 6 hrs away from all family, two hrs after getting home from being demoted, I received a call that my step mother had passed away.
I can go one but I might be here all day. My point is that I most definitely know Jesus and He and I communicate daily. For the past 3 years we have lived solely by His graces, He has been our provider. Worldly views place me in one of the lowest poverty levels there are, but I truly am one of the richest people on the fade of this earth simply because I do know Jesus and as He wishes for all of us, I completely turned my life over to Him.