Blog Series: Our Testimonies - Julie Hills
A few months back, I interviewed five incredible women who so graciously shared their testimonies with me (and hundreds of my readers.) I was so blessed by reading their testimonies and I know many of you were, too.
I’ve been thinking about including my own testimony on this blog, but I thought it might be weird to “interview” myself. But then I realized I just don’t care and it’s my blog, so I get to make the rules! haha
I’ve shared bits and pieces of my story in different posts, but maybe it’d be helpful to share it all in one place. So, here goes nothin’. Also, if you haven’t read the other testimonies that were shared in this series, head HERE and get to reading!!
How would you describe your life before Jesus?
I didn’t grow up in a “Christian” home. I honestly thought I was a Christian because I lived in America. When I started high school, my sweet friend Anie practically adopted me into her family and I would frequently join them at church on Sunday mornings after staying at her place on Saturday nights.
Life was rough at home (as any angsty teenager would probably say) and I was just so broken. I needed Him more than I even knew. Looking back, it is so evident that His goodness was always chasing me down. His lovingkindness was constantly surrounding me. He was always there, just waiting for me to set my eyes on Him. To trust Him, obey Him, and follow Him. No matter the cost.
How did you meet Jesus? The Holy Spirit? god as father?
I met Jesus on the second floor of our little church building in 1999. I was a broken, crazy, hard-hearted 15-year-old girl, desperate for the love of God. I had been looking for acceptance in everything but Him for so long. Our youth leader had asked someone to come share his testimony with the youth group and I was saved that night. This is why I believe in the power of testimonies so strongly; I was saved by hearing how God had completely transformed someone else’s life! A few months after I met Him, my mom and my brother met Him, too.
I met the Holy Spirit the night I was saved, April 7, 1999. I don’t quite have the words to describe it, but I felt this intense, indescribable JOY and kind of this warm feeling for about a week afterwards. It was a little strange, but also amazing. I had other encounters with Him over the years, but one of them in particular stands out to me among the rest. Almost 20 years after I met Him, I had a beautiful encounter with Holy Spirit that turned my world upside down. In May 2018, He rested upon me and I cried for a good five hours straight. He ministered to me and just held me while He healed me from some big heart stuff. From that moment a year and a half ago, I’ve been on the most incredible journey with Him. I’ve gotten to know Him as a person and He’s become my absolute best friend.
Meeting God the Father has been a life-long journey. I’ve had to unlearn the assumptions I had about Him and His character. Four and a half years of Bible College introduced me to so many new parts of Him. The fact that I even went to college is evidence of His provision. I graduated high school as a junior and didn’t even plan to go to college. I was 17 years old working four jobs at the same time. Then one night God told me in my dream which college I was supposed to go to and a month later, I found myself in my dorm room. I was shepherded by so many amazing friends and professors and met my hubby my freshman year.
God’s well is so deep and it never runs dry. There’s always enough, always more, and it always satisfies. I go back to this well everyday, asking Him to teach me new things about Himself and who I am as His reflection.
How do you journal or track what the holy spirit is teaching you? what does your quiet time typically look like?
Journaling is such an integral part of my daily fellowship with Him. I have several journals that I use for different purposes. My favorite right now is the ESV Psalms Scripture Journal, which has the text on the left pages and lined pages on the right. I love reading the Psalms for #thepsalmproject in several versions and then illustrating what He’s teaching me in this journal. I have other journals for prayers, sermon take-aways, and many others.
My quiet time looks different in every season. There was a time I was reading for an hour or two each morning and then a few more hours before bed. Currently, I read Psalms for about an hour each morning and then The Chronological Bible after I get home from work.
I love starting and ending my day with His Word. It truly is the daily bread our souls need to thrive. There were many years I went without reading the Word daily and I didn’t realize how I was starving my soul. Imagine only eating one meal a week…you would be a mess! This is what happens when we don’t chew on Scripture, too! I was starving for so long.
what scripture(s) do you go back to when you’re struggling with feelings of anxiety, fear, worry, etc.? What do you do to build your faith?
I’ve dealt with anxiety on and off for as long as I can remember. I do not allow myself to sit in anxiety like I used to and I’ve learned to use the authority Jesus has given me to tell it to leave when I feel the wave of anxiety rush over me. What I struggle with more than anxiety, though, are the feelings of unworthiness - not feeling worthy of His love or feeling unsure if I’m His child.
There are many verses I repeat in my mind (and often out loud) when I feel anxiety or unworthiness creeping in. Many of them are posted on my bathroom mirror and in other places around my home.
“Love never brings fear, for fear is always related to punishment. But love’s perfection drives the fear of punishment far from our hearts. Whoever walks constantly afraid of punishment[u] has not reached love’s perfection.”
1 John 4:18 (TPT)
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
1 John 4:18 (ESV)
“Say to the anxious and fearful, “‘Be strong and never afraid. Look, here comes your God! He is breaking through to give you victory! He comes to avenge your enemies. With divine retribution he comes to save you!’”
Isaiah 35:4 (TPT)
“Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.’”
Isaiah 35:4 (ESV)
“The mature children of God are those who are moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit. And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, ‘Beloved Father!’ For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, ‘You are God’s beloved child!’ And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has. We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings as our own.”
Romans 8:14-17 (TPT)
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Romans 8:14-17 (ESV)
“He came to the very people he created - to those who should have recognized him, but they did not receive him. But those who embraced him and took hold of his name were given authority to become the children of God! “
John 1:11-12 (TPT)
“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
John 1:11-13 (ESV)
“You have all become true children of God by the faith of Jesus the Anointed One! It was faith that immersed you into Jesus, the Anointed One, and now you are covered and clothed with his anointing.”
Galatians 3:26-27 (TPT)
“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Galatians 3:25-27
“True love for God means obeying his commands, and his commands don’t weigh us down as heavy burdens. You see, every child of God overcomes the world, for our faith is the victorious power that triumphs over the world. So who are the world conquerors, defeating its power? Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”
1 John 5:3-5
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
1 John 5:3-5
If you’re willing to share, what is one of your most memorable prophetic words someone has given you? How are you stewarding that prophecy?
During the most recent Moms in the Making conference, I received a prophetic card from the girls over at I Am Fruitful. I was a blubbering MESS after reading just the first line of the card. The Father literally answered the cry of my heart word-for-word.
My prayers for months had been, “I think I’m almost out of words…” and “I don’t think I have anything left to say…” and this was the card I received! I mean…come on!
It said, “God wants to be your words. When you feel you have nothing left to say, or even run out of prayers to pray. He says, ‘Let me help you. I am more than enough. You don’t have to be everything and I desire to be your safe, resting place. Keep coming to me for words. Let it be the lamp to your feet.’ (Psalm 119:105) ‘And I will add strength to this promise.’”
I had also received a prophetic card in April 2019 grounded in Psalm 119, so this was even more special to me on another level. Basically, I was a hot mess reading this card, but in the best way.
There are times when I want to put my blog on hold (or stop blogging altogether), but He’ll remind me of the words I received and He’ll whisper, “let me be your words.” And each time He’s so faithful to deliver. At least once a week, I’ll receive a text or email from someone saying that particular blog post was exactly what they needed to hear.
Just a few more questions that i’m curious about! What song do you have on repeat these days? What are you reading that is changing you?
I listen to one playlist for 6-12 months at a time. This is not an exaggeration. I will literally listen to the same few songs over and over again every time I’m in my car or listening to music for months. My worship playlist can be found HERE!
Currently, I have all Maverick City Music on repeat. My favorite songs of theirs are You’re Welcome in This Place, Take Me Back, You Keep on Getting Better, Most Beautiful/So in Love, Refiner, and Communion (but I love ALL of them!)
My other obsession is Kalley Heiligenthal. Her newest album has been on repeat for months in our house, too. My favorites are All That I’m After, Vow, Sanctuary, In the Middle of It, and Alabaster Heart.
Other than MCM and Kalley, I also have the following on repeat: The Secret Place, Freedom, Anthem, What Moves You, Jesus, Come be the Center, and Nearness, Come Alive, All is For Your Glory, among others.
As for books that I’m reading, I’m focusing most of my quiet time reading on The Chronological Bible and the Psalms through #thepsalmproject. I also listen to books through Audible. Currently, I’m loving The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery, Rooted: The Hidden Places Where God Develops You, The Prophetic Voice of God, and You Are the Girl for the Job.
More posts in the Testimony Series:
I’m so glad you’re here, friend. I’m not sure how you found this post, but I continue to be amazed by the internets. It brings us together in such beautiful ways and reminds us that we’re more alike than different. More united than divided. Whether you spend a minute or an hour on this page, know that Jesus loves you like crazy. Like CRAZY. I’d love to hear how I can pray for you. Would you let me know here?
