Written by: Tinus Coetzee
Article source: JOY! Magazine
First of all, I would like to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for loving me enough to save me, and for giving me this opportunity to share my testimony. Revelation 12:11 says: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives to the death.” My hope is that by sharing my testimony, it will bring people closer to the truth about Jesus Christ and what the Cross means to us all.
An atheist all my life
I was an atheist for 44 years, believing in absolutely nothing else but in man as fleshly beings. I believed that we live, then die, and then become part of the soil as food for the plants and animals. I did, however, believe that people could be ‘good’ if they so desired.
Alcohol, pornography, and partying
I was virtually an alcoholic. In my case, this did not mean drinking every day, but how much I drank when I partied. It was nothing to finish a bottle of brandy, warming up before the real party started. I partied at least two to three times a week at that stage. It was always about how quickly I could get myself extremely drunk. I always thought that I was the life of the party. No party was complete without Tinus there!
I smoked between 20-40 cigarettes each day; and when I drank, it could shoot up to 60. I loved the pornography videos that friends sent me on a daily basis, and my mind was filled with lust – to such an extent that I could not wait to receive my daily dose of pornography. Every word that came out of my mouth was foul, and I was jealous of everyone who did better than I did.
Everything was about me
I did horribly corrupt business deals, was not afraid to bribe people, and used others for my own benefit. I treated my staff like dirt and paid them as little as possible for maximum productivity. I enriched myself at all costs. I was proud and conceited, deaf to anyone cautioning or rebuking me. It was all about me, myself, and I.
Worship music in the pub
One evening I was having one of my loud parties with friends in my lapa; drinking, smoking, and telling dirty jokes. My brother, Tjaart, put worship music on in my bar. You see, he was saved long before I was, and so was my wife, Lisa (they had been praying for me to repent for years.) I was annoyed with them for putting on the music, but allowed them in the end, because I was “mellow” – as they called it – halfway to being drunk. Then the most amazing thing happened to me…
Shaken to my core
I heard Holy Spirit saying, “What are you busy doing, My son?” I thought it was just a stupid thought, but then I heard it again, “What are you doing, My son?” For an atheist, this was extremely strange. I became emotional and just knew that this was Jesus speaking to me. He said, “My son, your liver is My liver, and your lungs are My lungs; your eyes are My eyes. Every time you look at pornography, I have to look at it with you. Every time you drink, I have to drink with you. Every time you smoke, My lungs also hurt.” That shook me to my core.
My life changed
Immediately, I poured my glass of brandy out over my lapa floor and promised the Lord that I would never ever drink again. After that night, my whole life started to change. I still battled with smoking for a few months, but I have since stopped smoking, stopped drinking, and I have turned to Him whenever thoughts of lust rise up in my mind. The Lord is helping me every day.
Thank you, Lord
This is just a very compact version of my testimony. There is more to it, but I can testify: I got saved, I got baptised, and I got discipled. A couple of years have passed and my life is still changing on a daily basis. I am part of an amazing church and I have become king, priest, and prophet of my house. I cannot wait to spend time in the Word every day, because it is all about my relationship with Jesus, He who called me out of darkness to His light (Eph 5:8).
Tinus Coetzee is available as guest speaker: for bookings, contact Lisa at lisacoetzee5@gmail.com
Click here to KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE weekly newsletter.
Date published: 20/02/2023
Tinus and Lisa have been married for 19 years. They have three children – Charne, Tiaan, and Rigardt.
DISCLAIMER
JOY! News is a Christian news portal that shares pre-published articles by writers around the world. Each article is sourced and linked to the origin, and each article is credited with the author’s name. Although we do publish many articles that have been written in-house by JOY! journalists, we do not exclusively create our own content. Any views or opinions presented on this website are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.
