My Journey from Sin to Salvation to Surrender to Study of the Bible and Ministry
My name is Ivy Rassart, and this is my journey from sin to salvation to my complete surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. I grew up in Marietta, Georgia, and now have a homestead in Dallas, Georgia, with my husband, two children, best friend, her husband, her mother-in-law, her two children, three dogs, seven cats, and five chickens. I also study the Bible and ministry topics online at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).
Growing Up Godless
I have very few memories of my younger years. I grew up in a typical suburban home with my parents and two sisters (one older sister and a twin sister). As for where my family stood spiritually, it was common to what you may see today. Both of my parents went to church as children. However, I never knew much about their experiences. All I knew growing up was my mom was agnostic, and my dad, though growing up Baptist, never spoke much about religion. He wanted to give us the option to choose for ourselves. I remember being given the option as a young child to go to church or watch Sunday morning cartoons. Pretty sure you can guess what my sisters and I chose.
One part of my growing up was the multitudes of weekends spent watching horror movies. My sisters and I went to Blockbuster every weekend to rent the next batch of scary movies. At some point, my older sister introduced us to the Ouija board. Before she was out of high school, she became a witch (Wiccan). Shortly after high school, I began my journey into the spiritual. However, not being raised religiously, I went down the New Age path. It was around the same time my twin began introducing me to psychics and tarot cards.
My Future Husband
I began working in the pharmaceutical industry at the age of 19. In my early twenties, my boss sent me to run a global project from Waterloo, Belgium. I was excited about the new experience but had no idea what God had in store for me. The first week I was there, some new friends invited me to go out with them one evening. Though I was lacking in my French speaking skills, some of them knew some English, so I tagged along.
That was the night I met my husband of nineteen years. I spoke no French. He spoke no English. It was quite an interesting experience. As we were leaving a crowded place, he grabbed my hand. I heard a voice clear as day say, “This is the father of your children.” Even though I was not a Christian, I knew this was God speaking. At that moment, I knew this was the person I would spend the rest of my life with, no matter what was in store for us. Four months later, we married and went back to the United States.
Trauma, Torment, and Terror
Within two weeks of returning to America, my husband’s mother passed away at the age of 51. She had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for a couple of years; however, her death did come unexpectedly and was heartbreaking. Thankfully, a nice change came with the birth of our first child, a beautiful daughter. Around the time she was about six months old, my life began to really change.
The first experience I remember vividly was sleeping one evening with the lights on while my husband was on the porch talking on the phone to his sister. I was suddenly awakened when two entities grabbed me by my feet and almost pulled me entirely off the bed. This was my first real-life experience with the paranormal. The evenings became more and more difficult for me as my nights were filled with torment. It did not happen every night initially but progressively increased over time until it was constant. That gradually led me to drink so I could sleep through the night.
My evenings and naps consisted of nightmares, sleep paralysis, and feeling like I was being electrocuted and worse. I would wake up with intense jaw pain from clenching all night and even physical scars. I knew my demons were attacking me, but I had no idea what to do. To my relief, my husband believed me, so we spent the next 15+ years seeking a solution. With no active Christians in my life, I relied on the internet, which led me down more New Age stuff. We never thought to study the Bible and ministry.
From Dark to Light
Around the time of Covid, things began to get more difficult. Not only were we adjusting to the Covid madness and all the political division, but my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I was spiraling deeper and deeper into darkness. After a horrible night and at the end of my rope, my husband told me that maybe I needed to talk to God or Jesus.
So the next night, I went into my bedroom, closed the door, and got on my knees before the trunk at the end of my bed. Tears of guilt and shame poured out of me. Bawling my eyes out, I cried out desperately, “Jesus, if you are really real, please help me! Please! I will do whatever you ask me to do. Anything! I will do whatever you tell me to do for the rest of my life! Just please help me!”
Almost immediately, a bright, white light appeared on the right side of my bed. I knew instantly it was Jesus. He wore a white robe and glowed so brightly I couldn’t see his face. Without a word spoken, He reached his right hand out to me. I grabbed His hand, stood up, and He pulled me to Him, embracing me in His arms. As I cried like a baby into His chest, it felt like all my worries, all my problems, every bit of darkness was lifted off me. The love emanating from Him was so intense and powerful. No words can ever describe it. He let me know, “Everything was going to be fine. You are mine now.” While this was happening, I had no concept of time. The last thing I remember is crawling into bed and having the most peaceful night of sleep ever.
Overnight Christian
The next morning when I awoke, I felt like a totally different person, free from alcohol, free from the demons, free from the heaviness. I was no longer in bondage. The chains had been broken, and I was finally set free – a new creation in Christ. It was like I was seeing the world for the first time. The colors of everything around me were amazing and brilliant and more vibrant than ever before in my life. It was like seeing God everywhere I looked and the magnificence of all His creation.
I became an overnight Christian. My husband and children were not far behind me. Before I knew it, we were all Christians and had surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ. We have since been through many lessons, trials, and tribulations. We quickly learned all about what being a follower of Christ is and a huge amount about spiritual warfare. Taking care of my mom during the last month of her battle with cancer was probably one of the most painful things to experience. However, Jesus stood by me each step of the way. I learned to fully rely on Him in everything!
Where We Are Now: Study the Bible and Ministry at CLI
The Lord led us to move to Dallas, Georgia, where we are homesteading with my best friend and her family. We found a wonderful church that my family and I volunteer at in the Children’s Ministry. We do family Bible study sessions as well as a weekly prayer group at our home. My life is entirely different from before, but the peace and joy I have now are such a blessing.
Each day I let the Holy Spirit guide me, which led me to Christian Leaders Institute. Now I can study the Bible and ministry topics tuition-free online. I am just getting started, but where the Lord leads, I will follow. Now I look forward to each day with excitement about where my journey will take me.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here
