Testimonies - Jay yelas
Jay
Yelas
Jay Yelas
2002 FLW Angler Of The Year
2002 B.A.S.S. Bassmaster Classic Champion,
and
2003 B.A.S.S. Angler Of The Year
In the summer of 1987, a young man named Jay Yelas graduated
from Oregon State University and entered his first professional bass tournament,
the U. S. Open at Lake Mead, Nevada. He placed 6th in that
first tournament, winning $8,000. That first professional start gave him the
confidence to pursue his dream of becoming a professional bass fisherman.
Jay took his rods, lures, and bass boat and hit the pro fishing circuit,
and nothing's been quite the same since.
Fifteen years later, Jay reached the pinnacle of success when he was
crowned World Champion, winning the 2002 Bassmasters Classic in Birmingham,
Alabama. Along the way, Jay has piled up a most impressive list of
accomplishments. Jay has over 50 top 10 finishes on the Bassmaster and FLW
Tours, he is currently ranked 6th on the Bassmaster all-time money
list with more than a million dollars in earnings, he has piled up 5 career
victories, and he was the 2002 FLW Angler of the Year which earned him a
spot on the cover of the Kellogg's Corn Flakes box.
What a thrill it was winning the 2002 Bassmasters Classic!
That had been a lifelong dream of mine ever since I caught my first bass
back when I was 16 years old. I had fished in 11 prior Classics, but had
never done much good until the 2002 Classic in Birmingham, Alabama. It was
finally my turn to win the World Championship of bass fishing. I have a
ton of friends and fans in Alabama so winning the Classic there was a special
thrill for me. It was also great having my wife and daughters in
attendance. I will never forget our victory lap around the coliseum,
holding the American Flag in one hand and the Classic trophy in the other!
The biggest thrill of the Classic for me, though, was giving
Jesus Christ all the glory, live on ESPN, when I won it the final day. I
got to tell the world how He has changed my life. That was just so
awesome. It was perhaps my biggest defining moment in life.
My prayer is that God will use my Classic win to benefit and
enrich other peoples’ lives. That would be the ultimate
satisfaction for me. Believe it or not, my winning the Bassmasters
Classic was not about benefiting me, it was for blessing you! How is that
you say? Well, if my testimony leads people to the Lord, then all things
are working together for good (Romans 8:28).
I know what a personal relationship with Jesus Christ has
meant to me, and it has forever changed me for the better. It is the best
thing I have ever experienced. Knowing Jesus, and having a real, personal
relationship with Him on a daily basis fills me with so much love, peace, and
joy! Loving Jesus makes my life complete. I want everyone to experience
the love of God, through knowing His Son Jesus. Encouraging others to that
end is the greatest legacy any person can leave.
I have not always had a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ. As a kid, I grew up in the Christian church, and I knew
about Jesus, but I didn't know Jesus. There is a big
difference between knowing about someone, and knowing someone
personally. Early in my career, bass fishing was my god. I was
totally consumed with being the best fisherman I could possibly be. I
always had a hunch that the spiritual world was real, and so I turned my
attention to it, hoping to find a formula for greater fishing
success.
The only problem was, I had set out on a spiritual journey
without the Bible as my guide. And I got lost. I got into the New
Age movement, which believes each person has the power within them to totally
control their own destiny. Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a
way that seems right unto man, but the end therein is death”. That
sums up the New Age perfectly for me. It takes a truth from the Bible, and
twists it, perverts it in a way that seems to make sense, but it leads to both
physical and spiritual death.
We do have the power to exercise our own free will and
make choices, including our spiritual destiny (heaven or hell). But we
cant choose our destiny here on earth. We can either believe a lie and
spend our lives flailing in the wind in search of fulfilling our desires, or we
can surrender to the love of God, and turn our lives over to Him.
You may be blessed with enough God given talent and intellect
to succeed in the business world on your own, but you will never know true
contentment without knowing God through His Son Jesus Christ. I am talking
about contentment with your spouse and family, and having all the fruits of the
Holy Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22: love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control.
God loves you. He longs to have a relationship with you, and He is
waiting for you to choose to love Him. According to the Bible, it doesn't
matter what you may have done, or what you have said or thought about Jesus in
the past. He is ready to forgive you right now. That is how great a
love He has for you. His mercy will forgive all your sins, but you must
ask Him for forgiveness.
In Romans 3:23, the Bible declares that “all have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. That means
everybody, even the Pope and Billy Graham. No person even comes close to
the righteousness or holiness of God.
The Bible also says in Romans 6:23 that “the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ”. Have faith in Jesus, have eternal life. Deny Him and be
eternally damned in Hell. Hell is real, but so is Jesus!
Finally, Romans 10:9 says that if we “confess
Jesus with our lips, and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the
dead, we shall be saved”. Saved from what? Saved from our
sins keeping us eternally separated from a holy and righteous God.
Once we are saved, we may still make mistakes. But
God begins to change us from the inside out as He begins the process of
sanctification, or making us more like Jesus.
Don't let your pride keep you from experiencing the best
that life has to offer! Trust Jesus today! I promise you will never
regret it.
If you would like to accept Jesus
like Jay has you can do so now by praying this prayer and meaning it in your
heart.
Just say, “Father, in the name of
Jesus, I come to you and ask you to forgive me of my sin. I believe that Jesus
Christ died for me and rose again to set me free. Lord Jesus, come into my
heart, come into my life, be my Lord and my Savior. I thank you now that I am
saved I am your child and I will serve you all the days of my life.
Amen”
If you prayed that prayer you have now become a child of
God. Your name is written in the Lamb's Book Of Life and you are going to live
for eternity with God. Do like Romans 10:9&10 says and tell
somebody.
If you would like a Bible or literature that will help you in
this new life, or to locate a church near you or maybe you have a prayer request
, please call us at (618) 235-6373 and we will be happy to assist you in
whatever way we can. God bless you and welcome to the Family Of
God!!!
David Harbison Ministries
Copyright 2002