Compelled by Love: Testimony from New Age to Jesus

Disclaimer:
This journal entry and testimony are deeply personal. I’m sharing it in the hope that it will speak to anyone walking a similar path, whether you’re seeking healing, peace, or simply something deeper. May it remind you that restoration, forgiveness, and true freedom are possible, and were unexpectedly found through Jesus.

My Testimony: From Searching to Found

In 2016, I stepped into a quiet internal battle, longing for peace and clarity, which I didn’t yet know how to find. That strong desire opened the door to what I thought would be a healing journey. I explored counselling, which led me into mindfulness and personal development, yoga, meditation, and eventually deeper 'spiritual' practices like Reiki, crystals, energy healing, and manifestation. Each step was motivated by a sincere desire heal, feel whole and fulfilled.

By the end of 2020, after completing my Reiki Level II certification and coaching women, I began sensing the search was nearing its end—but not in the way I expected. I came across a video from a woman I admired in the coaching and 'spiritual' space. She shared how she left her thriving coaching business to follow Jesus after experiencing deep peace through a relationship with Jesus. This was a woman whom I never thought would have said something like that, so naturally, I was curious.

At first, I thought she had completely lost it.

Growing up in the Roman Catholic Church, my view of Jesus was shaped by guilt, rules, and control. I couldn’t relate to Him, so I turned away and believed being a “good person” was enough. But even with years of 'spiritual practice' doing Reiki, meditation, yoga, partying and everything else under the sun, I was left feeling more drained than nourished.

That night, alone in my room around 1 a.m., not knowing I even had any faith, I said a simple, unsure prayer. I asked for a relationship with God through Jesus. I didn’t have perfect words, but God met me anyway.

In that moment, something happened. A deep sense of peace and renewal washed over me. Years of heaviness, bitterness, and unforgiveness (that I thought I had fully healed on my own) lifted. Peace and joy entered the room, and for the first time, my soul was truly at deep rest. I realized the same Jesus who healed and restored in Scripture was still healing hearts today, including mine.

The Word Made It Clear

The next morning, I felt prompted to open the Bible for really, the first time. I turned to Deuteronomy 18, where it clearly says that practices like witchcraft and divination are detestable to God. Now disclosure: this was not to shame, but to protect. What I felt wasn’t guilt, it was clarity. I realized much of what I had embraced in the New Age Spirituality space was in all irony, pulling me away from the very peace I thought I had and was looking for.

Then I read Ezekiel 36:26:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you…”
This was exactly what I had experienced. My heart had softened. Forgiveness came easily. Love that felt supernatural, like loving even an 'enemy' flowed. The Word wasn’t just confirming it, it was explaining what I was physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally experiencing all at once.

I also remembered the white light I’d seen in my room the night before. Later, reading Acts 9 about Paul’s encounter with Jesus, it all made sense. And then something else happened—I heard the audible voice of God say, “Mikayla, you’re My daughter, and I love you.”

I know that may sound impossible, but Scripture gives space for it. In Acts 9, Paul hears Jesus speak audibly. I believe God knew I needed to hear Him clearly in order to truly believe. In that moment, John 1:12 became real to me:
“To all who received Him… He gave the right to become children of God.”

Everything Changed

Once I encountered the love and peace of God, I couldn’t return to my former practices. This was far better. In fact, it was everything I ever wanted, but never thought was really possible and definitely never expected from Jesus. I cleared out my crystals, cards, and spiritual tools—not out of fear, but from freedom. I was reminded of Acts 19:19, where new believers burned their tarot cards and other practices in response to the Gospel. What once was so valuable to me felt empty compared to Jesus.

I used to think spirituality was about rituals, energy, and alignment. But real healing came through surrender. What I tried to manifest through effort, God gave freely through grace.

If You’re Still Searching

I never imagined I’d be sharing something like this, yet here I am.

If your heart is tired, if you’ve tried everything and still feel empty, I want you to know there is another way. You don’t need perfect words. Just turn your heart toward Him. He’ll meet you where you are at and give you peace that truly surpasses all understanding, 24/hours a day, 7 days a week, for free and without needing to do another meditation, practice or ritual. It is truly a deep surrender and rest for the soul.

My desire is that this testimony helps you encounter the same love, peace, and restoration I found—not through striving, but through surrender.

The Message of Salvation

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth, he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:9-10

Looking back, I realize that I never truly believed in my heart until that transformative moment in December 2020. Although I was baptized as a baby and received my sacraments, I never truly knew Him, nor was I filled with or walking in the Holy Spirit. As Romans 8:9 says:

“You, however, are controlled not by the flesh but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

It wasn’t until I simply sought a relationship with God through Jesus, and with the little faith that I had, I received the Holy Spirit and experienced a genuine transformation. A change of heart that comes from the New Covenant (Romans 3–8; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Hebrews 8–10).

It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or what you currently believe. If you desire a relationship with God through Jesus, He will meet you and offer you the gift of salvation, along with deep peace and rest for your soul that does not just last for a lifetime, but for eternity.

For a more in-depth testimony, you can watch my YouTube video below: