January 30th, the day I truly received the G.O.S.P.E.L.

I was born again on January 30th, 2013. I use to think it was on March 24th 2013 when I prayed the "Sinners prayer" with my Pastor at church. But upon studying the Bible some more and what it truly means to be born again, the date changed to the 30th of January. I will explain why. If you read the blog entry about my testimony, I mentioned that I grew up Catholic. Then my family stopped being Catholic. When I was about 9 or 10 I was introduced to the gospel through my karate instructor. I thought that I was saved then. But I wasn't. I backslid for close to 20 years. I had made mental notes that if certain things occurred in my life, that I would go back to church. I joined the Army and I may have gone to church services less than 10 times. I went to war twice while serving and I did not return to church. I lived a very sinful life and I loved my sin. But that sin was only pleasurable for but a season and then it was not pleasant at all.

By January 2013, I was at rock bottom. I realized then that I had a lot of acquaintances, but no real friends. My family didn't want me around, so I could not go back home to San Diego, Ca. My girlfriend was getting ready to leave me and take our kids with her. My lease was about to be up also. I was out of work also. So I had no support at all and I was at the verge of loosing it all. I hit rock bottom. I was tired of the sins I committed and my lifestyle. I use to smoke, I use to cuss a lot, I use to drink a lot, I idolized cars, I was a womanizer and a player. I was a fool with money and I was a reckless person. One January 30th me and my girlfriend got into an argument. We had been fighting a lot during that month. I remember that the things she was saying to me would hurt so bad. I believe that the Lord was allowing to feel all the pain I had put her through. I had never hurt like that before.It hurt so much my insides were in pain and I wept.

So that night on the 30th, my girlfriend went to her moms house and I stayed home with the kids. I was up late watching YouTube videos. I had been watching videos about the end times. I had already been hearing the call from the Lord that the end was near and I knew I needed to get right with God. I came across a video by a Christian rapper names Propaganda. The video is called "G.O.S.P.E.L." I will have it at the bottom of this blog entry. I watched it and the Holy Spirit convicted me of all my sins. I feel on my face and I repented of my sins. I prayed that Jesus would change my life. I prayed that my girlfriend and my kids would get saved also. Three days later I was at my first church service in many years. I sat way in the back, balling my eyes out and taking a lot of notes. Although I didn't feel saved nor was there an immediate change that I could see, on January 30th, I was born again. March 24th I still wasn't sure I was saved and I thought I needed to do the sinners prayer in order to be saved. I sought out my Pastor and was prayed. I just wanted to make sure that I was saved because I feared the Lord and His wrath. The Lord was faithful because He saved me, my girlfriend (who is now my wife) and our two kids. My wife was saved in July 2013 and my kids got saved in December 2014.

My life is different now. I am amazed at all the Lord has done in the 4 years I have been a born again follower of Jesus Christ. I don't use Christian very much and I am trying to break this habit because nowadays, anybody can say they are Christian but really are not. Catholics say they Christians, Mormons say they are Christians. But if that were true, they would believe in the teachings of Jesus and only read from the Holy Bible. There would be no need for a Pope, or special prophets that supposedly get new revelations from God. God has revealed everything about Himself through the Bible and through His Son, Jesus Christ. They would also walk by faith and by faith alone. Not by works. I know, works without faith is dead and faith without works is dead. But a true believer in Christ doesn't do good works to win Gods love and favor. We already have that the day we get born again. We do good works BECAUSE we are saved, born again, have Gods love and favor. Let me put it to you like this. I am of Mexican heritage. Mexicans eat tamales. So did I become Mexican because I ate tamales or do I eat tamales because I am Mexican? I eat tamales because I am Mexican, not because I ate tamales. In that same way, I do good works because I am follower of Jesus Christ. I am not a follower of Jesus Christ because of the works that I do.

Being a former Catholic, that too a long time to understand. I thought I had to do things to please God in order for Him to love me. I thought I owed Him something. It pleased God that I got born again. Is He pleased with some aspects of my life? No. But He is working those things out with me and making me more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Its a life long process. God promises that He will complete what He started and will not abandon me. That promise goes to any one who believes in Jesus Christ and repents of their sins. Everybody falls short of the glory of God. But now that I am born again, when God sees me, He sees me as if I had never sinned. I am justified. I like to call it "Justice + Satisfied = Justified". I have also heard others says being justifies as "just as I'd never sinned".

I want to end with this. The moment you confess Jesus as Lord of your life and repent of your sins, you are born again. We are saved by Gods grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. If you hear the call, respond to it. Do not ignore it. Also, get baptized as soon as possible. I know that some churches want you to wait and take some classes. That isn't what the Bible teaches. When anyone got born again in the Bible, they were immediately baptized so that they could receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit of God dwelling in you, you cant do anything. I did not get baptized until May 5th 2013. That day my life changed once again because I received the gift of the Holy Spirit. So don't be like me! Don't wait too long. If you have the opportunity to get baptized, do it. It doesn't have to be done at church. I've seen it done in swimming pools, bath tubs, lakes, the ocean. The person baptizing doesn't have to be a Pastor. They just have to be born again. Biblical baptism is done by being completely submersed in water in the name of  Jesus Christ.

Remember, we are equipped to do things for God. Do it the way  the Bible instructs and shows us how. Don't do it by the traditions of the church or the traditions of men. Do not chase after a feeling or a sensation and think if you don't feel them that God isn't there. Sometimes our flesh does react to the presence of God. But we shouldn't look for that special feeling. We should seek Gods kingdom and His righteousness.