I did not grow up in a Christian home. My parents did allow me to attend Bible schools and church with friends. Even with Church experiences, I didn’t know about God or the Bible, much less true salvation. I use to think that salvation was praying a prayer and being baptized. When I was 13 that is exactly what I did. I had chosen God, I prayed a prayer, I walked the aisle and I was baptized. That was it, no change in my heart and life. I had not repented of my sin and turned to God. Matthew 10:37-39 says that we are to forsake all and follow Jesus and I needed God to be able to do that. Although I had prayed a prayer and been baptized Jesus was not Lord of my life.
Now I realize that salvation is God calling you and changing you, it’s about what He does. Salvation is not what I do! When I was 19 God called me to himself, showed me my many sins (lying, coveting and immorality, etc.) and my deep need for Him. I had been attending church for a few weeks before and telling myself that I was OK, I had prayed a prayer and been baptized. On September 17 as I sat in the pew God opened my eyes to see that I was NOT ok and that I was dead in my sin. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” When I examined myself I knew that Jesus was not LORD of my life and that I had not truly been saved. That day He began a work in my life and is still changing me. When I look back and see all the ways He has changed my heart and life I know that I am His.
I later learned a scripture that taught me the change God makes when you are spiritually born again. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are past away behold all things become new.” The new things and the new creature is talking about the new nature God gives His children. I wanted to read the Bible and for the first time I began to understand it. I now loved and trusted God’s word. The sins that I used to love I now hated them. They made me sick. Going to worship and being a part of a church family was now something I loved to do. There were changes taking place and He is still changing me. :)
