I was a God-fearing individual who carried knowledge around with me in my head, but didn’t know how to apply it to everyday life. For this reason, I knew Jesus is still alive. I called upon his name when I couldn’t take life anymore. Romans 10:13 says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This is what happened to me. So, I knew, in a way, what was going on. I kind of held onto this until mid to late June 2000 when my father passed away at the age of 51. I didn’t tell anyone my experience, but I knew I was going to tell Rick and Tom soon. So, the first one I told was Rick at my father’s funeral home. I told him I was feeling different inside. A sense of peace. A sense of fulfillment of the heart. He was interested in hearing this. He told me that it was the Holy Spirit living inside of me. I had a feeling of what he was going to say, even before he said it. I knew Jesus did something for me. Something spiritual. I went a month feeling like this.

Rick gave me a small pamphlet called “Steps to Peace with God”. I read it. Only about 7 small pages long. It took about 5 minutes to read. I finally made the connection that Jesus was the only way to God. I made my conversion of being born again official on June 28, 2000. This is the day I officially accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I knew I had a lot to learn from there, but I’ll never forget finally reaching and joining the ranks of my two uncles, Rick and Tom. I knew they had something. A light. A sense of purpose. Confidence. There were no words to describe it. Jesus was tugging at my heart so much, but I just didn’t give in. Finally, it broke free. I always remember praying to the Father to please help me get to Heaven. He made it come true for me.

I then remember telling Tom about what happened to me. He was also excited for me. He eventually told me what church he went to. He invited me to come to see what it was like. It took me a few months, but I finally made the decision to go. The Full Gospel Church of Carnegie. A body of spirit filled believers in Jesus Christ. This is what I was looking for. A good preacher who knew what he was talking about, and an excitement of praising the Lord without going through the motions. I am in the process of becoming a member at this point in time.

I was water baptized on March 7, 2001. Praise the Lord! I try to watch and listen to anything that talks about the Lord. I read my Bible during Bible study, during church, and on my computer at home and in my office at school. I am learning that I am still learning. Growing. In Spirit. In truth. Trials come and go. Sometimes I fail. Sometimes I am victorious. The Lord wants me to be victorious all the time, but understands when I do fail. The world is full of troubles. Jesus said this Himself. There will always be troubles. Thank the Lord for troubles because it puts us in a place to trust him more. It develops perseverance. James 1:2 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

You see, we, as Christians, are growing in spirit. How can our spirit grow if it doesn’t face any challenges? This is the reason for suffering in the world. We suffer less if we put our faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not easy, and we are not perfect. But, we must exercise our Spirit. It’s a must. Yes, we do experience fear and anxiety because we are battling with the flesh (evil self). It’s a spiritual battle. But, we know in the end, when we physically die, that we have already won. We are going to have eternal life with God. How? Because we believe in Jesus and what He has done for us. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The Bible is true in it’s Word. The Bible is the Word of God. God does not lie. There is no mystery behind the Bible. It’s clear, plain, and simple. Easy to understand. We just have to believe.