I was born & raised in Houston, Texas and currently live about 5 miles east of downtown Houston. All four of my kids are grown adults that are working or are in college. I work as an HVACR technician in the industrial chemical plants.
Raised in a catholic household, I remember going to church when I was small, but only knew religion. I knew nothing about what the Bible teaches to be born again. As a lost person, I lived in many sins of the world and did not think about heaven, hell or the consequences of my lifestyle. I was far away from God and comfortable in my sin.
In 2009, God opened my ears to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. God removed my heart of stone, gave me a new heart of flesh and put a new spirit within me. Of all the places for this to happen, it was at a funeral viewing of a coworker’s mother that I recently started working with. The pastor was bold and feared God rather than men. He did not scratch itching ears that night, he preached about our standing with God in our sin and the eternal punishment in the wrath to come if we did not truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I could feel the conviction of all my sins at that moment. Then he preached about what Jesus Christ’s blood had done on the cross for my sins, I could not escape the love of God that had been shed abroad in my heart and the wickedness of my sin so I prayed and cried out for God to save me.
The Gospel preaching was presented in Spanish that night. A raise your hand and repeat after me prayer was presented. After fighting with my pride about what my coworkers that were next to me would think of me, I remember feeling completely hopeless without the Christ that he was talking about! Inside I could feel the price that was paid for me on the cross and I remember being broken and telling myself, “I don’t care if y’all laugh at me for the rest of my life, I WANT THAT CHRIST HE’S TALKING ABOUT!”
Unlike the common false conversions of a sinner’s prayer, God’s grace saved me that night and through the Holy Spirit guiding me to His Word of Truth. What I felt that night stayed with me from then on and I had desires and passions that I never had before and a hatred to the sins I always loved. I did not know what was going on with me. I would get excited every time I seen someone say the sinner’s prayer, just to later find out that it’s not a prayer that saves you and many times creates false converts. I would wonder why there was never that true born again conversion like in my life because I never had anyone hold my hand and disciple me early in my new birth, but God is faithful to save His sheep!
God saved me out of religion and gave me a desire to go into the streets and tell people about Jesus Christ. There was a desire to go to streets but it took years before I was obedient to my calling. I did not know how to start street preaching or how to do it but I would see brothers on videos doing it in other cities. Finally I seen some guys preaching while I was leaving the only Houston Texans football game I have ever attended. Knowing about street preaching, I prayed and God answered my prayer by sending me brothers that I could learn from, brothers that street preach all over the U.S. and around the world.
I have come to the realization that I have been bought with a price and I am no longer my own. I cannot stay silent about Jesus Christ and how He gave His life on the cross for sinners like me. Only by His grace and mercy will I continue to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the power of God unto salvation.
All praise and glory be to God!
No King But Christ!
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