“He spread a cloud for a covering; and a fire to give light in the night” (Psalm 105:39).
Sin, Satan and this secular world’s claws are inextricably embedded in the minds and hearts of all souls who remain darkened and blinded by their fallen nature, consumed by pride and oblivious to their impending and eternal damnation. And that’s the reality of a life that has chosen to consciously and continuously reject the emancipating grace found only in the Lord Jesus Christ: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
As both a warning and an emphatic and substantive plea, the following passage in the Book of Deuteronomy puts it like this, and this truth rings relevant even today: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
The account of my conversion story was made public and published in October of 2006. This marked an unforgettable experience of being "born from above". And through the Spirit of Christ, who is the agency of the Holy Ghost, my lost soul was flooded and cleansed of its filth and falsehood while leaving in its path an unstained heart radiating with the image of innocence. This would spell the demise of the ‘old man’ and the birth of the ‘new man’, and serving as a dramatic, personal, life-altering and supernatural conversion. Hence, the following dialog between Jesus and Nicodemus: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit“ (John 3:3-6).
I have utilized extreme care and caution in unpacking and publishing this truth in its original form; and thus, it is presented to you unaltered, unrevised and in absence of any embellishments. Otherwise, I dishonor the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9; 14:8-9). And now dearly beloved, I am humbled, honored, and it is truly a privilege to be afforded the opportunity to share my journey in coming TO KNOW CHRIST.
Below are the actual words I pinned over 15 years ago. I spared no detail in describing what took place as the events unfolded. If I recall, this opening scene occurred sometime after my very first appearance in The Church of God in Jesus Christ, and as a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-21):
As I stood among the assembly, I began to speak concerning scripture in Philippians (3:7-8). "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win with Christ."
I had actually pondered the above scripture the week prior, as the Lord brought to my remembrance the events of the past year.
In addition to the above, I also described my experiences as I came “to know Christ". I spoke of God's initial call to me, just under a year ago now, and how my first reply to his call was both erroneous and misguided because of my unwillingness to submit myself totally and completely; that is, to surrender and yield to his will and authority. I now realize that this was a direct consequence of the state and condition of my heart - my mind was willing but my heart continued to fall short of God’s glory. I was still being dominated, regulated, manipulated and held captive by sin; thus I FAILED MISERABLY in my quest “to know Christ".
As I eagerly and earnestly searched and perused scripture, and engaged in many related conversations with my brother, Steve, early one evening as I was down on my knees and in fervent prayer, I was taken to a place that I had never known before. Suddenly, I began to confess my sins to the Lord as I wept bitterly and uncontrollably; and thus I appealed to the Lord with a most humble heart to have mercy upon me and to forgive me for the sins I had perpetuated. The guilt and remorse weighed heavily upon my soul.
As my heart became broken and torn in repentance and contrition, I began to experience something else I had never experienced. The best way I can describe it is that there was a transitioning in motion, a transformation underway, a conversion unfolding. The burden of sorrow and guilt that had plagued me was evolving into peace, tranquility and utter joy. The state and condition of my heart had been changed. The Lord had forgiven me. Over time, I came to realize that at that moment, and with a certainty, I had been reconciled with God and placed in a position of service and obedience to his will, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus exclusively.
Lastly, the things I lost so that I could realize the reward of knowing Christ were the many years of a thriving business and the prosperity associated with it. I was consumed by the established standards and folly of men, and without knowledge of the spiritual standards of the Kingdom of God. Something I failed to understand initially was why I lost in excess of 50% of my business after my conversion! After all, I was a loyal and devoted servant of Christ - why now? The Lord ultimately bestowed that revelation upon me as well. To bring this point home, I'll simply reference a scripture in Deuteronomy (8:16): "...that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end."