A birthday celebration!

Picture of my 5th birthday :)

Oh y'all, today is my birthday and I am so excited! I get excited every year and I love to proclaim my news from the room top!

As grateful and excited as I am for the day of my birth, there is another birthday that should be celebrated; my birthday of being born again and saying yes to Jesus! 

I cannot tell you the day or the month. I do know I was five years old so it was in 1996. 

I was in my room and my mom came and explained what it meant to be born again and asked me if I wanted to accept Jesus. I said yes and after we prayed I remember smiling big!

Shortly after accepting Jesus I got baptized in water. As I sat on a pew with the other ladies getting baptized I noticed I was the youngest getting baptized that day. I believe there was one guy who got baptized as well. We all wore white and I had a lot of family there.
Pastor Rhodes lifted me into the baptismal easily because I was pretty small. :) After saying yes that I believed in Jesus and I accepted Him in my heart I was dunked under that water. I came back up to rejoicing and applause!

I know some of you may be thinking I was too young to take accepting Jesus seriously and/or get baptized; however, my heart was truly given to Jesus and the proof is in my journey and walk with the Lord. 

I was blessed to be raised in a family that follows the Lord. I have heard about Him from the womb as my mom talked to me about Him while I was in her belly! All through my life I have enjoyed learning more about the Bible and what God wants of me.

In elementary school I realized the gift of music the Lord has given me and was encouraged to pursue music. I took piano lessons and sang at church in musicals and on the praise team. When I got into youth group (grades 6-12) I had an awesome time growing deeper in the Lord and started playing guitar!

At age 8 my mom saw that I have the gift of prophecy. I had a dream that my mom was pregnant with a boy, so she took a test and sure enough she was! I am one who has dreams every night, usually very detailed, and they are a way the Lord speaks to and through me. I will have dreams about others, nations and countries and myself that speak of what is to come. Many of my dreams have come to pass. Also in my prayer times the Lord will give me a word to share with others. Sometimes it's to encourage others, sometimes it is to warn someone of what they are doing.

When I was 13 I rededicated my life to the Lord when He opened my eyes to the seriousness of people going to hell. I did not feel the need to be baptized again because I had already showed that outward sign of the decision I had made. I pray that my life and words are a continued sign of the decision I made. :)

When I was 16 I was baptized in the Holy Spirit! Yes, when you accept Jesus in your heart the Holy Spirit does come and dwell in you; however, to receive the Holy Spirit's power to walk this Christian life you must be filled. After being baptized in the Holy Spirit my prayer life grew with the heavenly language I was given! 

Also at age 16 I heard God's call on my life to missions and I said yes. Ever since then I have gladly gone on mission trips and realized that God has had me doing mission work with people who are newborns to those up in their 70's!

Out of the 27 years of my life, 23 of them have been me professing Jesus as my Lord and Savior and doing my best to take up my cross and follow Him. 

Do you know how many years it has been since you professed Jesus as Lord? Have you ever tried to figure out your number of spiritual birthdays?

Or have not professed Jesus as Lord of your life and chosen Him? If you haven't, beloved, I pray that today will be your spiritual birthday! I pray that you will take the beautiful free gift of salvation the Lord is offering you right now. I pray you will choose to walk in life abundant and become part of the family of God!

 If you are ready to make Jesus your Lord then say this prayer out loud and mean it with your heart: "Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God. I believe you died on the cross and rose again that I might have eternal life. Jesus, I ask you to forgive me for my sin which put you on that cross to pay a debt I could never pay. Jesus, come live within my heart and be the Lord of my life. I repent. I turn away from all things that are sinful...the wrong path... and turn toward the path you command me to walk. I thank you Jesus for placing your Holy Spirit within this temple. I also ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit and teach me how to hear and obey your voice. In your sweet holy name I pray. Amen."

Be blessed, beloveds!

 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13

 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.[b] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[c] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4