Salvation is an incredibly personal journey that no one can force you to undertake. It is a conviction and a calling. I remember being 15 years old when my friend’s mother first told us about Christ and the need for salvation. No one had ever had this conversation with me before. However, I sensed it was a necessary step, even though I did not fully understand what it entailed. I believe that, from that moment on, the Lord tried to capture my attention multiple times, but I was often distracted by the concerns of life.

Ten years later, while in London, God finally got my attention through a minister who said something I had never heard before: “If you die today while having sex with someone who is not your husband or wife, you will go to hell.” This may sound harsh to some, but it was enough to stop me from running away. I realized I could no longer claim to be a follower of Christ while still living according to my own desires. I chose to turn away from my old ways and surrender. I became born again. This time, I understood the sacrifice required of me and was willing to let go of my desires. Yet, I knew I would need the Holy Spirit’s assistance to stay on this path.

Jesus said in John 3:5-8, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” To be born again is as simple as letting go of your “flesh,” or your own desires, and allowing yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit. It is a decision to turn away from everything you have known throughout your life and choose to let Jesus Christ be the one who guides your decisions. It involves the sacrifice of relinquishing your old nature and allowing the Spirit of God to live within you through His Word.

With being born again comes the desire to publicly declare it through baptism, just as our Lord Jesus Christ did with John the Baptist. Baptism is a symbolic act that demonstrates you are allowing your old nature to die in the water, while rising up as a new creation, filled with the Holy Spirit—a new person with the nature of Christ.

“It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment”. I pray you recognize the urgency of surrendering your life to Christ and being born again. I was blessed to have the opportunity to turn to the Lord, even though I had lived carelessly before. Not everyone is given that chance. I hope you will respond to God’s call upon your life, surrender your will, and invite the Lord Jesus to guide you from this day forward.