ARE YOU BAPTIZED?

I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much lately. I shared that I’d been doing more writing for myself but I found out when I actually did go away to write 6 days ago that I had been in a writer’s block. Actually, there was some personal writing that I needed to do. Something that God was showing me to do that I’d been running from. Obedience is key for the rest of your life to work, HONESTLY! I hate it when I stupidly do that! I hate how gooped up it makes my life feel when I know something isn't right but I just won’t face it!

So, right away just 3 days later I received the inspiration from the Holy Spirit to write again. To start at the beginning, I went searching on YouTube for a video to send to someone. This is a worship song that we sang in church on Sunday morning where several youth plus others were all down front worshiping God and then we took communion as the worship team quietly sang this song. Just an amazing, glorifying time between our church family and the Lord! I knew my friend didn't have a copy so I wanted to share it with her. Instead of finding the best version of the song that I wanted to on, I ran into this video.  And, did it ever spark my memory. It came to mind to share it with you:

In 1972 I was sprinkled as a right of baptism in the Episcopal church. They normally baptize as babies but I started out in a Baptist church where they do not baptize until later when you are capable of making your own decision. We left the Baptist church when I was 8 and started attending an Episcopal church. I was 12 years old at the time when I decided to be baptized along with the ritual of confirmation into the Episcopal church. I can’t say that it left any more of an impression upon my heart except that of performing a known ritual. There are different beliefs about baptism but as a newly recognized believer in 1988 it was my belief that baptism is done in obedience to God and it has to be done with true belief in this by the one being baptized. I know this was not the case when I was sprinkled. Here are some links for you to search through and make up your own minds.

Google Search for the word Baptism

Definition

Bible Gateway Search

So, I believed that I needed to be fully immersed to be truly baptized. Now I don’t think that the place where you are baptized makes a big difference. I believe it’s the attitude in your heart; Why are you doing it? What does it mean to you?

While watching this video I cried as my thoughts went back to the time that I was baptized (immersed). For those of you who don’t know my past, you might read some of the archives. I rededicated my life to the Lord in July of 1988 after being arrested for selling LSD. After several months I knew that I would be going to court in December and I knew I would be going to prison. This was the scariest time in my life but as I look back this 25 years later it was the most wonderful time in my life. A transitional, a turning point! I walked away from that awful drunken, drugged up life almost all of my friends and began a walk with Jesus! Although most would see facing prison as just the worst time, Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” So remembering now is amazing. Five days prior to being sentenced I was baptized. I told the congregation of observers that I’d made a mess of trying to run my own life so I’d decided to let Jesus run it instead. I was immersed and came up bawling and completely soaked the pastor’s wife. The tears were not that of sadness but of joy! I FELT clean, pardoned, excited…my life was changed and now I was sharing it with the world (church congregation but still…)

When I got home, I called my brother (minister) and his wife and read the words to this amazing song to them over the phone:

"Walk With Me" by Whitecross.

Julie my child
Why do you run?
Why have you turned away from me?
You say it's hard
To live perfectly
And all you can see
Is how you fail me constantly
You fail me constantly
You fail me constantly

My blood has cleansed you
Your sins are remembered no more
So come on, and walk with me

Julie my child
I've set you free
For I want you to be with me eternally
I love you so
I want you to know
That I'm the one who's calling you home
Calling you home
Calling you home

My blood has cleansed you
Your sins are remembered no more
So come on, and walk with me
My blood has cleansed you
Your sins are remembered no more
So come on, and walk with me

Very hard to find a good video for this song since it was popular in the 1980's but I found a music video:

We had this album. I went by “Julie” at the time. This song was like God, Himself, talking to me! My brother and his wife cried! They were almost speechless they were so happy!

Jesus didn't care what I did. For the first time, I really got it that He’d forgotten my sins and just wanted me to come and walk with Him! I was saved at 13 but no one ever shared with me that Jesus wanted to have a personal relationship with me.

If you’d like to have your past forgiven and walk forward into a new life with Jesus, just pray this simple prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus,

I need you. I repent for all of my sins. Thank you for dying on the cross to take the penalty for my sins. I believe you are God’s Son and I now receive you as my Savior and Lord. I commit my life to following You.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

If you have taken the step and truly mean it in your heart, please comment on this blog post below and I will respond to you.
Romans 10:9 “… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”



May God bless you through my writing. If He has especially touched you in any way, please leave a comment below. Your comments are so very encouraging to me to help me to keep writing. Also, click on the “Uptweet” button on the above right and share! I pray you will keep coming back. I fully believe that my writing is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so if I am writing, there is someone that needs to read it! Maybe it’s you? Also, please be sure to share any questions you might have with me and if you would like to keep them personal (just between you and me) please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at juliana.pace@gmail.com. If I don’t know how to answer you, I will may every attempt to refer you to someone for more information. Thanks and may God bless all your days!

The Holy Spirit

        Heavenly Father, give me the grace to write this blog entry this morning.  I’m sleepy and mindless.  Please be my memory, Lord!  In Jesus’ name, Amen

         Last night I dreamed and dreamed.  I awoke several times in the midst of memories.  Yesterday in church one of my closest girlfriends/sisters received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  She’d hoped and prayed for this overflowing, indwelling of the Holy Spirit for years and had been so very disappointed each time she was prayed for and didn’t receive.  Yesterday the first thing she said to me after was how amazing He was when you get out of your own way (in so many words).  Yep, she was so right!  And my memory recalled that time in my life, now 23 years ago, and I realized how I’ve slighted God in my past writings.  I’ve been such a witness to the power of the Holy Spirit, even giving such recall of His work in my life without sharing one of the most important things…the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

         Why should we want this?  In God’s Word we are told to be filled with the Holy Spirit:  *Ephesians 5:18 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,”

         I believe that I heard the best explanation from a brother at my church a few years back that sounded just right.  It’s like instead of just having the Holy Spirit, you have the Holy Spirit on steroids!  This is where an amazing, overflowing amount of God’s power comes from.  This is where God’s amazing peace; His peace that passes understanding.  This is how God showed me about the hole inside that people (including me) ran around trying to fill up with booze, drugs, and all kinds of things.  We were all trying to find that comfort and that absolute peaceful companionship that only the Holy Spirit will bring.

*Romans 14:17 “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

*Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

*John 14:15-18 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

*John 14:25-27 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

         I wrestled in my sleep and this morning with the right way to share this with you all due to the fact that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not accepted in all of the denominations of faith.  But, the denominations are people made not God made.  Just because one doesn’t believe, doesn’t mean it isn’t true.  I know people mostly disbelieve out of fear.  But fear is not of God.  I’ve shared with you before:

*2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 

         When I rededicated my life to the Lord in 1988 I knew the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is what I longed for.  Even though I’d been raised in a Baptist church until 1968 and then on to an Episcopalian church throughout my school years, I remembered my mother praying in tongues since I was a small child.  My folks had Bible studies in our home during the 1960’s.  They were involved in the healing ministry (Order of St. Luke) during the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during these years.  I heard of the miraculous healings done at Kathryn Kuhlman crusades (https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Kathryn%20kuhlman).  I’d had a healing myself, of my kidneys in 1968.  If you’d like to learn more of my background there is a short version in my book which can be purchased at: 

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Better-Things-TriciaMarie/dp/160703252X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228308095&sr=8-1

or there is also more by looking into this blog’s archives.

I truly believed that a good Christian was to desire the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts of God. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Corinthians+14&version=NKJV

I could write more and more on the subject but that would make this blog entry into more of a book chapter.  I would suggest that you pray and read what God shows you.  Most importantly, I consumed the shorter but jam packed with info, books by Kenneth E. Hagin:  http://www.rhema.org/store/authors/kenneth-e-hagin.html?author=9

Please forgive my memory if I forget to mention something (be sure to contact me at the e-mail address below if you have questions).  I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the top bunk in the prison cell that I was in, January of 1989.  At the time it didn’t seem like the most appropriate place but it was the only place that I had at the time and I wanted more of God.  I remember lying there, praying (which is just talking to God) and telling Him how I desired more of Him.  How I’d heard of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how I wanted all of the gifts that He was willing to give me.  How, by definition these gifts were freely given.  How I knew that this was what I was supposed to do.  Along with how much I loved Him and walking daily with Him.  I went on and on for some time, I’m sure.  During this time, all of a sudden I felt a wonderful, warm, non-painful, power as if it was a bolt of electricity shooting from my head to my feet that felt like it nearly raised me from my bunk.  I whispered in a tongue unknown to me due to my roommate being on the bottom bunk.

I went on to praying this way as I believe God was leading.  I remember having doubts that I was honestly praying in tongues but I read more and have been reassured to this day of the truth in all of this.  My walk with the Lord grew more and more and has been expressed in many of my writings in this blog.  His peace has been multiplied to the point of many nearly drunken (in the Holy Spirit) writing sessions.  This is where I learned of who I lacked during my drunken/doped up days.  There is no negativity as in those old, bad acid trips or when I’d go fully overboard with the booze and drugs.  And, I can attest to the fact that God shared in His word that He would never leave me nor forsake me. 

*Deuteronomy 31:8 “And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

I can honestly admit that I have not felt lonely even one day since that day, 23 years ago.

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May God bless you through my writing. If He has especially touched you in any way, please leave a comment below. Your comments are so very encouraging to me to help me to keep writing. Also, click on the “Uptweet” button on the above right and share! I pray you will keep coming back. I fully believe that my writing is by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so if I am writing, there is someone that needs to read it! Maybe it’s you? Also, please be sure to share any questions you might have with me and if you would like to keep them personal (just between you and me) please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at juliana.pace@gmail.com. If I don’t know how to answer you, I will may every attempt to refer you to someone for more information. Thanks and may God bless all your days!