My Baptism (and my children's!)

Monica Bencomo
Aug 31
2 min read

I woke up like any other day. Sun was shining, birds were chirping, and I heard chickens and roosters in the yard outside.

Yet this day was different.

I felt presence. A Holy presence. I felt reverence.

I knew it was the Holy Spirit.

I knelt down and listened.

Conviction not condemnation (which is the voice of the enemy) shook me to my core.

I heard all the ways I was grieving the Holy Spirit.

I wanted to talk back--to defend myself: But God, I am a good mom! I Homeschool! I feed my kids (mostly) healthy, organic food! I read the bible--I pray!!! Why isn't that enough?!

Silence.

I knew the answer.

I had been hiding from God. I had been full of pride. I had been allowing the enemy of my soul use my God-given gifts for his glory. I had been doing whatever I wanted to do guised as "fun" or just "living my best life". But honestly, I had veered off my path as a Christian by new age nonsense, by the culture, and by my own selfish motives.

I knew I had to change and be honest with myself and God about what was next.

I repented. And I meant it.

And suddenly, I felt the comfort of the Holy Spirit like never before. And the urge to commit my life to pleasing Him. I felt the urge to make this public and get baptized. And I do. Not. Care. What. People. Think. About. This. Decision.

“For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew16:26)

I have so much more to say about my testimony but I'll save it for later. What I will say now is this:

Jesus is real. He's searching for true believers. But God gave us free will to choose our path in life.

Sure, there was a bit of hesitation in sharing this. After all, as an "influencer", one of the unwritten rules is to avoid all conversations related to "religion or politics" as they are inherently divisive. But, Jesus warns:

^"Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:26

I'm sure some people will roll their eyes at my decision. Hopefully it inspires some. But ultimately the decision to be baptized was not done in fear but rather: