Do you really follow Him?
Have you really made that decision?
Are you really willing to surrender it all and go and do whatever He will call you to do?

These have been some questions I have had in my mind lately, not because of being unsure of my salvation, but because I came to realize something in my walk lately...Am I really following Jesus the way He wants me to?

To explain, I will refer to the passage when Jesus meets the disciples:

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
(Matthew 4:18-20 ESV)

This is a verse that jumped out to me as I went to a Calvary Chapel Men's Conference in Los Lunas,NM this weekend. I thought of these exact words and the awesome promise that our Lord makes for those who choose to follow Him. You see, ever since I became a Christian, my walk has been an interesting roller coaster. I've had my up moments and down moments, I've had very strong seasons and others in which I am very content and complacent with life. God has broken me and restored me...only so I eventually start the cycle all over again.

But this weekend, I felt a different kind of brokenness.
As I heard one of the Pastors teach about events taking place in John 21:15-19, when Jesus was already resurrected and spoke to Peter, after He had denied Him:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."
He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."
He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go."
(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."
(John 21:15-19 ESV)

In this verse we see a different Peter...he had gone through a humble and broken moment in His life. The man he had been following, suddenly died, was humiliated and crucified...worse of all, he denied him to the people, he said he did not know him...Peter had been broken. Imagine this in your own life. Now we see, Jesus resurrected and re-encountered with His disciples, Peter included and He asks Peter if He is truly willing to follow Him, no matter what was to happen next.
I could relate to Peter as I was listening to this awesome message (and honestly there was too much in it to write it all down), I felt broken as well. I could hear Jesus asking me those same questions: "Do you love me Luis?" Tears ran down my face and I answered "Yes Lord, of course I love you."


"Do you really love me?"
"Yes Lord, I really really do."


"...Then...follow me"


How awesome...being in that place.
This whole weekend conference was just such a blessing. I learned so much about myself and my walk and what God wants me to do. I feel empowered with His Holy Spirit to be used and share His Good News of Salvation to this lost and wicked world. The key here is to follow Him, and as in my last post, it is not even about seeking a position in leadership, not even about being a pastor or a teacher, but about serving Him, about Following Jesus...and everything else, what He wants for you will fall into place after that.

This morning at church, my Pastor asked me if I would be interested in being a prayer counselor to say, and pray with people who need Jesus, or just need prayer in life. He asked me if I was ready for that. I didn't even hesitate to say yes. In the past I have been hesitant about that, but after this weekend, I feel like a new me has been born. A born-born again sorta...hard to explain and I feel so ready to allow God to use me in whatever way He wants to. I prayed with an elderly couple from my church that have been attending for a while. I feel so sorry for them because they are in so much need, they have children who are in prison, who hate God and want nothing to do with them and I am glad God has given me the oportunity to pray with them. It was a good feeling, words came out without even me thinking about them. It was God's Spirit moving in and through me.

It is a little hard to put in words, but I felt something different.

This is a new stage, a new begining and I am transformed Who knows what God is going to continue doing in my life...but I am ready to follow Him.