I got born again from Youtube! My story; 2 years later.
April is a very special month for me. On 17th April 2021, I made a conscious decision to give my Life to Jesus Christ. I got born again. In 2023, I make 2 years on this adventure. Interestingly, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I was going to be a mulokole at any moment in my life!
The journey to this day started when I made a 2020 New Year resolution not to drink any more alcohol again. I had shut out a big door that had kept me in a bottomless pit of restlessness. During the same year 2020, I was able to shut down two other major doors that had me by the chokehold. All this happened subconsciously. Looking back, I marvel at the all-wise nature of our creator, Yahweh.
At the end of the year 2020, I made a decision to relocate to a new neighborhood. The entire house moving happened on 31st January 2021 with a fresh new start in mind for me as I had disposed of and sold most of the stuff I had in the previous place. The relevance of this house in this experience is; I actually told God at the moment that I would keep the new home “pure” and would never do any “bad” stuff in it. God used this my little promise to turn things around.
On 15th April 2021 (according to my year journal) I was convicted to do a 3-day fast to kind of deal with my overeating problem. This was a Thursday and the next day Friday, I started on a 3-day fast to run up to Sunday. By then, I had scanty knowledge about spiritual fasting. I thought its merely not eating food till 6 pm. Now I know better, thanks to the numerous videos by Minister Kevin La Ewing(Check him out.)Previously, I had told my little brother about how homosexuality is actually normal and he begged to differ. It was those days when we bought the Africell bundles and enjoyed fast the internet all weekend long. He showed me a testimonial video about someone who was inducted into devil-worshiping and was instructed to practice homosexuality as a ritual requirement to keep his acquired wealth, Video is here. (It was initially taken down and reposted recently) That information blew my mind.
Tactically, the next suggested video was Erica Mukisa’s interview on Sanyuka TV about her life as a former devil worshipper. Whatever she was saying triggered my curiosity about spiritual things. A longing was switched on immediately. Being a secular TV, the interview was not in-depth. I searched her name on youtube and found this channel run by her and her husband. By then, there was less content about her testimony. I watched the first 3 videos compulsively. The information she was sharing was way too relatable being that she is Ugandan and gave real Ugandan experiences. My mind was taken on a trip mostly amazed at how the Christianity I had been practicing occasionally (born in an Anglican family, and practiced catholicism along the way due to influence from my secondary school) all my life didn't tell me these things.
At the end of this specific video, her husband Tim Simon Kimani said; “If you have never received Jesus, I want you to pray this prayer with me” At that moment, I definitely knew it was time for me to embark on a new adventure with Jesus Christ. The prayer was; “Heavenly Father, I have heard your word, I know that Jesus came and died for my sins, I pray that you forgive me of my sins, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. And I confess that he is Lord with my mouth, Make me a new creature, write my name in the book of life, Blot out my transgressions with the blood of Jesus, and make me a new creature, In Jesus’s name AMEN.” To be honest, something changed in me immediately after I recited those words from my heart. I was officially born again as the Bible says in Romans 10:9–10.
Prior to my decision(definitely an hour or so), I had watched this video that highlighted the works of the flesh and fruits of the spirit as narrated in Galatians 5:19-23 which spoke directly to the lifestyle I had slowly started abandoning. Tim Simon Kimani talked about intimacy with God, and the security I could have in Him. I remember saying to myself; “I NEED THIS INTIMACY NOW!”. The good news is that 2 years down this road, I do enjoy these moments of intimacy over and over again. It is something I do wish for everyone to embrace.
The first few days and weeks after this decision were a rollercoaster, I was restless! I could not comprehend the fact that there was too much spiritual information I never knew about since I was someone who occasionally read the bible. I looked back at the life I had lived and was amazed at how I barely survived. I recall withdrawing from everything and everyone for a while to first absorb this new nature I had stepped into! I picked up a bible and started reading and everything was now resonating. Till now, the bible is my favorite book. I read it every day.
Challenges on this journey
It is quite lonely! The Bible that I read every day tells me that narrow is the path that leads to eternal life, and wide is the door to destruction Matthew 7:13–14; the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) has got many of us by chokehold and trying to live according to the ways of God makes it quite hard to fit in the entire system. I was withdrawn for a large part of my first days, No wonder I have a huge dent between the 15th of April and the 19th of June in my 2021 journal. A lot was going on! I struggled to fit in with the people from my previous lifestyle, I lost friends, people could no longer get me, and I even added weight (not sure about how this is related) but looking back I see a battle over this soul won to the light. Darkness wanted me back.
Struggle to find a church community. Everyone I told about my being born again asked which church I prayed from, Friends I had none, I was mostly consuming online sermons and content for the spiritual guidance bit and spending lots of quiet time with God. Not to surprise You all, I got born again on YOUTUBE. I was invited to several “Balokole” churches but I never went back due to the high-pitched sound they use and kinda “dramatic” prayers with extreme praise and worship sessions that didn't sit well with me. The “noise” was simply not it for me. As someone who loves serenity in communication with God, those places never felt like home. It was until August 2022 on my way to check out Sankara Pan African Library on Luthuli Rise that I saw a church just opposite the Bugolobi flats. It is the Church of the Resurrection COU Bugolobi, On 22nd September, I went for my first Sunday service and I loved everything. My heart was at peace and I have since joined this beautiful warm community. I see God in everyone there.
Another struggle I have had to endure on this journey is what is defined in Galatians 5:16 as crucifying the flesh every day! The Bible in Ecclesiastes 12:7 says the flesh returns to the ground and the spirit to God who gave it. Living in this human body is a constant struggle with so many temptations. Recently I almost gave in to a temptation to start drinking wine (alcohol) so as to fit in a certain social club I am a member of. I rebuked that demon furiously.
Oh, what a beautiful journey….
One thing that really changed about me after being born again is my love for the bible. I am someone who would go months without turning those pages but it became a daily thing for me. My mom bought me a good news Bible in 2010 and I still have it todate. As I continued up the spiritual ladder, I bought the King James version (KJV) which I use alongside my mom’s Runyankole Rukiga bible. They make understanding and grasping the bible text easy. The other fun thing is my ability to have so many bible verses off my head and relevantly use them during my prayers, The bible in Isiah 55:10–11 says, the word of God does not come back empty. I feel much more confident in prayer when I remind Him of His word.
Galatians 5:22–23 says that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy peace….., when you make this cautious decision to receive Christ, you receive a refined copy of these virtues. Even at your lowest moment, there is a calm reassuring voice holding you up through it all. There is that sense of calmness and hope that keeps you moving. It gets way easier to snap out of these issues.
Moving forward, I have this to say….
I have learned a lot of lessons on this 2-year intentional journey so far, here is some advice I can give my fellow believers, my brothers (John1:12).
Beware of the enemy, he is roaring like a lion looking for whom he may devour(1 Peter 5:8) He works 24/7 to ensure that your soul is damned. Even when you accept Jesus, he does not rest, instead, he takes the fight to the next level. He knows you are off-limit for sins like fornication, stealing, murder, etc, so he sets tactics to have you in more “soft” sins. By soft I mean unseen sins like jealousy, idolatry, and hatred which most times occur subconsciously over time. Idolatry is mostly seen in putting your pastors before GOD. There are some balokole you talk to and hear more of their pastor and less of God! 1 Timothy 2:5. The Bible in Mathew 10:16 says, Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Keep yourself accountable to your heavenly father. Good enough, GOD gives us leeway to ask for wisdom. James 1:5.
You may also want to control what your eyes are consuming (movies, social media trends, TV shows, secular music videos, etc) as they impact subconscious patterns that greatly influence your decisions. I have come to learn that the entertainment industry is working hard to get you to turn away from God in the most tactful ways. You can watch 6 hours of a series but cannot read the bible consistently for 3 hours! You will definitely dose off or check your social media in between! Jesus himself says in Mathew 6:22–23 describes the eye is the light of the body. Proverbs 4;23 emphasizes guarding your heart too.
Also, stop trying to save everyone. Some of you go to bars to seek out drunkards and “win” their souls to Christ. Others even entangle themselves into romantic relationships with absolute non-believers with a secular worldview with a goal of “changing” them. My dear, you are not Jesus, use Wisdom. Salvation is a personal decision and it takes a person to get born again and keep on the straight path. Some people need just your prayers, God will work on them himself, and he knows each of them by name. Isaiah 43:1.
Read your word child of God. HAVE A PHYSICAL COPY BIBLE! This helps you shut out everything and concentrate on what God is trying to tell you, Avoid destruction and pay close attention to what your daddy God has to say. Remember, you are on the winning team, even when you fall, you will rise up again. Never stop trying. This song, My Name by Werks resounds this message for me. It's actually my morning Alarm tone.
Your personal walk with Christ matters much more than the number of times you show up at the church building, how many people you can take to a certain revival conference, how many hours you spend on the streets “preaching”, how much seed and offertory you give and all these outward signs. 1 Samuel 6:7 and Hebrews 4:12 express how much says God sees our hearts and intentions. God also notices the things you do when no one is seeing. The soft work you are doing in Christ, the obedience, and the love for your neighbor as yourself should be the priority. Incorporate other spiritual practices like fasting whenever you are led to, praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16), being a blessing to people's lives, learning to love, Forgive starting with yourself then your family and close friends and random people who have wronged you. The instruction in Mathew 6 is clear, forgive others so that you can be forgiven.
This journey has turned my life around acutely. My worldview has been transformed, I am able to identify lots of spiritual messages in simple things like movies, music videos, and trends. I am also more logical when it comes to the decisions I make and the best part of it is having God on the speed dial. Talking to HIM anywhere any time is surely the best part of all this. I am overall happier, healthier, and way stronger. Definitely the best decision ever!
Thank you for reading till the end. One thing I can surely say is; I HIGHLY RECOMMEND BEING BORN AGAIN. Take an intentional effort to seek God about it. Mathew 7:7 Seek and you shall find.
