Have You Been Water Baptized? It Was 13 years Ago To The Date Yesterday

This evening I went to a church that truly flows in the movement of Holy Spirit. These are not just words I am putting down for the sake of writing, this church truly yields to Holy Spirit. This evening was water baptisms, there were so many being baptized and such great testimonies of the people that were being baptized. One really stands out, it was a man that was a Buddhist for many years and it was either family or friends that drew him to this church and bit by bit by bit a true conversion took place and this man is all the way with Jesus. Some of the testimonies were truly incredible. What I liked most that was most refreshing was that the pastor still conducted the baptisms on the platform. Each person that was to be baptised was able to share with the pastor holding the microphone and the congregation a testimony. He asked them each if they had Jesus in their hearts and then they were baptized
One was a bit comical. Comical in the sense the way the words came out in the explanation. You just don't hear of getting baptized by a pastor that was drunk. The woman's testimony was that she was water baptized years ago at a church bar-b-que baptism and the sad part of the comical portion was that the pastor was drunk and she did not think that she felt it was a valid baptism back then and she was water baptized now. Why would a pastor be drinking to begin with and let alone operating under the influence of alcohol when performing a baptism? Crazy isn't that? It sure seems crazy to me. That woman trusted years ago and then to carry that unsureness for all those years. That pastor needs people to pray for them, maybe the pastor has changed since then.
Holy Spirit was moving is such a way this evening and what I loved about it is that the pastor did not cut off the movement of Him. He even had the praise team sing a song and he himself sang a song the Lord put on his heart for the person that was about to be baptized it was about freedom and grace if I remember correctly. There were a few people left to be baptized and the pastor felt the unction to pause and do an altar call and it was so amazing the amount of people that responded and came to the altar to receive Jesus. If that wasn't great there is even more...after the altar call there were a few people that felt led by Holy Spirit to get baptized tonight. The pastor then baptized a few more even though he dismissed the church already, people stayed to worship and witness the baptisms.
All of this incredible freedom in church during water baptism has caused me to ponder on my own water baptism. I was born and raised Catholic so you probably know that I was baptized as a baby. When I became born again I felt a tugging at my heart to be baptized as an adult. I was and it was back in the day when the church I attended allowed people to share their testimony. Like I saw tonight and family and friends were allowed to gather around at the altar when you were being baptized. One of my children wanted to attend my baptism and no one else from my family wanted to participate.I understand my other child not feeling comfortable attending because the mother they knew as a child was not the same person she was back then so this may have been a bit much for that child  at their age back then to feel comfotable about. I had friends attend along with my child. This child was much younger then and all I remember was the innocence of a child, my child. When I came up from under the water I heard the voice of my child singing a song to their mother in the microphone. I thought to myself Oh My Gosh what is being sung? Now, when I look back on the song my child made up themself and sang to me it was truly of a prophetic nature and Holy Spirit moved through them in their young age. Now, lets see if I remember the words...
"I bind and I rebuke you
I bind and I rebuke you
I bind and I rebuke you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ
I told you once, I told you twice now you gotta pay the price I bind and I rebuke you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. "
This was a song this child sang forth no music or instruments just their voice singing in the microphone. Little did they know back then that their mother was being raised up for the deliverance ministry. The people that were being water baptized with me on the same day all wore casual type of clothes. I did not. I felt led to wear something beautiful and to dress up for this. I wore a beautiful teal sweater that had pearls sewn on it and I even had teal dress pants to coordinate and I also wore pearls too. I was not doing it to be flashy or different, in my heart I felt to dress for the occasion and I did. Back then that church also did something very special, a photographer captured your expression when you rose up from under the water. At the baptism service tonight I was reminded of that for they had a person taking pictures of each one being baptized. If you were baptized as a child and Holy Spirit is moving upon your heart to be immersed as an adult I would highly recommend it for there is something about coming up from the water that makes you so clean and full of life. I thought of it like this,going down under the water is a symbol of leaving your past sins/regrets under the water and when you come up you are washed clean and your sins are forgotten in the sea of forgetfulness never to be remembered again
Trust Holy Spirit and take the plunge if He is directing you to. He just wants to get you set free from what is holding you back to achieve all the fullness that is planned for your life. If you knew in advance what awaited you and your life after you were water baptized I believe you would run to your pastor and ask to be water baptized. Trust and He (Holy Spirit) will show you the way.
I found the Certificate of Baptism I received on that day, these are the words that were written on it:

"In obedience to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ and in imitation of His example _________________ was buried with Him in baptism November 9, 1997.

People wake up what are the odds of this? I just pulled out my certificate of baptism to share with you for this writing on this particular day only to realize that the anniversary of my very own baptism was just yesterday. Holy Spirit never ceases to amaze me. The service that I attended tonight was not a coincidence that it was all about baptisms. I do believe Holy Spirit keeps showing me the way. This church in not right around the corner from me it is about 45 minutes away. Have you ever heard the expression "A church alive is worth the drive." It is ever so true. Thank you Lord, all I can say is THANK YOU.