Matthew 13:23a But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; 

Everyone around me in that moment made the same failed assumption, that this burning bush moment for me was my salvation moment. There was no one in that moment even thought to ask the relevant question. “Why did you raise your hand?” That question alone would have sparked a conversation that might have changed the course of my history. They didn’t and I did not have a turning, I was still on course of self-interest and now I had a new problem.

Satan saw what happened in that moment and recognized I had not left his camp and entered into God’s Kingdom. There was no repentance on my part. All that happened was that God removed the anger which, if left untouched, would have led to my death in the thing in which I was about to become involved, Vietnam.

My church group entreated me as one saved. How does one handle being treated as a family member when you are not? You don’t know how to act, you don’t know who you are and the only ones who understand you are your God and Satan. Because I had not entered into His Kingdom, Satan had more influence over my life. I had still yet to even understand I had an enemy called Satan.

I called those Cape Neddick Baptist Church members sheep dippers. That might be unfair and unkind but in that moment, getting me baptized was all I heard. No one bothered to ask me what was going on in my heart or what led me to that moment in raising my hand. If they had, my life might have taken a different course, but we will never know.

The takeaway is for disciples to be interviewed thoroughly over their salvation moment to discover if all the elements for salvation exist.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

As I began attending church for the sake of the girl, it became apparent to me that she was not interested in me romantically. She had a boyfriend in the group and it was clear he wasn’t right for her. I was right about that but when she loosened herself from his grip, she took up with a young man who would eventually become her husband.

As I focused on the girl I sat and heard the Word of God preached. Now mind you I wasn’t paying attention to the Word as much as I should have at the time. The Word however got in, was heard and does what the Word was meant to do, make contact.

One Sunday as I pondered my fate in the light of my brother’s history and was earnestly concerned about my own lack of control of my anger, I confessed my heart’s fear with something that might be consider a prayer. “Lord I don’t want to be like this.” That was all it took.

This occurred during the alter call and suddenly I found my left arm going up. Looking back over time, to an event that happened more than fifty-five years ago, to know the truth of that moment, I cannot rely on my memory. I have to rely on the relationship that I have with my Savior today to say of a certainty what really happened.

Matthew 13:23a But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; 

I did not know what I was doing, there was no understanding. This was not my salvation moment. How or Who raised my hand is irrelevant to the moment. This was my introduction to my sovereign God who took the anger from me.

As my hand went up, my anger left me and has not returned.