Brother Max

I would like to begin with the type of person I was before and the background I came from; raised in Peru, with Catholic influences, that were mere traditions with no true devotion. People were all talk and did things to be seen by others in the church, we actually have a form of lent in Peru where one stops eating meat on Easter Friday until Sunday, the day Christ resurrected and you could see all people participating, even the food shops.
Recollecting old memories, my brother and I just followed what we were told to do, no different to the other younglings, however, my auntie and grandma began going to a Baptist Church, now my brother and I were 7 and 10 respectively, when we began to attend this Baptist church. At the start we just went with it and so on, but I remember attending a retreat for young children ran by the church, so that children may accept Jesus in their hearts (willingly). I remember being at the retreat and really wanting to have a relationship with God, and I am sure that I felt something. Nevertheless, when I returned from the retreat, I had clearly forgotten the experience because I returned to acting like God was very far away and continued in me old ways. 
A year later, my mum (who is not a believer) decides that my brother and I should move to the UK, shocking news to us but no choice was given, once we had arrived in the UK, I felt a new sense of freedom, felt like religion was placed upon me when it was not entirely my decision. 
From the age of 11 to 16, I lived a carefree life with my mum and my brother, my mum was busy working so I rebelled very much, I had too much freedom in other words, at the age of 13 I started to spend my time with kids whom you would call “hood”.
Although I myself was not a part of a gang, I grew up in a gang culture for all those years, each year getting worse and worse, from a young age getting into sexual relations when I myself was still a child. 
As I left school I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I also didn’t do very well in school, in the following years when I was in college, I got a girl pregnant and had a child with her, the girl’s mum is a born again Christian and she spoke with boldness. I really liked spending time with her but when she began to speak about Christ and how I was sinning in my life, I was like, “Ahhh, I don’t want to hear this”, I was 19 when I met her, so throughout the pregnancy, my future mother in law would always try to speak to me about Jesus and how real He is, I was there in person but the words seemed to go through one ear and out the other and this carried on for nearly three years, no one had spoken to me so much about Jesus before, not even my grandmother.
Anyhow, in that third year I went to university, within the first month of university, I got noticeably worse, I got my nose and both ears pierced, and dyed my hair blonde, one may think, I was going through a life crisis (which I was but only Jesus knew). 
Throughout the time I was with the mother of my child, I did not treat her well at all and she really wanted the best for me, when we broke up, I wanted her back but now I see it’s because I wanted a woman, not because I cared for her. 
Now at the end of my first term of my first year in university, I had a life changing dream, in the dream the Lord spoke to me, I will try give a detailed description of the dream; the LORD the Father seemed to be like the bright sun, but it was so bright but so bright, truly brighter than the sun, it was blinding. I remember my whole body felt like it was being pushed down to the ground, I was in a foetal position, like when people pray and their head is on the floor but being pressed down on top of that, the power of the LORD being emitted was soo powerful that it pushed my whole body and head to the ground, I wanted to look up and see the LORD but I could not. Then He spoke, with a thunderous voice, causing my whole body to shake and tremble, He said “I am GOD” confirming to me that He is real, and He truly exists, in this I had a deep confirmation in my heart.
Waking up from this dream, I also remembered a past experience I had when I was 7 years old, in a dream I remember seeing what looked like hell before the fires were kindled, I remember seeing ugly and scary demons, and being so scared that I could not sleep for 2 days, and somehow I had completely forgotten about this dream until that present day when the LORD spoke to me. 
This is one of the numerous times the Lord Jesus Christ has shaken me to realisation, although I am not very stubborn in nature, I was very proud and due to the pride within me, I rejected the Lord many times. Now that I’ve accepted the Lord in my heart, I truly understand with every fibre in my body that Jesus truly lives and that His blood was shed on the cross for the remission of our sins, without it, we would die in hell fire. 
My initial reasoning to draw nearer to GOD was to avoid going to hell but with many rebukes and corrections from the LORD, my understanding has become much clearer and it is because of Him I wish to live. 
When the Lord speaks in Matthew 11:28-30, He truly means it, His yoke is truly easy and His burden is light, the Lord will give us rest if we truly desire to follow Him.