Salvation Comes from the LORD

By Isaac Montaño

Isaac Montaño Jr., as a child, deviated from the promising future provided by his parents. One day, his life would terribly change for the worse. His childhood dreams and aspirations were shattered; his innocence was lost. He survived many brushes with death during the drug and alcohol addiction that plagued his life for over thirty years. God's grace was evident as he revealed himself numerous times. In his rebellion toward God, he was allowed to suffer the consequences of his sinful life-from innocent lies to murder--which cost him over three decades of his life as a prisoner in the New Mexico Corrections Department. One day in desperation, he responded to God's call and had a personal encounter with Christ. Although he previously made terrible mistakes that changed the course of his life for worse, he repented and became an evangelist for Christ. His new life is dedicated to serve God's purpose with wholehearted devotion. In this book, he shares some of the most memorable events of his life; though some situations he deeply regrets and wishes never happened, he believes most are the blessed result of his surrender to the Lord. God has a plan for every individual. A plan to change the course of your life and translate you from death into his eternal glory. After you read this book, if you choose to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior...you will experience the greatest miracle ever, the salvation of your soul, and an abundance of blessings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098022464

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Salvation Comes from the LORD

Isaac Montao Jr.

Copyright © 2019 by Isaac Montaño Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

All scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New International Version of the Holy Bible.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

My Early Years

My First Plea for Help

On the Fence

The Calm Before the Storm

Satan’s Deception

God Knocked but I Did Not Answer

In Survival Mode

Recognizing the Enemy

The Tools of Satan

Prison, Parole, Plotting Revenge

Revenge in the Heart Never Dies

Shots Fired

The Unholy Trinity

Capture of the Self-Condemned

A Vicious Cycle

Darkness on a Summer Day

The Legal Process Orchestrated by Satan’s Ambassadors

God Never Gave Up on Me

A Dream of Jesus in a Canoe My Spiritual Awakening?

Repent or Perish

Radiant Peace

Born of God

The Vision Revealed

Satan Knows Your Weaknesses

A New Ambassador—for Christ

Falling in Love with the Lord

Love Transcends the Prison Walls

Spiritual Service

Ecstasy and Miracles

Operation Smackdown

Fighting Fire with Faith

Quiet Inspiration

An Invitation to Walk with Him

A Sinner’s Prayer

An Assembly of Refuge

An Abundance of Blessings

To my beloved brother Roy Daniel Montaño. On May 20, 2017, you entered into God’s eternal glory. How we miss you—see you on the other side.

And special thanks to my wonderful family. Your unconditional love, continuous prayers, and unselfish support inspired me to write this book.

In my anguish I cried to the LORD,

and he answered by setting me free.

—Psalm 118:5

Acknowledgments

Ithank God for giving me the vision and inspiration for this book project, and for giving me strength as I wrote while dealing with a plague of ailments. As the book goes to press, I anticipate that I will undergo a major operation which I hope will bring me some relief.

I deeply thank and honor my parents for their prayerful support during my decades of drug and alcohol use. That they continue to support and love me is an awesome and beautiful blessing. I thank my siblings for sticking by me through my errant years, and countless trials.

I am profoundly grateful that my children were spared seeing me in my darkest days, and that they have the love and forgiveness in their hearts to build a blessed relationship with me today.

I wish to express my gratitude to many Christian friends, the chaplain at Northeastern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Clayton, New Mexico, and all members of the church who reached out to me, lending their steadying hands as I sometimes wavered in my walk with the Lord.

I thank also a great friend, B. Ruben Peralta, who encouraged me and believed this book would be published, and my fellow prisoner and proofreader, Tobin Jones.

Introduction

Everyone’s life is a journey with a purpose which can only be found in God, our Creator. As I reflect on my past, God has revealed himself many times through his son Jesus Christ. I was a prisoner to sin, and regret not responding to his call much sooner.

Although I was rebellious toward God, he never gave up on me. His loving hand kept me safe as he placed a hedge of protection around me. God allowed me to suffer the consequences of my sin, yet also permitted me to survive numerous brushes with death—during the drug and alcohol abuse and addiction—that plagued my life for over thirty years.

Today, as a born-again child of God, my life is devoted to accomplishing the great calling and purpose that God wills for me. I believe God has called me to preach the gospel, bilingual, and share his gift of salvation (John 3:16) and his unconditional love with every soul he places in my path.

This book shares some of the most memorable events of my life. The identities of some individuals have been kept vague out of respect for their privacy. Though some situations I deeply regret and wish had never happened, I believe most are the blessed result of my surrender to the Lord.

Part I

Forty Years in the Wilderness

Chapter 1

My Early Years

For the first sixteen years of my life, I lived in Portales, New Mexico, in the barrio north of the railroad tracks, referred to by the locals as Taco Town. My siblings and I were raised by both parents in a loving Catholic home. Those who knew us described us as a tightly knit, happy family. We lived and enjoyed life to its fullest. As I look back upon those days, I was a fortunate and carefree child with dreams of becoming a physician or an attorney. I would have never thought that one day my life would change terribly for the worse.

Portales is a small farm and ranch community, ideal for raising a family, and the home of Eastern New Mexico University. My father worked as a supervisor for Selected Casings Inc., a sausage casing production plant. His duties were to hire and train over one hundred employees and supervise the operation of the plant. My mother worked as a full-time laborer to help provide for the family. My parents were extremely busy working and meeting the demands of raising five children. Somehow, the gradual yet ominous changes in my actions and demeanor escaped their notice.

By the age of fourteen, I began to date girls, smoke cigarettes, and drink alcohol. These things were done in secret at our favorite hideouts: Jack County Lake, Skunks Hollow, Twin Oaks, and Dead Man’s Curve. We would do other escapades such as prank phone calls and climb the town’s one hundred feet water tower. Because I was maintaining excellent grades and playing sports, my misbehaving actions remained unnoticed