How My Friend Cesar Perez Turned From Skeptic to Christian

Someone who knows a thing or two about skepticism is my friend Cesar Perez.

Raised in a Christian household, it’s natural to assume Cesar’s journey to faith was the typical “born and raised in the church” account. But that narrative doesn’t fit his story. From a young age, Cesar struggled to believe. Still, rather than throw out all belief in God, Cesar clung to hope because of the ways he’d seen God work in his family.

One of the most formative moments emerged in the life of his older brother, Moises. Before turning five, Moises grew sick with meningitis on three separate occasions. During his third infection, doctors discovered a hole in Moises’ inner ear, which they realized was the cause of all three episodes.

Immediate surgery was required to prevent future infections. Unfortunately, this third infection was so severe doctors told Cesar’s parents the surgery would likely result in Moises living the rest of his life in a vegetative state. Not knowing what else to do, Cesar’s family began to pray, asking God to spare their son. To the doctor’s astonishment, Moises not only recovered from the surgery but his health was fully restored. Today, he is married, has a beautiful family, and has a sharp mind.

But that’s not the full story.

Being recent immigrants to the United States, Cesar’s parents did not have health insurance. This meant Moises’ hospital bills left them swimming in a sea of several hundred thousand dollars of financial debt. Having little additional income, his parents calculated they could offer little more than a few dollars a month towards repaying this debt—certainly nothing that would make much of a dent in what they owed.

Facing what seemed like yet another insurmountable obstacle, they turned to God again in prayer. What happened next continues to amaze Cesar to this day. On their next visit to the hospital, at the close of their visit, the hospital receptionist pulled up their file and informed Cesar’s parents that an anonymous donor had covered Moises’ entire hospital bill.

It was stories like these that left Cesar with a pervading sense that God was real. In his mind, he thought, If God was good to my parents, surely he will be good to me. But then hard times hit, and Cesar’s faith came under assault.

While attending a Christian Bible College, Cesar went through a painful situation that pressed him to wrestle with questions he had never considered. And like his parents, he brought his doubts and questions to God. But this time, it felt like God was silent. There were no miraculous answers to prayer and instead, only more confusion and questions emerged. Questions like: Is God real? How can Jesus be the only way to God? Does God care about me? If God is personal, why don’t I sense his presence?

No longer could he hide behind the spiritual faith of his parents. Now it was time for him to face his questions on his own. This spiritual pilgrimage of sorts took Cesar back to one of his first loves—hiking the great outdoors. And as he did, he began to take inventory of all his doubts and concerns.

At this point, he didn’t know how to pray or which god to address, even if he did. So many feelings of anger, rage, and uncertainty swirled around in his mind. Why was God so silent? Wasn’t God someone who promised to answer when people called?

That’s when Cesar started to make a mental list of all he knew to be true. Was God real? Check. He’d seen too much of his activity to deny his existence. But then the next question, if God was real, which one should he trust? Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism all offered different alternatives to the Christian God. And if he was being objective, how could Cesar really say one was better than the others?

But that’s when the words of James 1:5 came to Cesar’s mind. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” In frustration, Cesar looked up towards the sky and yelled, “OK God, if this verse is true, if you really are the Christian God, make this happen.”

What happened next was as if the floodgates opened in Cesar’s mind. Suddenly, all those doubts and questions that swirled around in his brain seemed to wash away, leaving in their wake a rock-hard riverbed of faith. For the first time in his life, Cesar’s faith became his own. No more hiding behind second-hand divine encounters or what others claimed about who God was for them.

Now, it was as if the God from the pages of scripture Cesar had read about his entire life, was standing directly beside him. And as the nearness of God increased, the Bible started to make sense. And all those questions that once loomed large in Cesar’s mind suddenly felt like they were put in their proper place. From an external perspective, nothing had changed. But from an internal perspective, everything had changed. Cesar could now say with clarity and confidence that he worshiped a God he knew.

Cesar realized God wasn’t frightened and frustrated by his questions. In fact, God welcomed his questions, and this set Cesar on a journey to study the truths of God’s Word so he could better articular these truths to others.

Today, Cesar spends much of his days helping teenagers wrestle with their own questions about God. He's also my co-host on The Monday Christian Podcast, where we tackle the raw and challenging questions Christians face.

In a real sense, God has redeemed his journey. And it’s as if God used the twists and turns of his life to enable Cesar to offer a roadmap to others who face similar struggles.

So, What About You?

Do you have a skeptic in your life? Someone who seemingly takes one step towards God while taking two steps back? If so, take heart and remember that God is working.

Keep praying, keep believing, keep investing.