Deciding to follow Jesus is an internal decision. Water baptism is a public and personal declaration of our faith in Jesus. When we are fully submerged under water, we identify His death, and when we come out of the water, we identify with being raised up to a new life like Jesus was. It is a declaration that we are dying to our old way of living and taking a new life of Jesus. We may not be perfect or get it right away, but our goal is to leave sin and honor God and His Word.