Today we’d like to introduce you to Mario Esparza Jr.
Hi Mario, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas, and was raised primarily by my grandparents after my parents separated at a very young age. We were broke, but my grandparents were loving, hardworking, and deeply rooted in traditional Hispanic values. Even so, growing up without consistency or a stable family structure left me carrying a deep sense of rejection and abandonment, something I didn’t understand or know how to process at the time.
At 17, I was introduced to cocaine, and it quickly became a way to numb pain and find a false sense of peace. What began as experimentation turned into a ten-year addiction. On the outside, I appeared successful. I built my own trucking business and made almost a quarter million dollars, and most people couldn’t tell I was struggling. But inwardly, I was exhausted, empty, and living a double life; often staying up for days at a time while slowly destroying myself.
By the time I reached my breaking point, I was married and had a beautiful wife and children at home. Yet internally, I felt like a failure, a deadbeat father who would never measure up. Scripture says, ‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he,’ and because I believed those lies about myself, I kept going lower. Even though I had everything I should have been grateful for, I was trapped in bondage in my heart and submitted to the enemy’s lies. I couldn’t see another way out.
That spiral led me to a Motel 6 in Euless, Texas. I was suicidal and had turned on the bathtub, fully intending to end my life. Suddenly, I felt a presence in the room, as if someone had walked in. A thought came over me: someone is about to come through that door. It startled me enough that I went to look through the peephole, and there was a maintenance man standing outside. Almost immediately, the doorknob began twisting and he opened the door. I stopped it with my foot. He said someone had reported a broken doorknob. I shut the door, angry and confused, convinced he was lying.
Looking back, I now see that moment for what it was divine intervention. God spared my life that night. My body was already rejecting cocaine and alcohol after days without sleep, and I believe had I continued, I wouldn’t have survived. God had mercy on me.
Not long after, I attended a Christian retreat in Whitesboro, Texas, where I had a profound spiritual encounter with Jesus. I experienced His love being poured into my soul in a way that was deeply personal and healing. In that moment, I understood my identity for the first time; that there was nothing I could do to earn God’s love, and nothing I had done that disqualified me from it. His love was unconditional because of what Jesus had already done, and it healed wounds I had carried my entire life.
Today, by the grace of God, I’ve been entrusted to lead a ministry called Kingdom Come Dallas at Prayer Mountain, the highest point in Dallas, Texas. What began as a simple step of obedience has grown into a place where people from all backgrounds are encountering God in real and transformative ways. We’re seeing lives restored, people set free, and a generation being established in their faith and identity as sons and daughters of God.
Everything I do now flows from the same grace that spared my life. I know firsthand that transformation is possible, not through self-effort or success, but through encountering the love of God. My passion is to help others discover that no one is too broken, too bound, or too far gone to be restored.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t describe it as a struggle so much as a process of formation. Understanding that my strength comes from the Lord, my identity is found in Him, and learning to be satisfied in Him alone has been what’s anchored me through every season.
The Bible calls it ‘the good fight of faith,’ and a fight requires preparation and training, you don’t step into one unprepared and expect to win. Along the way, the challenges have required discipline: renewing my mind, staying rooted in truth, and choosing faith consistently. It’s been a journey of learning to live from identity rather than striving, and that discipline has made all the difference.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m known primarily for evangelism and preaching identity in Christ; helping people understand who they are in God and live from that place. Through pastoral ministry and digital platforms, the focus has been on calling people to faith, repentance, and transformation, and walking with them as they grow into maturity.
Over the past couple of years, God has opened doors through digital spaces, allowing the message to reach millions of people each month online. I’m deeply grateful for that reach, especially because it’s connected us with individuals coming out of destructive spiritual backgrounds, including Santa Muerte worship. In many cases, people have renounced those beliefs and brought their altars and objects of worship to the church as a public step toward freedom and faith.
What I’m most grateful for is simply the fruit, seeing lives changed, people walking in freedom, and believers growing into the fullness of who they are in Christ. Being able to witness that kind of transformation and maturity is something I don’t take lightly, and it’s a responsibility I try to steward with care.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
One of the most important things I’ve learned and something I wish I understood earlier is the importance of humility and dependence on God in everything. Jesus modeled this through His life, showing what it looks like to live submitted to the Father’s will, and that posture shaped everything He did.
He taught that greatness comes through becoming like a child- humble, teachable, and dependent. I’ve learned that effectiveness in purpose doesn’t come from talent or effort alone, but from alignment. We walk in authority when we live under God’s authority.
My advice to anyone just starting out is to focus on being grounded before trying to be effective. Stay humble, stay teachable, and remain dependent on God. When your life is aligned, clarity and direction follow.
advice to anyone just starting out is to focus on being grounded before trying to be effective. Stay humble, stay teachable, and remain dependent on God. When your life is aligned, clarity and direction follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Kingdomcomedallas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marioaesparzajr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marioaesparzajr/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@marioesparza1
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/kingdomcomedallas
Image Credits
Kingdom Come Dallas
