Allan Rich: Sharing-Center Testimonies (written)

Miracle at George street - Mr Guenord - (Australia) 21

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:42:45 +0200

The person who gave this message is Rev. Dave Smethurst.
This all started a number of years ago in a Baptist church in Crystal Palace in South
London. The Sunday morning service was closing and a man stood up at the back and raised his hand and said: “Excuse me pastor can I share a short testimony?” The pastor looked at his watch and said “You have three minutes”.

The man proceeded with his story:
“I've just moved into this area. I used to live in Sydney Australia. Just a few months back I was visiting some relatives and I was walking down George Street. You
know where George Street is in Sydney going from the Business Area out to the
Rock - the colonial area. A strange little white haired man stepped out from a shop
doorway, put a pamphlet in my hand and said: “Excuse me sir, are you saved, if
you die tonight are you going to heaven?” - I was astounded by these words. No
one had ever asked me that. I thanked him courteously and all the way home to
London this puzzled me. I called a friend and thank God he was a Christian and he
led me to Christ.”

The Baptists love testimonies like that. Everyone applauded and welcomed him into
their fellowship.

The Baptist pastor flew to Adelaide, Australia the next week and 10 days later in the
middle of a three day series in a Baptist church in Adelaide, a woman came up to him
for some counseling. He wanted to establish where she stood with Christ. He said
“I used to live in Sydney and just a couple of months back I was visiting some
friends in Sydney doing some last minute shopping down George Street. A strange
little white haired man stepped out of a shop doorway and offered me a pamphlet
and said “Excuse me madam, are you saved, if you die tonight are you going to
heaven? ” - I was disturbed by those words. When I got home to Adelaide, I knew
this Baptist church was on the next block form me. I sought out the pastor and he
led me to Christ. So I am telling you that I am a Christian.”

The London pastor was now very puzzled. Twice in two weeks he had heard the same
testimony. He then flew to preach in the Mount Pleasant Church in Perth. When his
teaching series was over the senior elder of that Church took him out for a meal and he asked the elder how he got saved.

“I grew up in this church from the age of 15. I never made a commitment to Jesus,
just hopped on the bandwagon like everyone else. Because of my business ability
grew up to a place of influence. I was on a business trip to Sydney just three years
ago. An obnoxious spiteful little man stepped out of a shop doorway, offered me a
religious pamphlet - cheap junk - and accosted me with a question: “Excuse me
sir, are you saved, if you die tonight are you going to heaven?” I tried to tell him I was a Baptist elder. He wouldn’t listen to me. I was seething with anger all the way home from Sydney to Perth. I told my pastor, thinking that he would sympathize,
but he agreed. He had been disturbed for years knowing that I didn't have a relationship with Jesus, and he was right. My pastor led me to Jesus just three years
ago.”

The London preacher flew home and was soon speaking at the Keswick conventions in
the Lake District and he threw in these three testimonies. At the close of this teaching series, fours elderly pastors came up and explained that they too had been saved between 25 and 30 years earlier through that same little man on George Street, offering them a pamphlet and asking that same question.

The following week he flew to a similar Keswick convention in the Caribbean to missionaries.
He shared the same testimonies. At the close of his teaching three missionaries
came forward and said that they had also had been saved between 15 and 25
years earlier by that same little man’s testimony and asked us the same question on
George Street in Sydney.

Next he stopped in Atlanta, Georgia to speak at a Naval Chaplain convention. Here for
three days he spoke to over 1000 Naval Chaplains. Afterwards the Chaplain General
took him out for a meal and he asked the Chaplain how he became a Christian.
“It was miraculous. I was fa rating on a Naval battleship and I lived a reprobate life.

We were doing exercises in the South Pacific and we docked at Sydney harbour
for replenishments. We hit Kings Cross with a vengeance. I was blind drunk, got
on the wrong bus and got off in George Street. As I got off the bus, I though I saw
a ghost as this man jumped out in front of me, pushed a pamphlet in my hand and
said “Sailor, are you saved, if you die tonight are you going to heaven?” The fear of
God hit me immediately. I was shocked sober, ran back to the ship and sought out
the Chaplain. He led me to Christ. I soon began to prepare for the ministry under
his guidance. I am now in charge of 1000 chaplains who are bent on soul winning
today.”

Six months later that London pastor flew to a conference for 5,000 Indian missionaries in a remote part of North East India. At the end the head missionary took him to his humble little home for a simple meal. He asked how he as a Hindu came to Christ.
“I grew up in a very privileged position, I worked the Indian Diplomatic Mission and
I travelled the world. I am so glad for the forgiveness of Christ and blood covering
my sin. I would be very embarrassed if people found out what I got into. One period
of diplomatic service took me to Sydney. I was doing some last minute shopping,
laden with toys and clothes for my children. I was walking down George
Street when a courteous white haired little man stepped out in front of me and offered me a pamphlet and said “Excuse me sir, are you saved, if you die tonight are
you going to heaven?” I thanked him very much but this disturbed me. I got back to
my town, sought out our Hindu priest. He couldn’t help me, but he advised me that
to satisfy my curious mind, I should go and talk to the missionary in the mission
home at the end of road. That was good advice because that day the missionary
led me to Christ. I quit Hinduism immediately and began to prepare for ministry. I
left the Diplomatic Service and here I am today, by God’s grace in charge of all
these missionaries who have together led 100.000 people to Christ.

Eight months later that London Pastor was preaching in Sydney. He asked the local
Baptist Minister if he knew of a little elderly white haired man who handed out tracts on George Street. He replied “Yes is do, his name is Mr. Genor, although I don’t think he does it any more because he is so frail and elderly.” Two nights later they went to meet him in his little apartment. They knocked on the door and this tiny frail old man greeted them. He sat them down and made them tea. He was so frail that he was slopping the

tea into the saucer as his hands shook. The London preacher sat there and told him of
all these accounts from the previous three years. This little man sat with tears running down his cheeks. He told them his story.
“I was a rating on an Australian warship. I was living a reprobate life. In a crisis I really hit the wall. One of my colleagues, to whom I gave literal hell, was there to help me. He led me to Jesus and the change in my life was night to day in 24
hours. I was so grateful to God; I promised God that I would share Jesus in a simple
witness with at least 10 people a day. As God me strength I did that. Sometimes
I was ill and couldn’t do it, but I made up for the days I missed it at other
times. I wasn’t paranoid about it. I have done this for over 40 years. In my retirement years, the best place was on St. George Street where I saw hundreds of
people a day. I got lots of rejections, but a lot of people courteously took the tract.

In 40 years of doing this, I have never heard of one single person coming to Jesus
until today.”

You know, I would say that he has to be commitment. To show gratitude and love for
Jesus to do that for 40 years and not hear of any results. That simple little non-charismatic
Baptist man witnessed to perhaps 147,000 people. I think that God was showing
that Baptist pastor from London was the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg. Goodness knows how many more had been arrested for Christ. Doing huge jobs out in the mission fields. Mr. Genor died two weeks later. Can you imagine the reward he went home to in Heaven?

I doubt his face would ever have appeared on Charisma Magazine. I doubt there would
ever have been a photograph and a write up in Billy Graham’s Decision magazine. No
one except a little group of Baptists in Sydney knew about Mr. Genor, but I tell you his name was famous in Heaven. Heaven knew Mr. Genor and you can imagine the welcome
and Red Carpet and the fanfare that he received when he went home to Glory.
Source: http://www.worldmissions.com/evangelism/george_street.html

www.sharing-center.com

From scarification to Christ - Rae (USA) 20

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 09:30:22 +0200

At a very young age, I was sexually abused. Though I have little memory of it, what I do remember has caused much pain in my life. I know that the devil attacked me so early on in hopes that I would never turn to Jesus. How foolish he is! Though many years I struggled, eventually all that I have been through has led me straight into my Savior’s loving embrace.
Acting out because of my abuse, I myself became abusive. I was angry and violent. At first, I only harmed myself, cutting, burning, and mutilating my own body, but it was not very long before I turned that rage outward. It happened twice that I can remember: I hit my mother. To this day, I am very ashamed of that truth. But it is just a sample of what can happen when the devil is in control.
By the age of 14, I had already been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for suicide attempts and massive self-mutilation. I was lost and so very angry. I was mad at God for allowing such horrible things to happen to me when I was so innocent. I wanted nothing to do with Him, and the devil took full advantage of that.
In the beginning, I turned to witchcraft. I had hoped that it would lead me to some sort of an answer for my life. I was looking for a way to gain control, a way to hurt God like He had hurt me, a way to turn the pain I was feeling deep inside into power. Although some of what I experienced while I was dealing in witchcraft felt good, it was not enough. I still had no command over my emotions. My pain was only getting worse with every day that passed.
What happened next, I will never forget. Satan knew what I was searching for, and he came to me. This is where I lose a lot of people. Many have a hard time believing that the devil can speak to us. But just as God talks to us, the devil himself is also capable.
He told me many lies, all of which at the time sounded so true and good. If I claimed him as my lord, he would give me great power; he would take my pain away; he would make me strong so no one could ever hurt me again.. I believed him. And so I took him up on his offer. I became a “devil-worshiper.” Take this in context. I was only 14, so of course I wasn’t out running around doing sacrifices and attending Satanic rituals. I wanted to. But it turns out that even in the safety of my parents’ home, I could give myself to the devil, and he could do many things.
I mutilated myself almost every day… all in the name of Satan. I burned pentagrams into my flesh, prayed to the devil, and though I didn’t know it at the time, I opened many doors into the darkness.
I was visited on many occasions by what I know to be demons. I remember three specific events. The first incident occurred one night when I was woken in the middle of the night. What I saw frightened me terribly, and I will never forget it. There were three figures standing in the center of my room. They were clothed in darkness, and the evil I felt in their presence paralyzed me. They were circled around what looked to be something like a fire, and they were chanting words I could not understand. This went on for at least an hour, maybe more.. I am not sure, but even as they left my sight, I knew they were still there in the shadows.
The next thing that happened I brought upon myself. Feeling suicidal again, I decided to try something a little different. I was beginning to see how dark and dangerous the world I was dealing with was, and I wanted to become a part of it. I decided to try and ask a demon to come inside of me. I remember laying in my bed late one night, and speaking certain words over myself… words of hate towards God and of reverence and love for Satan. I asked to be made “holy” in his (the devil) sight by allowing a demon to rule my body. The next thing I knew, I felt this great darkness and weight bearing down on me, and I remember feeling very scared and worried about what I had just done. What happened after that I do not remember. But in the weeks that follows I became increasingly darker and felt even angrier than before. I sat alone in my room for days in the dark, cutting and stabbing myself with knives, and burning myself. Not long after that I ended up back in the psychiatric hospital. That would be that last time I would see my home for over a year.
At their wits ends, my parents didn’t know what else to do with me. Because of all of the harm I was doing to myself, they were afraid to leave me alone; they were afraid I was going to die. And to be honest, I was too. All of my behavior towards the end had become uncontrollable for me. I felt the presence of evil every where I went. I was constantly aware of demonic activity around me, and I was very afraid that I was truly possessed. So in desperation, my parents sent me off to Texas to live in a Christian girls’ home. And that my friends, is what saved my life. That is where I found Jesus.
When I first arrived in Texas, I was determined to stay true to my “lord” Satan. The moment I stepped foot on the property, however, I could literally feel the spiritual battle for my soul begin. The darkness within me was wrestling to maintain control, but Praise God, He is greater and stronger and always comes out victorious!
Just a few short weeks later, in a little country church in the middle of nowhere, Jesus got a hold of me. I remember that I was sitting in the pew, paying very little attention to anything. I was twisting my ring round and round my finger. This ring I forgot to tell about earlier, was basically my wedding ring, if you will, to signify my marriage and devotion to Satan. It was two silver snakes meeting mouth to mouth in a circle. I had dipped it in blood and consecrated it as a symbol of my love for him. No one else knew what it meant but me.
As I was sitting there, twisting and turning my ring and thinking of all that I had witnessed over the past several weeks, a voice from the front of the church caught my attention. The preacher called out over the crowd saying “there is just one here tonight… just one who Jesus wants to come up tonight and receive Him as lord.” Immediately, I knew without a doubt that she was talking about me. I looked around. People’s heads were bowed, and they were praying in the Spirit. Again, I heard the preacher as she called out. But instead of hearing her, it was as if I was hearing Jesus asking me to come. I looked down at my ring again… looked up at the front of the church.. then back down at my hands. The feeling that God was calling to me was growing stronger and stronger within me. I started to rise from me seat, but just as I did, I felt a weight trying to push me down again. I looked at my ring once more, and in an instant, I decided that enough was enough. I whispered to Satan as I slid the ring from my finger, “You’ve done nothing but cause me harm!” I removed to ring and clutched it in my hand. As I stood to my feet, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders, and then I felt something else… I looked down again, and as I opened my hand, I saw that my ring had fallen to pieces; it had literally crumbled apart! That’s when I knew that it was my time.
I walked to the front of the church where the preacher stood waiting. As I prayed the prayer of salvation, repeating her words, tears streamed down my face. I felt God’s love and warmth penetrate the darkness inside of me. All that was evil left me immediately, and in it’s place, God’s Holy Spirit came in. I was changed in that moment… that second. All of the pain and darkness and evil that I had been dwelling in was no longer a part of me. I had been set free and could for the first time feel the greatness and power of Jesus Christ! Praise God!
Now not all people feel an instant sense of transformation when they ask Jesus into their hearts. For every one it is different. I believe that God has and always will act very dramatically in my life for a reason I cannot yet fully understand. All I know is that God’s love and His power are amazing and life-changing. He saved me from a life in the darkness. Though I once considered Hell to be my final destination, I now know that I will live forever in the presence of the one and only true God! Praise be to Jesus who died and made it possible for every man and woman to know such a saving grace!
Raegan Andrews.
Exclusive testimony for www.sharing-center.com

Battling gambling addiction - john (USA) 19

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 18:58:07 +0200

“I’m sure I won two million dollars, and lost 2.5 million plus.”

Winning can be an irresistible high, which explains why Americans spend more on legal gambling than movies, music, and sports events combined! John Hartin was no exception…

“It was the excitement, the thrill of the win, the competition between me and the dealer,” John explains.

John didn’t intend to get hooked. It was just a couple of poker games here, some trips to the track there. His wife, Liesa, wasn’t worried either.

Liesa says, “When we first got married, he never gambled at all.”

A few years later, John’s company downsized, and he was out of a job.

John recalls, “[It was] a good job, and that had never happened to me.”

“It just devastated him,” Liesa says.

With mounting financial pressures and a growing family, John says, “I became hooked on the gambling and didn’t look back.”

It seemed like a hobby at first…

Liesa recalls that John would say, “I won the house payment!”

One day a week turned into two. Within six months, John was gambling every day. He was addicted.

Liesa says, “I started noticing he missed birthdays, missed our children’s events. I mean it was fun but enough’s enough. I had no idea the depths that he had already been in.”

John started to “chase” his losses betting more to get it back, and he started to lie…

The Hartins“I felt sorry for myself, my situation and where was God in my life,” John says. “I pretty much stepped out of reality and into that life. It got its hooks in me, and the next 10-11 years was a living hell.

“There was an eight-year period where I thought 24/7 about gambling. I would come in at five in the morning. She would think I was working, and [she would] be real sweet. I’d been out gambling all night.”

John felt guilty, but handled it this way. He said, “God, I deserve this lifestyle. My wife, job, kids -- they’ll be fine.”

But if Liesa hadn’t worked several jobs and put assets in her name, they would have lost everything.

She says, “I became a very angry, bitter woman. You start getting self-pity. Why me? Why would my husband rather be on a boat than home with me and our children? It wasn’t like he physically cheated on me with another woman, but his mistress was the boat or the track.”

John says, “I pawned my wife’s jewelry, my wedding ring, my son’s baseball cards, and I wrote bad checks for years. I went into my parents’ home at 4 a.m. and took the computer to pawn it. I needed money to do my thing and nobody understood.”

“When I married him, [he] was a wonderful man, a great provider, a lot of fun, very attractive, everything going for him,” Liesa says. “As he got into this, he wasn’t fun. He was mean, became very angry, very abusive.”

They separated several times. Finally Liesa filed for divorce.

She says, “I was kind of in my heart hoping it was a wake-up call. ‘Cause I really wanted him to come back.”

Before Liesa delivered their third child, John did come back and did well. If only it had lasted…

“She was eight weeks old, and he told me he was gonna go out to the store, and he’d be back,” she recalls. “And 9, 10, 11 o’clock, he never came back. He didn’t come back for 23 days.

“I decided, with or without John, I was gonna be okay, and the kids were gonna be okay, because we were gonna follow God.”

Over the years, John went to four rehab centers with no lasting success. By now, he no longer wanted to live. But he decided to try one more…

Liesa Hartin“I stayed there nine weeks,” says John. “The typical stay was four weeks. Over the period of the nine weeks, I quit the gambling, smoking, and drinking.”

The rehab was very good, John says, but from his Christian upbringing, he knew it wasn’t the key.

“I knew if I had any hope whatsoever, I needed to give it 100 percent to God. There is a God, He did have a Son, and He died for us. He’s forgiven me. Everyday’s a new day. I haven’t gambled since Nov. 16th, 2000.”

With the help of support groups and his faith, John has never returned to his habit. Liesa also got help and has this advice: “First thing, focus on yourself. Find out where you are with God and Jesus and get your life right with the Lord. He is the only One who can sustain you through this.”

Rebuilding their home life wasn’t easy or automatic. But with help, it’s now stronger than ever. John even leads an addiction support group at his church.

“I spent most of my adult life hurting people, and now I want to spend any remaining days encouraging and helping people who have any kind of addiction,” says John. “There is hope, and God can turn your life around.”

Liesa says, “Somewhere in the Word it says that God will do exceedingly abundant more than you ever thought or hoped -- and He has!”

John concurs, “I’m just very thankful that I have her here today. I wanna wake up now. I wanna have that next day with my family, and I look forward to being with God and Jesus in heaven for eternity.”

From Saul to Paul -Khalil (Egypt) 18

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:16:14 +0100

Khalil started memorizing the Qur’an at a very early age and developed what he called a love for the word of God. As he grew older, he started reading books on Islam and the interpretation of the Qur’an. By sorting out Muslims from non-Muslims according to the Qur’an’s teaching, he ended up considering his own parents infidels. Little things such as a woman not wearing a veil would make her a non-Muslim according to the way he understood the Qur’an. If a man didn’t grow a beard he would be considered a non-Muslim. He considered the Christians his worst enemies and started getting involved in attacks against Christians and churches. The Islamic Group, dedicated to the overthrow of the secular government of Egypt and the installation of a strict Muslim government, recruited him into their ranks, appointing him as a local leader. His group became involved in kidnapping a famous moderate Muslim writer who had dared to criticize the Islamic Group.

Eventually, the authorities arrested Khalil and most of the group’s members. He spent two years in prison, undergoing torture, and upon his release left Egypt for Yemen in company with other radical Muslims. From this base of operations, they continued in their plans for an armed insurrection in Egypt.

Their plans, however, were discovered by local authorities, many of them were re-arrested, and the military option was all but abandoned. Back in Egypt they had to downplay all of their activities. Upon reading an article in the Cairo newspaper about Christians arrested in Egypt for proselytizing, Khalil and his group decided that it was “past time” to do something for the sake of Islam. Given their small numbers, however, they decided their battle would be an intellectual one, researching and writing a book proving that Mohammed is the True Prophet of God, and that the Bible of the Christians and Jews is a corrupted text. Khalil was chosen by his Emir, the leader of the Islamic Group, to do the research and write the book. He objected strenuously at first, but eventually took on the job, which he described as the “most distasteful thing” he had ever done.

When he had completed reading the Bible and cross-referencing what he had read with numerous Islamic books, Khalil was astonished to discover that the Bible was neither inaccurate nor corrupted. Instead, he was astonished at the Bible’s teachings on forgiveness and unconditional love, as reflected in the life and words of Jesus. He was particularly stunned to read how Jesus had warned his followers about persecution and how, two thousand years later, that persecution was taking place exactly as Jesus had said it would. His reading of the Bible helped him understand why Christians in Egypt never retaliated against the Muslims, and why it was always easy for them to forgive and forget. As much as he hated reading the Bible, he fell in love with its message and teachings.

Nonetheless, he had a job to do, and he continued with dogged determination, electing to prove that Jesus is not God and was never crucified. Studying the Qur’an for this purpose, he put together all of God’s qualities and attributes as the Qur’an talks about them, and then searched the Qur’an for Jesus’ attributes. According to the Qur’an, God is the creator, the healer, the provider, the only one who can raise the dead to life, the only one that performs miracles, the only one who judges perfectly, and the like. To his shock, Khalil discovered that these are the same attributes the Qur’an assigns to Jesus (Isa), proving to Khalil that Jesus and God were, indeed, one.

Growing doubts now made Khalil’s life miserable. He had always loved Islam and had always believed that the only way to God was through Mohammed. But if Jesus and God were one, then who is Mohammed and what is the way to heaven?

One day, the Emir came to visit Khalil in his house and discovered all the research that Khalil had documented (the deity of Jesus, the Qur’an not being the word of God, etc.). He couldn’t believe what he read. He told Khalil that he would kill him if he shared his heretical ideas with any Muslim and that he was now considered an infidel.

Khalil, however, could not turn from the conviction that Christianity was the right way. Wanting to learn more, he decided to join a church. Since he was notorious as a zealous Muslim, no one believed him. Everyone refused to meet with him, even pastors. He was disappointed and thought maybe he was wrong after all; maybe the Christian faith wasn’t the way to heaven. However, a voice inside him told him not to look to people.

One day as he was trying to make a phone call at a café, his attaché was stolen. The bag contained all of his research papers, his Bible and his identity card. He was terrified because everything he had written would be considered blasphemous, and the bag also contained his ID card. He rushed home, troubled and tormented. In his room he started repenting for all that he had done and thought that God was punishing him for daring to think that Mohammed was not sent from God and that the Qur’an was not the word of God. He repented, washed himself, and pulled his rug out to pray, but he couldn’t bend his knees nor open his mouth to say one word of the Qur’an. He sat down and said, “God you know that I love you, and I know that you want me on the right path. God, I can’t resist anymore. All that I did, I did trying to please you. Please pull me out of this darkness.”

That night, Khalil slept in a way he hadn’t slept for years. In a dream, he saw a man, who came to him and told him that he was the one for whom Khalil had been searching. Khalil didn’t know who the man was. The man told him to look in the Book (the Bible). Khalil said the Book and all his papers were lost, to which the man replied, “The book never gets lost. Get up and open your closet and you will find it. The rest of your papers will be returned to you by the end of the week.”

Khalil woke up from the dream and opened his closet. His very own copy of the Bible was inside the closet on a shelf. Knowing that he had seen Jesus, he hurried to his mother’s room, awoke her, and begged her forgiveness for his years of harshness and ill treatment of the family. His search for reconciliation didn’t end with his family either. As the sun rose that same morning, Khalil took to the streets, greeting friends and strangers alike. He sought out the Christian owners of businesses whom he had robbed, or mistreated, and begged their forgiveness too.

Over the ensuing months, Khalil grew in his new faith, gradually winning the confidence and trust of local Christians and finding fellowship at a church. He was baptized and continues to brave physical attacks and threats against his life, because he feels that no price is too great to pay for the One who gave everything for him.

Watch the video

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I was a witch - ANNIE (USA) 17

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:42:38 +0100

I became a Celtic Pagan. The tradition that I learned had been passed down through generations, too secretive to ever be written down. I met many different gods and goddesses, and sought their assistance in my journey. Truth and knowledge were my pursuit...

I was a Witch for seven years
(The Annie Fintan Story)

By: Annie Fintan

From the time I was very young, I felt that I was different from the other kids that I knew. I was incredibly sensitive to things of a spiritual nature. Without having an explanation, I often knew things that I had no natural way of knowing. I knew there was a spirit realm, because I had seen spirits. Since I knew of their presence, it seemed only natural to seek what I could learn from them.

I grew up hearing Christianity presented in many forms, but none of it ever sank past the surface. I heard the teachings of how Jesus was God’s Son and that He had died for our sins so that we could one day live in heaven with Him. I knew the hymns, and even memorized a few Scripture verses. However, none of it was real to me. I watched the lives of those Christians who taught of a Savior, and they seemed empty and shallow.

In my early teens, I left any consideration of Christianity behind, and began searching for truth elsewhere.

I committed myself to learning all that I could of the spirit realm. Years were spent exploring several different belief systems, but never embraced a particular one. I was quite eclectic in my practices, but was never very humble in my opinions.

My outspokenness eventually caught the attention of a woman who had years of experience in the occult. She followed a European Tradition, and I was immediately impressed with the position and power that she had. The opinions I expressed seemed to interest her, and she respected my boldness.

After spending a lot of time getting to know each other, she offered to assist me in my spiritual search.

Within a matter of months, I traveled to the UK to meet other members of a European coven. I was impressed with what I found, and eager to learn what I could from them. There was a darker side to this tradition that appealed to me. It offered a sense of power and mystery that I craved.

My journey eventually led me to Ireland, and when I set foot on the Emerald Isle, I immediately felt as if I had come home. I loved everything about the place. In the Celtic beliefs, I found a spirituality that made sense to me.

I was still influenced by aspects of what I had learned in the UK, but primarily I became a Celtic Pagan. The tradition that I learned had been passed down through generations, too secretive to ever be written down. I met many different gods and goddesses, and sought their assistance in my journey. Truth and knowledge were my pursuit.

I traveled back and forth between Ireland, the UK, and the United States for the next couple of years. I was relentless in my pursuit, always attempting to gain a little bit more knowledge, power, and position. The rest of my life became secondary to my search.

However, I eventually began to realize that I wasn’t finding fulfillment...that little bit more was always just out of reach. I knew that something was going to have to change in my life, but was at a loss when it came to figuring out what I needed. I was prepared to take my own life, rather than meet failure.

While I was back in the States, an old acquaintance introduced me to some of her friends. I knew from the moment that I laid eyes on them that there was something different about them. I could sense that Something within them made that difference, and it raised my curiosity. These people were Christians, but unlike any others I had ever met. They invited me to their home for dinner, and that was the beginning of a whole new world for me.

They offered me friendship and love, and as our relationship grew I watched their lives closely. Without any grandeur, they possessed a spirituality that I admired. I began to learn everything I could from them, looking for the source of their peace.

The following months were a very confusing time for me, trying to maintain my own relationship with the entities I served, while interested in the claims of another God. Unconsciously, I was trying to live with a foot in both worlds.

It was around that time that I stumbled across Jeff Harshbarger’s testimony. His claim of being set free from Satanism drew my attention, and I contacted Refuge Ministries. Jeff and I began to talk, and I immediately recognized a difference in him as well.

I was thrilled to have found someone who knew the world in which I was involved, someone who had actually been there himself. Gradually I began sharing my dilemma with him, and began asking my questions. He and his wife offered support and friendship during a time when I felt that no one could possibly understand my pain. Their unconditional love saved my life.

Stepping back from day to day activities, I took some time to analyze my life. I had traveled the world, gained power and respect, but could not find peace. I wrestled with uncertainty for quite some time, walking a razor thin edge between hope and despair.

I was drawn by the idea of a God of love, a God above all other gods. I began to urgently study the Bible, wanting to know as much as possible. The more I sought after His Truth, the more it became clear to me that this was what I had been looking for all along.

After carefully considering the matter, I made the decision to completely commit my life to Christ. The months that followed were filled with a whirlwind of changes. Daily my relationship with God grew stronger, and I found the freedom that He alone could offer.

The years I spent following the left-hand path are a constant reminder to me that there are others searching for the same things I did. God has gently filled me with the desire to share with them what I have found. Just like those who took the time to provide me with the help I needed, I want to make myself available to help others in any way I can.

Jeff and Liz helped make that possible by inviting me to become a staff member at Refuge Ministries. Together, we instruct others about the dangers of the Occult, and other forms of Paganism. God used Refuge to change my life, and I know He is using it to change the lives of others.

Annie Fintan
Refuge Ministries
www.refugeministries.cc

www.sharing-center.com

Beyond surviving - Gloria Gaynor (USA) 16

Thu, 1 Nov 2007 11:41:04 +0100

Who is Gloria Gaynor, and how did she 'survive'? Well for the past 20 years, she's been following Christ and performing around the world. In this interview she tells the story of her survival and the story behind the song.

Two interviews with Gloria Gaynor the Disco Diva
First interview:
An interview by Thirza Schoots
If you're not sure who Gloria Gaynor is, you probably know her greatest hit song, "I Will Survive." Still a disco favourite, it earned her the title 'First Lady of Disco'.
But the Gloria Gaynor who sang this song to such admiration in 1979 is not the Gloria Gaynor that is singing it now. A lot has happened in those seventeen years.
She still looks the same. But what I notice more than anything else are her eyes. They sparkle - most of all they reflect a joy and happiness that go beyond understanding. "Do you know that I've changed the words to 'I Will Survive'? Yes, I had to call the writers and ask them if I could change the words. When I did, I was very pleased to learn that they'd become Christians too, since they first wrote it!"
You see, before she became a Christian, Gloria was convinced that she was one already. "Even as a very small child I used to talk to God."

How it happened
In 1978, Gloria fell from the stage one night and injured her spine. She was in hospital for months and started to read her Bible regularly. But she did not really pause to consider who Jesus was. As her public life seemed to get better, her private life went downhill. She and husband Linwood started going to wild parties, and got into marijuana and cocaine. She tried to get out of it, but knew she could not break with it on her own. She felt guilty and was ashamed to go to church, or even pray to the God she thought she had known since a child.
After three years going downward, she began to stay home more, and look into who Jesus really was. "The scripture that God used to save me was Isaiah 7.14, which today is still my favourite verse in the Bible. It says, 'For behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel.' Emmanuel means 'God with us' and refers to Jesus!"
Slowly, Gloria was changed by her new faith. God miraculously took away her desire for alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana. She discovered a freedom that she could not have found by herself.
She stopped singing for a time. "My fans wondered where I was and what I was doing. Now that I've come back, I let them know why I'd dropped out, and that I'm back knowing that God wants me to bring a message to them. Whether they are ready to become Christians or not, they seem pleased to hear that God loves them and that He's waiting for them to make the right choice."
Gloria's new life and faith have meant that she has had to make sacrifices. But she says her greatest gain is that now she's able to make Christ real to other people.
In the new words of her favourite song:

"I will survive; He gave me life;
I stand beside the Crucified One;
I can go on; I will be strong;
For my strength to live is not my own;
I will survive!"

Second interview:
Gaynor, Gloria - Disco Diva
By: Dominick A. Miserandino   Who is Gloria Gaynor, and how did she 'survive'? Well for the past 20 years, she's been following Christ and performing around the world. In this interview she tells the story of her survival and the story behind the song.   DM) You mentioned staying power, and the "What have you done for me lately" affect on the music industry. Do you think that's the public or the industry's doing?  GG) Very often, record companies are hiring young people, and the people who are making decisions are very young, and they're interested in what they're interested in. And then again, in other record companies, the decisions are being made by totally uncreative people, and all they know is what's going to be the bottom line, and all they think is what worked yesterday will work today, and they keep doing that thing. You go in, and they want you to sound like the latest record that was on the radio instead of having your own sound.   Some of them are reluctant to venture out and try something new. The ones who are trying something new are, as I said, the young people who are trying things that they're interested in, and certainly not the things people who are 10 to 15 years older are interested in. You have those people, and you have people who are afraid of losing their jobs, and they're afraid to not go with the flow. You have all of those reasons.  DM) I wonder how that affects your career, where you have to play the song, "I will survive" whether you want to or not.  GG) Well, thank God I want to. I feel blessed by the song because I happened to love the song. I happen to love the empowering effect. I happen to love the encouraging effect, it's "hope building" effect. That was my purpose for choosing and quitting the song in the first place, and I accomplished that. So every time that I sing it, it's a reminder that I've accomplished what I set out to accomplish. And I continue to accomplish that.   This is an ongoing, never ending thing with this song, because it's a timeless lyric that addresses a timeless concern. So every time that I do it, it's almost like a mother cooking a meal for that her family loves. You're never going to get tired of that. You're never going to get tired of the sense of accomplishment that I feel every time I perform that song. Plus, I become 100% Grade-A ham every time I do it. (laughs)  DM) What do you mean by that?  GG) I mean, because I know that I set out to accomplish what I set out to. I'm just very pleased with myself when I do that song. You want to be pleased with yourself every day, so if I can sing that song for somebody that's going to be encouraged and find hope and empowerment every day, then I'm going to be pleased with myself every day. That's why I say, "I am so blessed with that song." Anybody could have gotten that song. I just believe that God said, "I want this one for her." Well, thank you very much, I can't say thank you enough.  DM) I know it's probably a long story you've told a thousand times, but if I can ask, how did it come about that you got that song?  GG) (Laughs) No, no, it's no problem. What happened was, the record company wanted me to do a song that had been a hit in England and my husband/manager [Linwood Simon] had suggested Freddie Perrin, and he said, "I'd be glad to do it if I can write the B-side." At first they talked to me, asking me what kinds of songs I'd like to do, and they chose, "I will survive" out of their catalog to be the b-side. When I first read the lyrics, I thought, "This is a hit! Are they going to put this on the b-side? Are they crazy?" That's what they chose it for, to be the b-side of a song called, "Substitute". That's how it came about.   My husband and I knew it would be a hit, and we decided to promote that. Consequently, when I got a gold record, he got a gold record; when I went platinum he did because he is so responsible for promoting it. Every country that we went to that had a Polydor affiliate, he went around promoting it just as I was promoting it in the shows.  DM) Does it ever become difficult working so closely with your husband?  GG) Sure it does, we strangle each other once a week!   DM) How do you keep a relationship, for lack of a pun, "surviving," when you see each other so often?  GG) (Laughs) In the first half of our marriage, it was because I was very submissive and he was very domineering. In the second half of our marriage, it was because I have submitted my entire life and all of my decisions to Christ because He knows best. So he keeps me temperate when I need to be and strong and assertive when I need to be. That's how that works.  DM) How much of an influence is religion in your day-to-day life?  GG) Oh everything! Actually it's not religion, because to me religion is a bunch of man-made rules and regulations, and what I have is a personal relationship with Christ where he is my Lord and Savior, guard, guide and governor. And what I do, I do because I love, honor and respect him. So that makes a big, big difference.  DM) Do you find it hard to keep with your faith and have the career your have?  GG) Not at all, I find it a lot easier because I don't have to make decisions alone. I make decisions with his wisdom. When your being guarded, guided and governed by someone who is omnipotent, it gets kind of difficult to go wrong by your own stupidness ... which does happen from time to time.   DM) I remember reading an article recently where somebody took, "I will survive," as a religious and spiritual song. Do you see it that way too?  GG) I very much see it that way too. Especially since I changed a couple of the lyrics. What originally said, "It took all of the strength I had not to fall apart," but after really looking at my life and how I survived, I changed the lyrics to say, "Only the lord could give me strength not to fall apart."  DM) What was the reaction when you changed the lyrics?  GG) People wondering, "Why did she did that?" Others were thinking, "Oh OK, that's where she's coming from now," and of course, you get those people who are like, "Oh, give me a break." I know what's real and what's true, so all of those reactions are OK. They are who they are and I am where I am, spiritually and emotionally. I'm on my level, and they're on their level, and that's OK.  DM) I would think that being a Christian in the music industry can be tough too?  GG) It can be tough if you let it be tough, if you yield to the pressure. I'm not out to please anybody, but God. I want his stamp of approval. Once I have his stamp of approval, I'm really not concerned with other people because I've learned that no one can stop me from going where I need to go, or doing what I need to do, or having what I need to have, except for me.
www.sharing-center.com

Gang leader finds peace - Mario (USA) 15

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 13:36:29 +0200

...One Sunday morning I woke up and she wasn’t there. I found out she was at the church service, so I decided to go to the church, kill her, and kill the pastor...

Hi, my name is Mario, and this is my story. At the age of 12, I ran away from home and started living on the streets, using drugs and selling drugs. I lived under bridges and on bus benches and slept in parks. I was initiated into a gang and started living the gangster lifestyle. Every day of my life from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep, I was using drugs and selling drugs. I dropped out of school and had absolutely no relationship with my parents for the next seven years. My life was going from bad to worse.
At the age of 19, my girlfriend met the Lord and started attending a small church in Miami. I didn’t believe in God, and I never went to church with her, but I thought it was a good thing for her to do. After a while, I started to see changes taking place in her life. I was becoming a little concerned, so I decided to go to the church and figure out what was going on. I visited the service two or three times and came to the conclusion that she was probably in love with somebody at the church. I figured it might even be the pastor, so I told her she wasn’t allowed to go back any more, and if she did I was going to kill her. For the next two or three months, I forced her to use drugs with me, sell drugs with me, and do everything that she hadn’t done for all those years. I was emotionally and physically abusive, and she didn’t know what to do or where to turn, so she started going to the service behind my back early in the morning on Sundays.
One Sunday morning I woke up and she wasn’t there. I found out she was at the church service, so I decided to go to the church, kill her, and kill the pastor. I drove my car as fast as I could. I took every stop sign, every light, at about 100 miles per hour. I drove into the parking lot. I didn’t know this part, but the pastor had given a prophetic word as I was driving over there and said that in a few minutes someone was going to walk into the service and try to hurt them, so he had the whole congregation stand by the door and start praying.
When I arrived and tried to go inside, I felt a force physically restraining me. I was very confused because I didn’t believe in God, so instead of going in—obviously I couldn’t go in—I went back to my car. I sat there thinking for a little while, and then I started listening to the radio. I came across a pastor who was talking about everything I’d been through in my life. I listened for a while, and at the end he said, “If you want to receive the Lord into your heart, say this prayer right now wherever you’re at.” Right there, I said the prayer out loud and received Jesus Christ into my life. Instantly, I felt peace, and I felt joy. I knew I was going to be able to accomplish the things in my life that I had dreamed about as a little boy.
My relationship with my girlfriend was restored. We’ve been married for 17 years now and have three children and our own home. God has been so good to me. I’m involved in outreach to young people in gangs and helping churches learn how to reach out to kids who are involved in gangs. My life has been a complete turnaround.
I want to tell you that if you’re involved in a gang, a lot of times you’ll feel like no one understands you or cares about you. But Christ understands you. He was born in a small city many people considered a ghetto. He was born to a very young mother. He was the oldest of many siblings. He had to work in order to make a living. He was a carpenter. He was betrayed by His friends. He was sentenced, incarcerated, and received the death penalty. In other words, He understands what you’re going through. The Bible says that we have a High Priest who can sympathize with us. He’s been there, He’s done that, and He’s the answer for you. The Bible also says that he who has the Son has life, he who doesn’t have the Son has no life. Christ is the answer for you. God bless.
www.sharing-center.com

Conversion to Christ from Islam - Timothy (Egypt) 14

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:09:12 +0200

In the Valley of Tearsim who, for the sake of my family's security, go also by the nickname Timothy Abraham. I am a simple Egyptian from the Delta region. Farms surrounded me from every side with streams of the luxurious Nile River endowing life with fertility. I had a strong Islamic upbringing in my childhood, studying in the village shop for teaching the Quran (al-Kutaab).

They taught me to fear God (Allah in Arabic) who created the Heaven and the earth in six days. There was not a single reason to doubt a religion which emphasized fearing God, doing good work and living a moral life. The recitation of the Quran was meant to produce a sense of tranquillity. I enjoyed the Sufi circle of worship, as they adored the person of Muhammad. This was Abu-al-Azayem's group. I was searching for more closeness with Allah Almighty.

One evening around 7:00 p.m. in al-Mahatta mosque, having finished praying al-Maghrib prayer, I was introduced to Muhammad Imam and Sulleiman Kahwash. They were vitally influential in incorporating me into their group "The Muslim Brotherhood -- i.e., al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin." They encouraged me to be a devout Muslim and fast on Monday and Thursday of every week and break the fast with them in the mosque where we ate bread, cheese, palm dates (tamr), and delicious salad. I diligently imitated every thing the Prophet Muhammad did, even the sitting posture of the Prophet as he was eating. They were so kind to me. They also saw in me the potential of being an eloquent speaker. Therefore, Sulleiman Hashem, the leader at the time, approached me gently, "Ibrahim, you are called by the Quran's teaching to proclaim the message of Islam "da'awah." "My Allah!" I pondered. "I am just 14 years old and I am easily intimidated." Nevertheless, Sulleiman gave me a stack of books to study in preparation for the sermon I was to deliver the next day.

From then on, it became customary for me to preach a sermon on the first Monday of every lunar month. I was filled with zeal as my leaders had arranged for me to go across the neighboring towns, preaching from mosque to mosque. I zealously wanted everyone to follow the Tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, and subsequently, my sister had no choice but to obey my Quranic command and wear the veil which indicated modesty.

I needed my father's approval. I wondered if he had ever heard his son, the 14 year old Muslim evangelist, preach. To my astonishment my father was sharply criticized by people for having a son who was now a "fanatic." The Islamic Brotherhood was regarded as a religious gang by the majority of regular Muslims. My father, therefore, became wrathful over my Islamic radicalism and angrily punched me in the teeth. Today my front tooth is a fake one. It reminds me of my former perseverance, to the point of death, to be a zealous Muslim fundamentalist and my willingness to be persecuted for my commitment. My father burnt my Sunni (mostly wahabi and salafi) Islamic library. He knew quite well that Mohammad Mansour, a security police informer, was recording my sermons from the bathroom in the mosque. I was so strict in the fashion of the sunnah of Muhammad that I did not shake hands with women. I simply wanted to be a devout Muslim.

Having finished their prayers in the mosque, my father stopped one of the leaders in my group, Sulleiman Hashem and asked him pleadingly to leave me, his son, alone. When my father swore an oath of divorce (hilif alaya bi al-talaaq) that I will not be permitted to enter the mosque where the Islamic Brotherhood is praying, I obeyed my father, but asked for mercy in letting me hear their sermons while sitting outside the mosque. I was never daunted by any of this and continued to preach Islam everyday in the morning parade (taboor as-sabah) as well as in every mosque where I went to teach. It never occurred to me for a second that Islam could be wrong.

In my pursuit to propagate Islam everywhere, a magazine came into my hands which had pen pal addresses from the United States. I chose one at random and wrote, hoping to convert the man into Islam. I wrote to John from Pennsylvania, USA, back and forth for two years, each trying to convert the other. I read every book I could get hold of to refute the Bible. To make things worse, I had no respect for the Bible as I put my feet and shoes on it since the Quran taught me it was corrupt. Then John surprised me by coming to visit me in my village. That was the first time I saw a real Christian. His sincerity, frankness, genuineness, and openness impressed me. John stayed with me for two months. He had an amazing prayer life which served as a model for me later in life. I did not know that Christians prayed until I saw a "living epistle" right in the middle of my house, a man from a far off land who became one of us and genuinely incarnated the love of Christ. John had an amazing prayer life, for he prayed more than he talked, speaking the words of the Bible.

I became jealous of John's intimacy with God and increased my recitations of the Quran. Islam is a religion that has to be credited for teaching its followers to be virtuous, chaste, and benevolent. There is no doubt that Muhammad remains a genius in history. One has to also note that a Muslim may do as many good works as possible in this world and on the Day of Judgment God weighs the deeds of every individual in a "balance." The good deeds will be placed in one pan of the balance, and the evil deeds in the other. If the good deeds are heavier, then the believer will go to the paradise described in Quran as a place of sexual pleasure and frolicking with the wide-eyed huris (sura al- Waqia 56:20-23). However, Christ our Lord said "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven" (Matthew 22:30).

My Muslim friend, according to Islam, if your evil deeds are heavier, you will be cast into the fires of hell. It looks like you would need to be only fifty-one percent good to get into paradise. Yet you remain absolutely unsure whether or not you are going to heaven. All you say, my Muslim friend, is, "Only God Knows!" You hope for the mercy of Allah and hope that the angels or the Prophet will intercede for you in the last day, so you will be saved from Hell. I was like you, my Muslim sister or brother, until I knew that I could be absolutely sure of going to Heaven. Tears well up in my eyes just to recall how lost I was and now that I am found. While trembling in tears, seeing the majesty of God, I rejoice to know that I have eternal life for certain. God in the Bible is both just and merciful. His justice requires that everyone be punished in Hell, for He is perfect 100 percent. No matter how hard we try to please God, we always fall short of His perfection. Our good works will not bring us closer to God. God saw our insufficiency, and decided to pay the penalty Himself. He sent His Word Isa Al Masih (Jesus Christ), who is absolutely sinless and faultless to carry the punishment of our sins on the cross. What can you say to the Judge when He chooses to pay your penalty for you?

The Bible says in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." It is because God loves us that He sent His Word, Jesus Christ, to die for us. Islam never grants us the assurance of going to Heaven, but Christ absolutely does! Praise God! Thank you, my Lord, for sovereignly choosing to pay the price Yourself in the Person of Your incarnate Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the express revelation of the nature of Allah Almighty.

After John left, his influence stayed. I thought I would depress John by saying, "John, your visit made me a stronger Muslim in the faith and do not try to convert Muslims anymore." Yet John prevailed in his supplication and prayers. His intercessory prayer moved the LORD to wake me up in the middle of the night as I had no sleep or rest. Inner conflict reached its zenith. Restless, I reached out to my Bible and opened it at random. I found, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" I remember one day in the heat of a debate between me and John, I made fun of the Bible and said, "John, your Bible is the most absurd thing! How can you believe the story of Saul who became Paul, the servant of the Gospel?" John said, "The story is true, and that is why I am patient with you. You will be another Paul one day!" I replied, "John, you must be out of your mind to think for a second that I could leave the religion of all religions, Islam!" Reflecting on "Saul, Saul ..." I said Lord! Me? Me persecute You? I did nothing to You in person ... I remember I turned in a female medical student to the police ... but I did nothing to You. Is it true that He who touched one of Your people touches the apple of Your eye?" Islam denies the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ because the Quran intended to deprive the Jew of the victory they claimed was their in Jesus' death. The Quran asserts that God put somebody who looked like Him on the cross in the place of Jesus.

Now my Muslim friends, God is not in the business of fraud, for if he had wanted to deliver Jesus from the cross, He could have done it miraculously without having to deceive and put Jesus' likeness on someone else. This Quranic error is too blatant, and proves that the Quran has no divine origin. What is more, the Quran is self-contradicting, for while it claims that the Jews did not really kill Jesus it also affirms very distinctly the reality of Jesus' death in the sura of the family of Imran 3:47/54 - 48/55 as it states: "When God said: "OH JESUS, I SHALL CAUSE YOU TO DIE, AND THEN I SHALL RAISE YOU UP TO ME."" My Muslim friend, my goal is not here to proselytize you, but to raise the ultimate questions, Who is Christ? Was he crucified? And how does this affect you? If the whole history of humanity revolves around Christ, then my entire life and existence should revolve around Him too. Denying the cross of Christ is contradicting history itself.

Muhammad himself is claimed in the Quran to have been urged, by God, to refer to the People of the Book (the Jews and the Christians) is he in doubt concerning the Quran: "And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which we reveal unto thee, then ask those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee." Sura Yunus 10:95 For the first time in my life, I began asking the question "why?" and challenged everything I took for granted. All postulates were critically examined. This got me into trouble in an authoritarian society. Questions, they say, fly in the face of Allah. Obey. That is All. In the Islamic Brotherhood, our motto was "samaana wa ataana" i.e. "we have heard and obeyed." After years of study, I came to two logical conclusions: The Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and Jesus is the Word of God.

I began to see it was possible for Jesus to be God. Intellectually, I accepted all the claims of the Christian faith, but in my heart I still feared being struck dead for calling the Almighty God "My Father." I needed a miracle! The Bible teaches us that no one can say, "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). No wonder every Salvation experience is one of a miracle of birth out of death into eternal life! From the depth of my heart, in the midst of inner conflict, I cried out to Allah, even in the mosque, "Lord, show me the truth! Is it Jesus or Muhammad? Could it be that You are my Father? Show me the truth, and the truth you lead me to I will serve all my life whatever the cost may be!" I burst into tears since I knew the cost could be outrageously too high for a weak, thin person like me. For how could I afford to be cast out of my family and sleep on the streets like a homeless person? And what if my leaders in the Islamic Brotherhood would find out about me? And what if they, in their Islamic righteousness and zeal, rush on to defend Islam and kill me?

According to the Islamic religion, an apostate should be given a three day opportunity to recant, and after that the infidel's blood is legitimately shed in the name of Allah! The words of the Prophet Muhammad kept ringing in my ear, "Any person (i.e., Muslim) who has changed his religion, kill him." This tradition has been narrated by AbuBakr, Uthman, Ali, Muadh ibn Jabal, and Khalid ibn Walid. Yet I persisted in asking God to guide me. Guide me, O Thou great Allah, pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but Thou art mighty. One night Christ appeared to me in a dream and said with a tender sweet voice, "I love you!" I saw how obstinately I had resisted Him all these years and said to Him in tears, "I love You, too! I know You! You are eternal for ever and ever." I woke up with tears all over my face filled with abundant joy, believing that Christ Himself touched both my mind and my heart, and I yielded. I was filled with great passion for Christ, jumping up and down, singing praises to His name and talking to Him day and night. I would not even sleep without God's inerrant Word, the Bible, next to my chest. I experienced what a "spoiled child" of God would: God would give me anything I ask for in prayer. But then the Lord wanted me to love Him and worship Him for His own sake, not for what I get from Him.

I tried to keep my faith secret and so was baptized secretly in a pastor's house. Filled with the joy of salvation I could not hide or deny Christ anymore. Therefore, when my childhood friend asked me if Christ was crucified, I answered, "Yes!" and explained why. He prayed with me to receive Christ. He was shaking and perspiring every time he prayed with me. He could see how mighty the name of our Lord Jesus was. My former leaders in the Islamic fanatical group, desiring to know who the spearhead was, threatened to kill him if he would not tell them everything about my evangelism. Sadly, he betrayed me and I was beaten up in front of the mosque where I had formerly preached Islam zealously. In their sight I was a blasphemous infidel who deserved to be killed unless I would recant. They regarded my conversion as the most horrendous form of desecrating Islam and the Quran. Since my secret conversion was now made public and Muslims plotted to kill me, I had to flee.

I was hunted by Muslims from my village in the Delta, to Ismailia until I arrived in Cairo where my Christian friends lived. Yet Christians were not willing to shelter me and I had to go back to the village, seeking refuge in His protective hands. I came back from Cairo and found an angry mob of Muslims filling up our house. My mother was wearing the garment of mourning, dressed in black as is the custom in Egypt. To them by deserting Islam, I was dead!!! Muslim women yelled at me, "Your mother doesn't deserve all this from you. Why cause her all this grief?" Another woman lamented, "Poor mother! Here son left her for the Christian infidels. If I were her, I would kill my son for running after the infidels like a dog."

I received a letter from a friend in Jordan who reported that my father was walking down the streets in Jordan weeping bitterly as Muslim laborers there reproached him severely. He stayed sick in bed for a month because of this until he and I talked on the phone. It is absolutely unforgettable that outraged Muslims broke into our house barbarically. My mother knelt down at the feet of our neighbor "Sayed" begging him to spare my life and kill her instead. In such indescribable agony, my mother disowned and disinherited me before all people in my village. I love my mother more dearly than any person in this world, but no human power, regardless of how gigantic it is, can separate me from the love of Christ. I will always live for Jesus. My Bible, all my Christian books, and music tapes were confiscated and burnt.

I decided to flee from the Delta region to Cairo. Even though the police were tracking me down, the Lord blinded their eyes and protected me. In Cairo, I was hiding at M.'s, an Egyptian Baptist friend who was comforting me all the time. I broke down when he read, "So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41) I am grateful to God for providing this friend, M., who discipled me, teaching me to live a victorious life rich in worship and thanksgiving. He gave me a pocket Arabic New Testament and told me frankly that his parents were afraid. Also I was told that if they continued to hide me they would be in jail forever. I had nowhere to go. So, upon the advice of my secret pastor, I went back to the village, hiding the Arabic New Testament in my socks, praying that it would not fall out. I was eventually arrested and released repeatedly. I learned what it means to have God as my only Hiding Place.

In prison, my Savior knows I have come to experience true peace. I was not shaken because I saw Christ in prison, not myself. I sang songs of joy in the midst of tears, anticipating the shining Morning Star to come and deliver me. I decided to hide the Bible in a place where the police could not confiscate it -- in my heart by memorizing it. I have since made it a habit to sleep with my Bible by my side. Five years later, I managed to flee Muslims' attempts to kill me and I was shocked to find out that there are some professing Christians in America who attack the Bible for which I was willing to die. God's word has given me promises of faith which I apply as a little child and pray them through in confidence. The gates of Heaven open as we pray through God's Word. His word speaks life!!! Once when I went to give my mother a Mother's Day gift, she asked me rhetorically, "Mother's Day gift?" I answered, "Yes" every time she repeated the question. She looked at me with such crushing grief and said, "My son, whom I waited 15 years to have and finally was born is now dead. I disown you till the day of judgment, Ibrahim." I cried but Christ touched my heart and said, "I am your family now! I am your father, brother, mother, sister, friend, and everything to you, Timothy, now." I cannot forget those days when my mother would call the police to arrest me. She even went to a witch to put a curse on me and bring me back to the fold of Islam. The witch said, "Your son is following a path which he will never forsake and he will be victorious all his life as long as he walks in it." These words, from the mouth of a witch, brought my younger brother to know Christ. The testimony of demons about our victorious Lord renders skepticism and unbelief absurd (Please read Romans 8:35-39). You also can be more than a conqueror through Christ, your Victor who loves you! Believe it!

I lost my Bible and all my Christian books were confiscated. All I had was the radio. I went sneakily to get my radio to listen secretly to Voice of Hope, searching for some comfort-songs in the night. (By the way, I speak now publicly over Voice of Hope since I live in a free country, America). Yet my mother caught me and she immediately snatched the radio out of my hand and beat me on the head with her shoes. I was just 20 years old at that time. I prayed for a Bible and the Lord heard me. I went to pick up a Bible package from the post office. The head of the post office, Kamal, slapped me forcefully and punched me in the face. I saw all kinds of terror...I was crying from the intensity of pain. He said to me, "You just go after these Christian infidels, leave Islam and we will wipe you out. We will send you behind the sun!" I felt trapped praying fervently to leave Egypt and practice my faith in Christ. Father of comfort, you never left me. Please remind me of your Son hanging on the cross crying out in the depth of agony," My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" Lord Jesus, they all forsook you, and yet You found rest in Your Father. I need to depend on the Father as you did."

After 3 years, I decided to move to Cairo which was not any safer. The last time the police had arrested me they said, "According to us, you are an infidel who has committed high treason. Next time we arrest you, it will be capital punishment." To make it worse, the "Christian" landlord told me he could not shelter a fugitive criminal anymore. I was not welcome in my own country anymore. Nevertheless, the Lord intervened, and a Palestinian evangelist, Anis Shorrosh, introduced me to Dr. Paige Patterson. He began to help me apply for a visa to the United States. At first, I was denied the visa, but Dr. Patterson did not give up. Finally, I was granted an entry visa, and I was supernaturally able to leave Egypt. Lord, You never deliver your children out of bondage to bring them back into it. Help me to live somewhere to practice my Christian faith without the police harassment. Lord, please do whatever it takes so I don't have to live in an environment where people would force me to go into the mosque. You want your children to worship freely even if this means fleeing for their lives like me so that Christ becomes all in all. If it had not been for Dr. Patterson, I would have been history today. I was scheduled to be executed, and God saw that He had more work for me to do. So, he used Dr. Patterson in supernaturally rescuing my life. God Almighty is a Father of the fatherless (Psalm 68:5), and when my father and mother forsake me, as David declares, the LORD holds me to Himself. Is God the Almighty, Your Heavenly Father, my friend? (Galatians 4:6) God the Almighty and Majestic One delights in you personally (Proverbs 8:31).

Having fled to the United States, I was still afraid that I would have to face the Egyptian police authorities someday, especially in view of the fact that I came on a student visa, which could expire any day. According to the Egyptian government I am an infidel who has defamed Islam as well as caused national disunity. Allah alone knows how I have no hard feelings towards either Egypt, the motherland, or Islam. Preachers offered to hide me in ranches, if worse came to worse. I just wanted to live and not to be the scapegoat of somebody's religious wrath. One ministry organization sponsored me and sent a petition for my permanent residency. After six long years of waiting, the Lord honored my request by giving me permanent residence a few days before the wedding day, April 18,1998.

I did not want anybody to falsely accuse me that I married a woman so that I may get a green card. I have married Angela for her own sake, and not for the sake of getting a green card. I give Angela all of me, for the source of our love is divine. It is never a fleeting emotion, but a covenant in which the LORD is the Witness between me and the wife of my youth, my partner and my best friend. (Malachi 2:14) Here it is the time for me to praise God for the gift of marriage. It is when I abandoned myself to God and the godly desire of marriage that he brought along Angela. Angela is the angel of God to my heart. She is beautiful both internally and externally. We both share the same vision in manifesting the love of Christ to our Muslim brothers and sisters. I did not compromise for less than what I knew Allah wanted me to have: Angela is a woman of prayer, caring affectionate, hospitable, giving and gregarious. She is perfect for me. I revel in the fact that she loves my parents and gives sacrificially to them. Lord, what did I do to be treated with such extravagant kindness of yours that you give me a wife who loves me and my family?

The Lord honored me for putting Him above my desire to have a wife, and now we are a praying couple. Indeed, our Creator and Redeemer is our ultimate Matchmaker. Lord, may I never be secure or seek easiness in life at the expense of union with You. Didn't you tell us Lord, "And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved" (Mark 13:13)? Please don't let me rush your salvation, Lord, in the midst of trouble, but please give me patience so I can endure hardships as a soldier of the cross of Christ! Lord, may Your love consume me to such an extent that the doing of your will would be the real bread of my life. In Christ's name, amen! My friends, please feel free to contact me through my email at JesusVictr@aol.com

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Torn-off from the devil’s claws - Allan (France) 13

Sat, 8 Sep 2007 09:53:11 +0200

...In a few month, after the death of a number of people resulting of casting of spells, after a NDE (Near Death Experience), a suicide attempt, and a one week stay in a psychiatric hospital...

6 MONTHS TO LIVE.

At the age of 15, I was placed in an institution for teenagers with family problems. However, a number of older guys were also admitted, namely, ex-prisoners, troublemakers, drunkards and drug addicts.

From the first week of my stay there, I was initiated to smoke cannabis which had a great and immediate impact on me. The following day, I went to town to buy more and from that moment on consumed in great amounts. When I was short of drugs, I stole medicines or alcohol. I took as much as I could until I got "high." I sniffed all sorts of powders, took pills as well as LSD. Consequently, I started to be very depressed, paranoiac and had great anguishes. I was trying to fill a void that seemed to be getting deeper as years passed by. I was incapable of working so was taught how to steal cars, break into stores, drug traffic, etc. until I was arrested by the police and hated them. I was a runaway and was becoming a delinquent.

One by one, my friends started to die around me from heroin and LSD overdoses, or motorcycle accidents. One of my last friends who was only 32 years old died of premature old age due to metabolic dysfunction. I was feeling useless and lonely cut out of social interactions and, having lost all motivations, wanted to die as quick as possible.

Out of curiosity I started to practice white magic, and soon enough, in an empirical and instinctive manner, I got involved in occultism. I began to discover my spiritual aptitudes and became interested in oriental mysticism. I immediately noticed that I had special "powers" such as the ability to see a person's aura as well as divination etc. I was so fascinated with these powers to the point of finding out how far my capabilities could go... until I found myself involved in black magic.

In a few month, after the death of a number of people resulting of casting of spells, after a NDE (Near Death Experience), a suicide attempt, and a one week stay in a psychiatric hospital, I decided to change the course of my life. I stopped taking harmful substances, as well as meat. I tried to remake a good "karma." I was 19 years old then and assiduously practicing both yoga and sports. I tried to purify my body and spirit but by the end of six months of this intensive regimen, I had this inner revelation: Living the most dissipated or the most ascetic life possible will not draw me an inch closer to God. I decided, therefore, to live an "average" life, which was, in my own point of view, neither too good nor too bad.

I hated Christians. However, one day, I accidentally found myself,, in one of their meeting. While a young guy was preaching, I saw his aura. I have never seen something as clear, as powerful, as great, as pure. I knew inside me that he had the ultimate spiritual power and I undoubtedly wanted to possess this power. "Unfortunately," he was only talking about Jesus Christ and the cross. Nevertheless, I decided not to let him go until I discovered his secret.

So as I went back to another meeting, he invited those desiring to receive the power of God to go to the front. I told myself that it was my opportunity to receive this unlimited power to be able to use it as I wish. I went to the front. And there, in my spirit I just felt Jesus Christ presence’s and saw His cross. At this very moment, I had the inner conviction that I had to make a choice: that of accepting or rejecting Him. I chose the latter. However, a moment later, God spoke in my spirit and showed me that I had to accept Jesus because if I insisted on living this kind of lifestyle, I would only have six months left to live.

Since I have already undergone a NDE, I knew that I wasn't ready to die, and that I had to better get right with God or I will be going to a place of big torment after I have given up my last breath. So, in spite of my repulsion and knowing that I didn't have any choice, I put my pride aside and accepted Jesus Christ and His cross in my life in order to be saved and be set free.

That was in September 1977 and since that day, everything began to change... the direction of my life, my motives and objectives... As it is written in the Bible: If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new(2 Corinthians 5:17. A slow healing process started to operate in my physic, affects, emotions and intellect, repairing my wounds and hurts. It would be too long here to tell you all the miracles God did for me.

Today, I am immensely grateful to God for His patience and for not having given up on me, for having "succeeded" in saving me, in spite of myself. Moreover, I give thanks to Jesus Christ who has saved my soul by dying in my place and by paying the consequences of my mistakes, thereby, changing my final and eternal destination.

I am available to give my testimony anywhere in the world.
Don’t miss my testimony audio and video on www.sharing-center.com

To see the video of this testimony click here
Read the book on line click here
_________________

Let it be known to you all, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. Acts 4:10

We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. And God does not take away life, but devises means so that he who is banished may not be an utter outcast from Him. 2 Samuel 14:14 (Amp)
Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed.......Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 (NKJV)
God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. Acts 17:31 (NKJV)
The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. John 5:28-29 (NKJV)
It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV)
God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:16-18 (NKJV)

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Death of a guru - Rabi Maharaj (Trinidad) 12

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:53:16 +0200

I was only eleven and already many people were bowing before me, laying gifts of money, cotton cloth, and other treasures at my feet and hanging garlands of flowers around my neck at religious ceremonies.
Death of a Guru: The Story of Rabi Maharaj
No matter how fulfilling life becomes, there are always certain regrets when one looks back. My deepest sense of loss involves my father. So much has happened since his death. I often wonder what it would be like to share it all with him, and what his reaction would be.
We never shared anything in our lives. Because of vows he had taken before I was born, not once did he ever speak to me or pay me the slightest heed. Just two words from him would have made me unspeakably happy. How I wanted to hear him say, "Rabi. Son." Just once. But he never did.
For eight long years he uttered not a word. The trancelike condition he had achieved is called in the East a state of higher consciousness and can be attained only through deep meditation.
"Why is Father that way?" I would ask my mother, still too young to understand. "He is someone very special -- the greatest man you could have for a father," she would reply. "He is seeking the true Self that lies within us all, the One Being, of which there is no other. And that's what you are too, Rabi."
Father had set an example, achieved wide acclaim, and earned the worship of many, and it was inevitable that upon his death his mantle would fall upon me. I had never imagined, however, that I would still be so young when this fateful day arrived.
When father died I felt I had lost everything. Though I had scarcely known him as my father, he had been my inspiration -- a god -- and now he was dead.
At his funeral, my father's stiff body was placed on a great npile of firewood. The thought of his body being sacrificed to Agni, the god of fire, added a new dimension of mystery to the bewilderment and deep sense of loss that already overwhelmed me.
As the flames engulfed him, it was impossible to suppress the anguish I felt. "Mommy!" I screamed. "Mommy!" If she heard me above the roar of sparks and fire, she made no indication. A true Hindu, she found strength to follow the teaching of Krishna: she would mourn neither the living nor the dead. Not once did she cry as the flames consumed my father.
After my father's funeral, I became a favorite subject for the palm-readers and astrologers who frequented our house. Our family would hardly make an important decision without consulting an astrologer, so it was vital that my future be confirmed in the same way. It was encouraging to learn that the lines on my palms and the planets and stars, according to those who interpreted them, all agreed I would become a great Hindu leader. I was obviously a chosen vessel, destined for early success in the search for union with Brahman (the One). The forces that had guided my father were now guiding me.
I was only eleven and already many people were bowing before me, laying gifts of money, cotton cloth, and other treasures at my feet and hanging garlands of flowers around my neck at religious ceremonies.
How I loved religious ceremonies -- especially private ones in our own home or those of others, where friends and relatives would crowd in. There I would be the center of attention, admired by all. I loved to move through the audience, sprinkling holy water on worshipers or marking foreheads with the sacred white sandalwood paste. I also loved how the worshipers, after the ceremony, bowed low before me to leave their offerings at my feet.
While vacationing at an Aunt's ranch, I had my first real encounter with Jesus. I was walking along enjoying nature one day and was startled by a rustling sound in the underbrush behind me. I turned quickly and, to my horror, saw a large snake coming directly toward me -- its beady eyes staring intently into mine. I felt paralyzed, wanting desperately to run but unable to move.
In that moment of frozen terror, out of the past came my mother's voice, repeating words I had long forgotten: "Rabi, if ever you're in real danger and nothing else seems to work, there's another god you can pray to. His name is Jesus."
"Jesus! Help me!" I tried to yell, but the desperate cry was choked and hardly audible.
To my astonishment, the snake turned around and quickly wriggled off into the underbrush. Breathless and still trembling, I was filled with wondering gratitude to this amazing god, Jesus. Why had my mother not taught me more about him?
During my third year in high school I experienced an increasingly deep inner conflict. My growing awareness of God as the Creator, separate and distinct from the universe He had made, contradicted the Hindu concept that god was everything, that the Creator and the Creation were one and the same. If there was only One Reality, then Brahman was evil as well as good, death as well as life, hatred as well as love. That made everything meaningless, life an absurdity. It was not easy to maintain both one's sanity and the view that good and evil, love and hate, life and death were One Reality.
One day a friend of my cousin Shanti, whose name was Molli, came by to visit. She asked me about whether I found Hinduism fulfilling. Trying to hide my emptiness, I lied and told her I was very happy and that my religion was the Truth. She listened patiently to my pompous and sometimes arrogant pronouncements. Without arguing, she exposed my emptiness gently with politely phrased questions.
She told me that Jesus had brought her close to God. She also said that God is a God of love and that He desires us to be close to Him. As appealing as this sounded to me, I stubbornly resisted, not willing to surrender my Hindu roots.
Still, I found myself asking, "What makes you so happy? You must have been doing a lot of meditation."
"I used to," Molli responded, "but not any more. Jesus has given me a peace and joy that I never knew before." Then she said, "Rabi, you don't seem very happy. Are you?"
I lowered my voice: "I'm not happy. I wish I had your joy." Was I saying this?
"My joy is because my sins are forgiven," said Molli. "Peace and joy come from Christ, through really knowing Him."
We continued talking for half a day, unaware of how the time had passed. I wanted her peace and joy, but I was absolutely resolved that I wasn't going to give up any part of my religion.
As she was leaving, she said: "Before you go to bed tonight, Rabi, please get on your knees and ask God to show you the Truth -- and I'll be praying for you." With a wave of her hand she was gone.
Pride demanded that I reject everything Molli had said, but I was too desperate to save face any longer. I fell to my knees, conscious that I was giving in to her request.
"God, the true God and Creator, please show me the truth!" Something inside me snapped. For the first time in my life, I felt I had really prayed and gotten through -- not to some impersonal Force, but to the true God who loves and cares. Too tired to think any longer, I crawled into bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
Soon after, my cousin Krishna invited me to a Christian meeting. I again surprised myself by responding: "Why not?"
On our way there, Krishna and I were joined by Ramkair, a new acquaintance of his. "Do you know anything about this meeting?" I asked him, anxious to get some advance information.
"A little," he replied. "I became a Christian recently."
"Tell me," I said eagerly. "Did Jesus really change your life?" Ramkair smiled broadly. "He sure did! Everything is different."
"It's really true, Rab!" added Krishna enthusiastically. "I've become a Christian too -- just a few days ago."
The preacher's sermon was based on Psalm 23, and the words, "The Lord is my shepherd," made my heart leap. After expounding the Psalm, the preacher said: "Jesus wants to be your Shepherd. Have you heard His voice speaking to your heart? Why not open your heart to Him now? Don't wait until tomorrow -- that may be too late!" The preacher seemed to be speaking directly to me. I could delay no longer.
I quickly knelt in front of him. He smiled and asked if anyone else wanted to receive Jesus. No one stirred. Then he asked the Christians to come forward and pray with me. Several did, kneeling beside me. For years Hindus had bowed before me -- and now I was kneeling before a Christian.
Aloud I repeated after him a prayer inviting Jesus into my heart. When the preacher said, "Amen," he suggested I pray in my own words. Quietly, choking with emotion, I began: "Lord Jesus, I've never studied the Bible, but I've heard that you died for my sins at Calvary so I could be forgiven and reconciled to God. Please forgive me all my sins. Come into my heart!"
Before I finished, I knew that Jesus wasn't just another one of several million gods. He was the God for whom I had hungered. He Himself was the Creator. Yet, He loved me enough to become a man and die for my sins. With that realization, tons of darkness seemed to lift and a brilliant light flooded my soul.
After arriving home, Krishna and I found the entire family waiting up for us, apparently having heard what had happened. "I asked Jesus into my life tonight!" I exclaimed happily, as I looked from one to another of those startled faces. "It's glorious. I can't tell you how much he means to me already."
Some in my family seemed wounded and bewildered; others seemed happy for me. But before it was all over with, thirteen of us had ended up giving our hearts to Jesus! It was incredible.
The following day I walked resolutely into the prayer room with Krishna. Together we carried everything out into the yard: idols, Hindu scriptures, and religious paraphernalia. We wanted to rid ourselves of every tie with the past and with the powers of darkness that had blinded and enslaved us for so long.
When everything had been piled on the rubbish heap, we set it on fire and watched the flames consume our past. The tiny figures we once feared as gods were turning to ashes. We hugged one another and offered thanks to the Son of God who had died to set us free.
I found my thoughts going back to my father's cremation nearly eight years before. In contrast to our new found joy, that scene had aroused inconsolable grief. My father's body had been offered to the very same false gods who now lay in smoldering fragments before me. It seemed unbelievable that I should be participating with great joy in the utter destruction of that which represented all I had once believed in so fanatically.
In a sense this was my cremation ceremony -- the end of the person I had once been...the death of a guru. The old Rabi Maharaj had died in Christ. And out of that grave a new Rabi had risen in whom Christ was now living.
(Editor's Note: If you would be interested in a detailed account of Rabi's conversion, read his book Death of a Guru. Rabi is presently based in Southern California and is involved in evangelism all over the world. He invites you to write: East/West Gospel Ministries, P.O. Box 2191, La Habra, CA 90632.)
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Copyright 1994 by the Christian Research Institute.
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Run baby run - Nicky Cruz (USA) 11

Wed, 4 Jul 2007 09:53:16 +0200

...Arrested countless times, a court-ordered psychiatrist pronounced Nicky's fate as "headed to prison, the electric chair, and hell."...

"Nicky received the forgiveness, love and new life that can only come through Jesus. Since then, he has dedicated that life to helping others find the same freedom. "

Nicky was only 3-1/2 years old when his heart turned to stone. As one of 18 children born to witchcraft-practicing parents from

Nicky in 1957

Puerto Rico, bloodshed and mayhem were common occurrences in his life. He suffered severe physical and mental abuse at their hands, at one time being declared the "Son of Satan" by his mother while she was in a spiritual trance.

When he was 15, Nicky's father sent him to visit an older brother in New York. Nicky didn't stay with his brother long. Instead, full of anger and rage, he chose to make it on his own.

Tough, but lonely, by age 16 he became a member of the notorious Brooklyn street gang known as the Mau Maus (named after a bloodthirsty African tribe). Within six months he became their president. Cruz fearlessly ruled the streets as warlord of one of the gangs most dreaded by rivals and police. Lost in the cycle of drugs, alcohol, and brutal violence, his life took a tragic turn for the worse after a friend and fellow gang member was horribly stabbed and beaten and died in Nicky's arms.

As Cruz' reputation grew, so did his haunting nightmares. Arrested countless times, a court-ordered psychiatrist pronounced Nicky's fate as "headed to prison, the electric chair, and hell."

No authority figure could reach Cruz - until he met a skinny street-preacher named David Wilkerson. He disarmed Nicky - showing him something he'd never known before: Relentless love. His interest in the young thug was persistent. Nicky beat him up, spit on him and, on one occasion, seriously threatened his life.yet the love of God remained - stronger than any adversary Nicky had ever encountered.

Finally, Wilkerson's presentation of the gospel message and the love of Jesus melted the thick walls of his heart. Nicky received the forgiveness, love and new life that can only come through Jesus. Since then, he has dedicated that life to helping others find the same freedom.

He reaches today's youth because they relate to his background, trust his peer authority, and respond to the message of hope he delivers with both passion and conviction. As one kid said after an outreach into his neighborhood, "All I knew was he was an O.G. (original gangster) and he was having this big meeting tonight."
"These kids are young, hardened criminals who don't respond to parents, teachers, or the jail system. They receive a glorified message of gang activity everyday in rap music, television, and films. They need to hear a different message - and they need to hear it now! They come to our 'invasions' looking for an alternative to the hopeless cycle of drug abuse, alcoholism, and violence. We must offer them an alternative source of security than the one they find in the gangs. They won't surrender to authority figures that have let them down all their lives. But, believe it or not, they will respond to a message about God if it comes from others who have survived their same living hell." Nicky Cruz
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God sent an angel -Cody (Usa) 10

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:53:15 +0200

...This angel was outlined like a man in shadow and around the edges was light. It approached me three times and said my name three times...

(Before following Christ) I prayed to God, I praised God and I pleaded with
God. The problem was that I looked like the world, I talked like the world, and I loved the world. Success, pleasure and power is what I served, yet I thought that I was a Christian. I never knew what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I didn't know what it meant to trust in Him to meet my needs. I also didn't know how to rest in Him independent of the outcome. I had a flawed view of who God was. I saw him as the creator but I believed he had more important things to do than worry about me. I also believed in the power of prayer, but I felt like I had to wear him out before I would get a response. I also had a flawed view of who I was. I thought that I was generally a good person. I mean I could always find someone worse off than me and God forgives right?

One night while in college I was standing in line alone at Taco Bell behind
me was a girl. This girl was talking to one of her friends when she made a
comment and then followed it up with this statement, "isn't that just like
God to do that for me." That statement changed my life. I was stunned. I was puzzled, how did she know God like that? Is it possible to know the nature of God? Is it possible to know God the way a daughter knows a father. I wandered around campus for a week before I had to ask myself this question, "why don't I know God like that." That question brought me to the point where I cried out to God I wanted to know Him like that. I desired intimacy with Him. I knew the Gospel, however I never made it my own.

I didn't look for a sign. I accepted it on faith.

God is so faithful and as I look back over my life I can see how God has
always pursued me. Not long after I committed my life to CHRIST he did
something amazing that I didn't ask him to do. I had been partying with
drugs something that started in high school. On this instance I had been
partying and had gotten sick. When I was done partying through the night I laid in bed the next day. On the second night God sent an angel that stood at the foot of my bed. This angel was outlined like a man in shadow and around the edges was light. It approached me three times and said my name three times. I heard the voice in my head. And by only saying my name it told me so much. The meaning I got was that I was not meant to live like this. I had another purpose. This scared me to death. I didn't know what was going on and I tried to run, but I couldn't move. Then it went away, and a peace that I had previously never known came over me.

Here is the amazing part. I never did drugs again. God loves me and pursed me, loving me so much that he couldn't leave me in the condition he found me.

Cody

published with permission www.sharing-center.com