Testimony of my Salvation

 

Here Is the Story of My Salvation

From the age of twelve, I loved the things of God. At that time, however, I did not have a personal relationship with God. All I knew was that going to church was part of our family tradition. I did not always enjoy attending prayer services, but my brothers and sisters, on the other hand, loved going. There were times when I went to the Catholic Church simply to please my mother. Sometimes I would even fall asleep during the service, and when my mother woke me up, that was when I remembered that I was in church.

I had therefore decided to visit her church simply to please her. At that stage, I was still very young. I did not know why I was supposed to go to church or why I should attend Bible study. To me, all of this was simply a form of entertainment. I remember that I feared people more than I feared God. I used to hide from people at church whenever I did something wrong. I also had more passion for the church than for God. I could talk about my local church all day long, more than I ever talked about Christ.

Because I felt empty inside and did not have the Holy Spirit within me, one day I decided to leave the church and return to the world. I eventually became acquainted with all kinds of people—people who carried knives and were involved in smoking, drinking alcohol, and nightclubs. I compromised my values and my conscience by joining those involved in drugs, substance abuse, and immorality, all for the sake of gaining vain approval.

I could no longer even make the simplest decisions. Going grocery shopping had even become an overwhelming task. The routine I once had had disappeared, and I felt lost. My interactions with other people became difficult, and I felt less and less able to communicate effectively.

Yes, I had tried almost everything a teenager could try, only to find emptiness and loneliness. Deep within my conscience, there was a voice telling me that something was wrong. Sometimes I would wake up sweating and feeling increasingly lethargic. I had always been described as “outgoing” and “confident,” but there was no one with whom I could talk about the reality of my life. My greatest desire was for my life to become normal again.

Then, in May 1994, I woke up one day and said, “God, if You are real and if You can hear me, heal me! If You truly love me as I have always been told, why do You allow me to suffer like this?”

Jesus Christ suffered the death penalty for you when He died on the cross in your place. He rose from the dead on the third day and is now alive forever (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–4). He is calling you to come to Him: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God has opened the way for you to come to Him. He offers you His love, acceptance, forgiveness, peace, and the joyful gift of eternal life with Him.

Although I was attending church at that time, I still felt empty inside. I knew there was something missing within me.

Then, in 1994, one day a young Christian came to visit me to talk to me about God. Holding his Bible in his hand, he read John 3:16: “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.” He told me that the Lord loved me and wanted to save me.

I told him not to come back to teach me the Word of God, or else I would hurt him. However, what I did not know was that God had sent him to help me. Despite what I had told him, he came to my home again the next day with his Bible, telling me once more that Jesus loved me and had a plan for my life. He then invited me to visit his church.

I discovered that I had friends as long as I remained among them and accepted what they were doing. Meanwhile, I was slowly destroying my spirit and moving further away from God's purpose for my life. I wanted affection from my friends to fill the emptiness inside me, but all I received in return were false and hypocritical relationships.

However, there was always something inside me telling me that my ways were not right before God and that I needed God's presence in my life. But because of my rebellion, I continued down those paths.

Then, at the beginning of 1994, I woke up one morning and realized that I was having problems with my eyes. When I went to see a doctor, he told me after examining me that I had a condition called hyperopia (farsightedness), a condition that can cause various vision problems.

This condition was beginning to affect my studies and the rest of my life. I started worrying about my life and my future. There were times when I thought there was nothing else I could do because I was experiencing severe pain and was having difficulty seeing properly. Because of this condition, I chose to distance myself from my friends. Due to certain family problems, I felt rejected and alone all the time. I would often burst into tears while walking down the street.

Since I could not find an answer and my condition was only getting worse, I made the decision to take my own life. Because of this, I had become bitter toward God. I even remember taking all the Bibles that were in our house and throwing them away.

On December 31, 1996, because of the tremendous pain I was experiencing, I had suicidal urges. That same day, while I was sitting outside our house, I suddenly saw the same young Christian named Mito coming toward me. I remember that it was around seven o'clock in the evening. He suddenly extended his hand and gave me an invitation card to attend the prayer service at his church on New Year's Eve.

I had already made the decision to end my life that very night. But I thank God for sending him to me to help me once again. Otherwise, I would not be alive today, writing these words to you!

I know one thing: because it was God's time to act, I did not resist the invitation. I even went looking for the Bibles I had thrown away. Then we went to his church.

It was the first time I had attended a Pentecostal/charismatic church, and what impressed me was the way people prayed with such zeal and devotion. The service was rather long. The pastor preached about salvation for more than an hour, and at the very end of his sermon, he asked people to confess their sins and invite Jesus Christ into their hearts as their personal Lord and Savior.

Surprisingly, I was the last person to stand up in front of the entire congregation. It was at that very moment that I confessed my sins, my wrongdoings, and my mistakes, and finally asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into my life as my personal Lord and Savior.

I cannot express the emotions I experienced that night. My eyes were filled with tears of joy, and my heart was touched because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, who filled me. Jesus Christ had saved me. I was born again and became a new creation in Jesus Christ.

Glory to God. Amen!

The Bible says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Dear Reader,

Does this experience speak to you in any way? If so, let me tell you clearly that there is an answer to every question in your life.

God, our Creator, designed us and knows our needs and problems. He has given each of us the freedom either to love Him and obey Him or to turn away from Him. Unfortunately, we have all chosen sin and rebellion against His commandments, and the result is physical and spiritual death (Genesis 2:17).

Spiritual death ultimately brings separation from God forever, away from the only source of eternal love. In order to experience joy and peace, we must be reconciled to God!

God has done His part: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

I had tried every other way, and perhaps you have too. Now it is time for you to discover your true purpose and begin an intimate and eternal relationship with God by accepting Jesus and trusting Him to forgive all your sins.

When you do this, you will be spiritually “born again,” and you will begin to experience the “abundant life” that Jesus offers (John 3:3, 15; 10:10; 15:11).

You will also experience true happiness and satisfaction that come from knowing and following God and aligning your will with His (Psalm 16:11; 144:15).

Romans 10:13 says: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The verb “to call” means to appeal to Him—to call upon Him. You make the call, and God brings salvation. Eternal life is free: it is God's gift through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23).

You can experience the same salvation today if you open your heart to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. God's arms are wide open to receive you if you make the decision to surrender your life to Him.

Today is the day of salvation. I invite you to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life.

If you are ready to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior, you can pray this prayer now.

Prayer of Salvation

Heavenly Father,

I come before You in the name of Jesus Christ.

I acknowledge that I am a sinner and that I have sinned against You in my thoughts, words, and actions.
Wash me and cleanse me from my sins.
Come into my life and take control of my heart.
Be my Lord and my personal Savior.

I am truly sorry for my sins, and I repent. I turn away from my old life and turn toward You.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for my sins, and that He rose again from the dead.

Lord Jesus, I believe that You died in my place and that Your blood was shed for the forgiveness of my sins. I believe that You are alive and that You are Lord.

Jesus, I ask You to forgive me.

I renounce my old ways, my sins, and everything that has separated me from You. I choose today to follow You and to place my faith and trust in You.

Father, thank You for loving me and for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to save me. Thank You for Your forgiveness and for the gift of eternal life.

Help me to live for You, obey Your Word, grow in faith, and walk according to Your will. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and guide me every day.

From this day forward, I belong to You.

I confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and I believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

 Amen.

If you made this prayer from your heart, you are now a child of God.

Key biblical foundations: Romans 10:9–13; John 3:16; Acts 3:19; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:8–9; 1 John 1:9.