Dear God, thank You for bringing me through another day. As I get ready to rest tonight, I’m grateful that You’re not waiting to pull the rug out from under me when I fail. You’re a good Father who looks past my actions and cares about the condition of my heart. Your word in 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” God, I don’t want to just go through the motions anymore, lifting my hands while my heart stays unchanged. Tonight I’m falling before You honestly, repenting and asking You to help me actually change direction, not just perform like I have. I give this night completely to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. -Psalm 51:10

Return to God and be Uplifted! Repentance brings a change of attitude concerning God. The sinner naturally vilifies God. Even when he speaks of His love, he has no conception of God’s justice and wrath. True repentance brings a sense of the Holy God who cannot look upon sin. It impacts a change of mind concerning sin itself upon a person. The unrepentant delight in sin. A child of God may be tempted to sin and even fall into sin, but his bosom aches when he does so. A true child of God who has repented cannot enjoy sin and continuously longs for deliverance. Before every child of God, there is a vision both of what he is and what he ought to be. He cries with the poet; “O that a man might arise in me that I might ease to be.” Repentance gives the sinners a change of mind concerning him. Before our salvation, we all had a good opinion of ourselves. Like the Pharisees, we often thanked God that, “we were not as other men, extortionist, unjust, adulterers, or even as the publican" (Luke 18:11). But, every one that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted (Verse 14). Where there is true repentance, though, men often despair of themselves, and like the publication, their cry is, “God be merciful to me a sinner”. They echo Paul’s exasperated plea: “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death" (Romans 7:24). For Christ came not to call the righteousness, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). Repentance affects the motions and will, and also creates a change of feeling. We must beware here lest we are deceived. The old time evangelist who specialized in death-bed stories often created mere human emotion filling the mourners' bench with weeping people. These mourners often had a remorse for their evil doings, deeply regretting they had not been better men and women when they were told about meeting their “mother” in heaven. But remorse in not repentance, though I must say remorse is a very common experience for those who commit sin. Someone has called remorse the “echo of lost virtue”. Remorse is the attitude of mind and heart for some evil done. Repentance, however, goes deeper. Repentance creates a sorrow for what we are rather that remorse for what we have done. Therefore says the Hebrews writer, “Leaving the principles of the doctrines of Christ (Messiah), let us go into perfection by not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works” (Hebrews 6:1). Christian repentance is not merely the pangs of an injured conscience. Christian repentance follows the Holy Spirit’s convicting work deep within our soul (John 16:7 and 8). It lays strong hold upon the human will and brings the sinners into conformity with the will of God. It is heeding God’s call from a life of destruction (Mark 1:15). Repentance does not mean merely shedding tears over our wrong doings. It ends in faith in Christ, the Saviour. The Church must preach and teach until these conditions are obtained in the ministries. Then our revival shall have come. For this is the will of God for all mankind (Acts 17:30). Today what the Church and the continents at large need is repentance. The call of the pulpit to the pew must be repentance. And that of the crusades to the nations must similarly be repentance, and this must eventuate in confession of sins. The scripture, therefore, tells us: “Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God” (Jeremiah3:13).That will move our God to come down and heal our many wounds. We are reminded that, “The Lord’s hands is not shortened, that it cannot save neither is His ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquity have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah59:1 and 2). He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confess and forsake them shall have mercy (Proverbs 28:13). “For as many as the Lord loves, He rebukes and chastens; be zealous therefore and repent!” (Revelation 3:19). The repentance must not only be among the lowly citizens but must spring from the governors trickling to the governed. “Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man which built his house upon a rock. And everyone that hears these sayings of mine and does them not shall be likened to a foolish man which built his house upon the sand,” declares the Lord Jesus Christ (Mathew 7:24 and 26). Almighty God is calling to the people today as He did to former Israel that, “Therefore also now, says the Lord, Turn even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning. And rend your heart and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repent Him of the evil. Who knows if He will return and leave a blessing behind Him, even a meat offering and drink offering unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bride-groom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord weep between the porch and the altar and let them say: Spare your people O Lord and give not your heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them; wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Then the Lord will be so jealous for His land and pity His people. Yes the Lord will answer and say unto His people, Behold I will send you corn, and wine and oil, and you shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen but I will remove far off from you northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face towards the east sea and his hinder part towards the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up and his savor shall come up because he has done great things. Fear not O land; be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things. And I will restore to you the years that locusts has eaten, the cankerworm and the caterpillar and the palmerworm my great army which I sent among you. And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that has dealt wondrously with you, and my people shall never be ashamed" (Joel 2:12-21: 25 and 26). The Lord’s northern army is the destruction God brings upon a people as a result of their wickedness. Indeed righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 13:34). For the Lord God of Israel, the Creator of the heavens and the earth loves righteousness and judgement (Psalm 33:5). He stresses that judgement is his strange work (Isaiah 28:21). The reason being that when his judgements are on the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness (Isaiah 26:9). When a nation leaves wickedness and turns to the Lord, such a people receive pardon and sure favour from the Lord God Almighty. The psalmist thus wrote: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance” (Psalms 33:12). The Lord delights in the humility of a people. This makes Him hear our plea and smile back at us with a pardon. And this humility must start in His sanctuary. He says: “If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Therefore every Christian by and far, let us rally in repentance for the healing of our lands. For repentance turns away God’s wrath. Nineveh found itself in a similar situation many African nations are in today. Plagued with wickedness in diverse places and faced with imminent judgment, the Almighty God used Jonah to deliver a message of judgment to the people of Nineveh: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing but He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Unlike most of our folks who hear and turn the head the other way, the Ninevehs believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest-including the king-to the least of them. And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way, and God repented them of the evil that he had said He would bring upon them, and He did it not (Jonah 3). Repentance touches the core of God’s heart. Humble yourself and return to the Lord your Creator. Repentance automatically brings healing. The Lord says, “Wash you, and make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil. Learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, and judge the fatherless plead for the widow. Come now and let us reason together; though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow: though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:16-19). The Living God is the healer of nations. The psalmist has declared of Him: “God be merciful to us, and cause His face to shine upon us. That your way may be known upon the earth, your saving health among all nations” (Psalm 67:1 and 2). Perhaps this ought to be the prayer on everyone’s lips now. Stay awake O Christian in the truth! The good LORD has always extended this gracious invitation to man over the millennia. And, therefore, if it is your desire to know Him as He truly is - the Lord of lords and King of kings, the Savior, and Redeemer of mankind, then pray this prayer of repentance unto salvation: “Lord Jesus Christ, I come to you with all the sins I have committed and I beg you to forgive me. I confess that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. Please cleanse my body, soul, and spirit with your precious blood. I need your help Lord, and I ask you to come and live in my heart. I want to serve you, obey your commands and do what is right. I want to live for you every day, please lead and guide me by your Spirit into righteousness. Thank you, O Lord for hearing and answering my prayer. Amen!” Welcome now to this grand and mighty army of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on earth. Read the Bible often, and join a congregation near you where Christ Jesus is preached and the Almighty Godhead: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, is worshiped in Spirit and in Truth for your own spiritual growth and strength. The Almighty God make you the apple of His eyes as I solemnly declare of Him: “After He has honored me and has sent me against the nations that have plundered you - for whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye - I will surely raise my hand against them so that their slaves will plunder them” (Zachariah 2:8). The peace and love of Christ Jesus the Lord be with you now and forever.

Are you spiritually awake—or just going through the motions? https://www.buzzsprout.com/2561036/episodes/19586442-wake-up-before-it-s-too-late

continuation chapter two 2.2 Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying you don't need the knowledge. You absolutely need it. Without knowledge, you'd jump in and try to breathe underwater like a particularly optimistic fish. The knowledge gives you faith in the process. It tells you that the water can, in fact, hold you up, that these awkward, flailing motions have meaning and might eventually become graceful. It gives you a reason to keep spluttering. But you still need to practice. You still need to drill. You still need to drown a little before you can swim a lot. You'll drink so much pool water that you'll be able to taste the chlorine in your dreams. You'll cough, you'll gag, you'll question why you ever left the shore of theoretical comfort where the books were dry and the certificates were safe. The righteous life is not a certificate on your wall; it's a rhythm in your limbs, a muscle memory of the soul. And muscles don't grow by reading about protein; they grow by lifting something heavy and then feeling sore the next day and complaining to everyone about it. ‎ ‎So it is with righteousness. One can study the Scriptures until their eyes cross and they've developed a permanent squint. One can quote verses on grace with the speed and precision of an auctioneer on caffeine. One can recite the doctrines of justification and sanctification forward, backward, and in the original Hebrew while juggling concordances. One can intellectually affirm with perfect, shining orthodoxy that Christ is the living water, and say "Amen" so loudly that the person in the next pew spills their coffee. But that, my friend, is merely reading about water. It is studying the molecular structure, the boiling point, the freezing point, the historical significance of water in the ancient Near East. It is all accurate, all true, all very impressive in a Bible trivia competition. But your throat is still parched. You are dying of thirst while holding a library card to the well. To be free from sin, you must dive into the discipline. You must practice patience when every fiber of your being wants to scream and throw a chair through a window—preferably the window of the person who is currently testing your patience. And not patience with gritted teeth and a twitching eye—that's not patience, that's just anger in a corset, anger with a fake mustache and glasses, anger doing a very poor impression of a calm person. No, you must steadily come to be in love with patience, to find it a fascinating companion, to court it like a shy lover, choosing it freely and wantonly, not because you have to but because you genuinely prefer it. You don't practice patience to make the Old Man in the Sky nod approvingly and slide a gold star across the heavenly counter. That would be theatre, a performance, a pretence, a dinner party where everyone is polite and no one is real. It would be you watching yourself be patient, which is the fastest way to become impatient with your own patience, which leads to a meta-crisis of infinite regress: you're angry that you're angry about being angry about trying to be patient. The work is not a bribe. The work is the transformation of your own taste buds. ‎ ‎And this brings us to the great confusion, the grand misunderstanding that has produced more theatrical saints than a Hollywood casting call. Some say, with great authority, "You must practice self-control when temptation whispers." But let's examine that. Let's put it on the operating table and poke it with a scalpel. What is mere self-control? Isn't it often just controlling the evil that is inside you, making sure it doesn't leak out and stain your shirt? Isn't it just hiding the monster in the closet when guests come over, shoving it behind the winter coats and the old photo albums, while it continues to growl and scratch at the door and probably eat your shoes? A man who is seething with rage but has "controlled" himself, presenting a placid smile to the world while his internal organs are staging a violent coup, has not practiced righteousness at all. He has practiced concealment. He has become a beautifully decorated tomb, full of very active dead men's bones—which is, coincidentally, exactly what Jesus called the Pharisees in Matthew 23:27. He hasn't dealt with the rage; he's just soundproofed the room. The rage is still in there, doing squats, getting stronger, waiting for the guests to leave so it can come out and redecorate the living room with thrown lamps. This is not the practice of righteousness. This is spiritual stage management. It's a war tactic, hiding the dangerous artillery under a tarp and wheeling it out again when the truce is over. The bitterness is still there, polishing its weapons, writing passive-aggressive letters, keeping a detailed list of every offense ever committed against you since kindergarten. ‎ ‎What, then, is this work we must do? It is not the suppression of the symptom. It is the re-training of the heart. It is the long, sometimes tedious, often unglamorous work of learning to love what is good, not just performing it for an Audience of One who, by the way, can see backstage and knows you're wearing a wire. It is the work of taking the anti-malarial tablet when you don't feel like it, when the pill seems bitter, when your flesh wants to spit it out and go back to the fever dreams. It is the work of getting into the water of discipline when the shore of theoretical knowledge is so much more comfortable, so much drier, so much less likely to expose your flailing limbs. It is the work of raising the sail—pulling the rope one more time when your arms are tired, when the wind seems absent, when the harbor looks so inviting with its stationary boats and its non-sailing people who never have to worry about storms. It is the work of not generating the wind, but cooperating with it. ‎ ‎And if you will do this work—this unsexy, unglamorous, nobody-is-watching, nobody-is-clapping, nobody-is-writing-a-worship-song-about-your-effort work—you will find one day, to your utter and complete astonishment, that you are no longer acting patient. You simply are patient. The role you played has become the self you are. The costume has become your skin. The habit has become your heartbeat. And that, my friends, is not a lightning bolt. It is a sunrise. Slow, silent, and absolutely unstoppable. And when it comes, you won't even notice at first. You'll just be drinking your coffee one morning, and someone will cut you off in traffic, and you'll wish them well—genuinely—and then you'll catch yourself in the rearview mirror and laugh out loud, because the thing you were striving for has become the thing you are. The swimmer has become the swimming. The patient one has become the patience. And God, the Great Physician, the Master Swimming Instructor, the Captain of the Wind, will smile and say, "Finally, you got in the water. I've been waiting. Now let's go a little deeper." ‎

There is real, supernatural power in the promise of God. Every truly born-again believer understands this, but anyone who has not experienced the new birth simply cannot see it. This includes religious people. You can go through all the motions, live a highly moral life, and even hold advanced theology or divinity degrees. Some religious theologians have seriously modified their lives in deep discipline, but they are still not born again. They don't even believe God interacts with us anymore. They are only dogmatic. If you are not born again, you are not a believer because you are only religious. You only have a formality but not a relationship. This is why a cessationist or a Calvinist who denies the ongoing power of the Spirit cannot be born again. To be born again, you have to believe in and have a real, supernatural interaction with God called the promise of Abraham, or the promise to the fathers. The New Testament is not only about the atonement; it is about receiving that very promise. As Acts 1:8 says, you shall receive power when the Holy Ghost has come upon you. Intelligence, education, and self-discipline are good things, but they can never replace the requirement Jesus gave us: You must be born again. This supernatural encounter is the only real, tangible proof that God is real. Having that undeniable proof is exactly what makes a truly born-again believer so fanatical and enthusiastic. It is also exactly why cold, religious people will look at us and call us mad. The atheist and the skeptic say, "give me proof," but we say the only thing that will ever prove God to you is for you to experience Him for yourself. God promises to give every single person that promise, but they have to actually seek Him. The truth is, the only way to truly know that the Bible is alive and that God is real is through this direct, personal encounter. You must receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost—the indwelling life, heart, and mind-transforming experience that changes everything. Without this supernatural experience, all you have is a different kind of education. This is why secular people, skeptics, and atheists will always point to the letter of the law and argue over text. They are looking at a spiritual book through carnal eyes. To understand the Kingdom, you must have a real interaction with the living God through faith in Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Don't settle for dead religion, cold theology, or mere intellectual arguments. Seek the living God for a real encounter. You must be born again. #BornAgain #HolySpirit #Acts18 #PromiseOfAbraham #SupernaturalProof #TrueGospel #JesusIsAlive #FaithOverReligion

The Present Truth # 11 The Perfect Law of Liberty. Law Brings Harmony. The Boston Tea Party was a historic event which triggered the outbreak of the war of independence between the American colonies and England. The unreasonable restrictions connected with the taxing of the tea trade prompted the stand of the early American pioneers who said “Give me liberty, or give me death.” Without true liberty, life becomes a living death. Yet there is always a tendency to shun all restrictions under the guise of liberty, when in reality it is rebellion against law in preference to license. To uphold laws which protect our rights, property, and a pure moral life is to truly live under laws of liberty. The harmony of all created beings depends upon perfect obedience to the law of the Creator. Not only for all living matter and creatures, but of all motions of inanimate matter and planets, God instituted laws for order and government. The law of God is as perfect and sacred as the Lawgiver. It is a revelation of His will, a transcript of His character, the expression of His love and wisdom. Everything is controlled by laws, which cannot be disregarded without impunity. But, while everything in nature is governed by natural laws, people have more responsibility, in that they are subject to God’s moral law. The Lord has given to us ability and wisdom to understand His requirements and the justice of His law and to comprehend the sacred claims of His Law. No government can exist without laws, and wherever anarchy rules, there is chaos and suffering. We are only too well acquainted with lawlessness in our present age. In its wake follows violence, and destruction of life and property, all with the cry of “freedom.” But what constitutes true liberty? The Law of God - Changeless and Perfect The whole universe depends upon God, who upholds and sustains all that exists by His unchangeable natural laws. If these laws were changeable all would be in chaos, science would be meaningless and we would not be able to trust God or His word. But these laws are eternal and unvarying as He is Himself. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48. If God could change, He would cease to be perfect. Although all things around us are subject to change, our heavenly Father is a God of love, eternal, and changeless. “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:8. How wonderful to know that He who is love has given us a set of rules to live by, for our happy, contented coexistence. Opportunity is given to live the perfect fullness of life without fears while we dwell in God’s presence. God’s Moral Law Is Perfect “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Psalm 19:7. Even as natural law is unchangeable, so moral law cannot be changed. In Psalm 119 God’s moral law is described as “pure,” “the truth,” and “righteousness.” This being the very nature of God Himself, indicates that the moral law is a transcript of His nature. “The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.” Psalm 111:7, 8. “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:25. True Liberty Is in Obedience It is strange that so many professed Christians claim that the law of God has been abolished. The law of God is often denounced as a yoke of bondage. Yet it is the lawbreaker who is deprived of liberty. This is true with respect to civil law and it is just as true with respect to the moral law. Therefore, James in chapter 1 verse 25 refers to God’s law as a law of liberty. “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:8-12. God’s Law Existed Before Moses At creation man was perfect, without a trace of sin, and God gave him the power of free choice to obey. The only restriction was concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When the first pair disobeyed God, they lost their perfect liberty and happiness which had been enjoyed up to that moment. They became subject to Satan. They lost the pure character which they had previously possessed. Even though they desired to continue to live in the garden, they could not do so. They had become subject to the fallen human nature, unable to obey God’s commandments and unable to retain their harmony with God. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16. If it had not been for the plan of salvation which placed enmity in the heart against their own human nature (Genesis 3:15) there would have been no hope for the human race. True freedom depends on perfect willing obedience to the law of God. When people disobey God they become "vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart is darkened'' (Romans 1:21). The knowledge of God’s law was passed down from Adam and Eve to after generations. Abraham, who lived after the flood, but well before the law existed in written form, was well acquainted with the commandments of God. “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” Genesis 26:5. Jesus, our Saviour, was charged on many occasions by religious leaders of His day, of changing the law of God. What was His answer to these charges? “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19. The fulfilling of the law was further clarified when Paul expounded the magnitude of the Ten Commandments. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8. Who Is the Lawgiver? The first written record of the law of God was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. God regarded His law so sacred that He did not entrust to human scribes the writing of His law, as He permitted with all other Scripture (2 Peter 1:21). He spoke the law Himself and wrote it on stone with His own finger (Exodus 20:1; 32:16). The Lord identified Himself as the Deliverer of His people: “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Exodus 20:2. Jesus is and ever was present with His people because His interest is bound up with theirs. “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” Isaiah 63:9. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:4. Right in the heart of the law, He reveals Himself as the Creator: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:11. We read further of Him in John, chapter one: “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3. Christ is revealed here as the Creator. The apostle Paul wrote: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Colossians 1:16. Who is our Deliverer, symbolized by the deliverance from Egypt, or Redeemer from sin? “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. Just as Jesus led His people, Israel, out of the land of bondage, so He delivers those seeking to be freed from the bondage of sin. It becomes more and more evident that Jesus is the great Lawgiver. How Can the Law Be Kept? We saw that Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage of sin. What is sin? “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. If sin is transgression of the law, then the keeping of the law must be the very opposite of sin. The term used in scripture is “righteousness.” The apostle Paul refers to the law of God as “holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12). This holy law is the standard by which everyone shall be judged: “So speak ye and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:12. Paul speaking of our fallen nature, sums up the problem of the sinner: “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” Romans 7:14. And if we are carnal, or slaves of our sinful natures, we have no hope of standing in the judgment. “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23. How then can an imperfect, unholy person keep a perfect, holy law? They can not. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7. Here is where Jesus comes in! He has promised to take from us our carnal nature and replace it with His own spiritual nature. “. . . I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their heart: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Hebrews 8:10. In faith, we may surrender our sinful hearts to Him, and lay hold of His righteousness. This tremendous change in a person’s life is called “the new birth.” Our hearts are filled with gratitude, and love for our Saviour, and for God’s principles as embodied in the royal law of liberty. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:2-4. Liberty! A freedom realized when we truly love God and find His commandments are not grievous. “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:10. The Law of God 1. Love to God “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:4. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11. 2. Love to Man “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12. “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14. “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.” Exodus 20:17. Friend, where do you stand, will you follow the world or will you choose God’s Law of Liberty and live your life for Him?

The Present Truth # 11 The Perfect Law of Liberty. Law Brings Harmony. The Boston Tea Party was a historic event which triggered the outbreak of the war of independence between the American colonies and England. The unreasonable restrictions connected with the taxing of the tea trade prompted the stand of the early American pioneers who said “Give me liberty, or give me death.” Without true liberty, life becomes a living death. Yet there is always a tendency to shun all restrictions under the guise of liberty, when in reality it is rebellion against law in preference to license. To uphold laws which protect our rights, property, and a pure moral life is to truly live under laws of liberty. The harmony of all created beings depends upon perfect obedience to the law of the Creator. Not only for all living matter and creatures, but of all motions of inanimate matter and planets, God instituted laws for order and government. The law of God is as perfect and sacred as the Lawgiver. It is a revelation of His will, a transcript of His character, the expression of His love and wisdom. Everything is controlled by laws, which cannot be disregarded without impunity. But, while everything in nature is governed by natural laws, people have more responsibility, in that they are subject to God’s moral law. The Lord has given to us ability and wisdom to understand His requirements and the justice of His law and to comprehend the sacred claims of His Law. No government can exist without laws, and wherever anarchy rules, there is chaos and suffering. We are only too well acquainted with lawlessness in our present age. In its wake follows violence, and destruction of life and property, all with the cry of “freedom.” But what constitutes true liberty? The Law of God - Changeless and Perfect The whole universe depends upon God, who upholds and sustains all that exists by His unchangeable natural laws. If these laws were changeable all would be in chaos, science would be meaningless and we would not be able to trust God or His word. But these laws are eternal and unvarying as He is Himself. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17. “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48. If God could change, He would cease to be perfect. Although all things around us are subject to change, our heavenly Father is a God of love, eternal, and changeless. “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:8. How wonderful to know that He who is love has given us a set of rules to live by, for our happy, contented coexistence. Opportunity is given to live the perfect fullness of life without fears while we dwell in God’s presence. God’s Moral Law Is Perfect “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Psalm 19:7. Even as natural law is unchangeable, so moral law cannot be changed. In Psalm 119 God’s moral law is described as “pure,” “the truth,” and “righteousness.” This being the very nature of God Himself, indicates that the moral law is a transcript of His nature. “The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.” Psalm 111:7, 8. “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:25. True Liberty Is in Obedience It is strange that so many professed Christians claim that the law of God has been abolished. The law of God is often denounced as a yoke of bondage. Yet it is the lawbreaker who is deprived of liberty. This is true with respect to civil law and it is just as true with respect to the moral law. Therefore, James in chapter 1 verse 25 refers to God’s law as a law of liberty. “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:8-12. God’s Law Existed Before Moses At creation man was perfect, without a trace of sin, and God gave him the power of free choice to obey. The only restriction was concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When the first pair disobeyed God, they lost their perfect liberty and happiness which had been enjoyed up to that moment. They became subject to Satan. They lost the pure character which they had previously possessed. Even though they desired to continue to live in the garden, they could not do so. They had become subject to the fallen human nature, unable to obey God’s commandments and unable to retain their harmony with God. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16. If it had not been for the plan of salvation which placed enmity in the heart against their own human nature (Genesis 3:15) there would have been no hope for the human race. True freedom depends on perfect willing obedience to the law of God. When people disobey God they become "vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart is darkened'' (Romans 1:21). The knowledge of God’s law was passed down from Adam and Eve to after generations. Abraham, who lived after the flood, but well before the law existed in written form, was well acquainted with the commandments of God. “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” Genesis 26:5. Jesus, our Saviour, was charged on many occasions by religious leaders of His day, of changing the law of God. What was His answer to these charges? “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19. The fulfilling of the law was further clarified when Paul expounded the magnitude of the Ten Commandments. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8. Who Is the Lawgiver? The first written record of the law of God was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. God regarded His law so sacred that He did not entrust to human scribes the writing of His law, as He permitted with all other Scripture (2 Peter 1:21). He spoke the law Himself and wrote it on stone with His own finger (Exodus 20:1; 32:16). The Lord identified Himself as the Deliverer of His people: “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Exodus 20:2. Jesus is and ever was present with His people because His interest is bound up with theirs. “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” Isaiah 63:9. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:4. Right in the heart of the law, He reveals Himself as the Creator: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:11. We read further of Him in John, chapter one: “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3. Christ is revealed here as the Creator. The apostle Paul wrote: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Colossians 1:16. Who is our Deliverer, symbolized by the deliverance from Egypt, or Redeemer from sin? “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. Just as Jesus led His people, Israel, out of the land of bondage, so He delivers those seeking to be freed from the bondage of sin. It becomes more and more evident that Jesus is the great Lawgiver. How Can the Law Be Kept? We saw that Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage of sin. What is sin? “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. If sin is transgression of the law, then the keeping of the law must be the very opposite of sin. The term used in scripture is “righteousness.” The apostle Paul refers to the law of God as “holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12). This holy law is the standard by which everyone shall be judged: “So speak ye and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:12. Paul speaking of our fallen nature, sums up the problem of the sinner: “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” Romans 7:14. And if we are carnal, or slaves of our sinful natures, we have no hope of standing in the judgment. “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23. How then can an imperfect, unholy person keep a perfect, holy law? They can not. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:7. Here is where Jesus comes in! He has promised to take from us our carnal nature and replace it with His own spiritual nature. “. . . I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their heart: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.” Hebrews 8:10. In faith, we may surrender our sinful hearts to Him, and lay hold of His righteousness. This tremendous change in a person’s life is called “the new birth.” Our hearts are filled with gratitude, and love for our Saviour, and for God’s principles as embodied in the royal law of liberty. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:2-4. Liberty! A freedom realized when we truly love God and find His commandments are not grievous. “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:10. The Law of God 1. Love to God “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:4. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11. 2. Love to Man “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12. “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14. “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.” Exodus 20:17. Friend, where do you stand, will you follow the world or will you choose God’s Law of Liberty and live your life for Him?

God's Creation, 100 / evolution, 0 SCIENTISTS ADMIT: THE HAND POINTS TO A CREATOR A research team studying the biomechanics of everyday hand movements published a paper titled Biomechanical Characteristics of Hand Coordination in Grasping Activities of Daily Living. The study analyzed the intricate motions of the human hand in 30 participants. What caught people's attention wasn't just the science, but the language the researchers used to describe what they observed. In the paper, the authors referred to hand movement as the result of "proper design by the Creator" and stated that the remarkable coordination of the human hand should lead us to consider "the mystery of the Creator's invention." They also described the mechanical architecture of the hand as reflecting "proper design by the Creator." These statements appeared in a peer-reviewed scientific paper, not in a sermon or a creationist publication. The reaction was swift. Critics objected, and the authors later stated that the wording resulted from a translation issue and issued a correction. Regardless of how one interprets that explanation, the incident highlights something many people recognize when studying the human hand: its extraordinary complexity, coordination, and engineering. For those who believe in creation, the hand remains a powerful reminder of the wisdom and skill of the One who made it. Sources: PubMed 26730579 | DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146193

Brenda Walsh Ministries Have You Lost the Vision? The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” In other words, when people lose sight of God, they begin to sink as if in quicksand. They become reckless and lose their willpower over sin. Their prayer life fades away, and selfishness motivates even the smallest of life’s choices and decisions. Some people consider themselves to have principles, but those consumed with idealistic principles rarely do anything or rise to a high spiritual plane. There’s a big difference between holding on to a principle and having a vision of who God is and following His divine instruction. When you lose sight of God’s vision, it is not only a very dark and lonely place to be, but you will “perish.” On the other hand, wherever there is “vision,” there is honesty, integrity, peace, and happiness, because having a vision of God and doing “His will” is the only way to experience real joy on earth, and it is also the only way to have eternal life with Jesus! Take time today to examine your spiritual life - have you lost the vision? Are you a person who has “principles” but is just going through the motions of being a Christian? If so, reach out and grasp God’s outstretched hand, hold tight and never lose sight of “the vision,” keeping God’s law… and you’ll experience true happiness and joy.” Text: Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 11:1, 2 Corinthians 10:5, John 14:15

PART 3: I Killed 40+ Christians as a Doctor”: Muslim Doctor’s Secret Poisoning Christian Patients At 2:45 in the afternoon—almost 12 hours after I’d started trying to save Grace—I was called urgently back to the room. I’d stepped out briefly to get more medication. When I ran back in, the monitors were going crazy. Alarms were blaring. Grace was crashing. Her heart rate was erratic, bouncing between too fast and too slow. Her breathing had become shallow, gasping. Her oxygen saturation was dropping rapidly. Her skin had taken on a grayish tone. Rebecca was screaming, calling her daughter’s name over and over. She was begging Grace not to leave her, telling her to hold on, promising her that everything would be okay if she’d just hold on. I tried everything. I administered emergency medications. I called for a crash cart. I did every intervention I knew. But nothing worked. Grace’s body was shutting down. The poison had done too much damage. My attempts to reverse it had come too late. At 3:17 in the afternoon, Grace’s heart stopped. The monitor emitted that single sustained tone that every medical professional dreads—that sound that means death. Rebecca collapsed over her daughter’s body. She was screaming, crying, begging God to bring Grace back. She kept saying she couldn’t lose her daughter too. That she couldn’t bear losing both her husband and her child. That she had nothing left if Grace was gone. I stood frozen at the foot of the bed. Watching the scene I’d caused. Watching a mother’s grief that I’d created. Watching a child’s death that I’d engineered. Watching the consequences of my choices play out in real time. The attending physician came running. He tried to resuscitate Grace, but I knew it was pointless. The damage was too severe. After 15 minutes, he stopped and recorded the time of death. Rebecca’s screams had turned into these broken, animal sounds of grief. Security had to help her stand. They tried to lead her out of the room, but she kept collapsing. She kept reaching for Grace’s body. She kept begging God to wake her baby up. I staggered out of the room and made it to a supply closet before I vomited. Then I leaned against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor, my whole body shaking. I’d killed before—killed dozens of times—but I’d never stayed to watch. I’d never seen the immediate aftermath. I’d never stood there while a mother discovered her child was dead and knew it was my fault. I somehow made it through the rest of my shift. I don’t remember how. I just moved through motions, my mind blank, my body numb. When my shift finally ended, I went home, called in sick for the next day, and didn’t leave my apartment. I stayed inside for 14 days. For two weeks, I was trapped in my apartment with my guilt. I didn’t go to work. I barely ate. I couldn’t sleep more than an hour or two at a time. When I did sleep, I had nightmares. All my victims appeared in my dreams. They surrounded my bed, just standing there looking at me, asking why. “Why did you kill me? Why did you hate me so much? Why did you think you were righteous?” Jesus appeared in my dreams every night. Sometimes he simply sat with me in the darkness, saying nothing, just present in my grief. Other times he spoke to me. One night I screamed at him through my tears. I asked him why he took Grace. Why he let her die when I tried to save her. I told him it wasn’t fair that I tried, that I’d begged him for help. He answered gently that Grace died so I would feel the full weight of what I’d done. He explained that every mother I’d made childless had felt what Rebecca Okonquo felt. Every child I’d orphaned had felt what Grace felt. He told me I needed to stand in that hospital room and face the consequences of my actions—not to destroy me, but to break me open so he could remake me. I told him I couldn’t live with this guilt. That I was a monster who didn’t deserve to breathe. He corrected me tenderly. He said I was a monster—past tense. But he told me he makes all things new. He said he could make even me new, even after all I’d done. He told me that’s what grace means: undeserved favor, impossible mercy, love for the unlovable. On the 13th night, he gave me an instruction. He told me to go to Rebecca Okonquo. He said I needed to confess what I’d done. He told me to ask her forgiveness. I argued with him. I told him Rebecca would have me arrested. I said I’d go to prison, maybe face execution. I told him I deserved to die. He agreed that I deserved to die. But he reminded me that he’d already died in my place. Then he commanded me again: go face what I’d done. On the 15th day, I returned to the hospital. I submitted my resignation letter, effective immediately. My supervisor was shocked, tried to convince me to stay, but I insisted. Then I asked administration for the Okonquo family’s contact information. They told me Rebecca was still in Malaysia, preparing to take her daughter’s body back to the United States. They gave me her temporary address. I drove there in a daze. Every part of me wanted to run away. Every instinct screamed at me to flee. But I forced myself to park. Forced myself to walk to the door. Forced myself to knock. Rebecca opened the door. Her eyes were swollen from crying. She’d lost weight in the two weeks since Grace died. When she recognized me, confusion crossed her face. She asked why I was there. I asked if I could come in. My voice was shaking so badly I could hardly speak. We sat in her small living room. Two large suitcases stood by the door, ready for her flight back to America. A framed photo of Grace sat on the coffee table. Grace—smiling, vibrant, alive—full of the future she’d never have. I told Rebecca I needed to confess something. Then I started talking. I told her everything. About the group of Muslim healthcare workers. About our monthly meetings where we celebrated killing Christian patients. About the methods we used. About the dozens of people I’d murdered. About my belief that I was serving Allah, fighting jihad, earning paradise. Then I told her about Grace: that her death wasn’t a tragic complication. That I deliberately poisoned her. That I’d planned to kill her from the moment I saw the cross Rebecca wore around her neck. That Grace died because I hated Christians and believed killing them was righteous. I told her about Jesus appearing to me, about how I tried to save Grace but failed, about standing in that room and watching her die and knowing it was my fault. By the time I finished, both of us were sobbing. I was on the floor, unable to even look at the woman whose daughter I’d murdered. I told her I deserved death, that I deserved hell, that I understood if she wanted to call the police right now. Rebecca was silent for a long time. I could hear her crying, hear her struggling to breathe through her grief. Then she spoke, her voice thick with tears. She told me that Jesus had spoken to her the day before. She said she didn’t understand it at the time. He told her she needed to forgive. She thought maybe he was preparing her to forgive the illness that took Grace, or the hospital for not saving her. She said she didn’t understand what Jesus meant until I walked through her door. Then she did something I will never understand—not if I live a thousand years. She got down on the floor beside me. She took my hands in hers. And she told me she forgave me. She said she didn’t forgive me because I deserved it. She was clear about that. I didn’t deserve forgiveness—not from her, not from anyone. But she explained that Jesus had forgiven her when she didn’t deserve it either. And she said Jesus was telling her that he had plans for me. That Grace’s death would not be meaningless. That somehow God would bring redemption out of this horror. She helped me stand up. Then she told me there was someone I needed to meet. Rebecca took me to meet Pastor Samuel, a man who led an underground church and worked specifically with converts from Islam. We met in a small, hidden space in a basement where believers gathered secretly, knowing that being discovered could mean violence, arrest, or death. Pastor Samuel listened to my whole story. Then he looked at me with tears in his eyes and told me that Jesus specializes in transforming murderers into missionaries. He reminded me that the Apostle Paul had killed Christians, truly believed he was serving God, and then met Jesus and became one of the greatest preachers of grace in history. That night, surrounded by people who’d lost everything to follow Jesus, I confessed my sins and accepted Christ. Pastor Samuel baptized me in a metal tub in that basement. As I went under the water, I felt the weight of my guilt wash over me again. But when I came up, something had shifted. The weight wasn’t gone—I knew I’d carry it forever—but I felt something I’d never felt before: hope. The possibility that somehow, some way, God could use even someone like me. I went home that night and wrote a letter to my family. I explained my conversion. I told them I’d accepted Christ. I said I was sorry for the pain this would cause them, but I couldn’t deny what I’d experienced. I left the letter on the kitchen table with my apartment keys beside it. I packed a single bag with clothes and my few important documents. Then I walked out, knowing I could never go back. When my father found my letter the next morning, his response was immediate. He declared me an apostate. He told the mosque that I’d betrayed Islam. My brothers publicly vowed to kill me themselves to restore the family’s honor. Within 48 hours, my photograph was circulating in extremist networks throughout Malaysia with a price on my head. The hospital launched a full investigation into patient deaths that had occurred under my care. My confession to Rebecca—which she’d courageously reported to the police despite knowing it might put me in danger—triggered criminal charges. An international warrant was issued for my arrest. I became a fugitive. The underground church network moved me to safe houses, never staying more than a few days in each location. I lived in constant fear. Every sound at night could be my brothers. Every stranger could be someone collecting the bounty. Every police car could mean arrest and imprisonment. But despite the danger, I found Pastor Samuel again. He connected me with an underground missionary organization that worked in the most dangerous places: villages where Christians were hunted, regions where missionaries were regularly killed, areas where simply being Christian meant risking death. I told them I wanted to serve. They tried to talk me out of it, explaining the dangers. I told them I understood danger better than most. I’d been the danger. Now I wanted to be on the other side. They sent me first to a village in Indonesia where believers were being persecuted by radical Islamic groups. My job was to provide medical care and share the gospel. I worked with Indonesian Christians who risked their lives daily to follow Jesus. The persecution started immediately. When local Muslims discovered a former Muslim doctor was treating Christians, word spread quickly. One night, a mob surrounded the small clinic where I was working. They threw stones at the building. They chanted death threats. They demanded I come out so they could punish me for apostasy. The local Christians hid me in a secret room beneath the clinic. I stayed there for three days while the mob outside screamed for my death. I could hear them throwing things, breaking windows, threatening to burn the building down. For three days, I didn’t see sunlight. I barely ate. I prayed constantly, terrified, asking Jesus if this was how I would die. On the third night, the mob dispersed after police finally intervened. But I’d learned my first lesson in persecution: that following Jesus means losing safety, comfort, and control. My second assignment was in Pakistan. I worked in a small underground clinic treating believers who couldn’t go to public hospitals because of discrimination. One afternoon, religious police raided our clinic. They arrested me and three other workers. They took us to a detention center. For five days, I was interrogated. They wanted names of other converts. They wanted information about the underground church. They wanted me to renounce Christ and return to Islam. When I refused, the beatings started. I was hit with batons. I was kicked. I was left in a cell with no food and minimal water. They told me this would stop the moment I said the Shahada—the Islamic declaration of faith. All I had to do was say those words, and the pain would end. I thought about it in my weakness, exhausted and hurt. I genuinely considered giving up. But then I remembered Grace. I remembered all my victims. I remembered that Jesus had died for me when I was still his enemy. And I realized that suffering for Jesus wasn’t punishment. It was privilege. I was finally on the right side. I was finally suffering for truth, instead of causing suffering for lies. After five days, international pressure led to my release. I was deported back to Malaysia, where I immediately went into hiding again because the charges there were still active. My third assignment took me to Bangladesh. I worked with a team providing medical care to Christian families who’d fled persecution from Myanmar. We operated in secret, moving constantly, always aware that we could be discovered and killed at any moment. One evening, our location was betrayed. Extremists attacked our camp. They came with weapons, shouting about killing the infidels and the traitors who helped them. We ran into the jungle. I was separated from my team. I spent three days alone in the forest without food, terrified, hearing search parties looking for us. When I finally found my way to another village, I learned that two of our team members had been caught. They were beaten severely. One of them, a young man named David, died from his injuries. I attended his funeral in secret. His mother told me that David knew the risks but believed Jesus was worth dying for. She said he talked about me specifically—about how a former murderer had become a missionary, and how that gave him hope that Jesus could use anyone. Her words broke me. I’d killed people who were like David. I’d murdered believers who thought they were safe. And now I was surrounded by people who chose to die rather than deny Jesus, while I’d spent years killing to defend a false version of God. Each assignment brought new persecution. In Malaysia, I was nearly caught by my brothers three times. Once, I saw them searching a market where I’d gone to buy supplies. I hid in a shop for four hours, terrified, praying they wouldn’t find me. In the southern Philippines, I worked with Christians who lived under constant threat from Islamic militants. One village we served was attacked while I was there. Militants came through shooting, burning homes, looking specifically for Christians. We hid in a neighbor’s basement for 18 hours while the attack continued above us. I could hear screaming, gunfire, the sounds of destruction. When we finally emerged, seven believers had been killed, including two children. The worst beating I received happened in a village in Indonesia. Someone had informed the local imam that an apostate Muslim woman was treating Christians in the area. He organized a crowd to find me. They caught me as I was leaving a patient’s home. They dragged me to the village center. The imam pronounced me guilty of apostasy and aiding enemies of Islam. Then the beating began. Men and women both participated. They used their fists, their feet, pieces of wood. They stripped off my outer clothes to humiliate me. They spit on me. They called me a traitor, a demon. I thought I would die. I genuinely believed this was the end. I remember praying, thanking Jesus for saving me, asking him to receive my spirit. I thought about Grace, about Rebecca’s forgiveness, about how I’d spent years persecuting believers and now was being persecuted for believing. THE END