Stories of Faith - Episode 44

Narrated by Ayooluwa Adepoju-Kisha

In December of 2006, when I was in 100 level in the University of Ibadan, my menstrual period started normally, but won't stop, even after 2 weeks. By my nature, I was not worried about it. However, my then roommate, turned big sis, Dammie Tabitha, being a nurse, kept hammering on me getting checked. So, of course, I went to meet my sweet sweet Mama, Adepoju Folasade, who is also a Nurse. And that was when my plenty journeys back and forth hospitals began. 

In the year 2010, during my final year, my dear friend and brother, Tayo Odejimi insisted I went to the University College Hospital (UCH) for proper treatment. That was when I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). That was after 4 years of excruciating pains, sleepless nights and many many embarrassing moments. The symptoms I had included very long delay between periods (6 months to 1 year) bleeding in heavy clots (whenever it came), leading to extreme pain (accompanied with vomiting and stooling.....hahaha), bleeding could start at any time or could be on for weeks on end (my longest experience was about 17 weeks or so)and just suddenly increase in the middle of no where (I always had a sanitary pad or 2 in my bag), sudden and excessive weight gain, and ultimately, infertility (which I was then told to expect). 

Well, another round of journeys to and from UCH started and all they could say was that it can only be managed. Part of the management included taking contraceptive pills 🤦‍♀️ and some other orisirisi that now made me add weight. I was also told that they couldn't help the infertility until I got married and was ready to have children, and the treatment could take 10 years before I could get pregnant. 

Plenty of money went into buying of pads, running tests and scans, buying drugs, etc. But oh! My faith was strengthened!!! Because, "Though our outward man perish..... Praise and worship was my go-to weapon. I danced into the night many times and by day break, the bleeding dried up (only to return many times). I listened to many of Kenneth Hagin's and Gloria Copeland's healing messages and appropriated them. I didn't always get the results I wanted but my faith kept growing. I would have used my last cash to buy sanitary pads and then trek to fellowship serve God in my many capacities and probably drop my last #10 😂. Then go back to my room and sleep hungry. Plenty incidences flood my mind now, including during my service year and when I started working in Lagos and had to travel to Ibadan, many times, for treatment. All these went on for 11 years. 

When I finally agreed to marry my Sunshine, Jonathan Chang Kisha (another long story 🤣😂😂), in 2016, that was the first thing I told him. He was so calm that night in April. And then, when we spoke the next day he told me that he had a good dance into the night, and He who sits in heaven laughs (Ps.2:4), so he also had a good laugh. He then told me (more like decreed), that from the day he married me, the bleeding ceased and we would have as many children as we want, when we want them. But, of course, the devil will not leave us without a fight. 

On the day of our traditional wedding, I suddenly started bleeding and I mean bleeeeeeeeeeding. Between 5am and 12 noon, I had used up like 12 pads. All those pictures you saw me smiling bah, that was Mr. Kisha encouraging (and tickling😊) me. Well, when it was time for the engagement to start, I just told myself that the devil has lost so I danced like the winner that I was. Oh! I danced that day. It wasn't just wedding excitement o. It was prophetic! That was when the torrents became trickles for that day and we had a non-embarrasing event. Suffice it to say here that while we were praying towards the wedding, one of the things God told us is that we shall not be put to shame. That shame would have been terrible, but God's word had gone ahead. 

Fast forward to when we were ready for a baby. We didn't even plan or anything o. On 19th February, 2018, exactly 6 months after our wedding, I found out I was pregnant. Of course, we were so excited. Then, the devil tried again. We lost the baby on the 9th of April. It was a lot of pain, both physical and emotional. Then fear set in. And self pity and many other emotions. Most people around me had no idea (I was new in Kano so I had only 1 friend, Aderonke Ajiboye Amehson, my Kano angel) but I could tell that my friends in other places who knew my story and who I told I was pregnant were worried. Even my parents. You know, the pregnancy looked like it happened by chance. In fact, a friend of mine, who is a medical doctor said "you had something that looked like PCOS cos you couldn't get pregnant like that (he wanted to marry me but ran for his dear life when I told him 🤣🤣🤣) . Anyway, I had work to do. I needed to enthrone Jesus above all those emotions. So, I set to work. By the time I was through, I knew I had taken hold of my soundness of mind and was ready for another pregnancy, that I was carrying to term. And so it was. 

Our baby was born, on 7th April, 2019, exactly a year short of 2 days after we lost the first one.

Stories of Faith - Episode 43

Narrated by Kajungu Boaz Kyarimpa

Before killing me, the killers decided that I should dig my own grave. As I was digging, I was also praying. “Lord, I believe you can deliver me. You can protect me from being killed by these people. I’ve preached about Daniel in the lion’s den, and about how you delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace. Are you still the same God? You can show me now. Please give me that faith.”

I was hoping that God would give me wings to fly away, or that He would send fire from heaven. But God answered in a much different way from what I could have imagined.

As I was digging the grave, one of the killers picked up my Bible and was looking at it. Noticing the many markings in it he asked, “What do all these colors mean?”

“Those are my favorite verses,” I said.

Interested, the man started reading the many highlighted verses. “Are you sure you’ve read all of these?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes,” I responded. I could see that the man had some pity for me.

Turning to his fellow killers he said, “Friends, I know we’re going to kill this man, but please let me help him dig!”

The leader nodded and the man jumped into the hole with me and started digging. “Lord, I prayed, “this grave is going to be finished quickly now. What are You going to do?”

God had a plan, but sometimes we want to try and force God to answer our prayers in the way that we think is best, rather than just trusting Him.

To my surprise, as soon as we were finished digging, the grave digging killer said to his colleagues, “Why should we use the grave for this man we don’t even know? Let him go and dig another grave near the highway. This is our field; why should we bury him here?”

The group agreed, and decided to use the grave for another man they had just killed. Then ironically, one of the killers said, “Before we bury that man, why don’t we pray for him.”

I watched as the group gathered around the body of the person they had just killed before coming after me. “Mary, mother of Jesus, receive him,” they said before rolling the corpse into the grave that had been meant for me.

All of a sudden my entire outlook changed. “Lord!” I gasped, “Don’t allow me to be separated from these people before I tell them who You are! These are people who have never heard about You. They think they can pray for someone they have killed. And we are partly responsible. We never came and taught them the truth about You.”

Right after they buried that man, we moved closer to the highway. I was about to start digging another grave when the man who had my Bible asked if he could keep it. I said, “yes,” but the other killers told him “No! It’s ours—you’ll have to pay for it!”

I could see that the Holy Spirit had already touched this man’s heart, so I begged him, “Please, can I have that Bible and say something before I dig another grave?”

The man was excited and said, “Go ahead!” but another one shouted, “No! He’s our enemy. He has nothing to tell us.”

Then the arguing became very sharp, with some of the group insisting that I should be given the opportunity to speak, while others insisted that I had nothing to say. Just when it appeared that the killers were going to fight each other, one who appeared older than the others asked, “Why are you going to fight over someone you don’t even know? Those who want to listen, sit and listen; others, sit and shut your ears. When he’s done, we’ll kill him.”

So they all sat down and I started to preach.

First, I thanked them. “Thank you for praying for somebody that you have killed. However, you need to understand what the Bible says about death—the only chance you have to be saved is during your lifetime—not after you are dead. ‘For the living know that they will die,’ I quoted from Eccl. 9:5, ‘but the dead know nothing.’ I’m not going to plead for you to let me go, I continued, because I know that even if you kill me a time is coming when I will be resurrected.

“Among the people you are killing are another tribe—they are not Hutu or Tutsis. They are God’s children. You think that you’re fighting a tribal war, but you’re mistaken. This is a war between Christ and Satan. You think that the people you’re killing are Tutsis, but they belong to a totally different tribe because they have given their hearts to Jesus and they are His children.”

Then I read 1 Peter 2:9-10 to them: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

As I preached, I could see some of the killers were crying, and I knew that the Holy Spirit was working on their hearts. After preaching for 15 to 20 minutes I told the group, “Now I’m going to say a final prayer, and after that I will dig another grave.”

As soon as I finished praying, someone shouted, “If anyone kills this person, his blood be upon them!”

“No, we can’t kill him!” the others said. “Let him go! We can’t kill him.”

Then the leader spoke up. “I was the one who suggested that we kill this man in a very bad way. But now, we’re not going to kill him.”

I knew it was only by God’s grace that my life was spared. Who am I? I didn’t have any power. God was just kind.

During the approximately 100-day genocide from April 7 to mid-July, 1994, approximately 1 million people were killed, including my entire family. But even though I came face to face with death numerous times, the Lord always saw fit to spare my life.

Stories of Faith - Episode 42

Fulani Herdsman finds Jesus

As a Fulani herdsman, Abdul witnessed the brutal persecution of Christians in northern Nigeria, but accidentally hearing about Jesus while passing a church changed his life forever.

Raised a Fulani herdsman, Abdul heartbreakingly recalls the times his own family and friends would attack Christian villages leaving no survivors.

“You cannot count the people they killed – they would go into villages and kill the entire village,” he says.

He even admits that he was involved in orchestrating one murder himself, as he recounts with tears his old life.

In 2002 he walked past a church by chance and heard a preacher say that Jesus was the only way to heaven; these words filled his mind with questions and his journey to truth began.

He began asking those around him questions about Jesus and the Bible. The advice was always the same: “Christians are not serious people and Islam is the far superior religion. He wasn’t satisfied with the answers.”

“I was at a loss; if Jesus was the way, then why was I still following Mohammed?”

He was desperate to hear the message of Jesus preached again, even though he knew attending church was a risk.

On Christmas Day he sneaked out of his home and attended a church service. He didn’t receive Christ that day but he returned home to find all his belongings outside. His mother discovered he had attended church and kicked him out. He had nowhere to go.

The same night, he had a vivid dream about two paths, and he knew immediately Jesus was speaking to him.

“That night, even after seeing how my mother reacted, I decided to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord. It didn’t matter to me if they wanted to kill me or disown me. I didn’t care, I wanted to accept Jesus Christ.”

His family began trying to convert him back to Islam. They tried using voodoo and threatened to kill him but he would not renounce Christ.

He went to church once more and when a police officer saw him there, he warned him that he needed to escape.

“The churches in my town would not accept me as a Fulani and my family wanted to kill me.”

This is when he knew he had to leave the state.

After leaving, he prayed continually for a place to go where he would be accepted.

“I prayed to God: I want you to lead me where I will learn your Word better and where I will be embraced and accepted.”

Not long after, his prayers were answered when someone told him about YWAM. He had no money, but a pastor blessed him with finances and encouragement to go.

He is still at YWAM and knows he has been blessed, and he looks ahead with hope.

Culled from https://vom.com.au/fulani-herdsman-finds-jesus/

Stories of Faith - Episode 41

Melrose was barely twenty years old when a group of visiting missionary mobilizers visited her university in 1983. She was sure she heard the call, but her identical twin sister, with whom she shared everything in life even up until then, did not hear anything like that. Her mum, a police officer, was livid with rage upon knowing that her young English undergraduate girl had opted to be a full time missionary. 

Torn between her love for her sister and honor to her parent, Melrose knew God had spoken. After finishing her university education, she joined Calvary Ministries. Contrary to human logic and mission’s ethics (if you like), Melrose was used of the Lord to pioneer residential work of that ministry in Niger Republic. A single lady in a Muslim nation! Yes. When she was undergoing one-year mission training, she heard of the need in that country. She opted to take the challenge! 

Melrose stepped out in faith. Thereafter, God gave her a husband, Joe, and blessed their union with three lovely boys. Together, they gave direction to the work, saw university students in that country disciple for the Master and established a rehabilitation centre for prostitutes in the land. Then God called Joe home. Relentlessly, Melrose soldiers on. She mapped out a strategy for prayer, mobilizing churches all around the country, especially in Lagos area to contribute prayer to North Africa, beginning with Niger Republic. Because she had been on the field, her prayer burden for the missionaries on the field has been with serious passion.

Stories of Faith - Episode 40

Narrated by Ruth Aisha Aba 

As my husband and I stepped into full-time mission work in 2003, the thought of absolute dependence on God for daily needs came with a lot questions and fears. Is it going to be possible? How will my family feed and the children go to school? How was God going to sustain us/ Several thoughts flooded my mind and the light on my path seemed so faint. I needed God to answer these questions because I was told to ask Him every question I had; seeing that He alone could answer them and I would walk the rest of my life upon His answers. 

It’s quite easy to make up one’s mind to choose this path especially when you see some people that have gone ahead and from all indications the Lord has been faithful to them. It looks as though as soon as the Lord bids you come and you step out upon His words, the wind and the waves would no longer be a distraction to make you take your eyes of Him for a moment. But as with Peter, waves have made some not only to sink but to drown completely and I didn’t want to end that way. 

One Sunday afternoon, precisely on the 16th of October, 2005, while preparing to go out in order to keep an appointment with some sisters; I felt a very strong urge to go in and pray. I tried to excuse myself but my heart got heavier with the burden to pray. I wondered why it should be at that time of the day. The Lord in His mercy prevailed on me; so I went into my bedroom and knelt down to pray. As I got on my knees, I began to ask God what He wanted me to pray for since I was not sure of what to say. But instead of raising prayer points for me, I heard Him say, “Take up your Bible”. I did that immediately. As I opened my Bible with no particular scripture in mind, it opened to 2 Kings 25:29-30, which reads thus: 

“And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life”. 

I was so surprised for I had never seen this scripture in this light before. I saw God, my Father, answering my questions. I heard Him saying that He had made ready a portion of a daily allowance for me. It was not going to be monthly salary but a daily allocation sufficient to meet my everyday needs, and that for the rest of my life. I was also going to be eating from His table and would not need to be the one to plan my menu for the day but to eat whatever was set on His table for me. I am particularly honoured to be invited to the table of the Almighty, King of kings. 

After hearing what God had for me, I could not get up from my knees anymore. I wanted to spend the rest of the day there but the burden had lifted. I heard Him say; “That’s all I wanted to tell you”. I felt the joy that knows no bounds. The entrance of His words brought a flood of light unto my life’s dimly-lit path as I knelt in worship and adoration of his Holy Name. It was a very memorable day for me, for He gave strength to my weak and wobbly knees and made my feet like the hind’s feet. I knew He had enabled me to go on heights. He is ever willing to clear our doubts and questions. 

From that day on, I have not had to worry and fret about what to eat and drink. The Lord has been faithful to provide sufficiently all our daily needs in whatever way He chooses. I can hang my life on Him; for His word is true. He has continued to send His word of encouragement to me. Recently, I came across Luke 12:31 (TLB): “He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the kingdom of God your priority”. What a sure word of promise!

Culled from More Than Rubies Vol 10 No. 2

Stories of Faith - Episode 39

His grandfather sold curses, he plants churches in India: Raman’s story 

It took a terrible accident before Raman became a believer in Jesus. 

It took healing from sickness and demonic thoughts. 

It took rejecting the faith of his family and his village. 

In short? It took a God who never stopped chasing Raman. 

Raman* is a Christian in India, and every day he believes in Jesus, he risks everything for the savior who rescued him. 

But before that? He had to deal with sickness, injury and a family that specialized in curses and magic. 

‘Why do I have to suffer like this?’ 

Raman grew up in a family where he saw first-hand the darker side of one branch of Hinduism. “My grandfather was a priest,” says Raman, who is now 29. “He would sacrifice animals and invite the gods. When people wanted to curse someone, they gave money to him and he would [place a] curse. When I was young, people would come to me and say, ‘We suffer because of your grandfather.’” 

When he was only eight years old, his father and grandparents all died within three months. When Raman’s mother refused to remarry, their relatives seized all of their property and possessions, and forced Raman, his mother and sister to leave town. The family tried to begin a new life in a new place, but it wasn’t easy. “My mother had earned her living with black magic, but when we started our new life, she had no way to get income,” Raman remembers. “We lived in a shack beside the road. It wasn’t even a real house.” 

After a year, they were able to move into a house. But at the same time, Raman became sick. His sickness made him weak, and he would frequently collapse. “At that time, I was determined that there was no God, because I was asking, ‘Why do I have to suffer like this?’” he says. 

Raman also began to hear voices whispering dark thoughts and urging him to carry out terrible acts—to attack other people, and even to kill himself. He became a danger to himself and to others, so the other people in his village told Raman’s mother to chain him up to prevent him from hurting someone. 

He was chained for months—no one knew what to do to help him. 

Then, someone told his mother, “You should take your son to church.” The Christians at the church prayed for Raman, and after a month, he was completely healed, and he stopped hearing voices. His mother and sister came to faith after this miracle—but even after experiencing this healing, Raman still wasn’t interested in God. “Because I loved my mother, I went with them to church, but I didn’t believe,” he says now. 

‘I realized that Jesus healed me’ 

It took seven more years before Raman became a believer—and it didn’t happen without significant suffering. He was riding a motorcycle, and he hit a large truck. Raman was severely injured, to the point he nearly died from the accident; the people from the church where his mother and sister attended started praying for Raman. 

For 20 days, there was no visible improvement. The doctors told his mother to take her son home and keep him in a room where he could be cared for—they said he would never be able to walk, talk or do anything outside of a bed. Raman’s mother’s family told her this had happened because she had left her Hindu faith. 

But on day 21, Raman woke up, sat up in bed—and got out and walked. “God has given you life,” the pastor told him. But that still wasn’t enough for Raman. 

“I didn’t believe that,” he says. “I was looking awful, I had scars on my face and I had to walk with crutches. I didn’t feel happy at all. When people came by to visit me, I started to argue with them about whether God had done this. 

“I told my mom, ‘If God really healed me, then I want to walk without those crutches.’ My mom prayed for me and she told me, ‘You have to start walking.’ I did. Within a week, all the strength came back into my legs. That was the moment I realized that Jesus healed me.” 

Now, in place of those evil voices that once plagued him, Raman hears the voice of the Holy Spirit. “This is such a different voice,” he says. “It gives me peace.” 

Church planting leads to persecution 

Since the day he started to follow Jesus, Raman has faced opposition because of his faith. When he first became a Christian, he lost many friends, who accused him of accepting a foreign God. “I felt upset by their response,” Raman says. “I was also disappointed and alone.” 

But that didn’t stop him from following the calling he felt God had given him. “I believe that God asked me to plant churches in Hindu villages around my own town,” he says. Raman became Pastor Raman. 

He got married and moved to a new village with his wife, to start building relationships and conducting church services. After a year, they began to rent a building where his church could meet together. “God started to touch the hearts of the people,” Raman says. 

However, others in the town became jealous because of the growth of the church. They started to disturb the services by throwing stones on the roof to make noise. This continued for several years, but Raman never stopped believing and conducting church services. 

Several years later, the persecution became more violent. Raman and his wife were expecting their first baby, when they were knocked off their bike by a member of an extremist group. “My wife lost our baby,” Raman says. “I wasn’t able to do anything. I brought her to the hospital but there was nothing they could do.” 

This was a terrible time for Raman and his wife. Somehow, they managed to carry on with their ministry. After two more years, God blessed the family with a baby girl. 

‘Thanks to you, we could go on’ 

Raman’s ministry has continued to grow. He’s helped plant churches in surrounding villages. “Right now, there are 30 places in which there are Sunday schools,” he says. “And in three villages there are church services.” 

But the persecution he faces has also continued. In March 2018, Raman came close to losing his life when his church was attacked by a group of young people, bribed by Hindu extremists. 

“One night I was praying in the church,” he remembers. “I was all by myself and locked the door. It was midnight when I noticed smoke getting in the church. By the time I opened the door, the front side of the church was already on fire. My bike, which I use to travel to surrounding villages, was burned too. I tried to escape from the church, but when I did, some burning wood fell on me. 

“It’s really God who protected me that day. I had physical issues after the incident. And even more, my bike was gone, the church almost burned down and there was no one to help us.” 

Open Doors’ local partners were able to buy some basic necessities and groceries for the pastor and his family. “Thanks to you and the practical help you gave, we could go on,” Raman says. 

A couple of weeks after the fire, the church was rebuilt, and over 500 children came to the building for a Vacation Bible School. “All the glory to God,” Pastor Raman says. With the help of Open Doors’ supporters, the church was able to buy new sound system to replace the one that was lost in the fire, so that work like this can continue. 

Pastor Raman has now recovered from his injuries, and is determined to continue taking the gospel to his nation. He asks for prayers for the children’s ministry of the church, and for guidance as he seeks to plant churches in 100 villages around his town. “I want to see India as a country free of all evil,” he says. “When India starts fearing God, people will leave their wrong ways. I know it can be dangerous. I also know that I might die. But I am not afraid.”

*name changed for security reasons 

Source: https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/stories/his-grandfather-sold-curses-he-plants-churches-in-india-ramans-story/

Stories of Faith - Episode 38

Modern-Day Paul: ‘I Planned to Kill Him; Now I’m Prepared to Die for Jesus’ 

In Egypt, converting from Islam to Christianity is seen as a betrayal of your family and heritage. In Muslim families, any member who leaves their Muslim beliefs and upbringing subjects themselves to tremendous pressure from their immediate and extended family to renounce Christ and return to Islam. Some are locked up, others are isolated, tortured or even killed. Recently, our Open Doors team in Egypt met with a new believer who shared his awe-inspiring testimony of how God used his cousin’s conversion to remove the scales from his own eyes.

Mostafa hoped the rumor wasn’t true. 

If it was, he knew he was obligated to protect his family’s honor. He knew he would have to kill the cousin he had grown up with on the desert lands of Upper Egypt. It was his family’s orders. It was why he had traveled so far from home to the capital city of Cairo. 

Questions About Jesus 

The rumor was true. Mostafa found his cousin in a church listening intently. Quietly, he slipped into the seat behind Mohammed* and waited for the service to end. But then he noticed something strange. The words he was hearing—the prayers, especially the worship—didn’t disgust him. 

Instead, the lyrics of the songs touched him deeply, he says. 

Mostafa approached his cousin with tears in his eyes. 

He recalls his words to Mohammed that day: “I came all the way from our family’s village to spy on you and see if you had indeed become a Christian,” he said, wiping a tear from his cheek. “I should inform your family about what I saw, but I just can’t. I think the choice you made might have been the right one. Can you tell me more? Why did you leave Islam for Christianity?” 

Surprised by his cousin’s question, Mohammed took Mostafa to his house where the two cousins spent the evening talking about the gospel. That night, Mostafa had a dream. He saw Jesus on the cross, looking at him and saying: “I did all of this because I love you, and I want you to be free from your sins.” 

Mostafa’s vision is similar to what many Muslim converts describe. Many sources have reported the same phenomena. Dreams and visions like Mostafa’s are repeatedly cited as specific ways God reaches Muslims throughout the Arab world and beyond. 

New Life With Jesus 

The next morning, Mostafa told Mohammed what he saw in his dream. He asked his cousin to pray together with him for his salvation. 

Through tears, Mostafa screamed to God: “I planned to kill my cousin, Your follower. But now I am prepared to give my life for You myself.” 

The following month, Mostafa was baptized with his cousin standing next to him. He hasn’t told his family that he and Mohammed are now followers of Jesus. Currently, the two young men are living as secret believers, following Jesus in the place He has provided for them. 

Like many converts from Islam to Christianity, the cousins are choosing to keep their faith a secret. New believers in hostile places like Egypt hide their Bibles and connect to other Christians online or visit secret meetings. They follow Jesus’ teachings in their actions, hoping that how they live their lives will influence those around them for the gospel. Only when they think it’s safe do they share their new faith with others—in hopes that the underground movement of secret believers will grow. 

Culled from www.opendoorsusa.org

Stories of Faith - Episode 37

In an Iranian Prison, God Used Me—and a Muslim Imam—to Bring Others to Him

Mojtaba Hosseini is 30 years old. He used to be one of the leaders of a quickly growing house church movement in Iran. That was before his church was raided and he was arrested and imprisoned for three years in an Iranian prison (following a first arrest resulting in probation). Recently, we visited him (he was released in 2015) in a safe place outside Iran. 

Mojtaba’s story is an important reminder that while God may (and often does) use the suffering of persecuted believers to bring others to Him, the depth of isolation and pain they experience is still very real. He also shows us the importance of praying with our brothers and sisters whom God is using in miraculous ways in the darkest of places. 

Like all Iranian Christians, Mojtaba knew the high stakes. 

If he organized and led a secret house church—an illegal act in Muslim-majority Iran seen as a “threat against national security”—he, along with anyone participating in the church, could be arrested if they were discovered. And since he was a leader, his arrest would likely mean a conviction followed by a lengthy prison term. If he was arrested and somehow avoided prison, a second arrest would surely mean a long sentence behind bars. 

Still, just as the disciples of 2,000 years ago and today’s persecuted church leaders risked their lives to build the Church around the world, Mojtaba persisted. 

“Why didn’t I stop my work for the church after I was first arrested?” Mojtaba says, smiling. “I don’t really know. There was no logical explanation, but we felt that the Lord wanted us to continue. We knew this would mean we could get arrested at any moment.” 

Mojtaba tells his story with an eye for detail and a passion for Christ. He takes time to think about his answers and often grasps his Bible to look for a verse. 

“I Corinthians 1:29 says that ‘God did all this to keep anyone from bragging to Him,” he says. 

It is a central theme in his prison story: “It’s all about God, not about me.” 

He knew God was with him when he was in prison, Mojtaba explains. But that knowledge didn’t make prison life comfortable—far from it. 

For the majority of his sentence, he was in a ward with murderers, robbers and drug dealers. No one could be trusted. He also struggled to find hope—not knowing when, or if, he would actually be released. 

“I felt a deep fear inside of me,” he explains. “And often, even though the Lord was close, I was sad about my situation. My hands were tied, my voice wouldn’t be heard by human beings.” 

‘It’s Not About You’ 

It was those uncertainties of not knowing if he’d be robbed, killed, or even if he’d be released that were the most challenging. In his darkest hours, desperate for help to go on, he turned to prayer. 

“I prayed; that was all I could do,” he says. “At first, they were prayers of repentance. I thought God was punishing me for my mistakes by putting me in prison.” That was the moment, he says, he realized he was “nothing.” 

“Then the Lord spoke to me. He said: ‘Stop being selfish Mojtaba, it’s not about you; it’s about Me. Look around you.’” 

For the first time since being jailed, he began to truly look at people, attempting to see them as God does. 

“I saw poor people, people who had committed the worst crimes. People that felt so alone.” 

Mojtaba felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit to share God’s Word with these people he saw every day: “God spoke again to me, saying, ‘It is time that you share Me with them. They need Me.’” 

Mojtaba offers a hindsight observation: “It’s funny how God works sometimes. It would have been absolutely impossible for us to pass the big gates of prison to bring the gospel to those who needed him so badly inside. But God just placed me and other Christians inside the prison, among them to shine His light.” 

An Unlikely Source in an Iranian Prison 

The former church leader began sharing his testimony and the gospel with the other prisoners. Some came to faith; others were just very happy he wanted to pray with them in Jesus’ name. He began to long for and pray for a Bible, even repeatedly asking the guards for one. 

“I didn’t get one,” he said. “None of the Christians did.” 

Then God intervened—through one of the most unlikely sources. The prison imam, who came every day to pray with the Muslim inmates, offered to help. 

“He was impressed by our commitment to our God,” Mojtaba says. “I think it was God who filled his heart with kindness for us.” 

Getting a real Bible into an Iranian prison was impossible, but the imam had an idea. He would bring in printouts of the Bible disguised as an English lesson. One of the friends Motjaba had made in the ward was good at English and translated the scriptures into Farsi. From there, Mojtaba copied the texts and gave them to the prisoners who had requested them—both those who were curious about his faith and those who had already given their heart to Jesus. 

Soon it became known among all the prisoners that Bible verses were circulating. 

“We even got requests from other wards,” he remembers. “People were asking us for more. And the best thing was that prisoners were giving their lives to the Jesus of the Bible.” 

‘God Placed Me Among the Prisoners’ 

Reflecting on his time behind bars, Mojtaba offers a revelation that we can all learn from. 

“I never prayed for God to release me from prison,” Mojtaba says. “I can serve God anywhere, inside or outside of prison. It doesn’t matter what situation I’m in. I can work in God’s Kingdom wherever He places me. 

“And at that time God placed me among the prisoners.” 

He urges us to pray for his country and for those who are in prison for their faith. Currently, an estimated 21 Christians are imprisoned in Iran for their faith with an estimated 14 awaiting verdicts on their conviction appeals. 

“My prayer for all Iranians is that they hear the good message of Christ,” he says. “And for the Christians who are under pressure, I hope and pray they can experience the big contrast I felt. They might not be in a good situation, but I pray they feel an inner peace and joy because they know Jesus.”

Culled from www.opendoorsusa.org

Stories of Faith - Episode 36

Culled from Overcoming Painful Emotions: A Guide by Debola Oni

Nkechi always felt tired; it was worse in the mornings. She slept for twelve hours each night but woke up feeling exhausted. She had aches and pains all over which could not be traced to anything specific. She had been treated for malaria several times but the aches and pains still persisted. She was losing weight for no apparent reason. A series of medical tests did not reveal anything wrong with her. 

She had no financial problems as her husband, Chudi provided all her needs. The children were getting older and they did not need much attention. The days just dragged. The clock seemed to be ticking at a slower pace than normal and life seemed to be passing her by with each stroke of its hand. She knew she had potential for so many things and dreamt about all that she could do, but that was it – just a dream. There had to be more to life than this, she thought. She was bored and restless. 

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Nkechi spent the days imagining the worst: Chudi was going to leave her; Chudi didn’t love her anymore; her children were going to abandon her in old age. She became suspicious of Chudi and if he couldn’t pick up the phone because he was in a meeting, she immediately concluded he was having an affair. They were quarreling more as she was quick with her accusations. In reality, you couldn’t find a more loving and dedicated man than Chudi 

In her frustration she finally turned to God. She began to draw near to Him and He in turn reassured her of His everlasting love. Her security was now primarily in God and not Chudi. Soon she was free to accept Chudi’s love again. God showed her that He had a plan for her life, that she wasn’t an accident. Instead of anger, frustration and depression, she felt joy, peace and contentment. She began to see that her life had significance and purpose. God revealed to Nkechi that she was gifted with handicapped children. After she explored the possibility, she went for more training and eventually started a school for handicapped children. Her life was full and she had joy in abundance.

Stories of Faith - Episode 35

Everyone is a Preacher (Culled from Workplace Grace: Becoming a Spiritual Influence at Work)

“John was a young doctor, establishing his practice in internal medicine, when his wife gave birth to their first child – a son with a serious birth defect. John’s colleagues were well aware of the stress of learning to manage his workload while making the frequent 400-mile round trips to the children’s hospital.

John may have had reason to be irritable, but he rarely was. One day during rounds, he discovered that a nurse had made a serious mistake that endangered a patient’s life. He reprimanded the nurse firmly but respectfully, leaving her self-respect intact – a skill more doctors should learn. Unaware that a colleague overheard his reprimand, John felt a hand on his shoulder as he left the nursing station. His colleague said, “John, if you were a preacher, I’d go to your church.””

The fact is, John is a preacher, as are we all. When people observe our competence, character, and genuine concern for others, we preach a powerful sermon.

Stories of Faith - Episode 34

Narrated by Lola Ademuwagun.... A story of trust in God, unwavering faith and being principled.

"I got married for the first time on February 14th 2019 , three months and 1 week to my 49th birthday. To think the first time God spoke about my marriage was just after I clocked 26...hmmm. He had asked my closest friend and prayer partner, Late Omonike Akinjide to tell me not to help Him with regards to my marriage as He wanted to honour me. At that time I had no understanding of the words as marriage wasn't what was uppermost on my to do list as I was more concerned about my career. I had just finished my MBA at Manchester Business School and getting a good job seemed more important. Although I had been praying for a good and godly husband since I turned 21, who would have thought it would take 28 years of investing in prayer and 23 years from when God first spoke till it manifested in the natural. 

My journey had its ups and downs but when I reflect there were many lessons learnt and these are what I want to focus on; 

When God speaks about something it often dies first and then rebirths in His own way.The following words from Oswald Chambers are a summary of my 23 year wait and 28 year journey. "Gods method always seems to be vision first, and then reality, but in between the vision and the reality there is often a deep valley of humiliation. When God gives a vision and darkness follows, waiting on God will bring you into accordance with the vision He has given if you await His timing. Otherwise you try to do away with the supernatural in God's undertakings. Never try to help God fulfil His word" . 

Every child of God is running a specific race that is unique to them so its okay not to marry in your 20's, 30's, 40's etc like your friends...Late Nike married at 29 though we prayed together and agreed about our spouses every Monday for a whole year, I only just did at 48. When Nike was getting married in 1998 she had asked Joke( another close friend of mine) and I to write out what we wanted in our hubbies as God had given her all she asked for. Joke got her list answered 10 years after we agreed and mine 21 years after. 

Don't ever compare yourself with anyone. He is faithful who promised and giving up should never be an option as you have grace sufficient for your race. 

Ha the humiliation...I was laughed at by many and I even laughed at myself..."oldest virgin in Lagos", that's what I was called when I attended a party ( full of my Obafemi Awolowo University alumni ) with my late bestie's husband...I was only 30 then...can you imagine what would have been said now as I stayed one till I consummated only after I married the husband God gave at 48? I still think it's funny and can't blame anyone who laughed but hey on the day I met my hubby and I mentioned my name, his words were " Lola Fadojutimi, no scandal in ISI and I finished it with, still no scandal. For the first time someone appreciated what I was 'ashamed' of for so long. Its definitely okay to obey His word even when it's not popular or in vogue. 

You have been redeemed from the curse of the law, and are a bonafide beneficiary of Abraham's blessings too. Your delay in area of marriage or any area is not as a result of an ancestral curse ...gosh it's not your great grandfather and mothers sins you are being punished for, as I was told often. 

Sometimes our delays are part of the process and when we decide on a short cut we do miss out on destiny. It's also impossible to bind and loose God, so all those deliverance sessions some well meaning brethren suggest are just futile activities...devil isn't that strong. Greater is God in you than the devil in the world so don't believe the lies. God is more interested in process than end result. My hubby and I have so many friends in common but our paths never crossed since we left secondary school in 1986( I didn't know him but knew of him then while he knew me). When it was the appointed time we met without introductions. In hindsight I am so glad I waited as he really compliments me. I couldn't have done this, only God could have and he needed time to work on both of us. I tell Segun, I would continue to be a better me as long as I spend time with you. He is cool and calm as cucumber and I am... 

It is God that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure...there is grace for your specific race. Once you are willing to do it His way the supply of grace just doesn't run out. I did not have many boyfriends prior to meeting my hubby. In fact my last relationship finally ended in 2006...so over 12 years of "man desert " in which I probably had few dates in between. I had prayed I did not want choices and only wanted His choice after my last missionary dating. There were very tough seasons, loss of my dad in a plane crash , my mum to cancer,, challenges with my career and finances too, spathes of hopelessness but God held my hand though all the fire. 

I will conclude by stating that believing God and not giving up on my dream was probably my most important lesson. This meant I did not put my life on hold but lived fully while trusting for the manifestation of things promised. I travelled far and wide, started a bible study group, taught teenagers at my local church, birthed a couple of businesses, invested wisely, enrolled for various career advancing courses, exercised, baked, cooked, entertained and continued praying for 28 years while holding fast to my confession...no good thing will God withhold from the upright...marriage is a good thing the bed undefiled. 

I had written a book in 2013 and dedicated to my husband whom I did not know nor met( I have now inserted his name and it's been printed to be released next month, God willing)...I talked about children as if I already had them...I spoke what I knew in my heart until Gods appointed time. 

"We often think receiving what we have been guaranteed ought to be a catwalk, but scripture shows the opposite is often true. The most profound things God promised were often fulfilled against the greatest odds and through the most difficult hardships. To God, faith is often the point. God does nothing cheaply. Perhaps the divine nature of a promise fulfilled guarantees its expense. We may receive a hundred unexpected things from God with delightful ease while the fulfilment of some of the things we believe He promised proves virtually impossible. You see the impossibility is what makes the fulfilment of the promise fall under God's category. God makes promises man simply cant keep"...Beth Moore 

To all the single Ladies...God is faithful, let's not help Him....if He gave me a godly man with character who adores me, He will do same and more for you too...."

Stories of Faith - Episode 33

Culled from "As Titanic sank, he pleaded, 'believe in the Lord Jesus!'"

One of the supreme stories of the Titanic involves John Harper, a heroic pastor, and his passion to save lives and souls.

When pastor and preacher John Harper and six year old daughter boarded the Titanic it was for the privilege of preaching at one of the greatest churches in America, Moody Church in Chicago, named for its famous founder Dwight L. Moody. The church was anxiously awaiting his arrival not only because of the pending services, but to meet their next pastor, as Harper planned to accept their invitation. Harper was known as an engaging preacher and had pastored two churches in Glasgow and London. His preaching style was suited for an evangelist as testified by the words of another local pastor. "He was a great open-air preacher and could always command large and appreciative audiences. ... He could deal with all kinds of interrupters, his great and intelligent grasp of Bible truths enabling him to successfully combat all assailants."

When the Titanic hit the iceberg, Harper successfully led his daughter to a lifeboat. Being a widower he may have been allowed to join her but instead forsook his own rescue, choosing to provide the masses with one more chance to know Christ. Harper ran person to person, passionately telling others about Christ. As the water began to submerge the "unsinkable" ship, Harper was heard shouting, "women, children, and the unsaved into the lifeboats." Rebuffed by a certain man at the offer of salvation Harper gave him his own life vest, saying, "you need this more than I do." Up until the last moment on the ship Harper pleaded with people to give their lives to Jesus.

The ship disappeared beneath the deep frigid waters leaving hundreds floundering in its wake with no realistic chance for rescue. Harper struggled through hyperthermia to swim to as many people as he could, still sharing the Gospel. Harper evidently would lose his battle with hypothermia but not before giving many people one last glorious Gospel witness.

Four years after the tragedy at a Titanic survivor's meeting in Ontario, Canada, one survivor recounted his interaction with Harper in the middle of the icy waters of the Atlantic. He testified he was clinging to ship debris when Harper swam up to him, twice challenging him with a biblical invitation to "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." He rejected the offer once. Yet given the second chance and with miles of water beneath his feet, the man gave his life to Christ. Then as Harper succumbed to his watery grave, this new believer was rescued by a returning lifeboat. As he concluded his remarks at the Ontario meeting of survivors he simply stated, "I am the last convert of John Harper."

When the Titanic set sail there were delineations of three classes of passengers. Yet immediately after the tragedy, the White Star Line in Liverpool, England placed a board outside its office with only two classes of passengers reading, KNOWN TO BE SAVED and KNOWN TO BE LOST. The owners of the Titanic had simply reaffirmed what John Harper already knew. There are people who know Christ and will spend eternity with God in heaven and many others who will not.

May we be as zealous as Harper was with every opportunity to share Christ with the perishing.

Source: http://www.bpnews.net/37601/as-titanic-sank-he-pleaded-believe-in-the-lord-jesus

Stories of Faith - Episode 32

"In one of the Assemblies of God churches, in Aba District (South-Eastern Nigeria), where my late dad pastored in the 1980s, I remember when a young man came very early in the morning and told my father:

"Pastor, what did I do to you? Why do you hate me so much? I have been born again for almost 1 year and I have won many people to Christ, but why have you not recommended me to join others to go for missions work in the northern States of the country... "

His singlet was torn... And with his zeal, he was crying profusely...

My father did not know what to say...

The young man kept crying: "Pastor, why are you doing this to me... Why are you doing this to me?"

My father told him: "Nna, I know very well that you want to serve God... But you are the only son of your mother and your father is late... If anything happens to you, who will look after your mother and younger ones?..."

The boy started crying the more...

"Pastor, I am the only son and yet I was an armed robber... I am the only son, yet, I was attending meetings in the midnight with native doctors, where many of friends could not wake up alive after diabolically fortifying ourselves against police bullets..."

"Pastor, what would have happened to my mother if I had died in one of those armed robbery attacks? Who would have taken care of her? If I risked my life when I was serving Satan, why will I not risk it now that I am serving Jesus Christ?"

My father was speechless for almost 30 minutes... And it was not long, we saw tears rolling down his eyes...

He held the young man and both of them were crying together...

My father recommended him to join some missionaries that came in the area for missions work...

The day he was leaving with them, the mother and his younger ones were crying... Knowing that they might not see him again, both live or dead... But I can still remember that excitement on his face..."

Stories of Faith - Episode 31

Culled from The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney

I read an account of a group of Chinese Christians who were caught holding a church service. The officials placed a horse trough in the middle of town and forced every man and woman in that congregation to urinate into it. Then they drowned the pastor in it, right in front of their eyes!

Do you know what happened? The church congregation doubled in two weeks, and it wasn't because of their nice sanctuary or dynamic worship team. These kinds of believers don't gauge their relationship with God by whether they received a salary raise this quarter, by how things are going with their bank account, or by how much "fun" they've had during church activities. They joined Paul by saying, "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). This is the confession of people in love and in intimate communion with their Maker.

Stories of Faith - Episode 30

One of our workers in the Underground Church was a young girl. The Communist police discovered that she secretly spread Gospels and taught children about Christ. They decided to arrest her. But to make the arrest as agonizing and painful as they could, they decided to delay her arrest a few weeks, until the day she was to be married. On her wedding day, the girl was dressed as a bride—the most wonderful, joyous day in a girl’s life! Suddenly, the door burst open and the secret police rushed in.

When the bride saw the secret police, she held out her arms toward them to be handcuffed. They roughly put the manacles on her wrists. She looked toward her beloved, then kissed the chains and said, “I thank my heavenly Bridegroom for this jewel He has presented to me on my marriage day. I thank Him that I am worthy to suffer for Him.” She was dragged off, with weeping Christians and a weeping bridegroom left be­hind. They knew what happens to young Chris­tian girls in the hands of Communist guards. Her bridegroom faithfully waited for her. After five years she was released—a destroyed, broken woman, looking thirty years older. She said it was the least she could do for her Christ. Such beautiful Christians are in the Underground Church.

Source: http://radioblast.net/en/articles/libri-suggeriti/richard-wurmbrand-tortured-for-christ