This is my personal story of how God found me while I was getting ready to find Him.
1999, I had just graduated from a university in the UK with my first degree, I then got a job at a departmental store on Piccadilly.
Life was looking good. Years of having worked as a customer service officer in the retail industry while I was a student seemed to have paid off.
However, a problem that I had started experiencing when I was in my teens resurfaced and came back to haunt me.
As a teenager, I had sometimes suffered from severe depression. I was also seriously influenced by my environment. Eventually I started smoking cigarettes. I remember the last night I went to the Hippodrome Night Club at Leicester Square. I suddenly got up, left my friends, went to the cloak room and got my winter coat and went home. At 11PM. If you have ever been a night clubbing enthusiast , you will know that is weird.
It suddenly was not doing it for me anymore. There are so many people trying to manufacture joy when God has already provided for true joy.
For some reason that I could not fathom, I felt like I was in a hopeless downward spiral. The depression was tangible. I felt worthless, my life did not seem to have any clear direction, and I felt very lonely. I was far away from my family. I had grown up in a very close knit family setting and not having them around was difficult.
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I was working at the world's oldest and possibly most prestigious store as a customer service personnel. I had just graduated from university and I was not searching for a job. I had accommodation, and
the job was totally stress-free with lots of nice benefits.
However, the deep emptiness and worthlessness within me was tangible. I had started smoking three years before. I had tried quitting a few times but it was so difficult and each time I tried, I would give up. I felt like I was just floating into a future with no concrete idea what I would do with my life.
Then I remembered that my mother, Mrs. Rose Isip (who was still alive at the time), had taught me that if I could just get God on the scene, everything would be fine. I decided to find God by all means. I only knew one way to look for God, and that was to embark on a period of fasting and prayer. I didn't know much else, but I made up my mind to find God and connect with Him so everything would be ok.
Growing up, my Bible heroes had been Esther and Daniel. I had read these books perhaps a few times and I truly admired these two Bible characters. They always appeared so invincible, so in-charge, and t seemed like they had everything going for them. They always rose above the circumstances of life and harassment from others.
I decided to fast for 10 days. I wanted to be like Esther and Daniel. Close to God, talking with God and able to have extraordinary outcomes from God.
I decided to go on a 10-day fast. I had never fasted that long before so I was very sure that God would definitely show up if I fasted for ten days. I don't really know what form or shape I expected God to show up in my life, but I did believe He would show up.
However, Jesus found me first.
About a week before I was supposed to start the 10-day fast, I happened to sit next to a Singaporean lady at Kensington Temple. She invited me to her home-cell fellowship which I turned up for the following Thursday. I had never seen people worship God so deeply as the Asians in that room did that evening. Later on a Jamaican pastor from our church, whom I had never seen prior, stopped by to speak to them. During the course of the evening, he called me out and prophesied into my life. I broke down in tears. At the time, I did not even know why I was weeping, but I wept profusely.
I had given my life to Christ at the age of twelve or so and I had received the Holy Spirit in my early teens.
I woke up the next morning a non-smoker. My life was completely transformed. An enormous fire was deposited within me and I desired God very deeply.
Evangelism and prayer became a lifestyle. I am currently believing God to go back to when I was so much on fire for Him. My thirst for the word of God was unquenchable. That thirst has never left me. However, I would like to be super bold again in reaching out to others for Jesus. I have made a move towards restoring my prayer life by forming prayer partnerships and joining prayer groups.
I desire such an encounter for you today. I want you to encounter the raw power of God. I want you to experience raw grace. Grace gives you things you did not work or pay for. Jesus paid for your salvation. He paid for it with His own blood. His body was battered for you. His blood was shed for you.
With God, faith is the language that you need to learn. For you to be saved, you need to believe that you are saved even though you never saw Mary have the immaculate conception or Jesus resurrect from the tomb. You get saved by believing that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and that the accounts written in the Bible are true. Of course you can also search historical facts and records to know if Jesus actually existed. But you will find out that the best accounts come from the Bible. The Holy Bible was written by 40 writers over a period of 1500 Years.
The birth, life and death of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of a long list of prophecies as written in the Hebrew Old Testament. See the list of prophecies at the end of this text.
It breaks my heart that many people are attending church and yet are carried away by materialism, various delusions, deceptions and distractions. God is so much bigger than our needs. So so much bigger. Once when I was facing serious financial issues that involved my house rent, I asked myself that if I came face to face with God, would I be talking to God about my rent? Is that what I would be talking to the Master of the Universe about?
If you saw God face to face, what would you say to Him today? Just thinks about it, what would you say to the Possessor of Heaven and Earth?
You know what? He is with you right there right now, face to face.
Tell Him you want to know Him. Tell Him you want a fresh encounter with Him. You will be surprised how fast He will answer that prayer. Very very fast.
John said in the book of 1st John 2 verse 14:
"I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father."
Are you saved?
Have you given your life to Jesus?
I am not asking you whether you have committed sin since you woke up this morning. Neither am I asking you if you would like to be a better Christian or if you feel righteous? I am not asking you if you believe you are a good person. I am asking:
Are you saved? Have you given your life to Jesus?
I am simply asking you: Have you made a decision to make Jesus Lord in your life? Will you accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour today?
You cannot save yourself.
Your good works cannot save you.
Your pastor can't save you.
Your church attendance record can't save you.
Your church service and level of commitment at church can't save you.
How much money you have given to church cannot save you. Only Jesus saves. Only having a personal relationship with Jesus saves.
Jesus did not die in vain for you. His blood was not shed in vain for you.
Jesus loves you.
The Father loves you so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus the Christ, to come and die for you. He died a very terrible death so that you will not have to pay for your own sins. He was spat on and ridiculed so as to deliver you from shame and condemnation. He was given 39 strokes and a lot more, His body was battered so that you can walk in divine health and have access to miraculous healing from God. Jesus was ganged up against by men and they conspired against Him and He became a victim of the evil plots of men so that you can walk in dominion and victory above every gang-up of men against your life and destiny.
Have you made a public confession for the LORD Jesus to come into your life, forgive you your sin, and be your LORD and Saviour?
My name is Stephanie Pius and I am a radio presenter.
If you have given your life to Jesus, I would like to mentor you. I just love winning souls, so kindly send me an SMS and I will reach out to you.
There are so many persons who attend church and yet they don't understand the thin small line that separates life from death, or Heaven from Hell.
That thin small line that separates life from death is called the breath of man. And that thin small line that separates man from Heaven or Hell is called salvation. Make a decision to make Jesus your LORD and Saviour today. It only takes a few minutes, now pray with me:
Dear God, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I admit that I am not right with You, and I want to be right with You. I ask You to forgive me of all my sins. The Bible says if I confess with my mouth that “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved (Rom. 10:9). I believe with my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank You for saving me! In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen. If you prayed this prayer for the first time, I would like to know. Please send me an email at goingborderless@gmail.com to share your testimony with me today.
God bless you and preserve you for His heavenly kingdom in Jesus name, amen.
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