My life before Jesus
It was in the year 1999, when I was in my Intermediate education. My family was in severe troubles and tribulations which were there for long time. Our life was so miserable that we used to work a lot but nothing would remain at the end of the day. It was just like we had a big hole which was eating up all our earnings and on the other hand, we had to face satires of neighbors, relatives and friends on our poverty and miserable life style. Their comments and condemnations used to hurt us a lot but no one minded it because, it was a fun for them. I was so tired of hearing all those satires, comments and fun making things all the day for years and years.
My father came from a very poor family and had no one supporting around. He got married to a middle class woman and his intentions and efforts were to become rich quickly. He attempted every possible business to fulfill his dreams and also he did not want his children to suffer from the same poverty and hunger he came across from his childhood. My mother used to do tailoring work all the day and earn our daily bread. She used to work all the day to earn a very little amount of money. My parents are very loving and caring and loved us .In spite of our poverty they gave us food, education, clothes and everything we asked for.
It is not a sin to wish becoming rich, but short cuts will never work and even if they work, it would do for very short time. This same thing happened to our family. Though he earned money in those businesses, they never fulfilled any of our needs and used to dissolve somewhere. Only source of our daily bread was my mother’s tailoring work. Though my parents were making every effort, things did not work for us at all. The more we tried to succeed, we slipped into deeper poverty.
Every day, we had to wait till 3pm in the afternoon to have our day’s first meal. I have three younger brothers and of them the youngest, Raju, was disabled. Though we four brothers were in our teens, we learnt to hold our hunger with water and very small quantity of food which my mom used to prepare. Apart from this hunger and poverty, the ruthless words of our friends, neighbors, especially relatives, who never gave us a single penny, but would throw hurtful questions like – ‘when will your life set right man’, ‘We bet your dad is never going to do it well’, ‘you kids will become beggars for sure’, ‘You better leave home/education and get into some work, at least you kinds will survive’. Our tender hearts would break many time a day with these pricking statements.
My education was discontinued as I had failed in one subject in Inter First Year and was not in a situation to pay for the Second Year fee nor even re-examination fee at least. Because even Rs 10/- was a very big amount for us which helps to cut our one complete day.
On the other hand, I lost my character. My parents brought me up very well but because of conditions in my family, neither my dad nor my mom had any time for us. There was no one around to care my daily routine. Slowly, I started stealing things from general stores, money from neighbors, got addicted to telling lies and even worst of all, I got addicted to all deadly sinful ways. My situation was very worst and I couldn’t skip them because I was taking them as ways of relief from my painful times. oh! It was a very pathetic condition for any young man to be in such conditions. Addiction to any sin is very very worst part of any human’s life.
Mathews 4:16 Bible say’s: People living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned Psalms 25:3 Bible say’s: No one who hopes in you (Jesus), will ever be put to shame
Luke 4:18 Bible say’s: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Jesus), because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
Salvation
In the first week of September 1999, one day one of my friends came to me and took me outside to talk. After some chit-chat, he started explaining me about the love of Jesus. Very immediately I said: “I know you are trying to convert me to Christian but now I am neither ready for it nor has any possibility in future.
I hated Jesus very much. I would say very very much. I was quite bitter with Christians every time. My home was near to a church where they used to play songs the early morning of the day and as soon as I heard that song, I would start abusing church and Christians. I felt that these people are heavily paid to convert people from other religions into Christianity and are planning to eradicate Hinduism in my country. (After accepting Jesus as my savior I realized that I was wrong. Every one of us has good respect towards India and we love our country. I feel more proud now than earlier and gladly say that my India is greatest country and Indians are the best humans across the globe. Because we Indians have love, mercy and sentiment in every particle of our blood. Whatever be the religion, caste and creed, every Indian will surely have love and compassion for everyone. It’s a gift we have by birth from Jesus almighty.
Coming back to my story, here my friend used to visit me every day and tell me about Almighty Jesus’s love and power that he expressed through Jesus Christ on cross. But I had no interest in listening to his preaching and I used to gaze at people passing by all the time. He spent hours with me preaching about HIS love and compassion on human kind.
After preaching me for continuous days, he said to me – “brother, I have preached you gospel of Jesus Christ and HIS love and resurrection power and I don’t think anything is left from my side”. Saying this he left for the day. On that day I was wondering why this man was passionate to convert me to Christian. (Again, I was wrong here, actually he was not eager to convert my religion but trying to introduce me to a loving and caring GOD – Jesus Christ, who is capable to redeem any man from any bondage. He is the only redeemer who rescues very instantly, only God who is always keen to help the one who comes seeking HIS mercy). After my friend left on that day, I went home forgetting all he taught me. All my family members went out. My youngest brother, Raju, and myself were at home and fall asleep early.
Around at 11 o’ clock night, all of sudden I noticed that someone is staring, standing beside the wall and as I was looking at it, that creature came out and stood before me. It was a black figure with around 5’7” tall. OH God., It looked so horrible that I fell down with fear and was gripped in shivering. But there happened a miracle, unintentionally I started saying “may the blood of Jesus be ever victorious”, “may HIS Almighty name be victorious“, and ”may HIS Almighty name be victorious“. I wasn’t sure what I was chanting and had no idea at all that I am calling on a Jesus whom I hated till that very moment.
As just I was uttering those words, all of sudden, I saw a very BIG & WHITE CROSS stood very next to my bed. It was around 15’ feet tall and was glowing in radiant white. We can never find that white color on this earth. Amazingly, as soon as that black creature notices this big and white cross, he fled away at speed of light..!! Hallelujah, I was both surprised and happy to see that incident.
Then as I was still watching everything, filled with confusion and joy together, a blanket made of many small crosses came and fell upon us. I was so immensely joyful that I didn’t even notice what’s my brother was going through that day and because he was dumb and lame, he too didn’t show any reaction. But I am sure that he too should have experienced it. I was filled with an extraordinary faith in the Jesus Christ and a strong faith roused within me that this God will surely help me to come out of poverty, troubles, debts and even every defect of my life. I got much faith in Jesus that this God will surely redeem me from my bondages & fulfill my every dream.
Immediately I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior and acknowledged HIM to be my one and only God with mouth, whole heartedly..!! Since then, every morning and evening and even to say, whenever I got some time, I used to pray to HIM seeking his deliverance. My prayer was very simple at that time. As one of us speaks to a friend, I used to tell him every pain and troubles I had in my life, expressed every feeling in his presences.
One day while I was praying, I broke into tears and started confessing all my previous sins and mistake I committed. I cried for hours after hours that day and repented for all my sinful ways I adopted earlier. Then after some time, I felt deeply in my heart that someone has taken away all the sins which were very heavy on my heart till that time. Aha! I am free.. I got redeemed from my sinful ways and thoughts.. Jesus forgave me..!! I was filled with eternal joy this time and I was just dancing in happiness.
On that very same day, I made a commitment that I will not stumble into my old wicked and sinful ways again leaving this golden, eternal and peaceful path. Jesus started blessing me in all terms of my life. He spoke to me through verses in Bible:
II Corinthians 5:17 Bible say’s: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
True! This God, in whom I have put my complete faith, did not leave me behind nor left me anytime. Till to this day, I have many people around me who say that my faith in Jesus didn’t go in vain. As the days passed on by, he gave me everything, cleared every debt, casted out poverty and blessed me better among my relatives and friends. Above all of these, he cleansed my heart of my sins and promised me an eternal life, Millions of praises to such a good and loving God, Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:11 Bible say’s: “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”