Jesus has changed my life

3 minute 35 second read time

I’m Feroz, I’m married to only one woman, I have two daughters and Jesus has changed my life! I live in a Muslim country but come from a nominally Catholic background although when I was younger I never personally knew God. My dad ran a retail business. I’m the only son – I have two sisters. Even from a young age he wanted me involved as he wanted me to eventually inherit the business. While my mum took my sisters to the beach during the summer, I was at the business! When I was eight I failed my French exam and I failed the retake which meant I had to repeat the school year.

At this time, while at the business, one of my dad’s employees opened my eyes to everything I had never known – insults, smoking, everything – which I then introduced to my new classmates, who were smaller than me. And for me, smoking led to drugs and alcohol and I smoked for 14 years.

In 2004, my girlfriend at the time was invited to a church retreat by a friend, and she invited me. I didn’t want to go. After all, what was church? What was a retreat? She assured me we would be able to hang out together all day! On the journey there I quickly discovered that would not be the case as we were put in different groups – I wanted to go home! But on the retreat I discovered new people whom I liked and they liked me. I even joined a discipleship group but openly shared that I wasn’t done with my previous lifestyle.

I wanted to marry my girlfriend but at a party a voice in my heart told me it would never happen. I believed that voice, stopped talking to her and I thought my life was over; I really let myself go. A month later I had a phone call inviting me to another retreat – the very next day! I refused to go but my persistent friend wrestled with me all night on the phone – and at six in the morning I agreed to go – and shaved my beard!

I wouldn’t speak to anyone on the bus; asked if I was ok, I would say, ‘Yes’ - end of conversation. On the first day the sermon was on the Samaritan woman at the well, something I had heard many times before, but this was different. Afterwards, on the way to my room to sleep, my girlfriend phoned and I realised I had no feelings for her any longer. But in my room I got on my knees and prayed, using my language from the streets: ‘God, I don’t know you, but I’ve been hearing about you. What happened today, I don’t know if it’s you or not, but if it is you, I’m going to give you all my life. If it is you who did this with me, I’ll pay it back to you.’

That was 1 February 2005. The smoking stopped straight away – I physically could not inhale! My life changed, turned around 180 degrees. I stopped everything and I’ve been eating the Word ever since. I’ve learned how to play the guitar so that I can worship God. I’d go on outreach so that I could tell others what Jesus has done for me. I shared the gospel with Muslims on the streets, at the beach, everywhere; people were born again, discipled and I even baptised some of them. I studied theology for four years. It’s been a very interesting journey; and every day God is teaching me new things, He’s showing me His plan.

Since I met Jesus I have asked Him to let me work in His field, under His authority, but for whatever reason, He wanted me to be in business, to learn more, to be certified as a trainer – until last year. I was invited to do some training on my birthday – six colleagues were unavailable; I was the seventh trainer they tried – and I see it as a birthday gift from God. The training was in soft skills. I was told it was for a Christian ministry equipping believers to go and share the gospel with Muslims. At the end of the first day I needed to briefly finalise the programme for the second day but instead it turned into a long conversation – until the early hours of the morning – with the director of the ministry. He told me that he wanted me to help mobilise and equip the local church in mission, to help believers share the gospel with Muslims! It was just what I had been pleading for God to let me do!

In my country there is a huge need; there are unreached people and they are everywhere. There is a lot of work to do and we have to pray for God to send out more workers. And I am privileged to have been called to a ministry where I am blessed and honoured to serve under Him and share His gospel, the good news, with unreached people, and mobilise others to do the same.