Before my conversion, my wife was frequently bothered by the devil, so I bought a Bible to protect her against evil spirits. But we simply placed it on our bedside without reading it.
At the end of one summer, after I retired from my position in the government, I wanted to earn a fortune in Guangzhou due to the economic pressure from my four children's educational expenses and mortgage. Turning to God for guidance, I got permission and headed to Guangzhou, where I was baptized into Christ at Dongshan Church. Subsequently, I served in the church's choir and attended a one-year theology class in Beijing in 2016.
In the first year after my conversion, I read the entire Bible. However, I became lax in keeping this practice and even committed unholy sins in the following years, leaving my spirit without peace.
In March 2021, I was diagnosed with lung cancer, which was difficult and unfair to accept, as I had not yet enjoyed my retirement benefits nor had I witnessed the establishment of families for my children.
Later, I realized that my mind was spinning over myself, but not a thought of God. I had committed to serving on the podium after retirement, something I felt was unlikely to be completed in two years because I hadn't practiced my devotional life in years or dedicated my life to Jesus.
After my first hospitalization for chemotherapy, I found that my condition had deteriorated. I turned to pray, "Lord, regardless of the time you let me live, I will keep my promise to you, strive to maintain my spiritual practices, and be ready to serve you as long as I live."
In that month, the price of anti-cancer drugs was greatly cut, and they were covered by medical insurance. I felt filled with the Holy Spirit. I rarely prayed, but at that time, I prayed, confessed my sins, and expressed gratitude. Two months later, a follow-up test showed that the brain metastases had vanished. After I was discharged from the hospital, I continued to take medication while fervently praying for healing. Additionally, fellow believers also prayed for me. Later, it turned out that the tumor in my lung also disappeared.
After that, I established a worship chat group on WeChat. I invited some Christian women who had visited me. Among them were devout believers, from whom I learned spiritual practices.
Beginning in May 2021, I insisted on writing a morning prayer and engaging in devotional practices every morning until the end of March the following year.
At the same time, I led Bible studies in the chat group twice a week. Before each study, I dedicated one to two days to thorough preparation, constantly reviewing information and praying. I would first comprehend the scriptures myself, understand every keyword, and connect the scriptures to real-life situations.
In the past few years, as I ventured out for work, my focus was on material pursuits, with the pride of life deep within me. After the 2022 Spring Festival, I applied for a job at a medical aesthetics institution in Guangxi Province, but my motivation for working altered due to tense relationships within my marriage and with my children. As a result, I had to leave home and venture out into the world on my own again. The second motivation is my desire to acquire a luxurious car for an easier spread of the gospel, yet there was still the "pride of life."
In May of that year, I ended my work away from home and returned to my hometown, as my mother was ill and hospitalized. I know that the Lord didn’t grant me a luxurious car, but due to the epidemic and the increase in gasoline prices, a car was sold to me at a good price, which I attributed to the grace of the Lord. At the same time, I resumed deepening my spiritual practice at home.
(The article was originally published by the Gospel Times and the author is a Christian in Jiangsu.)
- Translated by Poppy Chan
