Finding Courage Series
March 2nd – Courage Aces Hate
Revelation 3:20: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.
In Istanbul, Turkey, a young Muslim girl named Isik Abla suffered physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. At age 12 she vowed at a Quran training camp to someday perform jihad – eliminating enemies of the faith in exchange for acceptance into paradise. As an adult, Isik earned an advanced business degree and had great success working in high-ranking executive positions for some of the largest corporations in Turkey. This gave her opportunities to travel worldwide. Inside, she was fighting depression. One day, her violent Muslim husband tried to kill her and she managed to flee. She found her way to America in 1996. It was difficult time and one day, she decided to end her life. “Why do you hate me?” she cried out to God. “Why have You deserted me? I am knocking on Your door. Are You going to open it?”
That afternoon, the Lord answered Isik’s prayer in a stunning way. Her Christian boss called her into his office and said God told him of her plans to kill herself.
“You are not forsaken or abandoned by God, Isik,” he assured her. “He loves you and wants to be the center of your life.” Isik felt the Love of God surround her and she went down on her face on the floor weeping. Then she cried out, ‘Yes, Jesus!’ That Yes was her turning point, it brought her to Christ.
Isik Abla became a mighty preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She started her program on Inspiration TV, where she shares Christ’s love to millions of people around the world each day.
Many of those who watch her broadcasts are Muslims. And while some of these viewers are seeking the truth about Jesus, others want to kill her for denouncing Islam. In 2011, one of the most prominent Muslim extremists in the Middle East sent her a terrifying death threat via Facebook message. In his profile picture, he was holding two rifles! With no introduction, he wrote, ‘It is my mission in life, until my last drop of blood, to find you and kill you.’”
She was scared and hurt. She herself had once been a radical Muslim, willing to kill infidels in order to please Allah. She knew that mindset, she was once like that. She spent the next few weeks praying for God to intervene. But when she asked Him how she should respond, she was shocked by the Lord’s calm, gentle voice in reply: “Love him.”
Armed with new boldness and a completely different perspective, Isik wrote back in response to this man’s hateful message: “It is my mission in life, until the very last breath in my lungs, to love you with the love of Jesus.” Surprisingly, the man wrote out a list of every wrong thing he had ever done and asked how God could possibly forgive him. Crying, Isik wrote back with her story of salvation. God’s grace in her heart had enabled her to truly love this man as a brother. In just two words, the man replied, “I’m ready.” In that amazing moment, he gave his life to Christ. No one was more surprised than the man’s wife, who knew right away that his life was undergoing a radical transformation. What a turnaround! Jesus’ love was making all things new for the dangerous man who had killed, raped, and beaten countless people throughout his lifetime. Her message has transformed lives and is heard all over the world – and even to an audience of 500 million Muslims! Courage and love aces hate, and changes lives.
Rita
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