Will I be in Heaven?
Note: Due to his request, the person’s name who told us his life story has been withheld.
My education in the Muslim faith began when I was a young child. I grew up in a Sunni Muslim home in the Middle East and was taught to pray by my uncle at age 10.
My innocent young life was shattered when I was 14, when my father died. I became depressed as I struggled to cope with this great loss. I considered suicide, but Islam teaches that a person who commits suicide goes to Hell. So I didn’t follow through with it.
I tried to fast and pray and perform the duties that my Muslim faith commanded more fervently than I had before. However, I was troubled by the fact that no matter how much I did, I was not assured a place in Heaven when I died. No matter how many good works I did, I had no guarantee what would happen to me after death. I wondered if there might be another way.
Later, I met a new friend from another country. He was a Christian. Although I had never been taught anything about other religions, I heard certain things about Christians, rumors really. For example I’d heard that they believe in 3 gods, worship the Virgin Mary, and eat pork (which is forbidden in Islam).
I told my friend about those things, and also told him that the Bible was corrupt, because that is a common belief among Muslims. To prove this to him, I decided to read both the Qur’an and the Bible. I had no doubts that I’d be able to convince my friend to become a Muslim. However, after I spent 9 months studying the Bible and the Qur’an, I started to become concerned because a lot of what I had been taught about Christians was not true. I found myself having trouble praying with the same confidence that I used to have. I am by nature a very logical person, but I was unable to prove that the Bible is corrupt.
One night I decided to pray to God specifically for guidance. I asked God to reveal Himself to me, because I felt confused and asked God (whomever He may be) to help me. That night, I had a dream. It was not a dream of Jesus or Mary (as I’ve heard others have had) but eventually after I had more dreams I began to understand what the dreams meant.
Eventually I decided that the only logical thing to do was to accept that the Bible is God’s word, and I gave my life to Christ.
After I became a Christian, some phony converts to Christianity (who were really like spies) reported me to the government of my country. Due to my arrest just for becoming a Christian, I lost my high paying job. Even though I was the first in my family to go to university and get a good job, my family was shocked and seemed ashamed of me, and mostly refused to talk to me.
But since the time that I became a Christian, I have seen so many things have changed in my life. And even with the hardship I have faced, I find that in all things now I have peace. I still face many difficulties, but I have security in knowing that my place with God is assured. I have realized that God promises to meet our needs in life, not desires or wants.
He is willing to give you all that you need if you will honestly seek Him and meet Him through Jesus Christ.
I invite you, my friend, to search for the truth. Take your time in your search, don’t take anything you’ve been told for granted, ask questions, and if you want to find the truth, you will find it.
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times.
There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. You are embarking on a whole new life, maybe this is the time to invite God to be a part of it. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.
Image credit: Hotshoe!
