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Sheela Isaac's Testimony (Life Story)
(Taken from message Unity
and peace 2003 issue)
PEACE and UNITY are the byproducts of SALVATION. When
a person receives Salvation, he/she receives peace in his/her heart.
When a family receives Salvation, the family receives peace in their
heart and the result is, unity among the members of that family.
Let me talk about my own experience. I was raised in a Christian family
where I was taught to attend Church without fail. Where I was taught
to read Bible daily and pray daily and memorize Bible verses. I did
it without fail, though I was not in much favor of it. Did it bring
peace in our family? I am very sorry to say, NO...... I followed all
the 'rituals', which the Church and Sunday school had taught me. Did
it bring peace and unity in our family? NO... Peace and unity was far
away from our house. My dad was an Engineer. We had big house, car,
govt. jeep, govt. servants to look after all the household work. There
was nothing lacking in our life. We lived a luxurious life but peace
and unity was a distant dream. We fought many battles. We three, brother
and sisters quarreled all the time. My mom used to yell on top of her
voice till morning to evening. There was no peace. There was no unity.
I did not know how to get peace. I attended church regularly but no
one taught me how to achieve peace. No one taught me how to avoid this
ongoing quarrel and struggle. We were desperate. There was no answer
for us. Many times I thought, "when I'll be able to get out of
this hell?"
Money and status cannot bring peace. Our luxurious life and status
could not give me peace nor my family unity. Well, I did not know what
to do then? Honestly speaking, my Church could not help me to find a
way out of my trouble. Nobody taught me that Salvation was the first
step to be taken to achieve peace and unity. Things where going very
bad. At that time I received a letter from my cousin, Suganthi Johnson.
We were very best friends from our childhood. It was the 3rd of Nov
1981 when I got this letter. It was her testimony, how she got saved
and how her life was changed. She further wrote, "Sheela if you
don't accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will be lost for ever.
You will lose heaven and eternal life." I found that letter very
touchy. I read it may be 2-3 times and started crying. I did not know
what was going on? I did not know why I was crying but I cried for more
than two hours. Something happened that day, a great peace and joy filled
my soul. Peace and joy for which I was longing for a long time came
into my life. Within a weeks time I found that my life was changing
towards good. I found that the novels that I used to read were not able
to attract me anymore. The Hindi movie songs, which I was fond of, were
not able to give me joy anymore. Whenever I tried to listen to movie
songs, it created horrible restlessness in my soul as if I have high
fever. I thought, "what is going on with me?" Before that,
I never felt that movie songs are filthy or sinful in God's eyes.
Within a week all these great changes took place. But still I was not
able to understand what it was. After this experience I stopped reading
filthy novels and instead of it, I started reading spiritual books.
One day I was reading the book called, "Peace with God", by
Dr. Billy Graham. When I was reading this book, to my surprise I found
out that the changes which took place in my life, is described in that
book. This book explained that when a person gets saved, these types
of changes take place in life. Then only I knew that I was saved. 2
Cor 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
Not only I, but also my whole family got saved one by one between 1980-84.
We all started our new life in Christ together.
When a person gets saved, he/she does not become holy overnight. So
everything did not change instantaneously. Quarreling and fighting did
not cease immediately. But I found that I had a longing desire to lead
a holy life. Now I wanted to do things which pleases God. This desire
was eating me up night and day and so I was constantly praying for holiness.
Holiness did not come in one or two days but it took years.
Whenever, after salvation, a big fighting took place among us, I used
to pray, "Lord why this is happening even after salvation."
I used to pray, "Lord, you have kept me in a bad home that's why
we are not able to live peacefully together. Please change these people's
behavior which is so bad." One day when I was praying like this,
Lord spoke to me. He said, "you change yourself, you correct yourself
and everything is going to be alright." I could not believe it.
I thought in my heart, "so I am the bad person here who need change
in my life." Well, I started praying from that day onwards, "Lord,
please change me, let all the anger and rebellion die from my life."
I am sure, all my other family members might have prayed in the same
way. Slowly but steadily a change started coming in each and every one's
life. We all changed as days passed by. A great peace came into our
lives and in our home. Our home became a happy and peaceful home. We
invited Jesus in our home and it became a sweet home. Jesus came in
and he changed our hell like home into heaven. He changed our lives.
No more fighting, no more quarrelling. Even no more arguments existed.
I do not remember when we argued for the last time. May be 1-2 years
back, but it does not exist now.
Yes such a wonderful change can happen. When I look back and think
of our past life I too marvel thinking, "what a great change Jesus
has done in our lives." Who did it? Jesus, the prince of peace
did it. We could not change ourselves by our own efforts. We could not
bring unity in our house. We could not bring joy by plenty of money
and luxury, but when Jesus came in He brought peace and unity. When
all five of us got saved, we all got peace. And this peace brought unity
in between us. Today, wherever we go, people ask, "how come you
all five show up together, do all five of you go together always. Many
asked this question over and over again. A lady came from India to attend
a conference. We also were there. It was only a 3-4 days conference.
She was totally stranger to us, but one day she came and told us, "I
see you five always together, I never saw such unity in my life."
Yes, you cannot buy unity and peace by big meetings and summits. You
cannot buy it with your wealth or money. It is not sold in markets.
But the secret is, when Jesus comes in to stay with a person, peace
automatically flows from that life. Because the Prince of peace (Jesus),
has come down to reside with that person.
Yes, Salvation is that key. Peace and unity are the byproducts of salvation.
Peace and unity is attached with Salvation. When a person receives Jesus
as Lord and Savior, peace and unity follows automatically.
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