Acts 26:18 – “..to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”
The following is the testimony of Ranjana of London, England of how Almighty God worked in her life by His grace to bring her ‘from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that [she]..receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith’ in Lord Yeshua the Messiah, Son of the living God.
Ranjana, roughly how long have you been saved?
I have been saved 10 years now.
In your own words, what does “saved” mean and where in the Scriptures do you derive your understanding?
To me saved means that where I was living in a sinful life full of selfishness, lies, darkness, gloom, depression, sadness and – the biggest thing – separation from God, Christ paid the ultimate price for me so that I could be forgiven, be in the light through Christ and be with Him forever through faith. Romans 5:8 says, ‘But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.’
In your own words what is repentance and its connection with salvation?
Repentance, in my own words, means that although I was in the flesh – having lived an immoral life full of sinful habits, thoughts and in ways which separates us from God – I came to the knowledge of being a sinner in need of forgiveness from God and turned to Him. It involves being willing to turn from sinning against God and living a life where I try not to sin. Without repentance there is no salvation. Only Jesus can set us free from our sin and it is necessary to seek Him every day.
Ranjana’s Background
Can you share with us about your family background?
My parents came to England in 1967. My dad came first in a steamer ship from India Gujarat and then brought my mum and two older siblings over when he was settled. I was born in East London, England and lived there most of my life until my early thirties.
I was brought up in a Hindu background home. Our house had photographs of Hindu so-called gods in every room and in my parents’ bedroom was a shrine with statutes dedicated to the gods. They prayed first thing in the morning, read their holy book called the Gita and we did the main celebrations like Diwali (festival of lights) and Navrati (an annual 9-day period of worshipping and dancing to the idols usually attended by many). I was told from a young child that the idols were our gods and that we were Hindus. I do remember however that I liked singing the Christian songs in assemblies during Junior school, especially the song, “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” I also enjoyed Religious Education lessons and drawing pictures of Heaven, but I’m not sure if this had any meaning to me at that time.
My childhood was a normal one with two loving parents. My dad worked hard and would work long hours, but my mum did not speak English and worked from home. While I was a youngster, she needed to be home to look after me and this was the normal course of events for Asian women. I was brought up with the consciousness that there was “god” but not knowing it was not a real God. Psalm 115:5-8 really makes sense of this experience:
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
Eyes they have, but they do not see;
They have ears, but they do not hear;
Noses they have, but they do not smell;
They have hands, but they do not handle;
Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
Those who make them are like them;
So is everyone who trusts in them.
This sums up my family background.
Can you remember when you first heard the Gospel?
Even though I was born in England I had no knowledge of the Lord Jesus and who He is. The only thing I knew or remember was that sometimes, in the month of April, they played a movie about Jesus, but I had no interest or any desire in finding out who He was. I first learned about the gospel when my significant other, who would become my future husband, received a Gospel pamphlet from a church fellowship at his doorstep one New Year’s Eve.
When did you become conscious of the Gospel of Lord Yeshua, that Messiah died for your sins, personally?
This is more easily explained in my testimony below.
Rajana’s Journey to Faith
What was your journey to saving faith? How did God work in your life to bring you to the light of the saving knowledge and salvation of Lord Yeshua the Messiah?
From the point of reading the leaflet mentioned above, my significant other and I wanted to get engaged and we attended the fellowship referred to in it for a few sessions. We later attended a different church fellowship pastored by my husband’s family friend who suggested that we get baptized. At the time neither my husband nor I were in a relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. At this point, we did not have much understanding about the Christian faith apart from the fact that Lord Jesus the Saviour died for us on the Cross and paid the price of our transgressions by the shedding of His blood. Instead of an informed and full free will, through family pressure we both got baptized in 2003.
I personally believe that the love I had for my earthly father played an immense role in drawing me closer to my faith towards my heavenly Father. I was at the initial stages of my faith in the Lord Jesus when my dad was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. The fear of losing him – especially to the enemy of his soul since he was without saving faith – made me actively seek my Lord’s grace. I loved my dad and wanted him to live without this pain of cancer. My life was shattered and devastated at the diagnosis knowing that I would never see my dad again.
We had many people pray for him including our church elders. My dad was touched by the Holy Spirit as one of the Pastors prayed for him over the phone. Touched by the prayer, my dad cried his heart out, was so overwhelmed that he couldn’t speak and could not understand why he was crying so much. I understood that it was only by the Holy Spirit that he had been touched and cried like a child. This was the occasion when the Holy Spirit touched me as well and led me closer to Lord Jesus in my faith. Since I was very close to my dad, I looked to God and prayed, crying out to the Lord in a deeper way, believing that, if it was the Lord’s will, miracles can happen. My dad’s heart was a gentle one and we spent much time in prayer and fasting for him, knowing that if we pray and fast, we can even move the mountains. Although I was overwhelmed and suffering with pain concerning my dad’s health, nevertheless I always felt that I had the peace of Christ with me.
This pain of losing someone so dear to me was unbearable and the hardest for me to bear as it was my first experience of death in the family. The whole ordeal, instead of turning me away from the Lord drew me even closer to Him and allowed me to grow stronger in my faith. Even though it took five years to become strong in my own faith, my dad’s illness and subsequent death played a significant role in drawing me along to a true saving faith.
Time passed and then approximately ten years ago, as I heard someone say that God does not like people to be lukewarm, I began to think deeply on this and to examine myself. I could see that I was lukewarm. At this point, I had just been attending church services on Sundays with not much else going on apart from praying, and even this was not so regular. I saw that this was not good and that I wanted to walk with God, to spend time learning more about God, to draw closer to Him and in relationship with Him. I believe it was at this time that I was truly saved.
It was a rough and hard journey from that point on. I began to experience extreme torment for about a month with thoughts against God – words that were put in my head about God which I would never think of saying. Not even when I worshipped idols! I knew and believed with my heart that Jesus was the true living God, so it just didn’t make sense, but I believed the lie! The enemy of my soul so tricked me into believing that these were my own thoughts, and I was attacked in this way often. I couldn’t sleep and being in such despair I felt as though I couldn’t do anything. I tried reading the Scriptures and calling different organisations for prayer, including during sleepless nights, but nothing helped. During this time, my mum was diagnosed with two types of cancer following a fall from a stairlift. She had cancer of the liver and in her back. I clung to the Lord even more, experiencing a deeper yearning to follow Him. I believe it was His grace which alerted me to my lukewarmness just before this very difficult period of my life. Although I so wanted my mother to get better and be healed, sadly on 11 March 2014 she passed away. There was little support from my siblings who are still Hindus and who, since my rejection of that religion for faith in Christ, do not hold me in any esteem.
For a month, leading up to the date of my mother’s death, I was still being tormented by the enemy of my soul but during this time I also began to hear a Voice – a clear Voice – speaking Scriptures. I can recall the first time I experience this: I was sitting on the floor, crying my heart out to God – wailing – and seeking relief from all the pain and torment, while listening to Christian music. I was especially desperate for freedom from the torment of the enemy which became extreme and more than I could bear. While sitting there on the ground, I opened my eyes and I saw a vision of my Lord Jesus Christ. The vision was very clear. He was sitting beside me, comforting me, knowing exactly what I was going through. It was comforting to know and feel the presence of the Lord in this time of deep anguish, pain, and suffering. I praise the Lord for His mercies, grace and love for me. The Scripture I heard was this:
“My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me, And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish:
neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27).
This was wonderful to me! Hearing God’s voice telling me and reminding me of His love for me; that He is my Comforter was a great comfort. Moreover, this was the assurance for me of salvation from the Lord and His deliverance from the torments I had been going through. It was a relief and enabled me to become at ease.
From then onward I began spending more time reading the Bible, spending time with the Lord. Even though my husband and I were baptized earlier in our lives as stated above, I didn’t really understand the significance of this at the time as I believe I was not truly born again then. I believe this did not happen until the experience of when the Lord spoke to me in my time of deep distress. From where I was – not knowing about the one true God – to then having a relationship with the Lord Jesus, knowing He is my friend, my Father, my brother, my everything, my consciousness of God continues to become even more sharper, stronger and clearer. I know God is everywhere with me, that He listens to everything, that He cares about every detail about me and that He really loves me. Lord Jesus the Christ laid down His life for me and every one of us to prove the true meaning of the love of God. As it is written, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for His friends” (John 15:13) and this to me is truly amazing!
Although it took time, I came to realise that having a faith in Lord Jesus Christ means having a personal relationship with Jesus our Creator. Hinduism, on the other hand, is a religion where you don’t feel god’s presence – you simply follow a tradition, visiting temples and praying to gods which are idols. Being alone in the presence of idols you don’t feel the peace, comfort and love which you have in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When did the assurance of salvation come? When did you know you were saved? Can you describe how that felt?
As mentioned above, that assurance came as I experienced the Lord speaking to me and I started spending more time praying, fasting and reading the Bible.
From Then to Now
Since then, can you share a little bit about how the Lord Yeshua has worked in your life?
Going back a little by way of explanation, I got married in my thirties to a lovely man raised in a Christian home. I lived with my husband in an extended family early on in our marriage and it felt good to be in a home with Christian praise and worship, although I struggled with the native Urdu language of my in-laws. As alluded to above, our marriage was not without obstacles. My husband was raised in a Christian home and so was not a Hindu and is from Pakistan, which displeased my parents and siblings. Also, at the time of our wedding, my husband was not strong in the Christian faith and my own understanding was fairly weak; so, it has been a journey where together we have grown strong in the faith over time and our lives have changed for the better.
One of the changes in my life is that when I don’t spend time with the Lord it feels like that there is something missing in the day – I experience conviction by the Holy Spirit when I do not dedicate time to God. I also have a better understanding of relationships in general through Lord Jesus. The most important part of mine and my husband’s life now is God. Everything is about God: talking about God; wanting to spend the time with the Lord; listening to the word; watching testimonies and seeking to grow in our faith as a family; praying for others and where the opportunity arises, sharing the Gospel or words of encouragement. During our marriage, the Lord also blessed us with a child together who we have and continue to raise in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have come to depend upon God for everything knowing there is nothing I can do without Him. I continue by His grace in trusting in Him with everything, knowing that only through Lord Jesus is this possible. With God there are no impossibilities!
Within the will of God, do you have any particular hopes for the future that you can share with us?
One hope for the future is that my family and I grow stronger and deeper in faith so by God’s grace we can serve the Lord, serving other people to fulfil His purpose and that His name be glorified.
I would also like to reach out more to my relatives who are from a Hindu background – aunties, uncles, cousins and even my siblings that stopped talking to me because I believe in Christ, amongst other things. I know one day it can happen but only through our Lord and Saviour Yeshua and I have that hope and belief that the impossible is possible through Him.
Last words
Can you share a Scripture passage through which the Holy Spirit has really encouraged, strengthened or instructed you in your walk of faith in Lord Yeshua?
Psalm 121.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 121 is the first Psalm (along with Psalm 23) I learnt and memorised when I came to hear of and to know the Lord Jesus the Christ. It is special to me and the one Psalm that I read almost every night or at the end of the day. A Psalm of God’s infinite power, it encourages and makes me happy knowing that the Lord Yeshua is my protector, my redeemer and my rock. He looks after His sheep and helps them by establishing them in a firm place by allowing them to stand with grace on the rock of His presence.
It reminds me of the love that the Lord has for me; that it is the same love that makes me lie down in green pastures and that I can rest in His care in peace. He leads me besides quiet waters and restores my soul. He protects us against every calamity – even when we sleep, our God in whom we believe neither slumbers nor sleeps. There is a promise for the Lord’s people – a huge comfort!
How peaceful and reassuring to read this Psalm and knowing that such help is readily available. How pleasant to be reminded of how precious we are to the Lord. This Psalm is also precious because it was the Psalm my daughter learnt first – a double blessing to my husband and I, for which we are both so thankful to the Lord.
Thank you Lord Jesus for loving us, giving us joy and happiness and for your eternal love and peace that we can only get from You. Amen.
Finally, how can sisters in the faith of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah pray for you?
My prayer request would be for the Lord to allow me, my husband and our daughter to be strong and remain faithful servants to Him until the end and let nothing ever be able to separate me and my loved ones from the love of our Lord Yeshua, according with Romans 8:38-39.
In addition, please pray that the Lord would enable me to share the Gospel with others with greater love, confidence and patience.
Finally, please also pray for all believers, including my loved ones, for Lord Jesus to give us all strength and courage to remain persistent in our afflictions and sufferings till our last breath, so that – somehow – we may manage to attain to the crown of righteousness, which He has set aside for His followers. As it is written: ‘Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life’ (Revelation 2:10).
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