João
“Sometimes, they would force me to go a church close to my home. At school, we had exams. I prayed a little prayer and asked God to help me pass. I said, “If I pass, I will always go to church.” I passed and said, “Oh God, why has this happened to me?”
I started going to church. I heard the pastor preaching about having a relationship with Jesus. He said, “Be alone and try to talk with Him. Open your heart to Him.” I went home, closed the door to my bedroom, and started praying. I said, “Lord, I want to have a relationship with You. I want to be with You and know more about You.” In a few moments—yes, it was just a few moments—I started feeling something in my heart. It was like a peace, a big peace. I knew that there was something different. I was so happy, and I wanted to smile. I didn’t know why. I thought, “If I start smiling here, my father will think that I’m not okay.” I prayed to the Holy Spirit to help me be calm in this situation. After that day, I started having a different relationship with God. I started reading more of the Bible and praying with the worship team.
My uncle is a servant in the church. They called me and wanted me to be a leader over some young people. I knew that leading His people is not easy. It is something serious. I thought, “How can I be a leader if I have a problem with pornography or masturbation?” If I want to lead God’s people, I must leave this life of sin. I knew that if I was living in sin, I couldn’t be in God’s presence. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If I’m living with this sin, that means I won’t be able to help the people I am leading, especially if they have the same problem. I left this sin about four years ago. I’m now a Programmer at Equip Mozambique. If you are in sin, don’t go away from God. Get into His presence because there is no other place to go. I made the mistake of not going to Jesus. Repent and talk to God. My name is João, I'm human, and I surrender.”
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