--Never Say Never

One day Sharon and I met Debbie, and after talking for a while, Sharon asked Debbie if she would like to receive Jesus. She said she would, but halfway through the prayer Debbie raced off, on the verge of tears and apologizing profusely. “Jesus could never forgive me for my sins!” she shouted back at us.

I ran after her, took her by the arm, and said emphatically, “Yes, He can!”

She argued that He couldn’t and wouldn’t, and burst into tears. I also burst into tears over her obvious anguish, and we went back and forth for a few moments—her insisting that Jesus couldn’t forgive her and me insisting that He would—until finally she explained that she had had an abortion.

I quoted a few promises from the Bible that said plainly that she would be forgiven if she would only ask for and accept it. We talked for a long time, and in the end she prayed with me to receive His forgiveness. She had been carrying this burden for many years, but Jesus lifted it the moment she asked Him to!

--Debby Blettner, Australia

* * *

A friend of ours introduced us to his brother, Marco, and our conversation eventually turned to God’s love and forgiveness in Jesus.

“I belong to the other guy!” Marco replied, meaning the Devil.

And he looked like he did—at least at that moment. He was having a hard time talking or concentrating, and was probably either on drugs or drunk. Whatever the case, it was obvious that he was very unhappy and needed the Lord. We knew that if he would just pray with us to receive Jesus as his Savior, that would be the first step toward the Lord solving his problems.

“It’s impossible for me to change,” Marco would say every time we told him that Jesus loved him. “I’m too bad a sinner!”

Several of his friends were standing around, and they were quick to agree. “He’s too messed up,” they said. “He really needs help, but he’ll never change.”

Marco said he needed to get some fresh air, and we followed him outside. Away from his friends, we assured him once more that the Lord loved him personally, regardless of anything he had ever done. Marco’s eyes filled with tears, and he said he wanted to receive Jesus.

He repeated a short prayer after us, asking Jesus to come into his heart and forgive him for all the wrongs he’d done.

When we saw him a week later, he was like a different man!

--Esteväo and Ruth, Brazil