(From God Reports, godreports.com, 3/17/25). “Imagine growing up with the ambition of sacrificing your life for Islam. But that was the only way to be sure of salvation and eternal life, according to what Iranian Mohamad Faridi was told.
“In the meantime, he had to pay for his sins by self-inflicted punishment, flogging himself with sharp whips until he was thoroughly beaten and bruised, as many in Iran do even in public.
“’It’s all about earning Allah’s favor and I just wanted to be sure of God’s approval,’ explained Mohamad, who was born in Tehran in 1984. ‘But I was left with a sense of hopelessness.’
“Then, after his two-year mandatory army service ended, he met up with his friend Rasul, a formerly violent man who was now calm and peaceful. Rasul explained that he had become a Christian and that it was Jesus who had changed him.
“’He told me how Jesus was beaten, bruised, cut and crucified, how he had given up his life that I might have eternal life. Instead of needing to shed my own blood, Jesus had done it for me through his death on the cross.
“’The veil of deception was torn from my eyes as the word of God pierced my heart and I fell on my knees as Rasul led me in a simple prayer, repenting of my sins and asking Jesus (who rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion) to become the Lord and Savior of my life.
“’The burdens that felt like 500 pound weights fell from each of my shoulders…(click the title below to continue)