My Testimony

I am a retired Civil Engineer who did not think much about religion or religious belief. As a perfectionist I would analyse to excess and needed a scientific explanation for everything. I was not brought up in a strongly religious home and only went to church for weddings and funerals.

In mid 2022 I was watching YouTube on television in our bedroom. I saw first-hand accounts of Russian atrocities in Ukraine. The shelling of hospitals and private homes, and the killing of innocent children and their parents. I deeply felt the trauma brought on by these events. Confused crying children were staggering along not knowing where they were going or what their futures held. They were alone and moving along the same path as other refugees trying to escape the war. At that time I was not strongly religious. Despite that I prayed to God for the people of Ukraine. This was not something that I would normally do. I did it because I was deeply affected by the vision and feeling quite emotional. My prayers were genuine and I believe that for that reason they were heard. What followed had the immediate effect of changing my life and the strength of my religious belief. I became aware of a very strong white light coming into the room. The light totally absorbed me. There was a feeling of incredibly intense love and absolute peace. Also, a total absence of fear and anger. It was an unbelievably powerful life changing moment that I will never forget. These new feelings were what I can only describe as an ideal state of being. It was something that I wished to hold onto. I had earlier been feeling quite frustrated and a little angry with the world. Those feelings had disappeared in an instant. There was an immediate acceptance that negative events were unimportant. I no longer had any fear of death or anything else for that matter. Instantly I knew that humility, caring and a focus on helping others were the only important things in life. It was no longer about me. I no longer had any desire for selfish pursuits or for recognition and acclaim. I wished only to use my skills and knowledge to help other people. That was a reversal of my attitude at that time. These changes were immediate and long-lasting so I know that my prayers had an effect. Deep down I knew it was a meeting with the Holy Spirit or the Lord Jesus. As they say, “God lives within us all” and I know that it’s something that we all can find.

I became interested in Christian beliefs and purchased a bible, which I am now studying intently. My feeling that I have eternal life arose automatically when I received the Holy Spirit and lost all fear of death. It was not something that I concluded by reading the bible.

As a result of this I became a new person and my wife tells me, a better person. I am no longer interested in the technical things that interested me before. Now my greatest wish is to help others less fortunate than myself. This is a new appreciation of what is really important in life. It is no longer about me and this has brought me inner peace.

I have, since that experience, continued to change. I feel much calmer and tolerant and particularly notice this when driving. Other drivers no longer irritate me when they do something wrong. I simply forgive them and understand that we all make mistakes. That is clearly the ongoing impact of the Holy Spirit. I have now developed a website called whyreligionblog.com and hope to spread some goodness around the world. Heaven knows that’s needed.

I absolutely believe in the teaching of Jesus Christ and am now aware of the extent of His love. The peace that this has brought me and the confidence I have in His forgiving nature has reassured me that there is a place for me in heaven. I know that I have to remain faithful for this to be achieved.