He takes one woman hiding in a room with a secret Bible and uses her story to reach thousands.

I want you to understand something important.

My story is not special.

Not really.

Around the world right now, there are thousands of believers suffering persecution like I suffered.

Being arrested, being tortured, being executed for following Jesus in Afghanistan, in Iran, in North Korea, in China, in many countries, Christians are paying the price for their faith.

Some are delivered miraculously like I was, but many are not.

Many are martyed.

Many die for Jesus.

And their stories are just as important as mine.

More important maybe because they were faithful unto death.

They received the crown of life that Jesus promised.

Why was I saved when they were not? I do not know.

I have wrestled with that question a thousand times.

Survivors guilt is real.

Why me? Why not someone more important, more useful, more faithful? I do not have a full answer, but I know this.

God is sovereign.

God is good.

And God had a purpose in saving me.

Part of that purpose is this.

Telling you my story, being a voice, being a witness, showing the world that Jesus is real, Jesus is faithful, and Jesus is worth everything.

Let me tell you what I want you to take away from my story.

First, for believers, never take your freedom for granted.

If you live in a country where you can worship openly, where you can own a Bible, where you can speak the name of Jesus without fear, that is a privilege.

That is a gift.

Millions of Christians do not have that.

Do not waste it.

Use your freedom to worship boldly, to share the gospel fearlessly, to support those who do not have freedom.

Pray for the persecuted church.

We need your prayers.

Believers in dangerous places need your prayers more than we need anything else.

Pray for protection.

Pray for strength.

Pray for deliverance.

Pray for the gospel to spread despite persecution.

Your prayers matter.

Your prayers make a difference.

Support organizations that help persecuted believers.

Give, volunteer, use your resources to help those who are suffering for Christ.

There are networks like the one that saved me operating in dangerous places around the world.

They need support.

They need funding.

They need people who care.

Second, for doubters and seekers.

I gave up everything for Jesus.

Everything.

My country, my family, my safety, almost my life.

Why would I do that for something that was not real? Why would millions of Christians throughout history do the same? Why would people die for a lie? We would not.

We do not die for a religion.

We do not die for a philosophy.

We die for a person.

For Jesus, because he is real.

Because he revealed himself to us.

Because we know him personally, intimately, undeniably.

I found Jesus in the darkest place imaginable.

In Taliban ruled Afghanistan, in a cell awaiting execution, in the valley of the shadow of death.

And he was there.

He was real.

He was present.

He was faithful.

If he can meet me there, he can meet you anywhere.

You do not have to go to Afghanistan to find Jesus.

You do not have to face persecution.

You do not have to risk your life.

He is right here, right now, wherever you are.

All you have to do is seek him honestly, sincerely, with an open heart, and he will reveal himself to you.

He promises that in scripture you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Third, for Muslims and people of other faiths, I am not here to condemn Islam or any religion.

I respect religious searchers.

I respect sincere faith.

But I have to tell you the truth that changed my life.

Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the father except through him.

I know that is controversial.

I know that sounds exclusive.

But it is what Jesus himself said and it is what I discovered to be true.

I searched, I questioned, I looked for answers in many places and I found the truth in Jesus.

Not in a religion, not in rules, not in rituals, in a person, in a relationship.

In Jesus, he loves you.

Whether you are Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist or atheist or anything else, he loves you.

He died for you.

He rose for you.

He wants you to know him and he is calling you right now.

Can you hear him? I risked everything to follow Jesus.

And I would do it again a thousand times, a million times because he is worth it.

Because knowing him is worth any cost.

because eternal life with him is worth temporary suffering.

Let me tell you where I am now.

What my life looks like today.

I live in freedom, but I have not stopped teaching.

I teach online now.

Teaching Afghan women who are still in the country, who connect through secret internet, who hunger for education and for hope.

I teach them literacy.

I teach them English.

And yes, when they ask, I tell them about Jesus carefully, wisely, but honestly.

Some have believed, some have asked how to become Christians.

And I connect them with the underground network, with other believers who can help them.

The secret church is growing despite persecution, despite danger, despite everything.

The gospel is spreading.

I work with refugee organizations.

I help translate.

I help other Afghan refugees adjust to life and freedom.

I share my story at churches and conferences and universities.

I write articles.

I do interviews.

I use every opportunity to tell what God did.

And I pray.

Oh, how I pray.

I pray for Afghanistan.

For the Taliban to encounter Jesus like Rasheed did.

For the country to be free someday.

for justice and peace.

I pray for my family.

I have not been able to contact them, but I pray that somehow God is protecting them, providing for them, maybe even revealing himself to them.

I pray for every believer still in Afghanistan, for protection, for strength, for perseverance, for God to hide them like he hid me, for miracles, for deliverance.

And I pray for you.

Yes, you listening to my story right now.

I pray that God will use my story to touch your heart, to draw you to Jesus, to strengthen your faith, to increase your compassion for persecuted believers, to change your life.

Because that is why I am sharing this.

Not for sympathy, not for attention, not to make myself seem brave or special, but to glorify Jesus, to show what he can do, to demonstrate his faithfulness, to prove that he is real.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

He is real.

He is faithful.

He is powerful.

He is loving.

He is present.

He is everything he claims to be.

And he is calling you to know him, to follow him, to give your life to him.

Is he worth it? Yes.

A thousand times? Yes.

A million times? Yes.

Would I go through it all again? The persecution, the arrest, the cell, the sentence, the terror, the escape, the loss of everything.

Yes, I would because it led me to Jesus.

because it made me know him in a way I never could have otherwise.

Because it gave me a story to tell that points people to him.

The cost was high but the gain was infinite.

I lost a country but gained a kingdom.

I lost a family but gained a father.

I lost my life but found true life.

I lost everything and gained everything.

This is my testimony.

This is my truth.

Jesus Christ saved my life.

He delivered me from death.

He walked with me through the valley of the shadow of death.

He performed miracle after miracle to keep me alive.

And he did it all for his glory and for his purposes.

And he can do the same for you.

Whatever darkness you are in, whatever valley you are walking through, whatever fear you are facing, whatever pain you are enduring, Jesus is there.

Jesus is real.

Jesus is faithful and Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you.

My name is Nor Jahan.

It means light of the world.

I did not choose that name, but God knew because the true light of the world found me in the deepest darkness.

found me in Taliban ruled Afghanistan, found me in a prison cell, found me sentenced to death, and he saved me, delivered me, brought me into his marvelous light.

And if he can find me there, he can find anyone anywhere.

No darkness is too dark for him.

No place is too far for him.

No situation is too hopeless for him.

He is the light of the world and he is calling you out of darkness into his light.

Will you answer? Will you come to him? Will you let him save you like he saved me? This is my testimony.

This is my truth.

This is my life.

Jesus Christ saved me and he can save you too.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you for caring.

Thank you for praying and may God bless you and draw you close to himself in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Epilogue.

As I finish sharing my story with you today, I want to leave you with one final thought.

Two years have passed since my arrest.

18 months since my escape.

Every day is a gift.

Every breath is a miracle.

Every moment of freedom is something I do not take for granted.

I still have nightmares.

I still carry trauma.

I still grieve for what I lost.

But I also have joy.

Deep, unshakable joy that comes from knowing Jesus, from being held by him, from experiencing his faithfulness in the most impossible circumstances.

The scars remain, but they tell a story.

A story of suffering, yes.

But more than that, a story of deliverance, of faithfulness, of a God who never abandons his children, of a savior who walks through fire with us, of a love that is stronger than death.

I do not know what the future holds.

I do not know if I will ever see Afghanistan again.

I do not know if my family will ever know what happened to me, why I disappeared, where I am now.

I do not know if I will see them again this side of heaven.

But I know who holds the future.

I know who holds me.

And that is enough.

To the believers listening, be faithful, be bold, be courageous.

Jesus is worth everything.

Never deny him.

Never be ashamed of him.

Never hide your faith out of fear.

He is worthy of everything we have to give.

To the seekers listening, keep searching.

Keep asking questions.

Keep pursuing truth.

Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you.

Seek and you will find.

Knock and the door will be open to you.

” He meant it.

If you seek him sincerely, you will find him.

He is waiting for you.

To the doubters listening, I understand doubt.

I lived in doubt for years.

But I am telling you with every fiber of my being, with all the authority of someone who has walked this path, Jesus is real.

He is not a myth, not a fairy tale, not a crutch for weak people.

He is God.

He is real.

And he will prove himself to you if you give him a chance.

To the persecutors, if any are listening, I forgive you.

All of you.

The ones who arrested me, the ones who beat me, the ones who sentenced me to death.

The ones who tried to kill me, I forgive you because Jesus forgave me because he commands me to forgive because forgiveness is the only path to freedom.

And more than that, I pray for you.

I pray that you will encounter Jesus like I did, like Rasheed did, that your eyes will be opened, that you will see the truth, that you will turn from darkness to light because God loves you, too.

Jesus died for you, too.

There is forgiveness available for you, too.

No matter what you have done.

Finally, to Jesus, thank you.

Thank you for finding me.

Thank you for saving me.

Thank you for never leaving me.

Thank you for the darkness because it led me to your light.

Thank you for the persecution because it made me know you deeper.

Thank you for the deliverance because it gave me this story to tell.

Thank you for your faithfulness.

Thank you for your love.

Thank you for your grace.

I am yours completely yours forever yours.

Use my life for your glory.

Use my story for your purposes.

Do with me whatever brings you the most glory.

I am willing.

I am ready.

I am yours.

To everyone listening, I leave you with the same words I heard in my darkest hour.

The words that carried me through the valley of the shadow of death.

The words that are still carrying me today.

Do not be afraid.

I am with you.

I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Jesus spoke those words to me in that cell.

And he speaks them to you today.

Right now, wherever you are, whatever you are facing.

Do not be afraid.

He is with you and he will never leave you.

This is my testimony.

This is his faithfulness.

This is the gospel truth.

Jesus Christ is Lord and he is worthy of everything.

May you come to know him.

May you follow him.

May you experience his love like I have experienced it.

May your life be transformed like mine has been transformed.

From darkness to light, from death to life, from fear to freedom, from despair to hope.

This is what Jesus does.

This is who he is.

This is why he is worth everything.

Thank you.

God bless you.

And may the true light of the world shine on you today and always.

Amen.

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