Showing posts with label The-Overcomers-Testimonies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The-Overcomers-Testimonies. Show all posts

Monday, February 5, 2018

The Church of Almighty God | God Is the Power of My Life

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God Is the Power of My Life

Xiaohe  Henan Province

The Church of Almighty God, CCP’s persecution, Chinese Christians,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | God Is the Power of My Life
How time flies! Fourteen years have flashed by since I followed Almighty God. In these years, although I have undergone various trials and hardships and frustrations, with the company of God’s word and God’s love and mercy, I’ve been especially enriched in my heart. During these fourteen years, what was most deeply engraved on my heart was my being arrested in August, 2003. After I was arrested that time, I was cruelly tortured by the CCP police and was almost disabled. It was Almighty God who cared for and kept me and led me with his word of life time after time, so that I overcame the cruel tortures of the devils and stood testimony. In the experience, I deeply felt that the power of Almighty God’s word is transcendent and Almighty God’s life force is great. I firmly believed that Almighty God is the only true God who rules over everything and controls all things and is even more my only salvation and reliance. No hostile force can take me away from God’s hand or hinder my footsteps of following God.

Eastern Lighting | God’s Word Led Me to Overcome the Suppression of the Force of Darkness

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God’s Word Led Me to Overcome the Suppression of the Force of Darkness

Qiu Zhen  Zhejiang Province

Almighty God's word Saved Me, The Church of Almighty God,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | God’s Word Led Me
I believed in Jesus from childhood with my mother. In the days of my following the Lord Jesus, I was often moved by the Lord’s love, feeling that the Lord Jesus loved us so much that he was crucified and shed his last drop of blood for the sake of redeeming us…. At that time, the brothers and sisters all loved and sustained one another. We enjoyed the Lord’s love, but at the same time, we were persecuted and suppressed by the CCP government. The police labeled our house churches as having “illegal meetings.” They often raided our meeting places and ordered that we couldn’t have meetings unless we got the relevant license approved by the government. Otherwise, we would be arrested to be fined or sentenced. Once, my mother and another five or six brothers and sisters were arrested and interrogated by the police for a whole day. In the end, the police released them after confirming through investigation that they were all ordinary believers. From then on, in order to escape the government’s raids, we had to have meetings secretly. Even so, our faith wasn’t diminished. But later, I found that I got less and less enjoyment in the meetings. The preachers and believers formed cliques and intrigued against one another. Many believers grew cold in faith and loved the world and money, and they only cared about making money but were unwilling to attend meetings. The several believers who came to have meetings and listen to messages chatted to one another or dozed off. Seeing that the church became desolate day by day and the believers were scattered and went away, I was very sad but couldn’t do anything. In the second half of 1998, one of my relatives preached to me the end-time gospel of Almighty God, the returned Jesus. After hearing it, I was so excited that I shed tears for meeting with the Lord in my life. Since then, I eagerly read God’s word every day and understood many truths and mysteries from that. My thirsty heart received the watering and supply which I had never received before. Moreover, from God’s word, I knew the reason why the church was desolate. I read these words of God, “God’s work in all the other places will stop, and all people will be forced to search for the true way. It will be like the case of Joseph. Everyone went to him for things to eat and bowed down to him, because he had food to eat. In order to escape the disaster of starvation, all people will have to seek the true way. The entire religious world will suffer a severe famine. Only the God of today is the spring of living water and has the ever-flowing spring for people to enjoy. All people will turn to him.” (from “The Millennial Kingdom Has Come” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) So God has already done a new work, no longer working in the churches of the Age of the Grace. Only if we keep up with God’s new work can we have the leading of the Holy Spirit and the abundant supply of life. If one fails to keep up with the pace of God’s working, he won’t have the working of the Holy Spirit. Naturally his faith and love grow cold, and he is insensible even when committing sins and doing evil. It’s just like in the later phase of the Age of the Law. When the Lord Jesus started the new work, there was no working of the Holy Spirit in the temple where people worshiped God, and the temple naturally fell into darkness and became a place of buying and selling. Knowing the truths and mysteries we had never heard before and enjoying the pleasure brought by the Holy Spirit’s greatly working, my husband and I were both immersed in the happiness and joy of meeting with the Lord again. We often learned to sing hymns, danced to praise God, and had meetings fellowshipping about God’s word with the brothers and sisters. We became fresh and lively in spirit, as if seeing the beautiful scene of everyone being glad and joyful when the kingdom is realized. Unexpectedly, just when we followed God to walk the right way of human life with full confidence, the CCP government persecuted us cruelly….

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Eastern Lighting | God’s Love Strengthened My Heart

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God’s Love Strengthened My Heart

Xiao Li     Liaoning Province

Picture of The Church of Almighty God | God’s Love Strengthened My Heart
I had a harmonious family. My husband cared for and looked after me and our son was sensible and obedient, and moreover, our family was well-off. By rights, I should be very happy, but the fact was not so. No matter how good my husband and son were to me, and no matter how well-off my family was, it couldn’t make me happy. That was because I had lung disease, arthritis, and serious insomnia. I couldn’t sleep the whole night, my brain was lack of blood supply, and my limbs were weak. I felt very distressed but was unable to be free from them. The pressure in my business and the tortures of the illnesses caused me to suffer unspeakably. Those illnesses even more made me feel extremely miserable. To get free from those sufferings, I tried many ways, but in vain.

Friday, February 2, 2018

The Church of Almighty God | In Prison at the Prime of Youth

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In Prison at the Prime of Youth

Chenxi, Hebei Province

CCP’s persecution, The Church of Almighty God, Youth Chinese Christians,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | In Prison at the Prime of Youth
Everyone says the prime of our youth is the most splendid and purest time of life. Perhaps for many, those years are full of beautiful memories, but what I never would have expected was that I spent the prime of my own youth in prison. You might look at me strangely for this, but I do not regret it. Even though that time behind bars was full of bitterness and tears, it was the most precious gift of my life, and I gained a great deal from it.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Eastern Lightning | God’s Word Led Me to Forge Testimony

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God’s Word Led Me to Forge Testimony

Xiao Min  Shandong Province

Almighty God's Word, Eastern Lightning, Prayer to Almighty God,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | God’s Word Led Me to Forge Testimony
I was born in a poor and backward village, and lived in poverty from childhood. After I got married, to make my little life become rich as soon as possible, I worked and labored like crazy. In the end, I fell sick from overwork. The previously healthy me got many illnesses. Since then, I lived in the affliction of illnesses and began to see doctors and seek remedies everywhere. I spent a lot of money, but my illnesses never got better. In the spring of 1999, two sisters preached Almighty God’s end-time work to me. Through reading Almighty God’s word, I knew that Almighty God is the returned Savior Jesus and He can save man from all the miseries. As I read more and more of God’s words, I understood some truths, my outlook on life and my values changed somewhat, and my distressed and oppressed heart was released. Gradually, I recovered from my illnesses. I was deeply grateful to God, so I preached the gospel to testify God’s end-time work actively.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The Church of Almighty God | God’s Word Created Miracles of Life

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God’s Word Created Miracles of Life

Yang Li  Jiangxi Province

The CCP's persecution, Chinese Christians, The Church of Almighty God,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | God’s Word Created Miracles of Life
When I was a child, my mother died. I shouldered the family burden at a young age. After getting married, I was even more loaded down with the burden of life. Having fully tasted the hardship and misery of life, I gradually became depressed and silent and fiddled my life away day by day. In 2002, when the brothers and sisters preached Almighty God’s end-time work to me, I accepted it readily and also brought my husband and children before Almighty God. From then on, the brothers and sisters often came to my home to have meetings. We fellowshipped about God’s word and sang hymns and danced to praise God together. I felt great enjoyment in my heart and no longer felt distressed or worried. My children said that I was getting younger and younger and more and more cheerful. My family often read God’s word together. From God’s word, we understood many truths and also knew that God’s eager intention is to save man. To repay God’s love and bring those who had been afflicted by satan like me before God earlier to be saved, I went out to preach the gospel. Unexpectedly, I suffered the CCP government’s cruel persecution because of that….

The Church of Almighty God | The Song of Life in Tortures

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The Song of Life in Tortures

Gao Jing  Henan Province

Salvation, Prayer Almighty God, Chinese Christians,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Song of Life in Tortures

In 1999, I was fortunate to accept Almighty God’s end-time work. Through reading God’s word, I felt God’s holy, honorable, and righteous disposition, and knew that all these words are the expression of God’s life being. I had inexpressible moving in my heart. For the first time I felt the security and joy in the bottom of my heart brought by the working of the Holy Spirit. Since then, I desired more and more to gain these truths. After entering the Church of Almighty God, I saw that it was a new world completely different from the society. The brothers and sisters were all simple, kind-hearted, pure, and lively. Though we were from different places and had different social backgrounds and statuses, we were as dear as a family and loved and sustained each other, happily staying together. That made me truly feel that the life of worshiping God was so happy, joyful, wonderful, and sweet. Later, I read these words of God, “As a member of mankind and as one of the godly Christians, we all have the responsibility and obligation to offer up our body and heart for the accomplishment of God’s commission, because our whole being comes from God and exists because of God’s sovereignty. If our body and heart are not for God’s commission and not for the just cause of mankind, then our soul will be ashamed to face those who were martyred for God’s commission and will be even more ashamed to face God who provides us with everything.” (from “God Is Sovereign over the Destiny of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) From God’s words, I understood that as a created being, I should live for the Creator and consecrate and spend my whole being for God, and only this is the most worthy and meaningful life. Thus, when I heard that in the remote areas there were still many people who hadn’t heard Almighty God’s end-time gospel, I resolutely said goodbye to the brothers and sisters in my hometown and took the train going afar.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Eastern Lightning | On the Way of Tribulation, God’s Word Encouraged Me

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On the Way of Tribulation, God’s Word Encouraged Me

Chen Hui  Jiangsu Province

Almighty God Saved me, The Church of Almighty God,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | God’s Word Encouraged Me
I was born in an ordinary family. My father was a soldier. Influenced and nurtured by my father from childhood, I thought in my heart that soldiers should take serving their country and obeying orders as their bounden mission and dedicate themselves selflessly to the Party and the people, and I aimed to become a soldier in the future and walk along my father’s path. However, things that happened later changed my viewpoint of pursuit and way of life little by little. In 1983, I heard Jesus’ gospel. Because of the special leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, I, who had been poisoned by atheism and Red Education since childhood, was deeply moved by the Lord Jesus’ love. From then on, I stepped onto the way of believing in God. I began to attend church services, pray, and sing hymns to praise God. Such a life made me feel very secure and peaceful in my heart. But gradually I found that a problem always puzzled me and made me feel troubled and perplexed. That is, although I knew that the Lord Jesus taught people not to commit sins, I always involuntarily lived in a condition of “committing sins in the day and confessing them at night” and couldn’t hold on to the Lord’s teachings anyway. In order to solve this problem, I went to other house churches to have meetings, hoping to find a way out. But in the end, I was disappointed. In 1999, one of my relatives preached Almighty God’s end-time gospel to me, but as I was concentrating on making money at that time, I simply had no mind to follow God and pursue the truth. Not until one year later did I formally begin to attend meetings. Through constantly reading God’s word and having meetings and fellowshipping with the brothers and sisters, I understood many truths and knew God’s eager intention to save man, and felt that the responsibility and mission God gave to every one of us were great, so I joined in preaching the gospel actively. When I saw that many people came before God and gained God’s blessings and salvation, my faith became greater.

Monday, January 29, 2018

The Church of Almighty God | Regenerated in God’s Word

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Regenerated in God’s Word

Wang Gang Shandong Province

Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Regenerated in God’s Word
I was a peasant. As my family was poor, I kept working everywhere to make money, just wanting to live a better life through my own labor. However, in real life I saw that the lawful rights and interests of a rural worker like me couldn’t be guaranteed at all. My wages were often withheld for no reason. Deceived and exploited by others again and again, I couldn’t get the payment I deserved for a year’s hard work. I felt that the world was too dark! People lived by the law of the jungle like animals and contended with and fought against each other. There was simply no place for me to live. When I was extremely distressed and depressed in my heart and lost confidence in life, a friend preached Almighty God’s end-time salvation to me. From then on, I often had meetings with the brothers and sisters, and we prayed, sang, and fellowshipped about the truth together. We learned from each other and made up for each other’s deficiencies, and I felt especially happy and released. In the Church of Almighty God, I saw that there was no deception or distinction of position among the brothers and sisters. We were all simple and open and lived in harmony. In order to cast off the corrupt disposition and live out the likeness of a man and thus be saved, all of us were striving to pursue the truth, which let me taste the happiness of life and understand the value and meaning of life. Therefore, I always felt that I should preach the gospel so that more people who lived in darkness could come before God to be saved by God and see the light again. So, I joined in preaching the gospel to testify God. However, I never expected that I would be arrested by the CCP government for preaching the gospel and suffer the extremely cruel tortures and imprisonment.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Eastern Lightning | After Undergoing the Devil’s Affliction, I Knew More Clearly God’s Grace Is Precious

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After Undergoing the Devil’s Affliction, I Knew More Clearly God’s Grace Is Precious

Xu Qiang Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

The CCP's persecution, Chinese Christians, Eastern Lightning,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God
My name is Xu Qiang. I was once a project contractor. I led many people to undertake contracted projects every year and had a good income. In the eyes of my contemporaries, I had a happy family and smooth career and had a great future, so I should be the happiest man. However, while enjoying the material life, I felt an unexplainable emptiness in my heart. Especially in order to undertake contracted projects, I had to ingratiate myself with the leaders of the relevant departments all day, observing their speech and behavior and fawning and flattering them. All those had to be handled extremely well, or I couldn’t earn money. Moreover, people of the same trade intrigued against one another and guarded and schemed against one another, which made me exhaust all mental efforts…. Thus, I felt very bitter and tired and felt as if I became a puppet and a moneymaking machine, losing my dignity and integrity completely. In 1999, I accepted Almighty God’s end-time work. The feeling of release in the church life and the simplicity and honesty of the brothers and sisters made me deeply moved. I liked very much to live the church life and even more liked to stay with the brothers and sisters, and I treasured such time very much. As I read God’s word and attended meetings constantly, I understood many truths and was greatly released in my heart. I felt very thankful that I had found the true human life and the true happiness. And my heart was full of gratitude to God. If God didn’t save me from the sea of misery of the world, I would never have hope in my life. Later, I began to preach the gospel, running joyfully and tirelessly among the people who investigated the true way, so that they could receive Almighty God’s salvation earlier.
However, in China, this atheistic country, people don’t have any democracy or human rights. Especially people who believe in God and worship God will be even more oppressed and persecuted by the government. On December 18, 2005, I was arrested by the police. From then on, my hellish life began…. After experiencing that miserable life, I truly felt that God’s word is my life and my true love. If it were not for God’s word leading me and giving me strength and faith all the time, I couldn’t possibly have lived till today. God’s grace of salvation is unforgettable to me for life.
That morning, several brothers and sisters and I were having a meeting. Suddenly, there was a violent knocking on the door. Before we could have much thought, more than ten cops had broken in. They all stared with angry eyes and bore murderous looks on their faces. That scene was just like that of arresting the most serious escaped criminals in movies. Before saying any words, they took off all our shoes for fear that we might run away, and then they pulled out our belts and bound our hands backward. They took away all our things, such as cell phones, watches, cash, and so on. The evil cops roared and ordered us to kneel in a row against the wall. If we acted slowly, they pressed us down on the floor by pushing and kicking us. After that, they ransacked boxes and chests here and there. Only a short time later, the house was turned into a complete mess. Seeing that, I asked them indignantly, “We didn’t break the law. Why do you arrest us?” Unexpectedly, an evil cop rushed over and knocked me to the floor and roared at me fiercely, “You believers in God are exactly the ones we are catching. If we don’t weed you out, we can’t even sleep soundly.” The roar of rage shocked me and made me sober, “The one the devil hates is God. How can it let us believers in God off? I’m really too blind and ignorant!” Then I prayed to God silently to keep us, so that we could stand testimony and would not betray God. After a short time, the cops who guarded us questioned me, “Who asked you to preach everywhere? Who’s the church leader?” I said, “We all preach the gospel voluntarily.” He cursed, “Nonsense! Don’t be tough-lipped, bastard. See what awaits you shortly!” Just then, the roaring abuse of a female cop came from another room, “Bring me a needle. How dare you hide yourself! …” My heart flew up into my mouth immediately. Then I realized that a young sister among us was missing. She tried to hide herself and escape the evil cops’ arrest, but she was found. Seizing the young sister, the evil cop used a steel needle to prick the flesh under her fingernails and the arches of her feet furiously and pulled off her hair strand by strand savagely. In the end, they left behind that young sister who fainted, and took us together with the possessions they plundered from us and left the scene quickly.
Around noon, the evil cops took us to the police station and then interrogated us separately. The one in charge of my interrogation was a tall and sturdy evil cop. As soon as he entered the interrogation room, he shouted at me to kneel to him. I said, “I only worship God. Only the Ruler of the heavens and the earth and all things is worthy of man’s kneeling. I’ll never kneel to you!” On hearing that, he pointed at me and roared, “I tell you, even if the king of hell comes here, he has to walk sideways! Who the fuck are you? If I don’t let you taste death several times, you won’t know ‘Prince Ma’ has three eyes. Get down on your knees!” As he said that, he kicked me down to the floor. Then he questioned me, “Come clean with me! Are you a church leader? Where are the church books kept?” I was somewhat flustered in my heart and didn’t know how to respond. I could only keep calling to God to give me wisdom, so that I could deal with the devil. After praying, I calmed down and had strength in my heart: I would rather die than sell out the brothers and sisters and betray God! So I said to him, “I know nothing about your questions. What can I say?” As soon as I finished my words, the evil cop punched my head violently and then kicked and beat me wildly. I was beaten so badly that I saw stars and felt that the sky and the earth were spinning around. My head ached unbearably as if it split and I fell headlong to the floor. Then he took the notes for preaching the gospel searched out from me, and threatened me, “Look. The evidence is in our hands. You’re still fucking tight-lipped! Speak! Are you a leader? If not, you won’t have such things!” Seeing me say nothing, he switched the tone and coaxed me, “Don’t be stubborn. Cooperate with us actively and tell all that you know, and you can leave tomorrow.” At that time, God inspired me to think of his words, “When satan is warring against God in the spiritual realm, how should you satisfy God? How should you stand the testimony for God? You should know that every time a thing comes, it is a great trial to you, and it is the time God needs you to bear a testimony. Outwardly, it seems to you that they are not big things, but when they come, you will be revealed as to whether you love God. If you love God, you can stand the testimony for God. …” (from “Only Loving God Is Truly Believing in God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words made me see clearly that it was a war in the spiritual realm. I can’t fall into satan’s scheme and I must stand testimony for God. No matter how much evidence they say they’ve had, I can’t reveal any information of the church. This is the faithfulness that I should keep and is the testimony of my practicing loving God. Through the prayer, I calmed down gradually in my heart. No matter how they tortured me, I kept silent all the time. Finally, the evil cops slammed the door and left exasperatedly.
After a short time, another male cop over thirty years old came in. He helped me up from the floor and sat me down on the chair slowly, and he gave me a cup of water. He said to me, “Brother. Drink some water. You have suffered.” I was surprised, “What’s the matter? How come there is someone calling me ‘brother’ in such a place?” Not giving me more time to think, he continued, “Brother. We should be realistic about the life and be flexible in everything. If you behave like this, they’ll beat you to death. To be candid with you, I also believed in God before. I know it’s a good thing to believe in God. But if because of believing in God, you suffer so much and even die, it’s not worthwhile! If you’re sentenced, it’ll bring shame on all your family. Your parents are still alive, aren’t they? If you’re imprisoned for several years, they’ll have passed away when you get out. What will your relatives think of you? …” As my affection to my parents was strongest, each of his words was a dagger to my heart, and the figures of my old parents appeared before my eyes. I suddenly became dark and weak within, “Right. If I’m sentenced and imprisoned, how shall my parents live? Who will take care of them? …” At the thought of that, I couldn’t help shedding tears. The evil cop immediately seized the opportunity to coax me, “So, cooperate actively with them, and you’ll be free tomorrow.” When hearing this word, I sobered up suddenly and a very clear word appeared in my mind, “Never be a Judas and betray God!” That was close! The cunning evil cop was sent by satan to entice me to betray God. At that moment, God’s words guided me, “…only faithfulness can counter the devils’ schemes.” (from “The Tenth Piece of Word” of God’s Utterance to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh) Then I said to him, “Thanks for your kindness. I appreciate it, but I know nothing about the church.” Failing to achieve his purpose, the evil cop flew into a rage and exposed his true colors. He pointed at me and cursed fiercely, “You just wait for death!” As he said that, he pulled me down from the chair and dragged me to the door by seizing my collar, and handcuffed me to a beam in the room. In the end, leaving a word, “Take your time ‘enjoying’ it,” he went away. My feet couldn’t touch the floor at the same time. When one touched the floor, the other had to be lifted. As my body swayed, the handcuffs stuck into my flesh, and it hurt sharply. Nearly an hour later, the evil cops came back after being satiated with food and drink. With a heinous grin, they asked me how I felt. At that time, because of pain, my cotton jacket and cotton pants were already soaked in sweat. When I was put down, my hands were as swollen as bread and had no sensation. That gang of evil cops were really cruel and merciless. I hated them bitterly in my heart. At the same time, my hatred toward the CCP, the evil party, rose sharply.
At past 7 p.m. that day, the evil cops forced the other four sisters and me into a police car and were going to take us to another place. All the sisters were pale, and I could see that they had also suffered cruel tortures. We encouraged each other with firm eyes. After arriving at the detention house, the evil cops only dropped the four sisters off and then continued to drive on. I asked them where they would take me. A cop said with a conspiratorial smile, “Although you said nothing, we know you’re not a small potato, so we dare not neglect you. We’ll treat you to a ‘midnight snack.’ …” I knew those evil cops wouldn’t have good intentions, so I dared not relax for a single moment in my heart. I silently kept calling to God to give me strength and keep me from betraying God. I was taken to the National Security Team, and two sturdy guys received me. They took me into the interrogation room. I saw that the torture devices were spread all over the floor, like silent hungry tigers, making my blood run cold. Then, an evil cop said to me venomously, “We heard you’re quite tough, ah? We just like to gnaw hard bones! …” Before he finished the words, two evil cops rushed at me and pulled my ears forcefully as they roared. In the dim light, I saw two ferocious and twisted faces, and my heart couldn’t help thumping. At that time, I heard one evil cop laugh wildly and say, “It’s your bad luck to meet me today. I’ll let you take a shower first….” As he said that, he seized me and stripped off all my clothes by tearing and pulling. I stood naked on the icy floor, my whole body twitching and my teeth chattering with cold. The evil cop pulled over a water pipe and directed it at me and opened the valve. In an instant, a jet of strong and icy cold water hit my body. My skin ached unbearably as if being cut by a knife, and I felt as if all my blood had congealed. After a short time, my body didn’t have any sensation. As the evil cops blasted water at me, they roared, threatening me, “If you’re sensible, tell us quickly. Otherwise, you won’t see tomorrow’s sun!” I choked back the pain and bowed my head and kept silent. An evil cop gnashed his teeth and said that he would warm me up, that is, he would give me electric shocks. At that time, I had already been tortured till I had no strength at all, feeling that death was approaching me step by step. I hurried to call to God in my heart, “God! Man is too small and can’t do anything for you. Today I’m willing to shame satan with death. May you keep my heart from staying away from you or betraying you at any time.” They forcibly pried open my mouth and stuffed a wet towel into it. The other end of the towel was connected with a wire, the other end of which was clipped on my ear. Then, they pressed the switch in their hand. In a flash, I felt that all my blood rushed toward my head, feeling as if my head would explode. I ached so much, feeling as if my eyes would burst out. Every nerve in my body was twitching violently, and I felt as if they were breaking. Seeing me overwhelmed with pain, those evil cops all laughed loudly. Only a few moments later, I fainted. Immediately following that, they sobered me up with a basin of cold water. When I woke up, the towel was still in my mouth. The evil cops asked me with a heinous grin, “How was the taste? If you want to say something, you can nod your head.” Then, I thought of God’s words, “When man gives up his life completely, nothing is difficult. No one can daunt him. Is there anything more important than ‘life’? In that case, satan cannot possibly do anything on man and has no way to do with man.” (from “The Interpretation of the Thirty-sixth Piece of Word” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words made me become more resolute in my choice. I thought, “Do as you wish. Anyway, I only have one life and the worst is to die. But don’t you expect to draw one word from my mouth.” I didn’t answer him and closed my eyes and didn’t look at him. My action irritated the evil cop and he wired me up once again. This time the electric current was more powerful than last time. I cried anxiously in my heart, “God! Save me! I can’t take it.” Just at that moment, the scene of the Lord Jesus being crucified appeared before my eyes clearly: The ferocious soldiers hammered a half-foot-long iron nail into the Lord’s palm, which pierced through his skin and his bone…. The sufferings Jesus underwent made me heartbroken. I couldn’t help crying loudly and prayed to God in my heart, “God! You’re holy. You are not of sin. But for the sake of saving mankind, you handed over yourself to the evil ones and were crucified, shedding your last drop of blood for redeeming us mankind. God! I’m an extremely corrupt man and one who should perish. Since I’ve accepted your salvation and have the fortune to experience your work, I should offer up myself for you. God! I know clearly that now you’re by my side, accompanying me in suffering. You’ve been loving me and expending for me all the time. I’m willing to dedicate my everything to satisfy you, so that you’ll no longer suffer for me and worry about me.” At that time, the two evil cops stopped shocking me. Seeing that God sympathized with my weakness, I was full of gratitude to God in my heart. Then, although they didn’t stop afflicting me, I felt no more pain. I knew that God kept me and bore the pain for me. My heart was so deeply touched by God’s love that I kept shedding tears. Later, another cop came in. He cast a glance at me and then said to the two evil cops, “Don’t beat him anymore. You see, he’s been beaten so badly but he still doesn’t tell anything. He surely knows nothing.” Then, they stopped. I knew it was out of God’s wonderful manipulation and arrangement. God didn’t permit the gang of devils to harm my life, and so he maneuvered person, matter, and thing to stop it. I truly felt God’s love.
The evil cops were defeated and stopped interrogating me. Around midnight, I was taken to the detention house. An officer took me to a cell where more than 30 prisoners were detained. When he opened the door and let me enter, I heard him say to the head of the cell with an insidious smile, “In a while, just do it quietly. Don’t make too much noise.” The head of the cell threw a glance at me and looked me up and down. He twisted his mouth and said to the officer, “Trust me!” Before I knew what was happening, the head’s face darkened and he lowered his voice to give a command, “Old rules, buddies, start!” All the prisoners sat up and glared at me fiercely, making me very frightened. The head waved his hand and those people rushed at me like ferocious wolves. They held me and stripped me naked and then lashed my body hard with the soles of flat-heeled shoes. In the end I fainted. When I woke up, it was already 6 o’clock the next morning. I saw I was put in a corner and my body was so swollen that I couldn’t put clothes on. Just like that, I lay on the big board for six whole days. I was covered with wounds. Moreover, the flesh in my mouth had been burned by the evil cops with electricity and become dead. I ached so much that I couldn’t even take a bite. The officers were afraid that I might die and bring them trouble, so they asked the prisoners to take turns feeding me some vegetable soup.
When my wounds healed a little bit, instigated by the evil cops, the prisoners continued to bully and humiliate me. They required me to recite the prison regulations every morning. If I couldn’t recite them well, they would beat me. They also asked me to do the cleaning and wash clothes for the rich prisoners. Whenever I was a little careless, they would punch and kick me. They knew I’m a believer in God, so they often said a lot of words of blaspheming God intentionally before me to provoke and humiliate me, “Is it that you believers in God don’t feel pain while being beaten and don’t feel tired after working? Is it that it doesn’t matter no matter how many sufferings you undergo? …” To torture me, they even required me to clear the commode with my hands. It was so disgusting that I felt like vomiting my guts out. They also required me to brush the floor tiles with a toothbrush and purposely threw my steamed buns in the commode. When the officer inspected sanitation in our cell, he would take off his shoes and walk round in white socks. If he found his socks stained, he would punch and kick me…. Facing the evil cops’ endless torments, I was very weak and depressed in my heart. I thought it was better to die than to live like that. When I was extremely distressed and weak, God’s words gave me faith and power to live. God says, “Maybe you all remember this word: ‘For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.’ In the past, you all heard this word, but none of you understood its true meaning. Today, you deeply know its real meaning. This word will be accomplished by God in the end time, and it will be accomplished in people in the dwelling place of the great red dragon who are cruelly persecuted by the great red dragon. Because the great red dragon is the persecutor of God and the enemy of God, people in this place all suffer humiliations and persecutions for believing in God. So, this word is accomplished in you group of people.” (from “Is God’s Work So Simple as People Imagine?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words made me realize this: Today I’m humiliated and tortured for believing in God and this is God’s exceptional uplifting and also my honor! But I’m cowardly and spineless. I lose faith in God because my flesh suffers a little, unwilling to suffer for repaying God’s love. In order to save me, God has expended so much painstaking effort and price. How can I “repay” God in this way? How can I respond to him with passivity against my conscience like this? No! I’ll never be a spineless weakling! I’ll never let God’s name be shamed because of me! So, I hurriedly prayed to God, “God! Thank you for inspiring me to understand the meaning of suffering. I’m willing to endure all sufferings for your glory. Even if I have to be imprisoned for life, I’ll satisfy you. May you be with me and inspire and guide me, so that I can bear a strong and resounding testimony for you in satan’s affliction.” After the prayer, I felt I had strength all over and had courage to face the environment of suffering.
Over ten days later, the evil cops came to interrogate me again. They threatened me that it wasn’t too late for me to cooperate with them then, and otherwise they would make my following days harder. After experiencing the brutal tortures several times, I had already seen through their devilish substance and hated them to the core. So, no matter how they coaxed, threatened, and frightened me, I was strong in faith and never wavered. Later, they came to interrogate me every half a month. Finally, failing to get any information from me, they sentenced me to two years of hard labor on the charge of “disturbing the social order and having illegal meetings.”
On February 24, 2006, I was sent to a labor camp. Because of believing in God, I was convicted as a “political offender.” The prison guards deliberately assigned me to labor in the brick works, where the work was the hardest and most tiring and dangerous. My task was to take the burned bricks out of the kiln. The temperature in the kiln was at least 300 degrees Celsius. The temperature was the lowest in the morning, but it was still at least over 100 degrees Celsius. We worked in such a great heat, but the prison guards didn’t provide us with any heat-resistant work clothes. The safety helmets we wore would melt after we stayed in the kiln house for two minutes. In order not to be burned, we had to hold our breath and go in and out quickly. Because we didn’t have any heat-resistant shoes, after entering the kiln house, we could only stand on our feet alternately. If we were a bit careless, our feet would blister. When we first worked there, we weren’t accustomed to it. We had to run out after being in it for less than five seconds. The captain arranged for the group leader to hold a PVC pipe filled with sand to lash whoever ran out. Such a pipe couldn’t break bones, but it could leave a red mark on one’s skin and cause his flesh to swell up. The prisoners called it a “cramp stick.” We dared not inhale in the kiln house, because if we did, we would feel as if drawing fire into our nostrils. After fishing out a few bricks, we had to pull the cart and run out. If the tire blew out, we would not only be punished but also be imposed on a longer term of imprisonment on the charge of “damaging the work tools and resisting reform.” Our daily task was to carry 115 carts of big bricks and 95 carts of small bricks. It was impossible for us to finish the task in such a great heat. However, the prison guards never asked why you couldn’t finish it, but asked why you resented laboring. Because I sweated too much while working in the great heat, I had an acute sodium deficiency and fainted on the ground several times. They just threw me on the kiln wall and let me cool down for a few minutes. After I woke up, they let me drink a cup of salt water and then go on working. It was the first time for me to taste what it meant to reach the limit, what it meant to suffer unspeakably, and what it meant to feel worse than death. There, no one would care whether you were alive or dead. The captain only cared whether the task of your group had been finished. If the task was finished, he said nothing. If not, he said nothing either. He just pointed at the door of the kiln house and left. The group leader would then call those who didn’t finish the task into the kiln house and beat them up. When they fell down, their body got burned by the great heat of the ground and blistered all over. Apart from that, he would also add another 20 carts of bricks to their daily task until they begged for mercy. Facing such an environment, I was very weak in my heart. Having been tormented for several days, I felt as if having made a trip to hell. I thought, “What a long term two years is!” I didn’t know how to pass the future days, fearing that even if I wouldn’t be beaten to death by the evil cops, I would be scorched to death by the great heat. The more I thought, the more I felt I had no way to go. I really couldn’t bear staying in the demon’s prison any longer. Then I thought of dying. In the days that followed, I looked for an opportunity of “getting released” every day. Finally, the opportunity came. One day, when a truck loaded with bricks started to leave, I rushed under the truck. But the wheels suddenly stopped only one foot away from me. It turned out that the truck broke down. A few prisoners dragged me out. The leading captain said that I “didn’t obey the discipline and my old nature didn’t change” and began to punish me. They put an electric baton which was sparking into my bosom. I writhed on the ground from the pain. Then, they handcuffed my hands backward to a wire pole and beat me savagely with the electric batons. After supper, they held a criticizing meeting to “remediate” my thoughts…. Endless sufferings and tortures made me feel extremely terrified, desperate, and helpless. Just when I was struggling and hovering for how to live on, a passage of God’s words arose in my mind, “No matter how God refines you, you are full of faith, do not lose faith in God, and have done what man should do. What God requires of man are these. Man’s heart can turn to him completely and can be toward him every moment. This is the overcomer. The overcomer God speaks about is one who, under the influence of satan and the siege of satan, that is, in the forces of darkness, can still stand the testimony, and can still keep his original faith and keep his faithfulness to God. In any case, you can still keep your pure heart before God and keep your true love for God. Thus you have stood the testimony before God. This is the overcomer God speaks about.” (from “You Should Hold on to Your Faithfulness to God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) Right! God will ultimately make a group of overcomers. This group of overcomers can still keep their faith and faithfulness to God and live by God’s word and finally stand testimony for God before satan in any adverse environment. However, today satan tortures and afflicts me by every possible means, just attempting to use my weakness in the flesh to strike me down and force me to betray God. I can’t become the sign of shame! God loves me with deep and earnest affection. Even when I wanted to die because of my weakness in the flesh, God still cared for and kept me in secret and didn’t let me die. No matter how weak I was, God never intended to give me up or changed his love for me, but still inspired and led me, so that I could walk out of the dense fog. I’ll never disappoint and grieve God. I thanked God for leading me to see through satan’s scheme again, so that I came back from the jaws of death. I couldn’t help singing a hymn of life experience silently, “I will offer the sweetest to God, and leave the bitterest to myself; I will firmly stand God’s testimony, and never again yield to satan. Ah! Head can be cut off and blood can be shed, but the backbone of God’s people cannot be bent; God’s charge is on my mind. I resolve to shame the old satan. Let tears shed in my heart; I’d rather endure great humiliations than cause God’s heart to be worried.” (from “I Wish to See the Day God Gains Glory” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs)
When I was obedient and willing to endure all sufferings to satisfy God, God made a way out for me. As the captain was illiterate, he asked me to write reports for him. Since then, my task of carrying bricks was reduced. Later, an elderly sister of the church came to visit me. She held my hands, saying tearfully, “Child, you have suffered. The brothers and sisters are all very worried about you and pray for you every day. You should be strong! Don’t bow your head before satan. Exert more strength for the sake of God’s uplifting. We’re all waiting for your coming back.” In that ruthless hell on earth, except for God’s words of comfort, I had never heard a warm word from others. Now when I heard the kind words of the brothers and sisters, which I hadn’t heard for a long time, I felt greatly comforted and encouraged in my heart. In a long time after that, I was encouraged by God’s love. I felt much relieved in my heart and had the energy to work. Those days went by fastest in my prison life. Especially during the last four months, every month I ranked first on the list of the people who got a reduced sentence. Before, only heads of the cells, group leaders and the prisoners on sentry duty could be given a commuted sentence every month. The prisoners who had no money or power could never have their turns, much less could a Christian convicted as a “political prisoner” by the CCP like me enjoy such treatment. So the prisoners often surrounded me and asked, “How did you make it?” At such times, I would thank God from my heart, because I knew that it was God’s great mercy to me and that it was God’s love that brought me strength.
On September 7, 2007, I was released after serving my sentence. Not long afterward, I returned to the church and lived the church life again, and joined in preaching the gospel once again. After experiencing that tribulation, I became stronger and more mature than before and I even more cherished the opportunity of performing duty. As I saw the true face of the CCP government’s resisting God and afflicting man, I felt more deeply that God’s salvation is precious. If God hadn’t been incarnated and personally worked to save man, all men living under satan’s domain would be afflicted and devoured by satan. Therefore, my mentality of performing duty was greatly different from before. I thought that it was so important to spread the gospel work and save souls, so I was willing to be faithful and spend my lifetime energies to bring more people before God, so that they could also wake up from the deceiving and fooling of the atheistic political party and receive the life supply from God and gain God’s salvation. In the two years of long prison life, satan attempted to use its despotic power to force me to betray God, but God, through that adverse environment, perfected my faith in God and my faithfulness and obedience to God, purified me of my mixtures in loving God, and made me know God’s wisdom and almightiness and deeply realize that God is salvation and love to man! I have infinite worship and praise in my heart for God!
Source: "After Undergoing the Devil’s Affliction, I Knew More Clearly God’s Grace Is Precious" in The Overcomers’ Testimonies

Recommendation:  The Church of Almighty God was founded by Almighty God personally , About The Eastern Lightning

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Eastern Lightning | After the Afflictions, I Have a Firmer Love for God

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After the Afflictions, I Have a Firmer Love for God

Zhang Ren Jiangxi Province

Picture of The Church of Almighty God | I Have a Firmer Love for God
My name is Zhang Ren, and I’m a Christian in the Church of Almighty God. Since I began to know things, I saw my parents labor hard in the fields from morning till night every day for making money. Although they exerted much effort, they couldn’t earn much money after one year’s labor. So my family had been living a very poor life. When I saw those influential people live well without needing to labor hard, I envied them from the bottom of my heart. And I made a firm resolution that I would build up a career or get an official post after I grew up, so as to shake off our poverty and backwardness and let my parents live the life of the rich. However, after I strived for this ideal for years, it was still not fulfilled, and we still lived a very poor life. I often felt depressed and sighed for my accomplishing nothing, and I gradually lost my confidence in life. Just when I was discouraged and disappointed at life, Almighty God’s end-time salvation came upon me. From Almighty God’s word, I knew the root of man’s suffering in living in this world and also understood how to live in a most meaningful and worthy way. From then on, I, lost and helpless, found the direction of life, came out of depression and decadence, had vitality and vigor, and saw the hope of life. Later, in order that those who still lived in misery and helplessness could also receive this rare salvation, I ran around preaching God’s end-time salvation actively. But unexpectedly, during my preaching the gospel, I was arrested by the CCP government twice and suffered brutal and inhuman tortures…. In the dark den of the devil, Almighty God had always been with me, and his word gave me faith and strength, leading me to overcome satan’s influence of darkness time after time, so that my love for God became stronger.

Friday, January 26, 2018

Almighty God salvation | The Persecution and Tribulation Made Me Love God More

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5. The Persecution and Tribulation Made Me Love God More

Liu Zhen    Shandong Province

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Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Persecution and Tribulation Made Me Love God More

Eastern Lightning | From Suffering Is Emitted the Fragrance of Love

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4. From Suffering Is Emitted the Fragrance of Love

Xiaokai, Jiangxi Province

Picture of The Church of Almighty God | From Suffering Is Emitted the Fragrance of Love
I’m an ordinary country woman and, because of the feudalistic idea of only valuing male children, I was unable to raise my head in front of others for shame at having borne no son. Just when I was suffering the most, I was chosen by the Lord Jesus and, two years later, I accepted the salvation of Almighty God. Moreover, I understood much truth from within the words of Almighty God and my heart obtained true release. However, while I was performing my duty to repay God’s love, I was twice arrested by the CCP government and I suffered brutal torture and torment at the hands of the CCP’s pawns. Just when I was on the verge of death, the words of Almighty God guided me and inspired me and caused me to stand witness in the midst of Satan’s cruel harm, thereby strengthening my determination to follow God and love God for all my life.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Eastern Lightning | God’s Love Was With Me in the Devil’s Dark Prison

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1. God’s Love Was With Me in the Devil’s Dark Prison

Yang Yi, Jiangsu Province

Prayer God, The Church of Almighty God, The Overcomers Testimonies,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | God’s Love Was With Me in the Devil’s Dark Prison

Monday, October 16, 2017

The Church of Almighty God | A Youth Spent Without Regret

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3. A Youth Spent Without Regret

Xiaowen, Chongqing

Picture of The Church of Almighty God | A Youth Spent Without Regret
Love is a pure emotion, pure without a blemish. Use your heart, use your heart to love and feel and care. Love doesn’t set conditions or barriers or distance. Use your heart, use your heart to love and feel and care. If you love you don’t deceive, grumble, turn your back, look to get something in return” (“Pure Love Without Blemish” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). This hymn of God’s word once helped me get through the pain of a long and drawn-out life in prison that lasted 7 years and 4 months. Even though the CCP government deprived me of the most beautiful years of my youth, I have obtained the most precious and real truth from Almighty God and therefore have no complaints or regrets.

Monday, October 9, 2017

Eastern Lightning | The Life Force That Can Never Be Extinguished

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2. The Life Force That Can Never Be Extinguished

Dong Mei, Henan Province

pray to God, Overcomers, Eastrtn Lightning,
Picture of The Church of Almighty God | pray to God
I am an ordinary person. I lived in a run-of-the-mill life. Like many who yearn for the light, I tried lots of ways to search for the true meaning of human existence, attempting to give my life more significance. In the end, all my efforts were in vain. But after I was fortunate enough to accept Almighty God’s work of the last days, miraculous changes occurred in my life. It brought more color to my life, and I came to understand that only God is the true Provider of people’s spirits and lives, and only God’s words are the true meaning of human life. I was glad that I had finally found the right way of life. However, whilst performing my duty I was once illegally arrested and brutally tortured by the CCP government. From this, my life’s journey gained an experience that I’ll never forget …

Monday, September 18, 2017

Eastern Lightning | God’s Love Was With Me in the Devil’s Dark Prison

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God’s Love Was With Me in the Devil’s Dark Prison

Yang Yi, Jiangsu Province

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Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Prayer God
I am a Christian of the Church of Almighty God. I have been a follower of Almighty God for over ten years. During this time, one thing I’ll never forget is the awful tribulation when I was arrested by the CCP police a decade ago. Back then, despite my being tortured and trampled on by evil demons, and coming close to death several times, Almighty God used His mighty hand to guide and protect me, to bring me back to life, and take me back to safety…. Through this, I truly experienced the transcendence and greatness of the power of God’s life, and gained the precious wealth of life conferred upon me by God.