• POWER OF INTERCESSION
• BELIEVE THE REPORT OF THE LORD
• by RAJU & MANJU FAMILY

I was born into a Roman Catholic family. In 1995, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

One day while I was reading the Bible, God spoke to me about the importance of water baptism. Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the holy spirit.” I wanted to take adult baptism but my parents were very much against it. They felt that infant baptism was all that was necessary and there was no need to take another baptism.

They even felt that by taking adult water baptism, I was bringing shame to my family and even ridiculing them. I prayed to god to give me wisdom to solve this problem. I obeyed god and I took adult baptism in 1997. My parents were angry when they heard about my baptism and they did not talk to me for a few days. However on the day I got baptized I got a promise from God in Acts 16:31 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved and thy household. I was puzzled as how God could fulfill this promise in my family. I came to the USA in August 2000 and God led me to International Church of God. This is a Bible believing, Spirit filled church where the Word of God is taught in great depth and given importance. I began to grow in the Word of God and I began to apply various promises found in the Bible. One such promise was in Proverbs 18:21 which states that death and life are in the power of the tongue. This was an amazing truth and I began to pray for my parents and all my close relatives for their salvation. I started to confess that my whole household will be saved. I prayed very specifically for my mom and dad that they would be saved and baptized. I was also hoping they would get baptized in my church in the USA. In the meantime, I had applied for a visiting visa for my parents but their applications were rejected three times. Though I was disappointed, I did not give up, and instead persisted in my prayer. In April 2005, I applied for my parents visa once again. This time, surprisingly, on their fourth attempt, they were issued with a multiple entry visa for ten years. In may 2005, they visited us and attended our church. For the first time in their lives, they were able to experience the love of God. They confessed with their own mouths that Jesus is their Savior and Lord. I was pleased that God answered my prayers and my parents were able to take adult water baptism while they were in the USA. What an awesome God we serve, a God who confirms his word and fulfills his promises no matter how bleak the situation is. I am still confessing his word and promise that my other members of our extended families will be saved and experience the wonder working power of Christ in their lives. To God be the glory.