Amie will never forget the moment she first realized God loves her. As a young Muslim girl living in an Islamic-ruled nation, Amie grew up abused and unloved. This was normal in her country’s culture. “No one I knew expressed love or affirmation—not my parents, not our neighbors.” To make matters worse, Amie’s father abused her emotionally, verbally and physically. She hated him.
And yet, she needed him too. Without a father who lived in the household, Amie would have no prospects for marriage. Resigned, her mother told her she endured the constant abuse so that Amie might have a future. If only someone might find her worthy, life might be different. Amie was desperate for affirmation. And her loveless existence was taking a toll on her heart.
But God loved Amie, and He was about to change her life. One day when she and her sister were home alone, the doorbell rang. It was a Christian family who’d long ago moved away after being pushed out by all their Muslim neighbors. They had boldly returned to tell Amie and her sister about Jesus. Over tea and sweets, they told Amie something that deeply touched her heart and captured her imagination. “They told me that God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (See Romans 5:8.) This news was absolutely incredible to Amie because she had always been hungry for love and affirmation. Realizing that God loves her blew her mind. Could God really be interested in her? Could God really love her?
Even if you have never experienced a loveless childhood like Amie, you surely have a moment when you first realized that God loves you. Not when you knew it, when you truly believed it with all your heart. How did that moment change you?
Listen to this episode of the iHOPE Empowers on the Charisma Podcast Network to hear Amie’s remarkable story of realizing God’s overwhelming love for her. Find out what happened when she embraced Jesus then told her abusive earthly father that God loved him too. This episode will leave you thinking about the moment you first realized that God loves you and leave you hungering to tell others about his overwhelming love.
Discover how you can share the love of Christ with people of other faiths who live near you by visiting ihopeministries.org or follow iHOPE Ministries on Instagram. {eoa}
Karen Bejjani is an author, co-founder and executive director of iHOPE Ministries, a non-profit ministry that is changing the way Christians think about sharing their faith with people of other faiths. Since 2011, iHOPE has empowered tens of thousands of Christians to cross religious boundaries and extend God’s transformative love.
As a fearless, relatable visionary and empowering coach, Karen has trained, coached and mentored thousands of entrepreneurs to build successful businesses as a senior corporate executive. Now she uses those skills to lead a movement of everyday Christian women who are crossing religious boundaries to share the hope of Jesus.
Karen is writing a book called The Blue Cord to change the way everyday women think about sharing their biblical faith with women of other faiths and cultures. Her powerful stories and practical coaching have emboldened believers around the world to change lives for eternity. When she’s not empowering others to cross cultural and religious boundaries to share Jesus, Karen spends her time hiking through forests and enjoying good Lebanese food with family and friends. Connect with Karen through Instagram or iHOPEministries.org.
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Michael L. Brown 
American Faith 
