An Atheist Said Amen
This brief testimony is to let the readers know about the wonderful things God is doing through ICEVES (Evangelistic Training Institute of Espirito Santo) in Brazil. Although the ministry does not have a property or its own building yet, its members are doing active, aggressive work in order to bring souls to the foot of the cross.
I was invited to do the spiritual lectures of a stop-smoking seminar in the city of Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro. The series of lectures was about God and the human mind, and led the attendees to, after listening to the health lecture, understand the connection between body, mind and spirit.
During the stop-smoking seminar, there were all kinds of people, from evangelical Christians to atheists, from rich-including some who used to be very rich-to poor, from those who smoke a few cigarettes per day to those who smoke up to four packs a day.
It involved ten nights of intense work with those souls. Some would come the following night very happy for having reduced the number of cigarettes or for not having smoked at all, while others were frustrated for not being able to control themselves. Jesus was presented as the solution to overcome every sinful habit, and this Jesus would take all the overcomers into a place where no sin abides.
Some of the attendees brought their family members and friends who were giving them support to stop smoking. One lady, who was smoking four packs a day and was under heavy antidepressants, brought her husband, who was “almost atheist,” according to her. This lady experienced the delivering power of God in her life. She said on the sixth night, “On Saturday night, at one o’clock in the morning, I said ‘This is going to be my last cigarette.’” Since then, from four packs, by the miraculous power of an Almighty God, she has smoked none.
The husband had been testifying of all these wonders from the Lord. On the fifth night I shared a bit of my personal testimony—how Jesus had delivered me from drugs, alcohol, and rock bands; how I used to be an atheist and would openly challenge the existence of God, but now I realize it is much more logical to believe that an intelligent mind has created all things, rather than all things come into existence because of a big bang which resulted in multiple particles which developed into life and eventually into fantastic human beings with the ability to see, hear, love, hate and choose. At the end I appealed to the people to give God a chance, to try exercising faith, since they had tried so many things and none had worked for them.
While I was having the closing prayer, this man, once an “almost atheist,” was fervently saying, “Amen! Amen! Amen!” The miracle of creation took place when God created in this man a new heart. Jesus wants to give each of us a new heart every day.
May God Bless and encourage you through His wonderful works in the human heart.
Giancarlo Demiranda
