I was raised to know God but I was not the religious type. I seldom read the Bible and did not attend any Bible study sessions. However, I always prayed to God.

When I was in college, we had a class discussion about the original sin committed by Adam and Eve. When I asked my professor what I should do to be saved from the original sin, he told me that that sin would be with us until we die and we would never be forgiven for it. I was bothered by his answer and asked him what the significance of Jesus’ death was if He didn’t die to forgive all our sins. When my professor did not reply me, I accepted what he said earlier hook, line, and sinker.

From then on, I was afraid every time I heard others speak about death and forgiveness. The thought of not being forgiven of the original sin was so rooted in my subconscious that I was scared just thinking about it. I was so affected by my fear that it caused me to smoke, drink, and have illicit affairs.

As years passed, I realized that I needed peace of mind because the thought of still having the original sin had become a form of bondage for me. I tried to quit all my bad habits but I was not able to successfully. What I’d been taught by my college professor stuck in my mind even though I tried my best to ignore it. I began praying to God and asked for someone to explain to me about forgiveness for the original sin and the significance of Jesus’ death.

In August 2013, a friend told me how she had been strengthened by Pastor Joseph Prince’s book, Destined To Reign. I searched for the book and was able to buy copies of Destined To Reign, Unmerited Favor, and Right Place Right Time online. I was so empowered by the books that I just kept on reading and reading them. Little by little, I began to understand and my perspective on the original sin started to change. John 3:16 also had more meaning for me.

On August 21, 2013, I watched videos of Pastor Prince’s sermons with my friend. That same day, I wholeheartedly accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. It was so overwhelming because I felt God’s love for me. John 3:16 became so much more meaningful to me. I was enlightened, and more importantly, I realized Jesus had paid the price for Adam’s original sin and for all my other sins too by His finished work. It was the greatest feeling in the world—Pastor Prince opened my eyes to God’s grace.

After accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my life has never been better. Receiving Him released me from other bondages as well. Because of God’s grace, I was able to quit smoking, drinking, and I no longer have illicit affairs. I bought my own Bible and started reading it as often as I could. In fact, I feel so alive when I read the Bible. I began reading the book of Proverbs on a daily basis. I memorized Psalm 91 and Psalm 23 and pray them every day. I am now addicted to Jesus because I am so in love with everything about Him.

Things have never been the same since August 21, 2013 and I have been receiving so much favor. There was a time when I was one of the main witnesses for a court hearing. I had a presentation to make during the trial. Even though I had rehearsed the presentation with our lawyer several times, I was still very nervous. Before the hearing, I asked God to be with me and I recited verses about victory and overcoming fear. When the time came for me to speak, a technical issue cropped up. As a result, I had to lead the presentation. However, this actually made it easier for me and all my nervousness faded away. During the cross examination, I was asked a question to which the answer evaded me for a moment. Then, I felt a soft breeze blowing and I knew God was whispering the answer to me. Indeed, He gave me the answer just at the right time! In the end, the case was dismissed in our favor.

Also, my team would always take part in an annual environment contest held by our company. We had always been the first runner-up for four consecutive times, regardless of how much effort we put in. But we won this time even though we felt we did not put in as much effort as we did for the past years. I believe that the result was God blessing me.

To mark the anniversary of our being born again, my friend and I planned a trip to New Creation Church (NCC) in Singapore on August 21, 2014. We prayed and asked God to provide us a means to travel—either to have someone sponsor our trip or to let us enjoy a one-peso promotion for air tickets. Later, while booking our tickets, we noticed that the total cost column showed zero. We initially thought it was a technical glitch but later found out that we were actually able to book our tickets at no cost! Praise the Lord! God exceeded our request for a one-peso airfare and gave us free tickets! Now, my friend and I travel to Singapore regularly just to attend service at NCC based on promotional fares. We usually leave the Philippines on Saturday and return on Sunday.

I know that I am still a work in progress, but I have become a living testimony of grace to my family. I have also introduced The Power of Right Believing book to them and I know in time, they will also get to know the Lord Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. I pray that I will be able to bring them to New Creation Church for them to experience what I’ve experienced. I feel so blessed.

To God be all the glory!