LIUBA-STORY

The power of GOD's word  

Liuba was a young Russian woman serving a life sentence for murder. Suffering from HIV, she felt that her life had lost all meaning. At the height of her despair, she was preparing to commit suicide when it occurred to her to make one last appeal to heaven. She had been given a Bible and said to GOD: ‘If you still love me after all I've done, answer me!’

Liuba opened the Bible: ‘I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners’ (Matthew 9:13) said the first text, striking Liuba like lightning. ‘Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow’ (Isaiah 1:18), confirmed the second. The third text spoke of the criminal crucified next to Jesus: ‘We are here justly, for we are receiving what our deeds deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:41-43).

Overwhelmed by the word of GOD, moved by His Love, Liuba converted that day. She became a witness to CHRIST within her prison walls. Under her influence, this grim place gradually transformed: the wild shouting ceased, and there were no more fights between criminals. Sometimes the prisoners even sang hymns.

The power of forgiveness: ‘If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you’ (Matthew 6:14-15); But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be sons of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:44-45).

When she became too ill to remain in prison, Liuba was taken to hospital. I was able to visit her and share a beautiful moment of Christian fellowship with her. We read a passage from the Gospel together. She was very weak.

‒ This is probably the end of my life,’ she said to me.

‒ If that were the case, what would you want to say to GOD?’

‒ I would like to forgive my mother who abandoned me, my father whom I never knew, my sister who stole everything from me and rejected me, the man I killed because he wanted to murder me after raping me, all the men who cheated on me, those who took my child away from me...

And the long litany of pain and forgiveness continued, like the confession of a world of misery and horror... It became clear to me that it was not so much the “criminal” who needed forgiveness – GOD had forgiven her – but many others... and it was she who found the strength to forgive, in a beautiful act of love towards all those who had hurt her.

A few days later, some Christian women went to visit Liuba, but the Lord Jesus had taken her to heaven. They met with the head doctor, who told them, ‘I have never seen a patient like Liuba: she radiated kindness.’

Pierre D (Source: La Bonne Semence, 2014)

MARRIAGE

BLESSING OR CURSE, it's your choice!  

Whatever position one takes, marriage leaves no one indifferent.Some see it as an escape, a means of forming alliances, getting rid of another mouth to feed, obtaining social status or financial security, or even fulfilling a dream, etc. Others, on the contrary, perceive it as a prison and flee from it.

In short, there are many bad reasons for entering into or not entering into such a serious alliance, even though it was instituted by GOD for the well-being of human beings. Indeed, the Bible states: ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.’ (Genesis 2:24).

God's plan is that those who marry do so with the aim of building a united home, where parents and children can flourish and live happily, respecting each other's authority and role.

For my part, although on the surface I married for the right reasons, deep down I was trying to fill a void so deep that I thought I couldn't live without it.

The consequences were divorce—yet another heartbreak—and a child exposed to his parents' division, torn between them and suffering...

The goal could not be achieved because the marriage was built on a bad foundation. (Matthew 7:24-27).

Subsequently, I remarried. Although I was aware of my problem, I still couldn't see the root cause and therefore didn't have a solution. In the meantime, I had consulted a psychologist and tried occult practices to help me overcome it, which cost me a lot of money, to the point of getting into debt, with no results: I divorced a second time and was still searching for my soul mate.

Later, I realised that my heart was empty.

Today, I am filled with the love of JESUS CHRIST (Romans 5:5) and no longer feel the need to get married. I am happy this way, at peace.

Marriage, when established under the right conditions, is a great source of blessings, both for the family and for society. On the other hand, those who take it lightly, flout it or prefer to abstain from it in order to have multiple partners bring negative consequences upon themselves and their descendants.

GOD is there to guide us to what is best, if we turn to Him. And He is never wrong.

Mireille

GOD HAS CALLED ME TO MAKE A CHOICE

Art had become the centre of my life, my passion. And yet I was going round in circles ...   

The sudden death of a friend got me thinking.   

When I reread the Gospels, I discovered that Christ was the man I was really looking for. Kind and respectful, gentle yet firm, Jesus Christ knew how to respond to everyone, or keep silent. He refused to be influenced by anyone, including his friends and disciples. I found myself admiring and loving him. I wished I'd known him when he was on earth, walked with him, talked to him, listened to him...

One day, in prayer, I spoke to him and felt the tangible presence of GOD in my flat.

Little by little, I opened up to him. I was honest with GOD: I told him about my frustrations and everything that was preventing me from believing in him. He opened his arms to me. He called me to make a choice, Deuteronomy 30:19, to belong to him, to become his disciple John 21:22. I said yes.

Starting my new life was difficult: there was a lot of damage to repair. One by one, the Lord pinpointed all my bad choices. I confessed my past faults and put an end to my love affairs.

I'm now married, and when I was 43 the Lord gave us a beautiful boy.

What was the point of a lifetime of selfish, unsatisfying artistic creation? 

I finally realised that I had missed the source of true happiness. 

Painting is still my favourite activity, but it has taken second place to my relationship with GOD.

Marjorie (Source: La bonne semence 2014)

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN

John 4:6-29,39-42 

[6] Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from the journey, was sitting by the well. It was about the sixth hour. [7] A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink. [8] For his disciples had gone into the city to buy food. [9]  The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink? The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans. [10] Jesus said to him, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him for a drink yourself, and he would have given you living water. you yourself would have asked him for a drink, and he would have given you living water. [11] But the woman said to him, "Lord, you have nothing to draw from, and the well is deep; where then are you to get this living water? [12] Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his flocks? [13] Jesus said to him, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; [14] but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst, and the water that I shall give him will become in him a well of water springing up into eternal life. [15] The woman said to him, "Lord, give me this water, so that I may no longer be thirsty and come here to draw water. [16] Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here. [17] The woman answered, "I have no husband. Jesus said to her, "You were right to say, 'I have no husband. [18]  For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. In this you have spoken the truth. [19] The woman said to him, "Lord, I see that you are a prophet. [20] Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem. [21] Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. [22] You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation comes from the Jews. [23] But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for these are the worshippers whom the Father requires. [24] God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. [25] The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will tell us all things. [26] Jesus said to her, "I am he who is talking to you. [27] Then his disciples came and were astonished that he was talking to a woman. But none of them said, "What are you asking? Or, What are you talking to her about? [28] Then the woman left her pitcher and went into the town, and said to the people, [29] Come and see a man who has told me all the things I have done; is it not the Christ? 

[39] Many of the Samaritans in that town believed in Jesus because of the woman's clear statement: "He has told me everything I have done. [40] So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them. And he stayed there two days. [41] Many more believed because of his word; [42] And they said to the woman, We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that he is indeed the Saviour of the world.

A SOLID ROCK

"I've been cured of anorexia nervosa"

In our lives, our Creator provides various means to keep us safe; He Himself is the ultimate security.  But sometimes we stubbornly refuse it, believing we can get out of it on our own. We place our trust in material and unstable things that are blown away by the slightest gust of wind. 

One day, my heart cried out to GOD: "If you exist, now is the time to intervene". And He did. First, he "pulled me out of the water" and brought me to safety on the shore. He spoke to me, comforted me, encouraged me, loved me.

My heart, so vulnerable at that moment, let itself be filled with the unconditional love that comes from the Creator. Just as a father is supposed to take care of his children and keep them safe.  GOD does this for each and every one of us if we let him, if we trust him. (Psalm 62:6).

Then, day by day, He showed me what a stable and solid rock He was that I could always hold on to. I've been cured of anorexia nervosa for 5 years now. Every time I feel insecurity and fear knocking at my door, I don't let them in and I run to take refuge in the arms of GOD where I find security and comfort. There, I am no longer afraid, my heart is soothed. GOD speaks to me, reminds me of his promises, reminds me that he has saved me for eternity.  He will never abandon me. (2 Samuel 22:3).

Charlotte V.  (Source La bonne semence 2025)

FREED FROM SLAVERY

 "It's never too late"   

I took 'Tramadol' for the first time when I was 11,  what I felt that day went far beyond simple relief. My body seemed to go numb, and I was overcome by a deep, almost unreal feeling of well-being. For the first time in my life, I felt at peace... almost happy. I've never forgotten that moment of euphoria. It became an illusory refuge, an escape from an inner emptiness I couldn't name.

From then on, I started taking 'Tramadol' regularly. Firstly to ease the pain, but also and above all to rediscover that fleeting feeling of happiness. Very quickly, my body developed a tolerance. One tablet was no longer enough. Then two, then three... up to eight a day. I juggled with the doses, looking for a balance that I could never find. The drug had become a prison. I was addicted, lost and tired.

The day I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, I was gripped by an immense fear. I feared the consequences of my consumption on her health, and I felt terribly guilty. But beyond this fear for my child, I couldn't take it any more myself. I was broken inside, unable to free myself. 

So I did something I'd never done before with so much strength: I cried out to God every day, I prayed to Him sincerely, sometimes silently, sometimes in tears, but always deeply. I asked Him to protect my child... and to deliver me too. 

And the Lord answered.

What my countless attempts, marked by suffering, violence and powerlessness, were incapable of producing, God accomplished with a single act of grace. Every time I went through withdrawal, I experienced excruciating pain in my back, muscles and joints, and this time even in my teeth. 

No pain at all. No withdrawal. 

I was delivered overnight. 

Today, I'm completely free. My daughter is in good health, and I live in God's peace, without dependency, without fear. What men couldn't do for me, Jesus did with a single gesture of love.

I bear witness to this deliverance to give glory to God, and to say to the person reading these lines: 

- It's never too late. 

- You are never too far away. 

- What God has done for me, He can also do for you. 

"The Lord is near to those who are brokenhearted, and He saves those who are discouraged. Psalm34:18

Yacine