Retired policeman finds Jesus in Algerian village

During a summer conference in North Africa for Jesus-followers, brother Walid* suddenly walked in.

According to Walid, he is the only Jesus-follower in his home town. He worked as a policeman and on a daily basis he had to deal with the challenging issues of law and order. Disputes between neighbors, abused children, hard crime, domestic violence and drugs, to name only a few. He realized that despite all their hard work at the police station, punishing criminals did not change their hearts.

This was something that greatly frustrated him.  He longed to make a real difference, to make his town a better and safer place for all who lived there. But the hardest part for him was living through more than a decade of civil war. Extreme terrorism and bombs massacred and assassinated thousands of civilians, scarring his heart deeply. How could people be so cruel, he repeatedly asked.

Then one day as he was listening to the radio, he suddenly heard a voice addressing precisely the issues that had been pressing on his heart. But then the voice said something he had never heard before. That there was a man who had the power to change the hearts of men. Who could make hearts out of stone into flesh. One who fought for justice yet offered grace. One who valued women as much as men. This caught Walid’s attention and he decided that he would not rest until he had learned who this man called Isai really was.

As Walid turned on his television and started switching channels he felt compelled to go to the Christian channels that he had never bothered to listen to before. But he knew that it was the Christians that talked about Isai, or Jesus, so he decided to listen in.

It didn’t take very long before he got so interested in what the programs were teaching that he lost track of time and day. What he heard was radical in his ears. To love your enemy. To forgive. To receive eternal salvation by grace.  To be born again. How was this possible? This new message consumed him day and night and he had a great hunger to discover the truth about who Jesus really was.

After talking to the follow-up office and later meeting some Jesus-followers face to face, he decided to give his life to Jesus and invite Him into his heart.

Walid could not be quiet about the joy and peace that now filled his heart.  As the only Jesus-believer in his town, he soon became the target of persecution, both from his wife and children and the community at large. But as a retired police officer the police could not arrest him. They simply called him the mad man and left him alone.

But Walid also experienced a great miracle in his life. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer, but two and a half years ago at a meeting he was prayed for by other believers and the Lord healed his cancer completely.

After hearing his story, many at the conference felt challenged to visit Walid to encourage him. Walid’s story is one of many that Miracle Channel has heard over the years from viewers who become Jesus-followers after being exposed to the gospel through TV or radio. Some remain secret believers for years before they tell anyone, and others step out and start sharing their faith immediately.

Miracle Channel broadcasts the gospel 24 hours a day to 400 mill. viewers across North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf countries. Please consider supporting us with a gift today. Thank you!* not real name

Illustration photo only