Rica Marie Cleansed! Part 2

One day, Rica’s rebellious and depressing life was changed. Her father introduced her to Amazing Facts. “I was deeply moved by what Pastor Doug was saying,” she remembers. “I watched sermons, and I watched the video Cosmic Conflict, and the closing prayer taught me how to repent. I saw that despite being a sinful person, God still loves me, and I should not be ashamed of admitting my sins to Him. He was just waiting for me to confess.”

Rica had formerly avoided confession for fear that God would reject her. She also learned the truth about her former church and decided to dedicate her life to Christ and follow the Scriptures.

After reading the book The Last Night on Earth by Joe Crews, Rica chose to obey God in every area of her life. “I quit the three things that were still making me a hypocrite: lust, violent video games, and Christian rock music. Mr. Crews was right. Why gamble your life away and waste opportunities to serve God? Why wait until the seven last plagues strike to get down on your knees and repent?”

Today, Rica shares that she is a whole new person. She is using Amazing Facts Bible Study Guides and has formed a Bible study group in her school. “Even though I am being judged as an over-reacting Bible Christian by my relatives and friends, I still continue to talk about the Bible for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. When I’m grown up, I’ll preach and I’ll raise my children as devoted followers of Christ.”

Rica says that she has learned a lot from her experiences, and she thanks God for saving her in her struggles. “I’m not sure who said this quote,” she says, “but it describes what I’ve been through: ‘God sometimes takes us to troubled waters not to drown us but to cleanse us.’ Without the help of Jesus, I might still be drowning in the dark abyss, cold and alone. I thank God for that precious day when my pain and brokenness were replaced by love from God.”

Reflect: We must all face the reality of our own mortality. How can death, however scary it may be, bring you to a new understanding of God and your eternal life?

Key Bible Texts

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7 KJV)