The Bible verse that converted a young Algerian named Élie

Élie, of Algerian origin, was brought up in the Christian faith but drifted away from it in his teens. He gradually became a youth offender and a thieft. In a band of Muslim friends and in search of his identity, he was pulled toward Islam, when a series of unexplained events led him to re-examine the faith he was brought up in. He finally accepted Jesus Christ into his life, learned about his Christian faith and was baptised. His whole being was visibly transformed as a result. Élie's story reflects his spiritual journey, from Christian faith to Islam, and then the development of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which radically transformed his life.

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Reasons to believe:

Strangely, the very same verse from the Bible (Mt 6:33) appeared before Élie's eyes on numerous occasions, in different ways, and completely unintentionally. This couldn't have been a simple coincidence, and we have to wonder about the possibility of a supernatural force guiding Élie's steps. At first, he had no desire to draw closer to the Christian God, and he was inclined to ignore this sign, however strong it was.

This first sign was followed by another remarkable fact: during the same period, the prayers of Élie's grandmother, who was very devout, were answered on several occasions - in particular, to ask for the healing of an uncle. What was not lost on Élie was that these prayers were addressed to Jesus!

At this point, God's call was so strong that Élie could no longer ignore it. He stopped avoiding this call, and converted to Christianity.

While Islam did not bring about any real "transformation of heart" - because Élie had continued to do bad things during this period - his conversion to Christianity triggered a real change in his behavior and lifestyle. This proves his sincerity and shows the power of faith in action.

Summary:

This is Élie's testimony: "My name is Élie. I was born in France into a Christian family of Algerian origin. Both my parents were Muslims who converted to Christianity before they met. So my family was partly Muslim, partly Christian, with some atheists. I grew up attending an evangelical church every Sunday. My parents taught me about their Christian faith, so I always knew that God existed.

But when I was a teenager, I drifted away from religion and the teachings my parents had passed on to me. I started going down the wrong path, stealing and smoking shisha. Around the age of fifteen, as most of my friends were Muslims, I began to wonder about Islam. I discovered the videos and debates of Ahmed Deedat and Zakir Naik. At the time, Islam seemed to make sense to me: it said that there were errors in the Bible. I was very confused, and I couldn't understand why God, who is so great, had to become incarnate in Jesus. Searching for an identity, I decided to convert to Islam. I prayed regularly at the mosque, I went to the Joumou'a prayer (Friday prayer), fasted during the month of Ramadan, and so on.

I decided to follow Islam because I wanted to change and become a good person, and I hoped that Islam would help me to do that. But my heart remained the same: I continued, for example, to steal and to go to shisha bars, where I spent whole nights. During this period, I picked up bad friendships. This lifestyle, so far from my ideals, ended up burying my desire to become a better person. I was no longer truly searching.

This period lasted about four years. Then a series of three providential events put me back on the right track.

First, I accidentally came across a verse in the Bible: "Seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you besides" (Mt 6:33). What was really disturbing was that I wasn't looking in the Bible. Yet I saw this verse every day, sometimes several times a day: on social networks, in my emails, in the street... It was like harassment! I didn't mind looking for God, but the problem was that this verse came from the Bible. And I didn't want to look for God in the Bible!

During this period, I regularly had my paternal grandmother, who's a Christian, on the phone. When I spoke to her about the struggles of my daily life, she would reply: "That's something I can pray about." The problem I shared with her was always solved the next day. I couldn't help but find her prayer particularly effective. Was it because she was speaking to the "right" God? I wondered.

Finally, I saw the power of prayer at work in the miraculous healing of one of my uncles, who had stage IV cancer, and recovered fully after my Christian family started a prayer chain.

I realised then that I wasn't walking with God; that I was living a sinful life. I knew that, if I died then, I would be going to hell: that would have been just and I deserved to be condemned for my life choices. At that moment, the teachings I had heard over ten years before came back to me. I realised that Jesus had indeed died on a cross for me and, above all, that I needed him. I asked God to forgive my sins and I accepted Jesus into my life. After that long time of prayer, an indescribable peace came over my heart and a feeling of lightness came over me. The next day, I was a changed person: my heart was truly different. In particular, I had been delivered from addictions: I no longer had the slightest desire to smoke shisha, and was even disgusted by it.

After that evening, I was convinced that Jesus was God, but I still had the same reasoning and inconsistencies that had brought Islam into my head. I discovered Nabeel Qureshi, who helped me a lot in my research to sort out and understand Christianity and Islam. I also met a pastor, to whom I was able to put my questions. He was able to answer almost all my questions, and when he didn't have an answer, he would do some research and share it with me later.

I soon wanted to be baptised to commit myself fully to God. I saw God continuing to work in my life, directing me in my studies and my work. Islam had changed me in appearance only, but the true God changed my heart in truth. My repentance before God led me to ask forgiveness from certain people, and to return the things I had stolen, as much as possible. I understood the meaning of this verse: "Jesus said, 'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you are like whitewashed tombs: on the outside they look fine, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all sorts of filth' "(Mt 23:27). Only Jesus had been able to change my heart."

Élie's testimony