MY GREATEST VICTORY | from page 21 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Today, I know it was the devil tormenting me.
Who else would fill me with fear, tell me how I
would die, and then put a desire in me to do the
very thing that would kill me? Satan wanted me
dead. He is the enemy who comes to steal, kill,
and destroy every person (John 10:10).
But one day while that ominous voice taunted
me and fear enveloped me, I heard a soft whisper
say, “My son, if you accept Me, you will not die.”
I heard this invitation again on April 19, 2004.
I was driving to the city where my children lived
with my first wife. It was my birthday, and I was
turning 32. The voice in my head was so powerful
that day—I knew it was the day I would surely die. It
felt like something was actually in the car, choking
me, suffocating the life out of me. But then I heard
that sweet voice call out to me again, “My son, if
you accept Me, you will not die.”
When I arrived back at my apartment, I cried
like never before—more than I had when my
father had passed away. I told Eliza, “Today is the
day I am accepting Jesus. He is calling out to me,
and I must accept Him so I can live.”
We knelt together, and I repeated the prayer
Eliza prayed; it was a prayer of surrender to Jesus
Christ. In that moment, the spirit of fear and death
left me. I’ve never heard that voice of death again.
Jesus saved me from the enemy’s torment, and I
am so thankful.
Eliza and I were married shortly after that, on
July 2, 2004. We’ve been together since, serving
the Lord together, and raising our children,
Rebeca, John, and Isaac, in the ways of God.
Today, I know that Jesus needs to be part of
the matrimony; without Him it cannot work.
I think if I had known Jesus before, when I was
married to Rose, we might not have divorced. But
God changed my life through meeting Eliza, and
I am so glad that by my transformation, God also
touched Rose’s heart. She became a Christian too,
and Rose and Eliza even became good friends.
Unfortunately, in 2014, Rose passed away, but
God gave me the opportunity a month before her
death to thank her in front of all my family and
friends for being part of my life and my story.
When I accepted Jesus, I made a commitment
to follow Him until the end of my life. God had
delivered me from death, and I respected Him
greatly. I decided right from the beginning that
I would not play around with God like many
people do.
I take my relationship with the Lord very
seriously. Some people say I am too strict, but I
know that in my devotion to Christ, I am free. I
WHEN GOD SAID TO ME, “SON, IF YOU ACCEPT ME, YOU WILL NOT DIE,”
HE WAS EXTENDING AN INVITATION TO ME TO FINALLY FIND LIFE. I HAD
EVERYTHING THE WORLD COULD OFFER, BUT I DIDN’T HAVE LIFE. I HAD NO
PEACE OR JOY. NOT ONLY DID GOD DELIVER ME FROM THE DEATH TRAP
SATAN HAD PREPARED FOR ME, HE ALSO DELIVERED ME FROM THE EMPTY
LIFE OF A HEART FOCUSED ON WORLDLY SUCCESS.
would rather err on the side of Christ than walk a
thin line between the things of God and the things
of the world. A person can’t hang on to the things
of the world and live a life for God.
So many people, even in the church, play
around with God. They pretend to be Christians,
but their lives and their values are no different
than the world’s. I call these people pretenders,
and I don’t ever want to be a pretender. Pretenders
keep other people from knowing the true love
and grace of God. I want to be a real Christian
and reflect Christ in all I say and do. I want to
lead people to Him through my life testimony.
Therefore, I commit to know Him more and more
each day so that I can teach people about His love
and grace. I never want to stop growing in Him.
It is my greatest desire that people see Jesus
Christ in my life testimony, so they will accept
Him too. But I want to warn people not to accept
Jesus just to accept Him because it seems like a
good thing to do. There must be a commitment
behind the decision, so that change can happen. A
Christian’s life must always be marked with growth
and change.
I don’t understand how a person can claim to
be a Christian and still be the same as the day they
asked Him into their life. It is impossible to not
experience a changed life if the person is really in
Christ. Jesus always brings a person higher and
higher in Him.
If a person isn’t progressing, something is
wrong in their walk with God. Most likely, they are
just going through the motions, pretending and
playing with God. A person must get real in their
relationship with God, and He will bring about
the change they need. God is a rewarder of those
who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). He helps people
overcome their weaknesses and blesses them
beyond measure.
But in the midst of blessings, a person must stay
focused on what truly matters—their relationship
with God. I have been blessed with many material
things and am often in the spotlight because of
my successful soccer career. I have
to constantly remind myself
to look toward eternity, to
keep my eyes on God,
and not be drawn away
by the world’s temptations.
So many people fall into the
trap of focusing on this life here
on earth and its pleasures, but
there’s so much more to life
than what can be seen.
When God said to me,
“Son, if you accept Me,
you will not die,” He was
extending an invitation to
me to finally find life. I had
everything the world could
offer, but I didn’t have life.
I had no peace or joy. Not
only did God deliver me
from the death trap Satan
had prepared for me, He also delivered
me from the empty life of a heart
focused on worldly success.
In Jesus Christ, I discovered true victory
and a life worth living. Because of Him,
I am a changed man…a kinder, more
patient man, who is filled with love for
God and others. There is nothing in this
world that can compare to what Christ
has given me.
Today, all my children are saved
and serving the Lord. My
oldest son, Rivaldinho,
is also a professional
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T 22 kojministries.org Issue 1 2018 Photography by Tim Smith Honor Photography
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