I was brought up in a typical heathen Chinese family in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. My birth date was 2nd July 1956.

My family gods were idols with quan yin as the main object of worship. In fact i was given as a god-son of quan-yin.

It was total heathen darkness as the song goes

“Heathendom’s millions wait for the light

Wait in their darkness

Lost in the night

They have no gospel

They do not know

Jesus would save them

Still they must die”

At the age of about  8 I got up one Chinese New Year morning. To my surprise I saw at the back of my house a small group of children gathered for a card game. I used to play children games like playing marbles, catching spiders and flying kites. But this time it was different because money is involved. They were gambling. I felt a strange power that drew me as i joined in. And then I got hooked to the gambling habit. For the next eight years until age 16 I was addicted to gambling.

Those were 8 years of total abject slavery to an enslaving habit which I could not shake off. Sometime in year 1970 when I was 14 years of age my family shifted to a 1st floor shop apartment in KL. It was a newly built place. Very strange. One night when i was sleeping i felt a pair of invisible hands on my neck and I also felt a heavy oppression on my chest. I struggled and the “entity” left. I was shocked as this is a new building but “haunted”. And the oppression came back night after night.

And so it continued for the year of 1970 to 1972….for 3 years I was addicted to gambling in the day and felt the continual oppression in the night.

My father would scold me, “Don’t you dare go gambling or else I will chop off your fingers” Fearing that I swore that i will stop gambling. I succeeded for a brief time due to fear. One day I got some money and I was walking

I remember talking to myself, “Where are you going?”

“To gamble”

“Didn’t you swear that you will never again gamble?”

“Yes, I did swear.” And while I was struggling and reasoning with my mind  my feet was walking in the direction to gamble. So i know what was right to do but I could not do it as i made my way to the gambling den

Having lost all I felt very foolish & guilt got hold of  me as i walked home on that very dark day of my life. I was totally miserable.

Then again I got oppressed by evil spirits at night again. Of course I prayed faithfully at 10pm every night to Quan yin for deliverance. But to no avail as the oppression continued till year 1972 when i was 16 years old.

So by day i gambled and by night i got oppressed. This is a very miserable existence indeed.

Driven to despair one midnight I went downstair from the 1st floor apartment I looked up at the night sky and said these words,

“Why do i exist here? Why is my life so full of problems i could not solve?

“Is there a God out there who knows about my problems?.”

“Who are you God?”

If you do hear me out there please reveal yourself and help me as i cried with open eyes looking up at the dark night sky

Weeks passed.

Then one day Jackson Tan Said Meng, my fellow schoolmate visited me.

He said, “I am a Christian” and handed me some tracts. I replied, “Christianity”? That is a Western man religion. Not for us Chinese as we have our own Chinese gods”

“No,” Jackson replied, “Jesus is not from Europe. Jesus founded Christianity in the Middle East”

“Oh i don’t know as i told him i will take a look at his tracts. Among the tracts Jackson gave me was a copy of

“THIS WAS YOUR LIFE” By JACK CHICK

I READ THAT TRACT WITH DEEP CONVICTION. But I was still unconverted

Then one night while sleeping I had a dream. I saw my body filled with diseases as i returned home.

In my home I saw all the furniture were in a shamble. Then I saw a Cross cut into half and dangling (My brother brought home a plastic cross which was hung up since he attended the Methodist School)

AND I SAW JESUS NAILED TO THE CROSS! AT THAT I CRIED FOR SALVATION

THEN I GOT UP FROM MY DREAM

It was still dark. Long while before daybreak. I knelt beside my bed and asked Jesus to be my LORD AND SAVIOR

SUDDENLY, I FELT LIKE A 200 POUND BURDEN REMOVED FROM FROM SHOULDER!!

I FELT VERY LIGHT AS A FEATHER

I TOLD MY FAMILY I HAVE ACCEPTED JESUS AS MY LORD AND SAVIOUR

THEY SAID, “YOU HAVE GONE MAD” YOU WILL SOON REVERT BACK JUST AS YOU GAVE UP SCOUTING LAST TIME AS A PASSING FAD

NOW I HAVE BEEN A CHRISTIAN MORE THAN 46 YEARS ALREADY SINCE 15TH SEPTEMBER 1972

VERY STRANGE THINGS HAPPENED AFTER MY CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY

I HAD TOTALLY LOST MY DESIRE FOR GAMBLING

When Chinese New Year arrived in early 1973 my father told me to be happy

I said, “What do you mean by being happy?” He said, “Today Is Chinese New Year Day. So it is alright to go gamble a little. Be happy as it is an auspicious day. But not other days”

Ha! I HAD ZERO DESIRE OR INTEREST IN GAMBLING. IT WAS AMAZING HOW JESUS COMPLETELY DELIVERED ME FROM THIS BONDAGE. AND FOR 46 YEARS I HAVE NOT ONCE BOUGHT A LOTTERY TICKET OR GAMBLED IN A CASINO.

JESUS SAID, “IF THE SON HATH MADE YOU FREE YE SHALL BE FREE INDEED”

NOT ONLY I WAS FREED FROM THE GAMBLING HABIT. AT NIGHT WHEN I SLEPT I HAD POWER OVER THE OPPRESSING EVIL SPIRITS THROUGH THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS

 

HALLELUJAH A BILLION TIMES TO JESUS CHRIST MY LORD AND MY SAVIOUR

 

AMEN & AMEN

What is possible for God Almighty to do, prayer can do. I have spent a very blessed  40 years observing and proving God to be true to His Word,    “Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkingness of the LORD (Psalm 107:43).”  These things refer to four catastrophic events in the  Book of Psalm 107,   men in starvation  “Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them (vs. 5)”.  Men in despair “..they fell down, and there was none to help (vs. 12).  Men in danger of loosing their lives “..they draw near unto the gates of death {vs.18).  And seaman like John Newton   “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the  deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. (vs.23-27)”  All these four groups in total helplessness finally  turn to God  “THEN THEY CRY UNTO THE LORD IN THEIR TROUBLE,  AND HE BRINGETH THEM OUT OF THEIR DISTRESSES (vs. 6, 13, 19 & 28)”.  Amazing Grace! How sweet The Sound!   ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear. And grace my fears relieved.” And the Bible mentions 4 times  “OH THAT MEN WOULD PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS GOODNESS, AND FOR HIS WONDERFUL WORKS TO THE CHILDREN  OF MEN!” (vs. 8,15,21 &31)

I want to share with you that our God is the Living God!  He constantly  hear and answer  prayers, not just once in awhile, but consistently and without fail for 40 long years. He has exalted His Word above His Name;  therefore HIS PROMISES CANNOT FAIL!

”  Faith –  Mighty Faith !

The Promise sees:

Laugh at unbelieve;

And cry,  “IT SHALL BE DONE!”

I can testify 1st hand these true words  ” This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles (Psalm34:6}” And “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him (vs.7&8)”

The God who sent down fire when Elijah prayed, the Risen Lord Jesus who appeared to Paul on Damascus road, the God of George Mueller and John Sung is the same Living God today.

As this poem say,

“God is seeking faithful men

Who dare to stand alone

Counting not the sacrifice

To make His purpose known.

Now God searches all the earth

To show His Strength to men!

Those whose hearts are pure toward God

Can know His Power again!”

Please pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit  as you read.   May our GOOD  LORD be a living, bright reality  all the days of your life. Marantha!

Yours Till We Meet In The Air,

Calvin E.Y. Tan    (September 2011)