When I was growing up, I was very shy and timid. I never participated in any sports, and I never confronted anyone about anything. During class, I sat there afraid that the teacher was going to ask me a question.
After completing high school, convinced that Jesus wanted me to serve Him, I left home for North India, more than 2,000 miles away, to serve the Lord with Operation Mobilization mission teams. Every day I prayed and read the Bible. I was doing all the right things, but I was still shy, withdrawn and nervous.
But one day, I read a verse of Scripture that completely changed my life. Ephesians 1:6 told me that I was “accepted in the Beloved.”
This turned the whole world upside-down for me. I realized that regardless of what people thought about me, the circumstances I found myself in, my temperament, inadequacies, inabilities, failures or shortcomings, I was accepted by the living God, and I was somebody special. And I learned that in everything He allows in my life—even the worst situations—He has a purpose: preparing me to become more like His Son (Romans 8:29).
As we apply this understanding on a daily basis, we can look upon fears and despair with a different view. We can be freed from anxieties, anger and bitterness. Knowing and believing the truth that our Heavenly Father loves us just as He loves Jesus (see John 17:23) gives us the strength to do all we need to do, and to continue our journey.
This is my prayer for you, that you will find your rest in the perfect love of God as you offer your life to be used by Him.
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K.P. Yohannan ( - Present)
Dr. K.P. Yohannan, the Metropolitan Bishop of Believers Church, was born and brought up in Niranam, Kerala. Niranam has immense historical significance in the tradition of Saint Thomas, a disciple of Jesus Christ who planted the first church there in AD 52. K.P. Yohannan dedicated his life to God at a young age to serve the needy and downtrodden. He prayed, “Oh my Lord, let my heart break with the things that break Your heart” and his life was never the same. It’s his belief that one can only demonstrate God’s love by loving people. After over four decades of selfless service, he says, I have no regrets in praying that prayer for I know God has touched millions through what He did in and through me. It is all God’s grace.He spent the early years of his service in North India and traveled to the remote villages sharing the love of Christ and doing charitable works. Through numerous encounters during those years, he was instilled with an increasing passion to bring hope, peace, and comfort to the needy and deprived. His sacrificial commitment, farsightedness and aptitude to perceive helped him to lead a life of unhindered devotion to serve Christ and His church. K.P. Yohannan is also the voice of Athmeeya Yathra, touching millions through his daily radio and TV broadcasts. His 250 books offer practical and spiritual guidance on hundreds of subjects.
Recommends these books by K.P. Yohannan:
Living in the Light of Eternity: Discovering God's Design For Your Life by K.P. Yohannan
The Beauty of Christ through Brokenness by K.P. Yohannan
Crisis in Leadership by K.P. Yohannan
K.P. Yohannan is the founder and president of Gospel for Asia, a mission organization involved in evangelism and church planting in the unreached regions of Asia. Currently Gospel for Asia supports thousands of church planters in the heart of the 10/40 window.
Born in a remote village of South India, K.P. Yohannan's personal journey toward spiritual reality began at the age of eight when he gave his heart to Christ. While he was still a young boy, his mother began fasting each week, praying God would call one of her six sons into full-time gospel ministry. Her prayers were answered in 1966 when 16 year-old K.P., her youngest, volunteered to serve in North India with Operation Mobilization.
From 1974 to 1979 K.P. attended Criswell Bible College in Dallas, Texas, where he earned his B.A. in Biblical Studies. He was also awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Hindustan Bible College in Madras, India. During the time he attended Criswell, he pastored a local church in Dallas. However, he was unable to forget the millions still lost without Christ in his homeland of India, and knew God was calling him to reach his own people. In 1978 K.P. resigned his pastorate and he and his wife, Gisela, organized what is now Gospel for Asia.