Face to Face with Jesus Quotes

“When a Muslim becomes a Christian, he or she is radical in their faith. The cost to serve Jesus is high, but there is so much joy and freedom in choosing Him that even if it costs you your life, the reward far outweighs the sacrifice. My sisters and I would wake at 4:00 a.m. to run to the prayer meeting, praying in heavenly language the whole way for our safety. Nothing would stop us—not rain, snow or war. We went because we loved to be free in the presence of God while at home we had to hide our faith. Our mother knew where we were going, but our father and brothers had no idea. They woke up early to go to work and assumed we were still asleep in our beds.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“Look at her!” one bystander shouted. “She’s a ninja!” “She’s Superwoman,” another exclaimed. Swinging into a high kick, I followed up with a combination of karate chops and punches. My foot made contact with an attacker’s nose, and his hands grabbed his face as blood spurted. Another got my fist in his ear, making him howl with pain. My audience was cheering and applauding. “Keep going, Superwoman! Take them apart!” “Amazing! Never saw anything like it!” The third of the attackers, the one who pinched Iman, tried to duck away from a strike by the side of my fist. As he stooped, I whirled. My heel caught him right on the point of the chin and sent him sprawling. Just that quickly, it was over.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” To respond to this prophetic command our church put on crusades in the streets. We visited hospitals, boldly preaching about the God of the Bible. With all the prayer and worship at church we had been infused with the Holy Spirit to go to our city and villages and tell people about Jesus. We were sent out two by two for local outreach and would go on mission trips, as described in Luke 10:1, 4: The Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. . . . “Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“Most forms of martial arts have long histories of eastern religious influence. However, the tae kwon do philosophy was established in the 1950s by the South Korean army for self-defense and combat techniques. Tae kwon do includes “love and benevolence, magnanimity, sympathy and character as well as the five tenets of tae kwon do: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and an indomitable spirit.” The American missionary who came to my country felt that tae kwon do could be used as a suitable, effective way to model discipleship and promote Christianity. The Lord gives talents and gifts, and even sport can be used to advance His Kingdom.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“The worst beatings were from Musa, whose temper was terrifying. He and Suleyman both had their own houses now because they were married, but sometimes they would turn up at our home on Sundays, as they knew that was the day we would try to go to church. If we were not at home when they arrived, they waited until we returned and would demand to know where we had been. Whatever we said made them angry, but we never retaliated or fought back. By now my sisters and I were completely rejected by our Muslim neighbors, friends and relatives. They all knew we had converted from Islam to Christianity because we had not been afraid to share our new faith with them.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“After I had been at my university for a year, the foreign lecturers were suddenly kicked out over our spring holiday. We returned to classes to find only the local teachers were left. We were never told the reason the lecturers went, but I could no longer study there because all my language teachers had gone. But when God shuts a window, He opens a door! My dream now was to go to the College for International Relations. The College for International Relations was the top university in our country, and I thought it was completely out of my reach. I still had the financial backing of the Bible teacher, but I had yet to pass the entry exam. I made an appointment to see the president of the university and boldly told him I wanted to study international relations. I asked if it would be possible to take the exam. I had ambitions to work as a diplomat, a peacemaker.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“We took public transport home, all of us girls sitting in silence, with Musa issuing threats. When we eventually got to our apartment, he violently took my head and smashed it against the wall. I nearly passed out, but Musa just moved on to the next sister to do the same thing. “You stubborn girls,” he screamed. “Why aren’t you listening to me?” Musa felt humiliated by us. He was desperate to bring us all back together as Muslims and would do whatever he needed in order for this to happen. “Why are you bringing shame on the family?” he asked over and over again. We were black and blue by the time he had finished with us, but our resolve was not shaken. We were willing to put up with beatings for the sake of Jesus. Jesus was worth it all. Over the next few weeks Musa’s anger was still simmering, and we all tried to keep out of his way. Mama begged us to do what he said, but I explained to her that we could not. We braced ourselves to face more beatings if this was the cost of following Jesus. We clung to 2 Corinthians 1:5: “For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (NIV).”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“Then Musa let loose. He started dragging us along the road by our clothes and hair. “What did you do at this camp? And why are you still going to church and recruiting more of your siblings?” he demanded as he hit us. I cried, begging him to let us go. Without mercy he grabbed me and then punched me hard in the face. I fell to the ground at the impact. The pain was mind-numbing, and I felt sticky blood flow from my nose. Other members who had followed us outside tried to intervene. “Aren’t you afraid of God?” they said to him, trying to pull him off us. “It’s none of your business! I’ll beat you, too, if you don’t shut your mouths and stop trying to help them,” Musa furiously shouted.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“the enemy tried to steal our joy through our brother Musa. He had been suspicious of our camping trip and through other people in the community had learned what it entailed. The following Sunday he went to church to find us. The service that day was a real celebration as we gave testimonies of what God had done in our lives at the retreat. Adila and I were in the choir, so an usher came to tell Malika that our brother was in the building looking for us. Malika dared not turn around. She knew what was coming. Musa would not come into the sanctuary, not wanting to defile himself, but stayed in the corridor. At the end of the service Adila, Malika, Iman and I went out to meet him. When I saw the anger in his face, I knew we were in for another beating. “Why are you not obeying me? I told you not to go,” he hissed, spitting with rage.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“the Bible teacher asked me about my plans for the future, and I told him about my dreams for further education. He listened to me intently, and then to my surprise said he wanted to make a way for me to continue my studies. He offered to pay all my tuition fees. I was amazed, and tears came to my eyes. It was such a generous gift, revealing God’s faithfulness to me once more. My sisters and I came home from the retreat on a spiritual high.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“As there had been no school during the war we had a home-school system set up. Teachers who lived nearby would try to help us, and my mother also taught us. When the war was over, schools opened again, and I was able to get my high school diploma. My passion was to learn languages, and I applied for a place at the university to study languages and computers. I couldn’t wait to be able to talk to people from different cultures.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“When the three-week period was up, we sensed the prayer should not stop, so we continued to pray and fast for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I would pray for four to seven hours each day, crying out to God to have mercy on our nation. This rhythm of prayer and fasting ended up going on for several years, with members taking shifts all through the day and night. God heard our cries. After five years of war, our country was given religious freedom. Out of a population of approximately six million, an estimated 150,000 people, mostly civilians, had been killed. Some 1.5 million had been displaced internally, driven from their homes, and had escaped into neighboring countries as refugees.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“All during the war we knew that if the Muslim Brotherhood won, our country would become a strict Islamic nation ruled by Sharia Law. This would affect women the most as we would not be able to get jobs, drive or even walk alone in the street. And we’d always have to wear the burka covering our whole body. There was nothing we could do to stop the fighting except pray, so our church, along with many others, fasted for the country’s freedom and for the civil war to end. My pastor felt we needed to pray and fast for our nation for 21 days, so different members of the congregation would take spans of days during this time—some one to three days, some seven, some ten, some the whole 21 days . ”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“A couple days later my doorbell rang, and I opened it to find the mother of the thief. She had gotten my address from the police. She began to weep bitterly, begging me to have mercy on her son and tell the police to release him from jail. Just as I had experienced how God’s mercy triumphs over judgment, I extended mercy to her and her son—with the condition that they come to church with me for a month. They agreed, and I was able to share the Gospel with them, praying that God’s love would turn hearts of stone to hearts of flesh.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“The Lord says in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” (NIV). I had experienced that same power, and it had saved my friend and me from the clutches of evil men. Despite the very real danger on the streets, I never stopped going to church or tae kwon do. Faith never gives up! I would tell myself. My hunger for truth and fellowship was bigger than my fear.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“They shouted at us to come with them. I knew what they were going to do; we had heard enough stories of the brutal rapes and murders. Clutching each other’s hands, Munira and I tried to make a run for it, but it was too late. We were both grabbed by the men and dragged toward the waiting car, its engine still running. Again I cried out to God, and as I did, the Holy Spirit fell on me. I was praying in heavenly language as I hit and punched, using karate kicks and tae kwon do moves. In a few minutes I got free and thought Munira was, too. I started running, but as I looked back, I saw my friend, paralyzed by fear and unable to fight or run, being bundled into the car. “Munira,” I shouted, running back. I couldn’t leave her. With a supernatural strength that was not mine, I grabbed Munira and tried to pull her from their clutches. It was a real fight, but eventually we were both free, although bruised and bleeding. We ran as fast as we could out of the area. Later I realized that even though the men had guns, they hadn’t shot at us. I knew that this was God. He had again protected us.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“As the crowd jeered and laughed, the leader of the attackers vowed meekly, “We will never touch girls again. Honest, we won’t.” Then the three men edged away from the smirking crowd. As my pulse rate returned to normal, I discovered I was as amazed as everyone else. Taking a deep breath, I thanked God for His help and miraculous assistance. Those who had seen the encounter continued to call out their approval and good wishes. “Well done, Superwoman!” “You should be a coach. You should be training all the young women and girls. Make the streets safe!” Eventually I would earn my black belt, become a coach and share the Gospel the same way that I was saved.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“There was no police to call, no one to whom we could turn for help, except the Lord. I understood that we were engaged in a spiritual battle as well as a physical one. I began to pray in heavenly language in the Spirit. Avoiding eye contact, trying to walk forward, Iman flinched when the same boy pinched her, then grabbed her. She flailed at him, but I saw his face harden with lust. Under my breath I rebuked the demonic influence that had its hold on him. The other two men ringed us in, herding us together. They were trying to back us into an alley. Suddenly the same fire I experienced that night after the tae kwon do competition came over me again. Once more I felt supernatural strength. As the men closed in and started to attack us, I attacked them back. My legs swirled in perfectly executed kicks. My hands started fighting back all of them. My feet and hands were flying in all directions. A crowd of onlookers, who would not have lifted a finger to save us, gathered around to watch.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“Stop it!” I ordered. “Go away!” One of them shook his hand derisively and grinned even wider. “What do you mean? You’re three girls. We’re three boys. It’s perfect. Come on. What do you say?” In Muslim countries women without male chaperones are the targets of assault. Since we had no men to protect us, these thugs felt they could easily do what they wanted with us. Passersby who witnessed what was happening crossed the street to avoid being caught in the confrontation. There would be no help from any of them.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“not only fought for my purity but for my life! I drove the heel of my hand up into his chin. Seizing his wrist, I wrenched his grip off me, then spun him around. I saw a startled look in his eyes. Stumbling, his feet slipped on the wet pavement as I shoved him away. In no time at all I freed myself from the man and then ran as fast as I could. I didn’t stop until I reached home. My tae kwon do outfit and New Testament were lost, but I was safe. I steadied myself before entering my home. I shook from the shock of the encounter but was afraid to tell my parents about my experience, fearing they would not let me go out at night anymore. I wanted to be able to come and go so I could get to our Friday night prayer session in a few hours. Every Friday the Muslims went to the mosque to pray, and that is why our church put on the weekly Friday nights of prayer—to intercede for our brothers and sisters who did not know Jesus. I was still planning to go with my sisters. We would wait until everyone in the apartment was asleep before sneaking out and heading there.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“Part of me was shocked that he assaulted me while I spoke of Holy God! Hadn’t he heard anything I’d said? But as Ezekiel 12:2 says, “You are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people” (NIV). From the earliest moments of my Christian life I had experienced Jesus answering my prayers. I wholeheartedly believed Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (NIV). I cried out to the Lord inwardly. Help me! At that moment my attacker’s hand clamped over my mouth. But God filled me with supernatural strength like that possessed by David when he fought the giant Goliath: David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” 1 Samuel 17:45 NIV Just as David was able to defeat his giant with only his hands and five stones, I fought back with a might that was not mine.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“Our Friday night praise and worship time that began at 10:00 p.m. would continue until 5:00 a.m.!”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“Even after the civil war ended, my country was still a very lawless place. Walking in the dark to early morning prayer meetings and Friday night gatherings added to the danger for me. The nighttime streets were still empty of people and cars. No one left their homes after sunset because of the risk of being attacked. But I was in love with Jesus, and sometimes that love made me do things I wouldn’t otherwise have done. It made me brave. I was sixteen years old and had been studying tae kwon do for a couple of years. I had passed the tests to achieve first my yellow and then my green belts. Johnny’s schools had multiplied all over our country. Even though all the classes operated as mini-churches, hundreds of Muslims came to learn self-defense. Many stayed to meet and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, despite the fact they would be persecuted by their families and suffer beatings. Others would receive death threats.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“that our pastor had been beaten for his faith. Further, he and the coach had been threatened many times: “If you won’t get out of our country, you’ll be killed.” However, he told me, “My Christian faith teaches me not to be afraid of them who can kill the body. The Bible says: ‘Greater is he who is in you’—that means Jesus—‘than he who is in the world’ (1 John 4:4). I’m not afraid, and neither should you be.” Neither my pastor nor coach had to be here. It was not their home country. Yet they stayed because of their faith in Jesus Christ.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“still secretly reading the New Testament that the church had given me every moment I could. I would hide it under my pillow and read it morning and night. I read in Romans 14:11: “Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God” (NKJV). I was now acknowledging that Jesus is my Lord in my mother tongue. As I tried to walk out my new faith with my family, God healed my body. I had always been sickly, often getting colds and headaches and goiters. I prayed for Jesus to heal me as I suffered from tiredness and pain throughout my body and found it hard to catch my breath. My mother had even recently taken me to the hospital, fearing I had inherited the heart problem that had killed her father. After inviting Jesus into my life, all of my symptoms left. I felt strong physically and could breathe normally. “I am healed!” I told my mother. Before she would even think about letting me throw away my medication, Mama insisted I go back to the doctor to be tested. When we were able to get to the hospital, the doctor pronounced me 100 percent fit and had no explanation for my sudden recovery. “It’s a miracle!” she said as she led us out of her office.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“On the day I invited Jesus into my heart, He told me I had a new identity in Him. I wondered what my new name was, but I didn’t have long to find out. God revealed it to me first and then confirmed it through my friend Munira. She prophesied that I had a new name, and that it was Samaa. Samaa, meaning “Heaven, Paradise”—a place everyone wants to go. I knew straightaway that the name was from God because He had already been speaking to me about it. Whenever I read the word heaven in the Bible it jumped out at me. So when Munira said the name, my heart started beating faster, and I had a sense of peace that this was His name for me. I already had the assurance of heaven through believing in Jesus Christ. The name Samaa spoke of my calling to tell people about the heavenly paradise waiting for those who believe.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“When I had the revelation of Jesus, He spoke to me about having a new identity in Him, and that He was going to give me a new name. I was being made new, and I understood the words from 2 Corinthians 5:17—“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV). Names are very significant in Middle-Eastern culture. I believe they represent nature and are prophetic. What you are called, you are destined to become. In Genesis 17:5 God changed Abram’s name (meaning “Exalted Father”) to Abraham, meaning “Father of many”—this was his inheritance. The Lord also changed his wife’s name from Sarai to Sarah (verse 15). Sarai means “Argumentative,” but then God changed the last two letters to ah, a symbol of His breath. The ah of Jehovah makes Sarai new. Her identity is changed: Sarah means “Princess.” She is the daughter of the King. Jesus also renewed the names of His disciples, especially the three closest to Him, including Simon to Peter the Rock.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“My heart was full. I couldn’t wait to come back to church to worship the living God, the God of love. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 NKJV”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“In the vision, God spoke to me and called me by name. “Mariam, you deserved to die for your sins, but I died instead of you so you will live. I set you free from your sin and shame. You are forgiven. Receive My love and forgiveness and stop striving for it. When you receive My love by faith, you will become My child.” The vision was so vivid that I could almost touch the blood dripping from His wounded head, hands, feet and side. “Repent and turn to Me, and you will be with Me in Paradise because of what I have done by My grace. I took your shame so you are free from the judgment of hell and condemnation.”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love

“My mind flicked back to my prayers to Allah. I prayed to him five times a day and still received no answer. Yet I remembered that I had prayed once to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—the God of Christians—and He had answered me. So when the pastor said, “Jesus is the Answer,” that caught my attention and rang in my heart as true. I’m a Muslim, but I can still receive prayer, I thought. Why not? I was searching for answers. Would the Christian God be able to make the war end? Could He bring peace?”
― Samaa Habib, Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love