By Louie Hui

BEFORE I was saved, I was an idol worshipper.

I was not an ordinary nor traditional idol worshipper. I had a deep belief in supernatural powers which came from these idols.

No blood

When I was 12 years old, I personally saw supernatural power working through idol worshippers.

One of them was a friend of mine. He showed me how sharp his knife was by chopping a piece of hard wood; then he stabbed himself. There was no bleeding – nor even a wound to his body! Next, he prayed to his idols – his gods. Then he began to stab his body again.

He was so powerful that he could even transfer this power to my other friend, who had no prior association with these idols. He then asked for my second friend’s permission, and he agreed. He prayed again and then he stabbed my other friend’s chest. The same thing happened to this friend. There was neither bleeding nor any wounds!

Then he asked me if I wanted to try, but I refused his invitation. After that, I thought there truly must be supernatural powers in the world.

Having seen this supernatural event, I started to worship idols in the temple. I also brought idols into my home. Things were getting crazier as time went by.

Everyday gods  

I started to worship more and more idols: the god of heaven, the god of the earth, the god of the door-guard, the god of the kitchen-guard, the god of the mercy-lady, the gods of this, and the gods of that.

Every day, I burned incense to them. Every 1st and 15th of the month, I burned a special incense package. On one idol’s birthday, I had to burn special birthday incense. I also had to keep track of their birthdays in different temples, and in different cities. Some of these temples were far away from where I lived. I had to get there either by car or by boat.

Why was I so devoted to worshiping these idols? Because they responded to my prayers.

I prayed for wealth, and they gave it to me. I prayed for some special requests and they granted them. I saw their power manifested. Without a doubt, I knew that worshiping idols worked. Many places in the Bible – such as Matthew 17:18 and Luke 8:29 – clearly state some can actually perform supernatural signs and wonders.

Curses

Not only did I use the idols’ power for personal gain, but also I used their power to attack my rivals. I used to work in a large corporation, and there were office politics. I did not get along well with a few particular colleagues; so I decided to use spiritual power to harm them. I wrote their names down on a yellow sheet of paper, and used voodoo to bring curses on them.

Though I was an ‘idol worshipper,’ there was no real worship involved. There was, in fact, solely supplication. I prayed for wealth, health and success for myself, and I prayed for curses on my rivals.

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No miracles

When I was about 30 years old, I became a Christian. I had not seen anything miraculous performed through Christianity before I was saved. God’s word, through one of his servant speakers, touched my heart – and I simply accepted the invitation. I was saved by grace, in Christ, through faith alone.

After I was saved, I then realized the truth of Acts 17: 24-25: the God “that made the world and all things” dwells “not in temples made with hands. Neither is [he] worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed anything – seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things.”  

Blessings

By God’s mercy and grace, I was blessed in many ways after I received Jesus. I felt a peace in my heart that I had never experienced before. I devoted myself to Jesus because he changed me. As it says in                 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  

Because of the wonderful transformation Christ has done in me, I would like to share the following:

As I mentioned earlier, I once used voodoo to bring curses on my rivals before I was saved. Praise the Lord, since I’ve been saved, I gladly pray for those who need God’s mercy and grace.

If anyone mistreats me, I will forgive him and then forget. I pray to God that he will forgive that person, too. I write down their names in my prayer book, and pray for them for years until I see my prayers answered. Not only do I pray God will forgive them, but also that God will receive them – which he certainly would like to do.

Although I received some material blessing from the worshipping of idols, I did not have peace in my heart.  I had a hard time keeping track of all those special dates or special events in each temple. If I forgot one occasion, not only did I miss some blessing, but also I might be punished.

Hard lesson

In October 1987, the world stock market collapsed. I was heavily invested in the market, and my portfolio shrank by about 70 percent! I did try to unload my portfolio before the market’s downturn; nevertheless, for some unknown reason, it did not happen.

At first, I did not realize that there were reasons associated with my losses. Later I learned from one temple staff member that it was because I did not burn a special kind of incense in a particular month in that specific temple.

I did not do it, not because I forgot, but because I did not know that it was necessary. This incident shook my faith in these idols. I lost my peace and I was troubled and afraid. I was afraid because I did not know what would happen to me should I forget one of the many incense offerings in one of the many temples.

To non-believers, I would like to share what Jesus Christ said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” Dear friends, does your heart trouble and burden you now? Has your religion given you the peace you desperately seek?

Repent and believe in Jesus. He will surely give you peace that you have never experienced before. In John 16:33, Jesus promised: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Louie Hui was born in Hong Kong, and now lives in Richmond.  He is a professional accountant. An extended version of his testimony is available at LostButFound.org

October 2007