The Blue Cord, by iHOPE Ministries

She faced death to follow Jesus. Amazing story.

Episode Summary

You probably don't have to worry about your family killing you tonight for being a Christian, yet today's guests did. Once she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, she faced immediate life-threatening danger. A “Yes” to Jesus in her home country is different than a “Yes” here. Today she's living in America's heartland as a passionate ambassador for Christ. Don't miss this remarkable story.

Episode Notes

You probably don't have to worry about your family killing you tonight for being a Christian, yet today's guests did. Once she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, she faced immediate life-threatening danger. A “Yes” to Jesus in her home country is different than a “Yes” here. Today she's living in America's heartland as a passionate ambassador for Christ. Don't miss this remarkable story. 

But before you meet her, I want to give you the backstory behind the name of this series called The Blue Cord. When I was a kid, most Americans identified as Christian. I didn't need to share my faith unless I was going to be a missionary. Now people of many faiths and cultures live here. We can cross our street and tell others about Jesus. And yet we're not. 

Something similar happened to the Israelites. God reveals in Numbers, 15:37-41 that after another round of not doing what the Lord told them to do, He gave His people a reminder - a tassel with a cord of blue - on the hem of their garments. So that every time they saw it, they would remember him and his commands rather than follow after their own hearts. 

The blue cord was a symbol of God's divine commands that they serve a Holy living God who left instructions for how to remember and trust him.  Inspired by the biblical blue cord, I pray this Blue Cord series by iHOPE Ministries will be a catalyst for you to go be His witness and declare His glory among the nations, living around you. 

For more bite-sized things to know and do to share your faith with intention, follow us on Instagram, then go to  www.iHOPEMinistries.org, and sign up for our weekly eNewsletter. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts and subscribe wherever you listen. Your review helps the show empower more everyday Christians with the courage, confidence, and know-how to share Jesus in our generation. 

Episode Transcription

The Blue Cord by iHOPE Ministries Series, #1

Hello friends. I'm guessing you probably don't have to worry about your mother-in-law killing you tonight for being a Christian, yet today's guests did. Once she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, she faced immediate life-threatening danger. A “Yes” to Jesus in her home country is different than a “Yes” here. 

But before you meet her, I want to give you the backstory behind the name of this podcast series called The Blue Cord. When I was a kid, most Americans identified as Christian. I didn't need to share my faith unless I was going to be a missionary. Now people of many faiths and cultures live here. We can cross our street and tell others about Jesus. And yet we're not. 

Something similar happened to the Israelites. God reveals in Numbers, 15:37-41 that after another round of not doing what the Lord told them to do, He gave His people a reminder - a tassel with a cord of blue - on the hem of their garments. So that every time they saw it, they would remember him and his commands rather than follow after their own hearts. 

The blue cord was a symbol of God's divine commands that they serve a Holy living. God who left instructions for how to remember and trust him inspired by the biblical blue cord. I pray this Blue Cord podcast by iHOPE Ministries will be a catalyst to go be His witnesses and declare His glory among the nations, living around you. 

Now, our guest today, Talia, grew up in a devout Muslim family in Iran where it's illegal to share your faith. Now she's living in America's Heartland and she's a passionate ambassador for Christ. Please. Welcome, Talia. 

Talia (02:09):

Yes. Hello everyone. This is a special privilege. I have to thank you so much.

Karen (02:13):

I'm so glad you're here. Talia. Let's start by talking about your decision to follow Christ. I know a “Yes” to Jesus here is very different than a “Yes” to Jesus in Iran. So tell us about what happened when you made the decision to follow Jesus.

Talia (02:32):

I'd been a Muslim, practicing Islam, and all the rules. But my heart was empty. I felt a lot of fears from (Islamic) law, and even when I prayed no one was there to answer a “Yes” or “No” - no voice to help me to understand why I have all of those fears. So, I grew up with those fears, Islamic culture. When you read the Koran is the same, and that loneliness, that fear from hell, and that silence within me and my creator just made me think - am I on the right path? I had to find someone or something that gives me the peace and respect that I deserve.

Karen (03:25):

So, knowing that you were feeling this dark place, once you decided to follow Jesus, then how did you feel? Did you feel differently, maybe more emboldened?

Talia (03:40):

It was different than my mom and my sister. They were just following Islam and not questioning. They said, this is what it is and you have to follow it. But for me, I always wanted to know who I am and who is God and who I am in God's eyes. So finally, when I find out about Jesus, that was exactly what I've been looking for since I was little – the God who loves me unconditionally, who cares about women and children who gave his life for his children. And all of my questions were answered. Only with reading about Jesus's life.

Karen (04:21):

When you made this decision to follow Jesus, how did you feel? Did you feel differently? 

Talia (04:30):

It took two and a half years for me to accept Jesus because I wanted to research and make sure as soon as I find out that this is what I want for us because we came from Islamic culture. Jesus is everything. He’s about love and peace and respect. Nothing around me gets more peaceful, but God gave me a lot of peace and love. And as soon as I accepted Jesus (as my LORD and Saviour), I could feel that inside of me, that's the joy and happiness that loves God loves me no matter what.

Karen (05:13):

I love this. So, it was a two-and-a-half-year journey for you because you weighed your decision so very carefully. You were thinking through what might happen when you made this decision for Jesus. So tell me about your thoughts, as you were thinking about making this decision,

Talia (05:35):

When you asked me this question that makes me think - when you go back to Iran or Muslim countries like Afghanistan or Iraq - when you make the decision to follow Jesus, it's not like the decision you make between white or black. It’s about life and death. So, when you say, “Hey, I don't want to be Muslim,” no matter whether you want to be Christian or Jewish or anything else, as soon as you say, “I just don't want to be Muslim,” you are going to die. 

I knew for me, (there would) not only be a penalty of that - killing me, even shame that I'm going to put on my family and my father and my brothers and my uncles - they are going to carry that shame that I'm not Muslim anymore. It's going to be heavy on my family. 

I find the thing that gave me the power to stand up, even thinking about the fact that they are going to kill me – what was giving me peace in my heart – was that I knew where I'm going after that. I'm going to be with Jesus. So nothing to lose.

Karen (06:50):

You know, the first time I heard you share this story, it really made me consider my own faith. I haven't had to make a decision for Christ knowing it was a life or death decision. It's my decision for eternity. And you made me think more fully about that decision. And I thank you for that. I'd love for you to share that story about once you made that decision, then you had a decision about sharing that with your family and what might happen next. Tell us about that

Talia (07:27):

When I accepted Jesus in church, and I finally admitted in church and I said, “I'm going to follow Jesus,” I remember my pastor, an Armenian guy said, “You want to follow Jesus?” He held my hand. And I said, “Yes.” And he said, “Before I do anything, or I say anything, I just want to tell you, you are going to lose your family. You are going to lose your life. That's the possibility you lose your country. Are you okay with that?”

And he looked at me so serious. I had tears in my eyes, and I said, “I just cannot let Jesus go. I just cannot do that. I finally found Him.” And when I accepted Jesus, I knew even if my first husband, let me go, my father would kill me. Even if my father let me go, the government would kill me.

I knew that it's not going to be a survival moment for me. I knew it's going to be a hard life. But following Jesus Christ, taught me one thing for the last 20 years. That no matter how much your life is hard, (Jesus) He teaches you to keep your faith. Look at Jesus and just go through a storm because He has your hand. (In) my life I've been stabbed with a knife multiple times. My back was broken. I had eleven miscarriages. They hit my head against the wall. I'm deaf. I lost my country. They took my son. Through all of this near-experiencing death...one thing I always realized is that Jesus walked through every single pain I had. I have never been alone at all.

Karen (09:15):

Amen. You are never alone. Talia. I know this moment that you shared with your family was a day that you should have died. Yet God miraculously intervened and you survived. And now you are a new Believer on the run facing the death penalty. If you got caught, you went into hiding, right? And at that moment, did you stay in hiding?

Talia (09:44):

Oh no. You have a diamond in your hand. Shining. I mean, how you can hide it? You are children of light. I mean, come on. You find something totally different than the world. You have power on your tongue that can move the mountain. How you can hide? You just finally realize what is your power to get stronger to face the world and all of the darkness, why do I have to hide? 

Hide was the time that I followed Islam because it was dark. It was fear. It was reminding me I'm a woman. I'm not good enough. I'm not beautiful enough. I don't have power enough.

But when you follow Jesus, He gives you everything you need. I mean, why do you have to hide? Actually, you have to get a stronger,

Karen (10:37):

As you were sharing. It reminded me we the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. I love it. So tell me when you went back out, you knew that other people needed Jesus. So what did you do?

Talia (10:56):

I realized that when I shared my faith in Iran, with my first husband's family they beat me to death, and left me to die. I wanted to walk away from them and say, “You know what? You guys just do whatever. I never forgive you. I hate you.”

But after you meet Jesus, and you walk with Jesus, and you grow up, you learn to pray for people. They don't accept it, but your responsibility is just to share your diamond with them, right? Then you say, “Hey, I have something amazing. You want to hear about it?” 

When I got abused multiple times, I escaped to Capitol city. I started helping my Iranian church, the persecuted church. I started helping women who don’t have any skills - women who were divorced or into prostitution or drugs - to teach them skills so they could survive. It was a great opportunity to invite them to my apartment and just say, “Hey, I can teach you some profession, but at the same time, I had a great opportunity to share the gospel with them.” 

I don't know how many women I invited to church. The Lord helped me to share the Good News with them. As soon as I shared who I was, how I met Jesus, and who I am now, people just get touched through my words. 

As soon as I said “Yes” to Jesus, just like when Moses told God, “Hey, I don't have a tongue. I cannot tell your people.” He said, don't worry. Jesus told me, “Don't worry. You think you cannot do that. I will help you through it.” And even right now, when I'm looking back, and since last few years we had 283 families we helped. I just don't know how I did it. I know I go house by house and knock on doors. And I said, “Hey, my name is Talia. I've been abused by Muslims, but I'm here because God loves you. You are Muslims, and I love you. And I'm here to help you out.” And God is opening the door just like that.

Karen (13:29):

I love it. You know, as you were sharing, it made me think of Exodus where Moses said “Who am I? Who am I to go do these things? “And God said, “I will be with you.” Same thing. I think we all go through moments when we think, “Who am I?” Of course, we're nobody, but because of God, He changes us, and He works through us. 

So, Talia question for you. I know that through a series of just stunning miraculous events, you found your way here to America's Heartland, with the clothes on your back and a hundred dollars in your pocket. And you've been sharing Jesus with a sense of urgency ever since. You lost your child, your family, your country, everything. Tell us more about that.

Talia (14:28):

I came to the United States as a refugee. The media is always talking against refugees. Some people in America are not happy with us coming to this country. As a Christian refugee in this country, I've been facing a lot of unkind words and a lot of problems. I had learned the language. I had to learn about society and improve myself and all of those things. 

One thing I realized, God, didn't send me to America to forget about what He had done for me, and why I'm here. All of this freedom and resource that I have in America right now are for bigger purposes. Now I have a louder voice to talk about my biblical faith. I have more power to invite people to Jesus. 

Block after block there are churches. Group after group are worship teams. All of the Christian conferences, all of the Christian resources - no one here faces death. If you follow Jesus, you have the freedom to put the cross on your neck - freedom to put Bible in their house. They never face what I faced. That's the reason they forgot. Being a follower of Jesus Christ, if that’s the choice that you are going to make, is not easy. I wasn’t born Christian, but I chose to follow Jesus. Following Jesus means I don't have any excuses. 

The Lord, send me to this planet. The Lord, choose me to go and talk about Father and Son and Holy Spirit, wherever I go. My homeland is not Iran, not Turkey. It's not America. I belong in heaven, right? I'm here for the mission. God choose me for this purpose. Not because I'm someone perfect. The Lord chose me to wash my sisters’ and brothers’ feet, whether they are American or Muslim or atheist. Whatever they are, when I say “Hey, Lord gave me my daily bread today,” my daily bread can be my neighbor who needs to hear about what I've got.  I'm going to serve Lord. As soon as I open my eyes, this is how I look at my opportunity. When I came to this country, I work. I help another person to learn about America. I tell Americans about refugees. I share the gospel. 

Karen (17:41):

That's really good. You know, as you were sharing, it was just making me think that whole generations of Americans and Canadians really haven't had to deeply weigh a decision for Christ. Like you, we haven't had to face death. Our churches haven't been bulldozed and our pastors haven't been jailed but instead, in the spirit of embracing diversity and inclusion, we've kind of taken that overboard by becoming more concerned about pleasing our coworkers and our families -  like I've heard people say “You do you, and I'll be me. You worship your gods. I'll worship my God. Let's just all love each other and get along.” So what are your thoughts about that?

Tali (18:21):

That's exactly the biggest problem we have. “You be you. I be me” is no problem. But if you call yourself Christian, and they are not Christian, if they are not followers of Jesus, that's a different story. That's all on you to tell them. But if they call themselves followers of Jesus or Christian, and they go to church and they think we can just be going to church every Sunday, and say we did our job. I'm sorry. Jesus is not going to remember them in Heaven because they didn't do their job. This is a problem. If they read the Bible, as soon as you follow Jesus, you leave everything behind and you follow Him. 

Let me ask you a question, Have you been stabbed a few times?

Karen (19:11):

I have not been stabbed. Anytime.

Tali (19:14):

Did you lose your babies eleven times? By persecution from Muslims.

Karen (19:18):

I have not. 

Tali (19:22):

Did you lose your country?

Karen (19:23):

I have not.

Tali (19:27):

Are you deaf because of your faith?

Karen (19:30):

No.

Tali (19:31):

Have you been persecuted because of your faith?

Karen (19:33):

I have not.

Tali (19:35):

I've been all of these things - by Muslims, but I'm reaching out to Muslims because this is what the Lord asked me to do. If this was only up to me and my nature, I wouldn’t go to them because they hurt me the most. They took everything I had. Yet when I look at them with Jesus' eyes, I know they are lost. My job is to go and help them to understand the love of Christ. If I can do that with all of the abuse that I've been through, what is your excuse for not going out and sharing the love of God?

Karen (20:10):

That's a great question Talia, and that's a really great question for our listeners to take away today. Any last words or last thoughts, Talia, before we wind up our time together.

Tali (20:25):

My last nine years in America – and in Europe and Canada, it's a similar situation - but in America specifically, a lot of churches have offered mission work and conferences and all of those things. And always, people are thinking “you have to be supernatural to do awesome things for Jesus.” But Jesus chose you because in His eyes you are the supernatural one. You are this special one. You don't have to wait to be perfect to do something. You can simply do simple stuff. When you go to the store and see a woman with a cover on their head, just smile and say, “Hey God loves you.” Don’t let Satan try to use that cover on her head to make her separate from you.

Just say, “Hey, God loves you. And you are beautiful.” Just come out of your comfort zone. This is all Jesus asks you to do. Just come out of your comfort zone. It's simple as stuff. You don't have to do crazy things. You don't have to be the leader of the missionary team for ten people. You can make a difference in your own apartment, in your own neighborhood, in your own workplace, with a smile, with confidence about your faith. And just talk a little bit about the love of God. And then you can see what God can do in your life and in your friend's life.

Karen (22:02):

Oh, Talia, you're just blowing me away. And this came with a mascara alert today. I should have not worn mascara when we were doing our podcast. That's awesome. Thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your journey. 

Listeners, as we close out our time together today, Talia gave us lots of things to think about. And I want you to think about one of those things. 

Talk about this with your faith-filled friends this week. Share this podcast with them. And here's the question to discuss:

Do you believe that Jesus is the hope of the world? And if so, how do your actions line up with what you believe? If your actions are out of alignment, what would it take for you to know trust, and believe the Lord enough to share your faith with others? 

Thanks again Talia for joining me today. And listeners see you again next time.