Gazing at the star—filled sky, Dansin cried out: "O Great Spirit, maker of the stars, help me through this trial!" For more than six weeks this had been his nightly prayer. As the darkness descended each night, great fear and lonliness nearly smothered Dansin. At the end of the test, he left the terrors of the jungle to re—enter his village. The jungle phase was over and intense religious ceremonies followed to complete the final phase of his initiation into manhood.

Breaking the finish line ribbon, Don won another victory for Malcolm High School. A year later the all—star athelete found himself red—shirted at MCU. One setback for freshman Don was a "D" on his American History 101 mid—term. Added to that Sue, his girlfriend, broke up with him.

Dansin emerged a survivor and a man from the torturous rites under the auspices of the witchdoctor. Jungle—wise and tradition—bound, Dansin soon married Amara, the bride chosen for him. But Dansin yearned for something more than the rituals of his village. He wanted to be on good terms with the Great One, but didn’t know the way.

On the first day of classes in the winter session, Don showed Laura, his new sweetheart, the "A—" he had received in American History. They had met while he was doing research for the paper on the American Revolution. This brought up his grade considerably. A week later, while he was tanning himself on the lawn next to Pealson Hall, a couple of guys approached him. They were acutely interested in him and he could see they were different from the rest of his friends. He was not aware of the highly organized campaign of conversion that was behind their actions. He had’t been all that interested in religion before, but their enthusiam was contagious.

In Dansin's village a rumor was spreading about a new way to the Creator. Merchant visitors were telling of a new religion that was changing many nearby villages. Dansin was curious, but he had to go as the men were leaving for the boar hunt.

Don's old friends left him. Even Laura was not seeing him much anymore. Don’s indoctrination by the religious group had alienated him from his friends and his girlfriend. His parents were disturbed over his new beliefs. Yet Don harbored doubts about the group's doctrine. These doubts surfaced one day in a meeting and he was reprimanded. The leaders conferred privately and planned a strategy to keep him. Don noticed that the members of the group seemed to intensify their warmth toward him for his fidelity to the group, but they also placed on him a dreadful guilt for any disbelief. He observed that they always seemed to be around him, as though he was being watched. Don was lead to believe that these pyschological manipulations were a part of true religion. He suppressed his doubts, because he didn't know who to turn to, except group members.

Seeing the enemy tribesman from a distance, nearly the whole village ran to the chief. "Would it be an ambassage of War or Peace?" Dansin wondered as the visitor approached the chief’s hut. This unusual enemy addressed the village with a calm voice. "An enemy never in all the land spoke like this!" Amara said to Dansin. Men like this always brought war, but the whole village sensed a profound change in this man. He told how men could return to the Great Spirit. Dansin's heart was warned when he understood this new way of Yesu, Son of the Great Spirit. His life was changed from fear, darkness and bondage to one of peace, light and liberty. Ainara followed Dansin in the same faith a week later.

Laura had a Born—Again Christian roomate named Cindy. One day Don saw them having lunch together and came over. Don had heard of Cindy's faith before and now had some questions. Her answers were from her heart and she used the Bible to make her point. "Don, why don’t you read the whole New Testament by yourself?" Cindy said, "And if you ask God to show you the truth, He will!"

That night, Don discovered a great difference between the Bible's teaching and that of the group's belief system. It was as though a lamp had been switched on dispelling the darkness. Several days passed as Don prayfully sought the Lord through the Scriptures. Laura too, searched the Bible for the truth. Realizing that Christ was the only way, Don called out Him, confessing his sin and asking for forgiveness. What peace flooded his soul and the heavy burden of guilt was lifted.

When Don told members of the group what he had done, they responded by accusing him of deception and defection. Weeks of orchestrated efforts by the members to cajole him back failed. Don found a whole new family of friends in Christ who were from many different denominations and yet one in the Lord. Don, had a concern to rebuild his former relationships with his old friends. They could see the change in Don's life. While they didn’t accept his new faith, they respected him. But it was Laura who noticed the most change in Don. She could see the life of Christ in him. Two days later, she too found a new life in Christ.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: behold, old things are passed away; all things are become new"II Cor. 5:17.

Both Don and Dansin found a new life in Christ and this was contrasted with the false guilt created by man—made religion. You can have this new life too!

Click Here: How to be saved.