By Tom Doyle
Mike Westerfield was in crisis mode. Raised as a “religious Christian,” Mike was involved in his church and even preached on occasion. But when he had no answers for the Muslim inmates who were giving him Islamic literature at a Florida prison, he did the unthinkable. He converted to Islam. Mike just wasn’t sure about the Trinity or how to defend it, and the Muslim prisoners whom he visited each day sensed a weakness. Mike told his story in a powerful video for “I Found the Truth”:
“I ended up abandoning Christianity and embraced Islam. I was a Muslim for 12 years and attended an Islamic University for some time in hopes of becoming a Muslim imam or scholar. After about 7 years of being a faithful Muslim, I started rethinking Jesus’ role after learning more about Islam, its deception, and lies. I started looking back into my old books on Christian apologetics from a Bible college I attended and began reading the Bible. I also started reviewing Lee Strobel’s literature in the Case for Christ, Case for Faith, and watched Ravi Zacharias’ videos. I was eventually introduced to Abdu Murray who was with Embrace the Truth International, he was an Ex-Muslim turned Christian apologist. He was the first Ex-Muslim I met and could share my thoughts and doubts with. He talked openly with me and did not condemn me. He listened as to why I was now considering leaving Islam after being fanatical about it at one time. In 2012, I ended up having a dream about Jesus and in it I was covered in his blood!
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I couldn’t understand why I had this dream, but it was truly amazing, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Jesus’ blood filled the scene in my dream. I tried to run from it, but it covered me entirely! I felt such peace and love, and Jesus’ dark brown eyes pierced my soul! I called Abdu Murray and told him about my dream, and he was shocked! The night I had the dream, he and Josh McDowell had prayed that Jesus would appear to me in a dream and show himself to me! The God of Heaven graciously heard their prayer and sent a dream that convinced me His blood was more than sufficient to forgive me of my sins. Right then, I knew in my heart that Jesus was the Son of God. But leaving Islam was not easy. Finally, I fully surrendered everything to Jesus a year later in January of 2013 and was born again! It was glorious! Jesus never gave up on me. Today, I am blessed to have completed a master’s degree in Christian studies. How privileged I am to serve Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I truly love sharing the gospel and especially with Muslims who are in desperate need of the forgiveness that only the Cross of Christ can bring.”Â
Mike told his story in a video called “The Inescapable Love of Jesus.” His prayer is that it would inspire other Christians to reach out to Muslims.
Mike says, “If you have someone in your family or a friend who has left the faith and converted to Islam, don’t give up on them. Keep praying. Keep loving them. Tell your friends to pray for them. Storm the Gates of Heaven together. That’s what my father did, and God answered his prayers. Don’t give up because this is a matter of life and death.”
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