James’ Testimony – The Blood of Jesus Christ
I am 23, a senior in college, and I was supposed to graduate in May. But I guess God had other plans for me, so now I don’t know when I’m graduating. I dropped all my classes and my advisor asked me, “Aren’t you supposed to graduate in a month? Why did you just drop all your classes?”
First of all, I was shy because some people get offended when you talk about religion. But I told him straight up, “I have a ministry that I have to go to. That’s why I’m dropping my classes.” He understood. He gave me two options and said, “I still want you to graduate.” But I told him that wasn’t my plan anymore.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that I have to be flexible for God. School, graduation, getting your degree, getting money, finding a good job—we all want those things. For three years, I thought I had to find a good job so I could support my family.
My major is HR, and I know how business works from left to right, up and down. I know how the departments work, how money goes, how everything works. You can ask me a question about business and I’ll talk and talk and talk because I know the ins and outs of it. But that was not my plan.
Hebrews 9:11 talks about Jesus entering into the Holy Place by His own blood. That is what I have for you guys as my testimony: the blood of Jesus Christ.
My mom went to heaven in 2024. She had been sick since 2013 when we were in Malaysia. I didn’t know about her sickness. She had kidney failure, so every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, she had to get dialysis.
When we came to the US in September 2013, I didn’t even realize how sick my mom was. About a month later, she came into the apartment in a wheelchair, and I saw the condition she was in. I remember thinking, “Wait a minute, my mom is sick. What’s going on?”
From 2013 all the way until the day she died, she had to get dialysis. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, she would wake up around six in the morning and go through dialysis for hours. Her blood would be taken from her body, go through the dialysis machine where the waste and extra fluid were removed, and then the blood would be returned to her body.
She would come home exhausted. She had no energy. Sometimes she couldn’t even read her Bible, but she tried. She tried her best.
And then I read: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.”
When I read that, I thought about my mom. Her body needed that blood. Her kidneys couldn’t properly filter it anymore, so every week she had to go through that process.
That’s why when I came here and people started singing songs about nothing but the blood, I started thinking about my mom. I was already preaching about the blood before I came here, and then the next Sunday there was preaching about the blood again.
What is it about the blood? Why is it so powerful?
The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from our sins. Our past, our present, and even our future sins.
Before my mom died, her left arm was where they would put the needle every time. It was always the same place. The needle would go in, and for hours her blood would go through the dialysis machine.
I remember going to a high school blood donation one time. They took my blood for only a couple minutes, and I passed out. That’s how painful it was for me. But my mom went through this every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for years.
Then December 24 came, right before Christmas. My mom had almost no strength left.
And yet I still disobeyed her. I still said no to my mom because I wanted to have fun with my friends. I wanted to enjoy my life. I didn’t give my time to my mom while she was going through all of this.
The Bible says that nearly everything is cleansed by blood.
When I think about my mom now, I have so much regret. I wanted to cry, but there was so much regret that sometimes it was hard for me to cry.
In 2024, we were in the hospital helping my mom. Later, we found out she had a stroke. She was hiding the pain from us. She just said, “I can’t feel my feet.”
Her left arm became numb. She couldn’t feel it anymore. The doctor said something was wrong.
Then the day came when she died.
At the funeral, they started putting flowers down. Other people put their flowers down, and I held mine.
That’s when it hit me.
My mom was gone.
I couldn’t go back home and say, “Mom, can you pray for me? I have a big day coming up.” I couldn’t say that anymore.
I promised my mom that I would go into ministry and preach the Word of God, but after she died, I went the opposite direction. I started cursing. I started vaping. I started hanging around with the wrong friends. My environment influenced me, and I brought that influence into my family, my friends, and even the church.
I started judging people before I cleaned my own face.
For 15 years, I was disobedient. For 15 years, I wanted to be famous. For 15 years, I wanted to be great. I posted about myself and was very egotistical.
I said no to my mom.
And now I don’t have a mother to say no to.
But by the grace of God, I am here.
My dad has been behind me through all of this. He has been praying for me every single day and telling me where I need to be.
So I want to leave you with this:
1. The blood that flows through your body is the reason your past present future are cleanse.
2. The blood that is flowing through your body is the blood of Jesus that’s why you’re still alive.
I wish I had realized how precious the blood was when I was watching my mom go through dialysis.
The Bible says there is a time to live and a time to die. There’s a season for everything.