Our most recent guest on the Ask About My Faith podcast, Armin Assadi, shares his story of being a refugee of war, becoming a crime boss, and his story of salvation. Learn more about how to live out your faith, choose Jesus every day, and follow Armin’s ways of becoming unafraid to share your story.
A Life on The Run
Armin was born in Iran into a family that didn’t practice Islam. Rather, they served the monarchy at the time. When the Islamic Revolution happened, their family experienced extreme hardship and persecution. They moved from city to city, fleeing until they arrived in the slums of Pakistan. Armin and his family lived there as refugees until they emigrated to America.
Given the extreme environments Armin where was raised, his life was incredibly rough. To add insult to injury, just a few years into living in America, his parents divorced. The deep pain of this event caused Armin to revisit his old friends as a source of familiarity and comfort. Their time together turned from community, to criminal activity, and into an organized crime network that generated significant income.
Armin eventually became the crime boss of a large syndicate. Despite all of this, Armin experienced a life-changing moment at a party that Armin threw for himself, to the tune of half a million dollars! During this encounter, Armin thought to himself…
“I built a criminal business to convince myself I have a family.”
He ran to his hotel room and contemplated ending his life, but ultimately chose to keep living. The question, “What do I do now?” kept running through his head. Ultimately, Armin chose to put himself in more danger, wondering if God would take his life that way, but the Lord protected him.
Armin then tried every faith he could find. He visited the local mosque, the Catholic church, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, and everything in between. He felt numb and robotic throughout each experience. One of the last places he went was a church in his city. He gave them his information and quickly received a call to join a Men’s Group that started that very evening.
Armin walked in fellowship with these men and eventually made his way into the life of a church. While there, the power of God hit Armin like never before. He began trembling as he received prayer and gave his life to the Lord at the altar. It’s safe to say – his old stories, his old ways, and his old friends were history.
15 Weeks in Jail
Though recently committed to Christ and young in the Lord, Armin was arrested shortly after and was on trial for a federal court case. A ten-year minimum began to hang over his head. Armin was found guilty and declared a felon. However, the judge complimented Armin, calling him “gracious” as he announced Armin would be given the grace of a lesser sentence of fifteen weekends in jail instead of ten years of prison time.
Armin turned himself in every Friday morning and checked himself out on Sundays just in time to get to the second service of his church. God changed Armin’s heart and showed him the radical power of mercy. Armin is living proof to the power of a gracious sentencing.
Related Post: 4 Things You Need to Do When You Mess Up
Grace to Share His Faith, Even When It’s Hard
When we recorded this podcast, Armin described how he had shared his faith with someone that day. While at a gas station, Armin felt drawn to talk to a man wearing a Vietnam Veteran’s hat. Armin wanted to thank him for his service but drove away due to fear.
While driving away, Armin decided to turn around and continue talking with the man at the gas station. Upon arriving back, Armin told the man, “Thank you for your service. I’m so grateful that you’re home.”
The veteran’s response was sharp and surprising. Through expletives he taunted Armin about what he knew about Vietnam. Armin shared that he was part of the Heroes Honor Festival, which the veteran knew about.
Shocked, the man asked pointedly: “Why the *** do you care?”
Armin told him the honest truth, noting how his friend led him to serve at the Heroes Honor Festival. Armin continued to share about God, how good He is, and some of the stories from the festival. The man’s demeanor changed drastically and he told Armin, “Son, I really appreciate this.”
This story highlights the truth that God wants to encounter everyone we meet. Learn more about how to share your faith by reading our article: How to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Clinging to Jesus Even in Chaos
After building a successful business to supplement his ministry income, everything came crashing to a halt when a savvy scammer robbed Armin of his business. Due to the intensity of the event, Armin went to a mental health retreat to overcome suicidal ideation that surfaced after the scam.
Armin spent a lot of his time at this retreat writing in his journal and crafting poetry which piqued interest of his peers at the center. They asked him why he was writing and what he was writing.
Armin’s response was sobering and intriguing to them. He said:
“I’m wrestling with God.”
Read Genesis 32:22-32 to learn more about Jacob’s wrestle with God.
Armin would read his poetry and the others around would be locked in. Nearly every group session, a therapist would ask, “Anything you’d like to share about your God fight?” Even after treatment, many of those he met check in with him often and remember his moving words.
Words of Wisdom from Armin
As we finished our interview with Armin, he left our audience with some tips for sharing your story and drawing others to Jesus.
Your testimony is a part of your life.
Sometimes in our hyper political culture, it can feel overwhelming to talk about our faith when it can be interpreted as a controversial subject. Armin reminds our readers that your testimony is a part of your life. It’s your story, and it is okay to talk about what Jesus has done for you.
K.I.S.S – But for Faith.
Ever heard this acronym before? K.I.S.S stands for…
Keep
It
Simple
Stupid
Here’s how Armin keeps it simple each day. When Armin wakes up in the morning, he asks himself, “Where’s my faith today?” He then asks, “What is one thing I can do to exercise or grow my faith today?”
Later, when his head hits the pillow at night, he asks, “Did I do it?” This cycle of accountability is empowering and practical for the real world no matter where you are in life.
Conclusion
Armin’s story reminds us that no one is too far gone. Everyone, everywhere needs a savior and we know His name. Each day, we have a chance to share the powerful love of Jesus with those we meet. Join us this week in asking these three questions to grow in sharing our faith:
1) Where’s my faith at today?
2) What is one thing I can do to exercise or grow my faith today?
3) Did I do it?
Want to hear even more miraculous stories from Armin? Listen to our full talk with Armin Assadi on the Ask About My Faith podcast.
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