44
" I drank too much, gambled, lied, cheated, stole, and lusted after women with my eyes. I didn’t care for God back then, or His will for my life, at least not with my whole heart. It was mostly lip service. “Had God not taken the first step, I’d still be that same lost person I was back then. The reason I’m willing to be persecuted here in China is because I believe the many promises recorded in this blessed Book will come to pass, in God’s perfect timing, for all who love Him. "
― Patrick Higgins , I Never Knew You
46
" Our faith can be likened to this muscle, or lack thereof. The more we exercise it, the stronger it gets. The less we exercise it, the weaker it gets. And just like the muscles in our bodies were placed there by God Almighty Himself, the same is true that the faith we have to believe in Him was also given to us by Him. It’s something for which we cannot take credit. “Now, from a spiritual standpoint, once God’s free-gift of salvation has been given, like our physical muscles, it’s already there. The more we work it out with fear and trembling, the stronger and more effective our earthly ministries will be. It’s as simple as that… "
― Patrick Higgins , I Never Knew You
49
" Though He foresaw my great sin and depravity, He still loved me. And to prove it, He sent Jesus to die so brutally on the cross, so when God looks at me, He doesn’t see my sin, He sees His Son dying in my place, as if He committed my sins, not me. “What great love! Once we view the cross from the perspective that we all deserve hell, and had it not been for God’s love for our souls, that’s exactly where we would end up, our perspective is forever changed. The world becomes less and less and Christ becomes more and more. "
― Patrick Higgins , I Never Knew You