From Taoist to Born Again Christian

Below is a testimony I found here while Googling for the testimony of a former Taoist.  I would like to share this meaningful testimony to show just how futile any form of paganism is:

My name is Wilson Tang. I would like to thank God with all my heart for His unfailing love, grace and mercy in that He has given me a new life, a new hope, a new nature and a new beginning. Everything is new in the kingdom of God. Amen!

Before I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, I live a life that was aimless, without direction or goal. It all happened in the year 1979. I dropped out from school when I was in Primary 6 and began my rebellious lifestyle when I befriended the wrong company. I got entrenched in all kinds of sinful activities such as smoking, gambling, theft, gang fights and human trafficking.

When I was around 18 years old, a friend brought me back to his house. His father was a Taoist medium. I witnessed him going into a trance and claimed that he was one of the Taoist gods. I got curious so I offered myself to be an apprentice to him. That was how I got myself into the ritual of idols worship. Subsequently, I graduated to become a medium. To invite spirits to come upon me, I would begin chanting before I go into a trance. I would then claim to be one of the gods who could heal the sick. In order to prove that I had special power from this god to perform miracles, I would use an oversized needle to poke it through my mouth or cut my tongue with blades and allow the blood to drip. I would then use my blood to write an inscription on a yellow strip of paper known as “Talisman” or “Fu” in Chinese. This “Fu” was then burnt in the presence of the deity and the ash was collected in a glass. By adding water into this “Fu”, the glass of water became “holy water”. Whoever was sick would be healed after drinking this consecrated water.

I did not stop practising as a medium till I was 42 years old. Even as I was playing god as a medium, I always felt I was surrounded by death. I was fearful that death would engulf me one day. I realised that life was short and wanted to find the God whom we were supposed to know. In my quest to look for the true God, I went from fortune teller to temple medium and to bomoh, and became involved in many occult practices. Still, nothing satisfied me.

While I was serving in the national service, I started betting on the World Cup. To feed my gambling habit, I borrowed from loan sharks and try to escape national service. I was caught and put under detention barrack for 2 years. By the time I turned 25, I was big in betting World Cup and horse racing. I also began taking heroin and marijuana. To keep up with my gambling and drug addiction, I got into illegal businesses such as selling pirated CDs. I also began putting different sets of tattoos on my body year after year. Each tattoo was supposed to give me luck in my gambling for a year’s period. Hence, I would add a new set of tattoo every year to keep me on the winning streak. I ended up with tattoos on my torso, back, arms, forearms, and legs.

When I was heavily in debt, I would resort to stealing. There was no shame in stealing from my own family. I stole my sister’s pocket money. I also stole my brother’s first credit card and advanced S$10,000 from it. My brother was then a Christian. He forgave me and did not even report me to the police. But I was blinded. I could not see that this was love in action. When stealing could not pay off my debt, I would borrow from loan sharks. And when I could not pay off my loan, I worked for the loan sharks and ended up in jail for 6 months. Upon my release, I went back to my old trade of selling illegal goods such pirated CDs and DVDs, faked watches and others. Yet again, I was caught and jailed for 11 months. I was in and out of prison so many times that the prison became a routine part of my life.

Later on, to keep myself away from the radar of the police in Singapore, I decided to join a secret society in Brunei dealing with human trafficking. I would traffick young girls from Malaysia and Thailand into Brunei for prostitution. During those times, it had never crossed my mind that these young girls were somebody’s daughter or sister. All I had in my mind was money. Eventually, I was caught in 1996 and was thrown into jail for 2 ½ years. Despite all these, I did not change. As I went deeper and deeper into gambling and drugs, I was also sinking deeper and deeper into sins. I began forging and faking credit cards. In 2001, I was caught and placed behind bars for 18 months. By the time I was released in 2003, my wife had divorced me. At that point, I felt the need to turn over a new leaf. So, I started working as an odd job worker.

All this while, my sister was fasting and praying for my salvation. In 2006, my sister invited me to a Christmas program in Faith Community Baptist Church. On that night, I didn’t understand why but I felt very uneasy. I just kept crying and  could not stop. During the altar call, I suddenly felt a great need to walk out to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. After I gave my life to Jesus, I began to experience God’s love and His peace. I came to my senses like a prodigal son, releasing my sin of disobedience and rebellion to Him. I prayed and asked God for another opportunity to start my life anew. Our God is a loving and forgiving God. When I was weak and in despair, our mighty God was near and He gave me strength, joy, hope and peace.

After knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, I began to hunger for His Word. I learned to seek Him and walk with Him daily. My life has changed. I stopped smoking. I no longer gamble and take drugs. As I stepped out in faith to live righteously, I began to see God’s blessing pouring into my life. I passed and obtained a vocational licence as a bus and taxi driver for the first time. I now have a stable income and live a peaceful life. I am grateful to the Lord for saving me. My old self was crucified with Christ. I am no longer a slave to sin. Today, I am a new creation. Christ has set me free from the dungeon of darkness and the bondages of drugs. I am very thankful that God has turned me away from the path of death and lead me into His marvellous light. God has given me a new purpose in life, that I can be an instrument for Him. Currently, I am serving in JIW. It is my prayer that God will continue to use me and my testimony to bless others so that “the blind may see” and the lost would be found, that many may experience the goodness and the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. All praise and glory to our God, Amen!

This testimony was shared at the Community Outreach Ministry Weekend on 7 & 8 July 2012