Marziyeh Amirizadeh's Christian Testimony

Marziyeh Amirizadeh Georgia House of Rep. Georgia House District 67

1.  When and how did you become a Christian?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "I found the truth and became a follower of Jesus more than 20 years ago. Ever since childhood, I loved God and wanted to find out more about His truth. I did everything I knew to get closer to Him. My only means of getting to know God was through Muslim religious teachings and things I learned at school. But I always had many questions about God that Islamic theology and Sharia law could not answer. I used to think of God like a kind father who is closer to us than members of our family because I believed that the God who created my body was closer to my heart than my own flesh and blood. I had been taught the beliefs of Islam and debated them with friends and teachers in school; I could not accept the Koran’s teachings, as they did not seem true to me. I did not accept the image of God that many Muslims have as one who harshly rules over the human race and punishes us for the slightest sins. That is a terrifying image of God. I believed that the daily Namaz prayers, bending several times a day in front of a God who was already in my heart, were a waste of time and unnecessary, and I could not accept them.

"I also had many questions about why I had to speak to God in Arabic instead of in Farsi, my native language. Doesn’t this God who taught me my mother tongue know it Himself? Why should I pray to Him as if He’s a great leader or ruler over me? Why can’t I speak with Him in my language? These were the questions that had long occupied my mind. The answers I received at school were not convincing. Despite my reservations, I did my best to fulfill my religious duties. I told myself that I might be wrong and that the truth would show itself to me one day in the future. I prayed Namaz for two years without fail. I used to read the Koran, and I would even wake up in the middle of the night and pray again. But these types of prayers and worship were not making me feel any closer to God. On the contrary, they created a greater distance from Him as they became a routine action that I was forced to do, not something that I wanted to do. Even before I found Christ, I was certain that God spoke to me in dreams. In one dream, I was praying toward the sky when it opened up, and a white horse came down and spoke to me: “Sit on my back,” it said. When I obeyed, the horse took me to a city where worshipers coming out of a mosque were performing the Ashura and Tasua ceremonies (Islamic ceremonies), mournful chanting, and self-beating.

"At first, they couldn’t see the horse or me. But suddenly, they appeared to change into wild animals with savage features, not like people at all. As soon as I saw them, they could also see me and tried to kill me. The horse ran like the wind to save me. As I held fast to its neck, I felt its love pouring into me with a power and purity I had never known. After we eluded our pursuers, the horse came to a fork in the road where one path turned up into the sky. As the tired horse started on the upward path, I awoke. For a week after that, all I could think about was the deep love I had experienced in the dream. I have never since experienced love like that in this world. God, why did you let me wake up? I wanted to be in this dream forever! (That same horse has reappeared to me in a dream, with a message, every few years since then.) After some thought and consideration, I came to the conclusion that the most important part of being a believer is my heart, and I decided to put aside my religion.

"I began to speak to God with my heart, in the manner of a relationship between a child and her father. One day, I heard from a friend of mine who had converted to Christianity that in their religion, Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of humankind who has come to the earth to free people from their sins. I became curious; I had not heard anything like that before about Jesus. I used to think He was just another prophet, as He had been introduced to us in our textbooks at school. I said to myself, “How do I know He is the truth?” I decided to study different religions in search of the truth and began to read the Bible. After a while, I realized I could not possibly spend the many years necessary to study all the religions of the world, and that there might be some faith in the world that I would never be able to know in full. Therefore, I knelt and prayed, asking God to show me the right path to reach the truth. I said, “If Jesus is the truth, then you must guide me in the path that would take me to the truth and save me from being misguided.” The next thing that happened was a real miracle. During this time, I was invited to a church by a friend.

"On that same day, I had a medical appointment scheduled with a specialist. My visit to the church was an incredible experience. People were worshiping with joy and praying freely to God. Suddenly, in my heart, I heard a voice: “Marziyeh, you are healed.” I wanted to ignore this voice, but when I told my friend, she said it was Jesus and that He could heal me. Later, at my medical appointment, the doctor picked up his pen to write me a prescription. Then he stopped. I waited, wondering why he was hesitating. Finally, he said, “I don’t know why, but I cannot write a prescription for you. Come back another time.” At that time, I sensed that God reminded me of His message in the church and told me to trust Him. The symptoms were immediately cleared up. But even after Jesus healed me, I did not fully believe in Him. To me, the healing wasn’t enough proof to convert to Christianity, so I asked God to show me more reasons.

"At the bottom of my heart, I had begun to believe in Jesus, but I still had my doubts. I had read about the Holy Spirit but could not fully understand. I read in the Bible about the supernatural experience that the apostles had when they spoke in other languages, and also heard about it from my friend who had led me to Christ. At the time, I could not understand it, but I was curious. One day, I was praying to God, at that moment, the Holy Spirit came on me, and I started to pray in tongues. Even though I didn’t know the meaning of my words, I could fully understand what I was saying to God. It was the first time I had ever been so close to God that I felt I could touch Him. While I was praying, I could see Jesus in front of me for a few seconds. He was standing next to a large throne that was covered with shining gold. At that moment, I was not on earth. The middle of my forehead was burning with heat as if someone had branded it. Suddenly all my doubts disappeared, and I felt that God had removed a curtain from my eyes: I could now see the truth. I could not control my tongue but just kept worshiping Him.

"I prayed and sang songs of praise in tongues nonstop through the night until the early hours of the morning. My jaw was aching, but I did not want the experience to end. The sense of God’s love was so powerful, and what had happened to me by then was just incredible, and I could not describe it. No one had forced me into anything or hypnotized me. No one had cast a spell on me. The only explanation I could logically derive from that experience was that I had met with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. From that day forward, I dedicated my life to Jesus. I always felt God’s presence with me, and I saw countless miracles and dreams from Him. Jesus is the only person who has been with me every single day of my life. Even when I’ve gone through very difficult times and was profoundly lonely, I have walked with Him next to me, and He has been my guide in life."

2.  How did becoming a Christian change you?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "I experienced the love of God through Jesus Christ more than twenty years ago. God allowed me to taste His amazing love and to understand His unconditional love on the cross. That is why I am deeply in love with His. I have met Him and have seen Him in many of my dreams that I have shared in my second book, A Love Journey with God. I have seen many miracles through Him in my life and during my imprisonment that I shared in my first book, Captive in Iran. I was baptized by the power of the Holy Spirit, and He is in me. I cannot imagine living a second of my life without Him. Having the power of the Holy Spirit helps me to be a better person and let God’s Spirit work in me. The power of the Holy Spirit helps me to be able to deny my own desires, feelings, and even myself and let Him be shown through me. We are human being and without God’s power, we are nothing and only a failure. I will never deny God’s love or the life He has called me to; to do so would be to deny my very existence.

"When I gave my heart to Jesus, I had obtained certifications as a manager and trainer in a cosmetology school in Iran. Working with trainees gave me opportunities every day to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Many women were eager to know more and gladly accepted a Bible from me. Though I was successful and secure in my profession, I was sure that the Lord wanted me to serve Him full time. Nothing compared to telling the world about Jesus. When a pastor's friend suggested I study theology, I quit my job and traded a certain future for the unknown. I had started with nothing in Tehran and, in five years, had achieved worldly success. Now I was starting over again. I planned to study theology in London, but I was unable to get a visa. Instead, I traveled to Turkey to study leadership and theology courses through a Christian ministry."

3.  How would you describe your relationship with Jesus today?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "My relationship with Him is a personal love relationship with a deep intimacy that will never end. I follow Him not because of the fear of going to hell. I follow Him because of the love that I have experienced through Him. My biggest fear is to lose this love and His presence in my life. His love inspires me to obey and satisfy Him with my actions and behaviors.

"Experiencing the love of God is like experiencing an amazing intimacy with Him. You always long for that intimacy and want more and more. You do not want to be separated from Him at all. You do not want to make Him upset or dissatisfied. You feel you are nothing without Him. You feel you want to be in His arms forever. You have no fear to ask any questions because you want to get to know Him more. You have no fear even to lose your life because you know where you will go. You enter an amazing relationship that makes you crazy about Him and His love. He is with you nonstop and you long for Him. Unfortunately, it is difficult for me to put my love relationship with Him into words."

4.  Which church in which city do you attend most often?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "I do not belong to any physical churches in this world. I am only part of the church of God and body of Christ. When I was in prison, I learned that anywhere could be a church, even the most brutal prison like Evin Prison where I was imprisoned for almost 9 months, sentenced to death by hanging only because of my faith in Jesus.

"In the US, I learned there are many churches with different denominations that is still confusing to me, and I am learning. I have attended many of those churches in every location where I lived for a while to learn about their differences. However, because of my job (public speaker) and to keep sharing my story in different events and churches, and not being able to live in a specific location for a long time, I found it very difficult to be a member of a specific church in specific location in the US.

"Also, after publishing my first book, Captive in Iran, I have spoken in hundreds of churches in the US and all around the world (Australia, UK, Germany, South Africa, Namibia, Austria, New Zeeland, etc.). Most of the weekends I have spoken in a church, Bible study group, events, schools, which gave me the opportunity of attending their services too.

"Through my speaking I keep sharing my pains and suffering with many people because I believe God had a purpose allowing me to suffer for my faith. However, because of my story, when I attend a church as a regular member to just receive the word of God, people of the churches still keep asking me questions about my imprisonment. I found it very difficult to keep remembering all the traumas I went through. Therefore, whenever I am not traveling, I usually attend a home church with my family members and a few of my friends, to read the Bible together, have fellowship and pray for each other. That way, I have fellowship with my loved ones and I also do not have to talk nonstop about my traumas."

5.  In the past 12 months, how many church services have you attended?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "As I mentioned above, most of the weekends, I have spoken in a church, Bible study class, groups, home churches and gatherings, or somewhere else, which has given me the opportunity of attending their services too. Also, I attend my home church in the state of Georgia."

6.  In the past 12 months, how much time have you spent in prayer to God daily?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "I talk to God every day. I live with God. I walk with Him, and talking to Him every day is my lifestyle. He is my heavenly father. I call Him daddy. I am not practicing a religion. I have a close and personal relationship with Him. Talking to my heavenly father has no specific time frame for me. This is part of my personal love relationship with Him. I am in love, and I am living with Him every day. However, sometimes I specifically pray for specific things like my family members, friends, enemies, my country, my birth country Iran, Israel, and the leaders, too.

"Sometimes at midnight the Holy Spirit wakes me up and asks me to pray for something specific and some people, which I obey too."

7.  In the past 12 months, how much Bible reading have you averaged daily?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "As I mentioned above, I am not practicing any religion. I am in love with Jesus and when you are in love, all your desire is to learn more about your beloved. I try my best to read Bible every day, even if it is only reading one verse and thinking about it, because it is the word of God and the word of wisdom that helps me learn more about my beloved and be a better person.

"However, sometimes I may miss reading my Bible. I read other Christian books, and devotionals too which teach me about the Bible and help me understand it better. Reading the Bible daily is not a rule for me that if I missed one day, I feel guilty about it. Living with the verses of the Bible, trying to practice the verses of the Bible and applying them in my daily life is the rule for me.

"I had no Bible to read in prison for almost nine months. The Holy Spirit reminded me the verses of the Bible that I had read before and taught me how to live and practice them at the time of persecution and getting insulted because of my faith in Jesus.

"1 John 2: 3-6 says, 'Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.' "

8.  Do you believe Jesus always has been both God and the Son of God?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "Yes, I strongly believe He has always been both God and the Son of God.

"Philippians 2:6-11 says about Jesus, 'who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.'

"John 1:1-5 says, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.'

"John 1:14 says, 'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.'
 
"And John 1:18 says, 'No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.' "

9.  Why did Jesus die on the cross?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "To show us His unconditional love and grace, to give us eternal life, to take away the punishment for our sins and save us from our sins and death, for us to have a personal relationship with Him without a mediator, and to show us His mercy and justice.

"1 John 4:9-10 says, 'In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His one and only Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.' "

10.  Do you believe Jesus rose from the dead?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "Yes, Jesus rose from the dead. There are many verses about it in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus Himself talked about it with His apostles.

"Mark 9:31 records, 'For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” '

"1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says, 'For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.'

"And Isaiah 26:19 says, 'Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.' "

11.  Do you believe Jesus ascended to heaven and will return someday?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "Yes, I believe Jesus ascended to heaven and will return someday.

"Acts 1:9-12 says, 'Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” '

"And John 20:17 says, 'Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ” ' "

12.  By what criterion do you believe people go to heaven?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "Through accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus said in John 14:6, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' "

13.  In the past year, how many non-Christians have you told why Jesus died?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "Thousands of people. As a Republican candidate I canvassed 10,000 homes in my district alone and I had the opportunity to talk to thousands of people, especially black Americans. I talked to some felons, drug addicts, etc., and prayed for them in the streets. I turned my political campaign into a platform to reach more people in my district and share the message of salvation with more people.

"I may share in my next book some of those amazing stories of how God used me in my district to be a witness for Him. No matter what we do and what job we have, we should always find a way to talk to people about our faith and salvation through Jesus. I lost in my Democratic district but talking to thousands of residents about my faith was a big victory to me."

14.  Which gift(s) has the Holy Spirit given you, and what fruit(s) has it borne?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "I have the gift of discernment, dreams and visions from God, and evangelizing thousands of people in the US, Iran, and all around the world.

"I also have the gift of praying and singing in tongues, which strengthened me very much at the time of my imprisonment. It also helps me to worship Him every day at the times that I feel my language and my words are not enough to express my love and feelings to Him. Sometimes He gives me the translation of my worship songs to Him."

15.  What do you pray to God for/about our nation?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "A few years ago, God told me through a dream to pray for 3 specific things for the US: The division that has been created in our nation; the young generations who have been deceived by the woke media, political corruption, and immorality; and the protection of my country from its enemy who has infiltrated our politics. America will collapse if it does not stand with its Christian values.

"I also pray for the holy land of Israel, the place where my Savior walked, where many Biblical stories happened. Those who bless Israel will be blessed."

16.  How do you define "marriage"?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "Marriage is a covenant only between a man and a woman. Ephesians 5:22-33 says, 'Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.' "

17.  Under what circumstances do you believe abortion should be allowed?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "Abortion to me is taking a life and committing sin. We are not allowed to take the life of unborn children. However, there are a few circumstances, like the risk of losing the life of the mother, which I still believe should be the decision of the mother, whether or not she wants to take the risk of losing her life by giving birth to her child. Another circumstance would be the rape of children whose pregnancy may risk their lives.

"The government should allocate enough funds to educate women about the side effects of abortion, make adoption and fostering babies easier for families who cannot have a child of their own, and give consultations to mothers who are considering having an abortion."

18.  What remedies do you advocate against illegal immigration?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "I came to America as a refugee legally. I had to wait for a whole year in Turkey not knowing what my future would be. But I came here legally following the law. No one should be allowed to come to America illegally.

"Unfortunately, nobody needs to wait or apply for a visa or do anything legally to come to the United States today. All they need to do is pay human traffickers to get them across our southern border, and then they are welcomed with open arms as if that is entirely legal and normal.

"This is very dangerous for our country. We need to show human compassion. But what is happening on our southern border is dangerous. And coming from Iran, I assure you that our border is being used by terrorists from Iran to do harm to our country and to all of us."

19.  What policy do you advocate against Iran's nuclear weapons program?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "End nuclear deal negotiation with Iran once and for all; the best way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons is to stand up and support Iranians to overthrow the criminal Islamic Republic regime. President Biden and the EU must stop negotiations with the Iranian regime completely and publicly support the will of the Iranians for regime change.

"We should not negotiate with terrorists under any circumstances. The Islamic Republic regime is evil, and the nature of evil is always destruction, deceiving and lying. Iran’s nuclear deal was a historic mistake by President Obama, and it should be stopped immediately. With or without any deal, the criminal Islamic Republic regime will not stop trying to develop nuclear weapons. It is very dangerous, and negotiating with terrorists is a waste of time. The world should know the nature of this regime, their ideology, and teachings. Their goal is the annihilation of Israel and the destruction of America’s democracy and freedoms.

"Since the death of Mahsa Amini in September of 2022 and the beginning of the Women Life Freedom revolution, the majority of Iranians has turned their back against this criminal regime and are willing to overthrow it. Iranians have been taken hostage by this murderous regime for more than 40 years. They understood that no reforms can change the nature of this regime. Now is the best opportunity to stand with Iranians, provide maximum support for them and help them get rid of this evil once and for all.

"Practical steps that should be taken against the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) include the following:

• Fire Robert Malley, the U.S. Special Envoy to Iran, who negotiated the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, is misrepresenting Iranians, and gets his advice from the Iranian regime's lobbies, like the National Iranian American Council (NIAC).
   
  
• Remove from the White House all NIAC members, who are the lobbyists and the voice of the Iranian regime.
   
• Stop appeasing Iranian government officials by letting them travel to USA and to European countries. Stop issuing visas to these criminals who have the blood of Iranians and Americans on their hands. Deport their family members and confiscate their assets and bank accounts, which hold the money that they stole from the Iranian people.
   
• Cut off all diplomatic relations with the Iranian regime, which will weaken its propaganda campaigns. Recall all Western ambassadors to Iran and expel all Iranian ambassadors in Western countries. Close all Iranian embassies in Western countries and expel their diplomats, who are either perpetrating terrorism abroad or conducting disinformation campaigns to justify the regime's terrorism, repression, and atrocities.
   
• Canada and all European countries should put the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on their terrorist lists, and European governments should be pressured to stop supporting the Iranian regime.
   
• Fund and supply technology infrastructure with companies like Starlink to provide free internet to Iranians. Do not allow the regime to suppress the voice of the Iranian people.
   
• Expel from social media platforms the supreme leaders of Iran, Khamenei, the other ayatollahs, and IRGC members who openly talk about the annihilation of Israel and violence against American presidents.
   
• Provide guns and all other means that the Iranians inside Iran need to defend themselves. Iranians are fighting with their bare hands in an unequal war against a regime that is using the most lethal weapons against them.
   
• Sanction Iranian government officials who are human rights offenders. Freeze their assets and bank accounts, and ban them from entering the US. All Western governments should implement targeted sanctions on Iranian government officials, their families, their assets overseas and the regime's lobbies, including the NIAC.
   
• Call for an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council and create a commission of inquiry to investigate and hold accountable the perpetrators of human rights atrocities in Iran.
   
• Iran has supplied missiles and drones to Russia to be used in its war in Ukraine. If the EU & US stand with Ukraine, why are they negotiating with and empowering Iran’s regime and diplomats? Even President Obama now admits that he had been wrong about Iran in 2009, so President Biden should stop the nuclear talks and instead demand the release of all political prisoners.
   
• Investigate the crimes against humanity by the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and forward them to the UN Security Council. So far, UN Human Rights Council has held 0 emergency sessions, conducted 0 commissions of inquiry, and issued 0 resolutions against IRI's crimes against humanity.
   
• Facilitate discussion between opposition groups of Iranian dissidents and help them prepare for peaceful transition of government."

20.  Where can the rest of your policy positions be read?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "I do not have any political website, but I am willing to answer any questions regarding other policies. I have shared some during my interviews."

21.  What would you like to say to the Christian voters in your district?

Marziyeh Amirizadeh: "Being a Christian is not just about reading the Bible and going to a church. Faith without action is dead. Christians have a responsibility to stand up for their faith and values. We are getting close to the end times; America is losing its path and the freedoms that come from God, not men, and that our founding fathers inscribed in the Declaration of Independence. It is time to stand up for our values and freedoms before it is too late. While all Americans are free to believe and practice whatever faith they want, no one should doubt that Christianity was at the core of America’s founding and is at the core of its continued prosperity and freedom. We are in a very critical time, and we need to stand up for our faith and freedom before it’s too late. What happened in Iran could also happen in America if we are not vigilant. Through my experience of living in an authoritarian country, I learned that losing freedom does not happen in one day. It happens gradually, little by little. If we do not stand up for our faith and freedom today, we will wake up one day and realize that we have lost all of our rights and freedoms.

"We fight differently from the way the world fights, for 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, 'For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.' But now is the time to fight alongside and rally around leaders who have the will to stand up for the values that made our country great.

"Before God, I affirm my answers above to be entirely true and without exaggeration."

Marziyeh Amirizadeh

[email protected]