在八歲時，母親因上一代的恩怨，精神分裂，無法照顧我們三兄弟妹，然而神的愛接替母親的角色。在1981年的夏天(七月四日)，我信主了。那年我未滿九歲。從小學到高中，我一直都很愛主，服事也很火熱。在1991年時我入伍海軍。上帝一直眷顧我，使我在一位將軍手下做事。1993年我退伍後，認識一位主內的姊妹。那時我還是個窮光蛋。我立志發奮，實踐小時候百萬富翁的夢想。當時我向神祈求說：主阿！我若成功一定將十分之一獻給你。多為基督徒奉獻。榮耀歸給你。上帝似乎聽了我的祈求。我在許多的投資中賺進大把的鈔票。在短短一年內，我買了兩棟房子500多萬；此時我21歲。並擁有7位數的存款。但是呢，我開始行耶和華眼中看為惡的事。聚會減少，奉獻也不及1/100。遠不及對神的承諾。

1994有位牧師從美國返台，告訴我一些警訊，並要我讀神學院。我如同聖經中的財主，憂愁的離去。因為我有很多錢，還等著賺，然而神的忿怒開始展開。

在許多的投資中出現許多的逆差，接著不動產沒有了，女朋友的離開，最後我的父親病危，幾乎喪命。我跪在床前流淚禱告說：主阿我錯了。求你挽回父親的性命。我必歸回你。父親的健康因而好轉。

我雖再次回到教會，但我拒絕任何服事。約有一年之久，因為我心中的虧歉，使我不敢面對神。96年我與朋友合作的餐飲事業，再次興旺，然而此時聖靈的催逼出現：一連四天夢見同一個夢。我如天路客一般行天路，爬山涉水。路上的野獸卻不傷害我。當我被嚇醒時，令我感到不安。於是求助於牧師。他要我安靜禱告，思想就讀神學院。牧師為我禱告兩年之後，我仍心硬。又過了一天，我夢見弟弟跑來餐廳告訴我父親過逝的消息，頓時驚醒，冷汗直流。這時才想起我的自私，總以為在金錢，物質生活上可以滿足家人的需要。而忽略了他們永恆的生命。

牧師對我說：他將竭盡所能讓我進入神學院。由於我過去盲目的追求世界，沒有人願意相信我會讀神學院，院長曾拒絕我入學。這事直到最後我才知道牧師以他的人格為我擔保，令我感動落淚。再此感謝神的大愛，藉著簡牧師幫助我，引導我。如今我已身無分文，只剩下一顆服事的心和一部車。好像經上所記：財主難進天國。求主使用我。阿們！

When I was eight years old, my mother had a nervous breakdown because of her resentment toward her parents. Because she was no longer able to take care of the three of us children, God’s love took the place of my mother’s love. In the summer of 1981 (July 4), when I wasn’t yet nine, I trusted in Jesus Christ. From elementary school till high school, I always loved the Lord and was very active in serving Him. In 1991, I entered the military and saw the Lord give me the opportunity to work for a general. In 1993, after I got out of the military, I met a Christian young lady. At that time I was poor as a church mouse. I decided that I would set out to realize my childhood dream of becoming a millionaire. At that time I prayed, “Lord, if I succeed, I will give a tenth to you and glorify you by giving to other Christians. The Lord must have heard my prayer for in many investments I made a large amount of money. In one short year I bought two houses (worth US$200,000). I was 21 and had a six-digit bank account. However, I began to do things that don’t please the Lord, stopped going to church, and didn’t even give one percent to the Lord, falling far short of my previous promise.

In 1994, a pastor who came back to Taiwan from the U.S. gave me some warning and told me to go to Bible college. I was like the rich young ruler in the Bible and walked away sadly. I had a lot of money and wanted to make more. But the Lord’s wrath had begun to unfold.

Several of my investments went bad; my real estate was gone; my girlfriend left me; and finally, my father became seriously ill, almost dying. I knelt by my bed and prayed through my tears, “Lord, I am wrong! I beg you to restore my father to health. I will return to you.” My father’s health then took a turn for the better.

Although I returned to church, I still declined any participation. After about a year, I still didn’t dare face God with my faults. In 1996 my friends and I started a restaurant together. And it was going great. But the Holy Spirit began working in my heart. For four nights in a row I dreamt the same thing: I was a pilgrim on my way to heaven. Although the path led through mountains and across rivers, the wild animals along the way didn’t harm me. I awoke in a fright. I began asking a pastor for help. He told me to pray about attending Bible college. Although the pastor had prayed for me for two years, I was still set against it. One day I dreamt my brother ran into the dining room and told me that my father had died. Here I had thought I could meet all of my family’s needs with wealth and material things and had forgotten their eternal destiny.

The pastor told me he had done all he could to get me into a Bible college. Because of my senseless pursuit of the world, no one would believe that I would go to Bible college. The Bible college dean had already turned down my application. After I was finally accepted, I learned that the pastor had guaranteed my acceptance on the basis of his own personal character. I couldn’t help crying.

Again I thank the Lord for His great love in helping and guiding me through Pastor Stephen Chien (簡翰龍). Now I am penniless again, with only a heart ready to serve and a car to my name. The Bible is right when it says, it’s hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. May God use me.

Isaiah 50:10 says, “[He] walketh in darkness, and hath no light.” This made me think of the situation I was in before I started Bible college. I dreamt the same dream four nights in a row, seeing myself walking down an empty road over high mountains. Each time I would lie down to catch my breath, a giant wild beast would appear beside me. Instead of attacking me, it would always lick me. I didn’t know where this road would lead. But in my dream, I felt like Pilgrim on his way to heaven. Although I asked pastors—even ones outside the country—for help, I couldn’t find real peace. Again, each day I would dream that my brother had run to the dining room to tell me that my father’s illness had worsened, and he was dead. I would wake up in a cold sweat. At that time I was running a restaurant with a friend, and our business was poor. But this dream made me realize that since I had gotten out of my military service, I was so selfish, I had never paid much attention to my family, only giving them a little money here and there. A while back, I dated a Christian girl. But our relationship was not God’s will. Each year my life seemed to get worse. But I kept struggling to get my head up again. In the end I was left with no girlfriend, no assets, and only a little savings. I started to think about going into business with a friend. But the Holy Spirit began moving in my life, wanting me to give up everything for the sake of my family’s spiritual condition. I made a big decision. As I thought about my dream of my father’s death, I felt a terrible blackness in my heart. In the horror of the moment, I prayed, my pastor prayed, that I would see the light.

Joseph had a similar experience. He saw in a vision that one day his status would be higher than his brothers’. But he had to go through a period of darkness in his life. He said to his brothers—“Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

If at that time I had continued to live my life for myself, I’m afraid my father would no longer be around. He has a bothersome heart condition, high blood pressure and diabetes. That he is still alive is the work of God. When I publicly decided to live for Christ and tearfully told my friends my decision, I surprised myself with my courage. I decided to give up the money I had invested in our business and decided to begin Bible college without a penny to my name. No longer was I the “rich young ruler” I had been before.

As I went through the dark experiences I just mentioned, making hard decisions and making sacrifices, I also went through a period of disappointment. I began complaining why God would let me begin my Bible college studies without any money. Why was studying so difficult? Why was service for God so full of pressure, so busy, and so tiring? Why was there never enough time? Suddenly, dissatisfied with God, I saw myself powerless, unable to be happy. This experience was too hard for me. At this low point in my life, I believed I could go through it quickly and adjust quickly by the power of the Holy Spirit because I had only just begun battling the devil.

In this battle, as I cried out to God, He answered very simply, “I will be with you.” This is what God had promised Moses. First Peter 4:14 says, “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.” In our lives, problems are part and parcel of our existence--crises, darkness, courage, difficulties, disappointments, fame, patience, etc. Only by going through all these can we galvanize our will and build a closer relationship with God.