This show is part of the Proclaimed Podcast Network, thoughtfully crafted, faithfully told, stories that proclaim his name. More at Proclaim.fm. I'm Paul Hastings, and you're listening to Compelled, where we use gripping, immersive storytelling to bring to life Christian testimonies from the kingdom of God told by the people compelled to live for him.

Recently, we heard from Christy Lawson, a faithful wife and mother who was serving the

Lord where he had placed her.

One night, her peaceful life was brought to a screeching halt, and she was forced to consider

how would a just God ask her to respond to someone who had brought her so much pain?

Again, you can hear that story in episode 103 with Christy Lawson. Today, our guest is Ali. Ali grew up in Iran and was a practicing

Muslim for the first 30 years of his life. But after becoming disillusioned with Islam and moving

to America, Ali was exposed to the God of the Bible,

who appeared to be radically different than any other God Ali had ever heard of before.

So gather around, lean in, and join us for this compelling story from the kingdom of God.

Ali and I both live near Austin, Texas, and have some mutual friends that connected us.

Ali came to our studio one week, and let me tell you, he has an infectious

smile. Now, due to security concerns, Ali can't share his last name or picture online, but his

first name really is Ali. He was born during the tail end of the 1970s, smack dab in the middle

of the Iranian Revolution, which is when Islamic

religious leaders overthrew the Shah of Iran and took control of the country. They were led by

an Islamic Ayatollah named Irohola Khomeini, who established the government as a theocracy,

and named himself the supreme leader, essentially the dictator of Iran, who controls both the

government and the theology of the country.

And while it's true that they have regular elections for president and parliament, those are

basically rigged, since all political candidates have to be approved by Council of Muslim Clerics,

who in turn answer to the Supreme Leader. And once again, the Supreme Leader controls not only

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