Beginning in his teenage years, Nawl Bik struggled with an alcohol addiction. Sporadically, he came to church, sometimes after a night of drinking and dancing. His family and friends were deeply ashamed of his lifestyle. His addiction caused pain at home as he sometimes beat his wife and two children. His daughter and son grew up burdened by their father’s behavior. Revealing the deep shame she felt, Nawl Bik’s daughter, Amawi, confided in a friend, “I am the daughter of an alcoholic.”
Still, Nawl Bik’s wife and the members of the church never gave up praying for him, fervently asking God to transform his life. Amawi, who attended school in the capital city, carried the heavy burden in her heart. She wept often and shared her anguish, asking others to pray for her father’s deliverance from alcohol.
One summer, Nawl Bik attended a three-night Bible study program. On the second night, he courageously shared his desire to be free from alcohol but confessed his powerlessness to overcome alcoholism on his own. The church laid hands on him in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to intervene. During the study, Nawl Bik was deeply moved by 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” The Holy Spirit worked powerfully in his heart that night.
In an emotional phone call, Amawi tearfully told her father how she had prayed for his transformation, and he responded with tears of his own. He shared how he was freed from alcohol by the power of God’s Word. They rejoiced together, praising the Lord for His mighty work.
On the last night of the Bible study, Nawl Bik testified boldly of how the Lord had made him a new creation. Now committed to weekly Bible study, prayer groups and Sunday worship, he is an active member of New Hakha Free Methodist Church and even serves on the board of administration. His life stands as a living testimony to God’s redeeming power, inspiring all who know him and have witnessed the miraculous transformation only Christ could bring.
