August 12, 2025 • 26 mins
The light of Christ can penetrate the darkest places—even across religious divides and decades of waiting. Just ask Laila Davis, whose remarkable journey from Islam to Christianity stands as a powerful testimony to God's relentless pursuit.
Growing up in a Muslim household with a devout father (now living in Saudi Arabia) and an American mother who converted to Islam, Laila felt an emptiness in the structured prayers and rituals. "There was nothing there," she reflects. "No relationship, no place where I could cry out and say 'God, I need you today.'" Yet even as a child, when faced with a spiritual choice between darkness and light, something inside her chose the light.
What Laila didn't know was that a grade-school classmate had been faithfully praying for her salvation every single day at his family's dinner table—prayers that continued for decades. After marrying young and having her first daughter, Laila faced a profound realization: as a Muslim, she had no guarantee of heaven because salvation had to be earned. Looking at her newborn child, she wanted something better. "I was told Jesus is the way... you don't have to earn it with Jesus."
The transformative moment came when someone pointed out that "church isn't just for your child, it's for you too." Remarkably, when Laila was baptized, one of the individuals baptizing her was the very friend who had been praying for her since childhood. Despite this breakthrough, her journey wasn't without significant challenges—opposition from her first husband, struggles with addiction, and unhealthy relationships.
The turning point came through what can only be described as a divine encounter. During a heated argument with her current husband Greg, a stranger appeared at their door asking for water. After they gave him a bottle, the man looked back and simply said, "You did good," before disappearing into the night. Both recognized this as an angelic visitation, prompting them to return to church together. "Everything changed," Laila testifies.
Today, Laila is pursuing a master's degree in clinical psychology to become a licensed counselor, and her testimony offers profound encouragement for anyone praying for loved ones who don't know Christ: "Don't stop petitioning for someone's soul." Her life demonstrates that no one is beyond God's reach, and that faithful prayer can transform even the most unlikely ci
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kim McIntire (00:07):
Hey everyone, welcome to the it's Time to Rise
Up podcast.
I'm your host, Kim McIntire.
We know there are so manythings you can do with your time
, so thank you for choosing tospend your time listening.
We pray you are encouraged andblessed by what is shared.
If you're not familiar with ourshow, please check out our
website at itstimetorisup.
org.
(00:27):
There you will find our socialmedia links and for our podcast
platforms, you'll find us onYouTube, apple Podcasts, Spotify
and everywhere else you findyour podcast.
We're going to jump into today'sinterview with Laila Davis.
She is a friend, she's a sisterin Christ.
(00:48):
She is a student in the AbideLeadership class.
You went through, I believe,all three sessions of Abide and
you are here in the studio.
I'm so honored that you saidyes, yes.
(01:09):
And what strikes me about Lailais your willingness and your
transparency in sharing yourtestimony.
I remember the first time youcame to my house, where it was
just you and I, and you sat downand you just shared your life
story with me, and I was sohonored that you would do that,
and so that's part of why you'rehere today is because I want
others to hear what I had theprivilege and honor of hearing.
(01:32):
So before we begin, why don'tyou tell our listeners a little
bit about yourself?
Laila Davis (01:39):
My name is Laila and I am a mom to three girls
and a wife, and we're a blendedfamily, so I actually have four
more kids on top of that.
So it's my husband, Greg, and Iand seven kids between us.
I am a nurse by trade, but I'mactually in a master's program
(02:02):
for clinical psychology, where Iwill soon, lord willing, become
a licensed counselor.
Kim McIntire (02:09):
It's exciting, it is.
It's very exciting.
I've got to watch that journeya little bit, and so I can't
wait to see what the Lord doesnext with the giftings that he's
given you, layla.
It's very amazing to watch justeverything unfold, and I've
known you for such a short time,but I feel like the Lord kind
of fast-tracked our friendship,and so I can't wait for the
(02:32):
listeners to hear your story.
I'm going to open with thesethoughts.
Actually, it's scripture, it'snot just a thought, it's God's
Word.
This is 2 Peter 3, verse 9.
The Lord is not slow in keepinghis promise, as some understand
slowness.
He is patient, not wantinganyone to perish, but everyone
(02:58):
to come to repentance, and thisscripture is what stands out to
me when I think about your story, and so we're just going to
begin with you sharing aboutyour growing up years, Laila.
Why don't you talk about that?
Laila Davis (03:16):
So my dad is a Muslim and he actually lives in
Saudi Arabia now, and my mom isan American, actually lives in
Saudi Arabia now, and my mom isan American.
She's also a Muslim.
She doesn't practice as much.
So when my parents decided toget a divorce, it kind of cut
(03:39):
ties with the Islamic side alittle bit.
But I still had that foundationof my mom praying as a Muslim
and my dad teaching us how topray, and I remember thinking
this is so compulsory.
The way I pray is so structured.
(04:01):
You were thinking that as achild, even when I was younger,
I just there was nothing thereand I would goof around a whole
lot when I was praying becauseit wasn't serious and I mean,
don't get me wrong, I goof off alot in or well, at the time it
was who we worshipped, and still, going through all these
(04:42):
motions, just moving andstanding up and down, there was
nothing there, there was norelationship, there was not a
place where I could cry out andgo God, I need you, I really
need you today.
Yeah, and it was a very darkplace to be.
And I remember, right after Ileft my parents' home, I married
(05:12):
someone who was no good for mebecause I didn't know Christ.
They didn't know Christ Right,and a lot of really unfortunate
things happened because wedidn't know Christ.
And I remember, after having myoldest daughter, holding her in
my arms, thinking there is noguarantee, being a Muslim, that
(05:40):
I can go to heaven because youhave to earn it, that I can go
to heaven because you have toearn it, and I love my little
girl so much that I want her togo to heaven.
And I remember thinking I wastold Jesus is the way and if you
want to get to heaven.
You don't have to earn it withJesus, you just trust in Jesus
(06:01):
and you put your faith in Jesus,and so I started going to
church.
And I started going to churchnot for me, but for my daughter.
Yeah, could I?
Kim McIntire (06:09):
ask a question, absolutely With your background
being what it was, and you saidyou were told Jesus was the way.
At what point was that sharedwith you, that Jesus was the way
?
Laila Davis (06:23):
So that's really complicated my whole life.
I felt like it was likerevelation after revelation,
where I was making a lot ofrevelations in my own.
For example, I remember being avery young child and I remember
God doesn't talk to me, but thedevil did.
(06:43):
But the devil did.
And I remember thinking thedevil told me you could choose
darkness and you would be reallygood at it and you could have
all these things.
And this must have been aroundthe time God was seeking me,
because at that time the enemysaid or you could have that
(07:04):
light that you feel, but you'renot going to get anywhere with
it.
And I remember how peacefulthat light was and I said I
choose the light.
Praise God.
I would rather be the lowest ofthe low in God's light than
someone super high in thekingdom of darkness.
Kim McIntire (07:25):
Amen and so that was revealed to you pretty young
then.
Yeah, just that, the light ofChrist and the darkness of the
enemy yeah, but I didn'tunderstand it then back when.
I was a kid Sure.
Laila Davis (07:41):
And then there's a difference between knowing of
Jesus, knowing Jesus and havinga relationship with Jesus.
Those are all three layers ofwho Jesus can be to you.
I knew of Jesus growing up.
I had heard of Jesus.
I grew up in a small, veryChristian-based town.
(08:02):
My grandmother on my mom's sidewas a Christian and would
frequently pray for us, but weweren't allowed to be around
that kind of prayer, which I nowknow is extremely powerful and
could have saved years ofdarkness in my life.
I knew I wanted to be closer.
(08:26):
I wanted to know more than justknowing of, I wanted to know
Jesus.
Kim McIntire (08:34):
And this happened after you had married your first
husband, where neither of youwere believers.
Right, right, okay.
Laila Davis (08:52):
At that time I reached out to a friend and
there's a big story with thisfriend and you know that story,
but I'll get to it in a minute.
I reached out to a friend and Isaid I was interested in going
to church and he said great, letme connect you with one of the
ladies at church, which isamazing Even though I think we
(09:19):
were I don't think he was amarried man back then but to
have that boldness to say I'mexcited about this.
I've been, you know, hoping forthis, but I'm going to send you
to someone else to work throughthis because of the respect of
not crossing boundaries.
Kim McIntire (09:33):
Yeah, because you're a married woman, because
I was a married woman and he wasa friend who was a male, right
Okay, that you knew was abeliever, yes, okay.
Laila Davis (09:41):
So I had never seen someone have such strong
boundaries like that.
And looking back now I'm likethat is so admirable it is.
And so this woman kind ofintroduced me into what we call
a life group in our church.
So we had something like that,a women's group.
And the more I thought about it, the more I realized Hold on,
(10:10):
let me go back a minute.
Sure, there was a time betweenor before I had been introduced
to the woman at my church, andafter having my baby and
bringing her to church, someonehad said and it may have been
(10:33):
her, but I'm not quite sure itcould have been her or the Holy
Spirit that church isn't justfor your child, it's for you too
.
Amen.
And it was just this revelationof oh my goodness, I can have
heaven.
Wow.
And for someone who grew up ina home where you have to earn
heaven, that's so powerful.
(10:56):
And I started going to churchmore consistently and I was
baptized on December 13th.
What I didn't know was that oneof the individuals that
(11:21):
baptized me was the guy that Ireached out to and he had been
praying for me since we were ingrade school, every single day
at his family dinner table withhis family.
For me to know Jesus, I was hisnightly prayer request
Incredible.
And he didn't stop there.
I found out recently actuallyat the Rise Up event recently
(11:44):
that he had even prayed for mein college.
That's incredible.
He had cared so much about mysalvation and God had put it in
his heart to pray for me.
What faithfulness.
Kim McIntire (11:59):
The faithfulness?
Yes, how many people can saythat?
I know that they've prayed fora lost person, for that long
Right and for their family to beinvolved in that and for their
family to be praying too.
Yes, incredible.
I know it's amazing and it justshows me how much the Lord was
pursuing you, layla, yeah, byputting your soul on other
(12:25):
people's hearts to pray for,right yeah, that's incredible.
So I just think how great isthe love the Father has lavished
upon us, right, right.
Laila Davis (12:37):
It's so amazing.
And so for this individual tohave prayed for me for so long
and then pass me on to someoneelse and then come back and be
the person who baptizes me isamazing.
And I remember when I rose upout of the water, god had said
(13:00):
to me I give you the gift ofdiscernment.
And I had to Google thatBecause you didn't know what it
was.
I was 21, 22 years old and Iwas like, okay, wow, what a
great spiritual like okay, wow,what a great spiritual gift to
get.
Yeah, and despite having thatgift, because I didn't know how
to utilize it, I made a lot ofwrong decisions.
And this is also.
(13:25):
It goes to say that even whensomeone finds Christ after you
pray for them and pray for themand prayed for them, unless you
have some form of discipleship,they could easily fall through
the cracks Absolutely.
And I had absolutely fallenthrough the cracks.
My husband at the time was soagainst me being baptized that
(13:46):
he didn't even show up to thebaptism and that really hindered
my ability to go to church.
Because then there was thatinternal conflict Do I follow my
husband or do I follow whatChrist is calling me to do?
And I made a lot of mistakesalong the way.
(14:10):
I fell into alcohol addictionafter my first husband and I
divorced, because I knew therewere some things there, I should
say, that caused the divorceand I kept seeking companionship
(14:37):
in the wrong places.
And I then met my now husbandand we were not living right for
a very, very long time.
We were both struggling withour own personal addictions,
nothing illegal, but still inour spirits.
(15:00):
Sure, just absolutely wrongSure.
And I'm actually not sure ifI've previously shared this with
you.
I may have, okay, but we werein the middle of an argument.
This is how we came to JamesRiver.
We were in the middle of anargument and I thought, for sure
this was going to be the lastargument.
I was ready to leave my nowhusband and this guy was just
(15:26):
staring in the window of thefront door of our house and our
house was really small at thetime, it was 800 square feet
Right and it was an open concept.
So if you can imagine thekitchen having like one small
room in between it and the frontdoor and all of it's open, the
(15:48):
front door and all of it's open.
So this person's just staringat us from our front porch and
my now husband sees him when weboth stop and look out of the
door, and my husband's preparinga way to tell him to go kick
rocks essentially, yeah, becausewe lived in a bad neighborhood
(16:11):
and a lot of people were walkingthe streets and they usually
weren't out for other people'sbest interests, sure.
And my husband opens the doorand he says hey, man, how can I
help you?
And the guy says, yeah, I'mpretty parched, can I get some
(16:32):
water?
And so Greg goes back.
And he asked me to grab abottle of water, because I'm
like at the door at this point,like my husband's talking to
someone Well, my boyfriend atthe time is talking to someone
and I have no clue who it is andso I go get the water and bring
it back and I stand on theporch and Greg and this guy kind
(16:53):
of share a few words and theguy opens the water a bottle of
water and starts walking off andhe's in the streets at this
point and he turned and lookedat us and said you did good, wow
.
And then he disappeared into thelamp, the streetlight, and we
(17:16):
knew then that an angel had cometo visit us and we had decided
it was time to get back intochurch.
And everything changed.
Praise God, yes, praise God, sogood, yeah.
And so those prayers that oneperson had prayed, even through
(17:38):
the downfall, made such animpact that God had relentlessly
chased me, absolutely Becauseof the prayers of a young boy,
right Of a grade school kid,that just wanted his friend to
know Jesus.
Kim McIntire (17:56):
Yeah, and the faithfulness of his family as
well.
Yeah, you know, oh yeah, and Iwould say I don't know what the
percentage is, I haven'tresearched this, but I would say
the percentage of people raisedMuslim, even if it's only one
parent that's practicing, butbasically raised Muslim in a
(18:19):
non-Christian home environment,I would say the percentage of
those people coming to Christ issignificantly small.
And so God has some kind ofamazing plan for your life,
layla.
I'm just, I'm sure of it.
I mean, I know some of it hasunfolded already, yeah, but it's
(18:40):
just, I can't wait to see, likeLord, what are you going to do
next, like what's on the what'son the docket for Layla's future
.
But you know, when you'reliving, surrendered, you can
trust it's good, right, andthat's what I'm watching in your
life is just this posture ofsurrender to Him.
(19:00):
And what a redemption story.
Because I'm certain that hadyou not come to Christ, received
salvation and been baptized,gotten into a church, like you
said, you can be saved but fallin the cracks if you don't have
discipleship.
But there's no telling whereyou would be right now without
Jesus.
Absolutely, you know, it's justan incredible story.
(19:22):
I think that sometimes peopleyou know I've been praying for
someone for about 30 years to besaved.
It's a friend of mine, it's herhusband, and I don't have any
intention to stop Right BecauseI believe someday he is going to
(19:42):
be saved and I think we justneed to encourage people that
praying for the lost is not awaste of time Not ever.
Yeah, and your story provesthat Absolutely.
You are the life that waschanged.
You are the soul that was saved.
Laila Davis (19:58):
I'm the one.
You're the one Out of the 99.
He left the 99.
He left the 99.
Kim McIntire (20:04):
Yeah, how do you feel like this has impacted your
children?
Laila Davis (20:10):
I know that they have an opportunity for
salvation because of it, yeah,and I am grateful that they
don't have to live unprotectedthe way I did, because God's
light is such a hedge ofprotection and I know that bad
things can happen in Christian'slife.
(20:31):
It happens all the time, youknow, unfortunately in mine.
It's like we live in thisfleshy world or something you
know, where other people's livesimpact ours.
It's true, and it's just sodifferent when you have Christ
on your behalf, because whenthose things happen, when the
(20:52):
rough things happen, and youdon't know Christ, it is
literally just like another nailin a coffin.
You're just getting deeper anddeeper in the grave.
But with Christ, he can pull youout and he can redeem you.
It's so true.
He can pull you out and he canredeem you.
It's so true.
(21:12):
And when we continually prayfor someone that's living in
that darkness, we open up thedoor for God to present his
light to them.
That's right and, yes, we allhave the choice to choose
(21:33):
something different, but God'slight is so strong.
There isn't a deal lucrativeenough that the devil could
offer as good as his presence.
Kim McIntire (21:42):
That's so true.
That's so true, well said,nothing can replace his presence
.
Yeah, true, well said, nothingcan replace his presence.
And once you've experienced it,you wouldn't even think about
taking something else to replaceit.
Right, right, it's just themost beautiful gift that he
gives us.
His salvation is a mostbeautiful gift, of course, but
(22:03):
having his presence is apriceless treasure and you're
living that out.
So you said earlier in theinterview that your grandmother
was a priceless treasure andyou're living that out.
So you said earlier in theinterview that your grandmother
was a Christian.
Yes, do you have connectionwith her or has she passed?
She passed away when I was 16years old.
So she, she was not able to seethis side of eternity.
No, but she, she will when youenter into heaven gates yes,
(22:27):
that's so good.
I love that, so is there anyother encouragement that you
just want to offer to ourlisteners today, layla?
Any ending thoughts or closingthoughts?
Laila Davis (22:44):
I just keep thinking of the Bible verse and
I'm really bad with rememberingnumbers and names.
Kim McIntire (22:51):
I'm not great at it either, it's okay.
Laila Davis (22:54):
But knock and the door will be opened.
Yes, seek, and you will findthat's right If you are
persistent.
He is there and with everything, take it to God with prayer and
petition, and I love that Godputs the word petition in there.
Kim McIntire (23:12):
Yeah.
Laila Davis (23:13):
Because that means sometimes it's not going to
happen immediately.
Right, you have to petition?
Yeah, that's good, and so don'tstop petitioning for someone's
soul.
Amen, amen, amen.
On days you feel hopeless.
Kim McIntire (23:41):
Don't be afraid to reach out to other fellow
Christians as well, because theyare such a source of
encouragement.
That's right.
There's power in community.
There is.
Yeah, it makes a difference.
So don't do the journey ofprayer alone.
Absolutely.
Get involved in a Bible studygroup that prays Right, doesn't
just study the Bible, but prays.
Or a prayer group that prays,yes, and that's why they're
together, right, and those doexist, so search them out for
(24:02):
sure, right Moses needed Aaronto lift his arms.
Yes, he did so.
Why would we be any different?
Right, exactly, I want tocircle back to that scripture in
2 Peter 3, 9.
The Lord is not slow in keepinghis promise, as some understand
slowness.
He is patient with you, notwanting anyone to perish, but
(24:23):
everyone to come to repentance.
And I feel like God was patient, so patient.
He was patient, so patient withme and you came to repentance.
I did, and it's because of thepower of prayer.
I mean, it really is, it's thepower of prayer.
So we just encourage everyone,be in prayer, pray for the lost,
(24:45):
pray for your family, pray forbeyond your circle.
You know, ask God, god put a,put a burden on my heart to pray
for people that I might noteven be in relationship with.
Yeah, and if someone says, hey,this person's lost, lift
prayers for that person.
It's God's heart, it's hisheart that everyone comes to
(25:09):
know him.
So I cannot thank you enough,Laila, for taking your time
pouring out your story.
There's more so we'll haveanother testimony about part two
of your life story, but thankyou for being here.
I know it's a blessing and ifyou are listening to this
(25:30):
episode and you're encouraged,strengthened, blessed by this
conversation, we would ask youto share it with others.
There's power in the share, andyou never know what could come
from someone listening to thisstory about prayer and salvation
.
So we're going to close thisepisode now.
We just appreciate youlistening.
(25:53):
The purpose of the podcast isto glorify God and encourage all
believers in their walk withthe Lord.
Once again, we would ask you tocheck out our website.
It's at timetoriseup.
org and you'll find our socialmedia platforms there.
May God's grace and peace bewith you all, through Jesus
Christ, our Lord.
Hey everyone, welcome to the it's Time to Rise
Up podcast.
I'm your host, Kim McIntire.
We know there are so manythings you can do with your time
, so thank you for choosing tospend your time listening.
We pray you are encouraged andblessed by what is shared.
If you're not familiar with ourshow, please check out our
website at itstimetorisup.
org.
(00:27):
There you will find our socialmedia links and for our podcast
platforms, you'll find us onYouTube, apple Podcasts, Spotify
and everywhere else you findyour podcast.
We're going to jump into today'sinterview with Laila Davis.
She is a friend, she's a sisterin Christ.
(00:48):
She is a student in the AbideLeadership class.
You went through, I believe,all three sessions of Abide and
you are here in the studio.
I'm so honored that you saidyes, yes.
(01:09):
And what strikes me about Lailais your willingness and your
transparency in sharing yourtestimony.
I remember the first time youcame to my house, where it was
just you and I, and you sat downand you just shared your life
story with me, and I was sohonored that you would do that,
and so that's part of why you'rehere today is because I want
others to hear what I had theprivilege and honor of hearing.
(01:32):
So before we begin, why don'tyou tell our listeners a little
bit about yourself?
Laila Davis (01:39):
My name is Laila and I am a mom to three girls
and a wife, and we're a blendedfamily, so I actually have four
more kids on top of that.
So it's my husband, Greg, and Iand seven kids between us.
I am a nurse by trade, but I'mactually in a master's program
(02:02):
for clinical psychology, where Iwill soon, lord willing, become
a licensed counselor.
Kim McIntire (02:09):
It's exciting, it is.
It's very exciting.
I've got to watch that journeya little bit, and so I can't
wait to see what the Lord doesnext with the giftings that he's
given you, layla.
It's very amazing to watch justeverything unfold, and I've
known you for such a short time,but I feel like the Lord kind
of fast-tracked our friendship,and so I can't wait for the
(02:32):
listeners to hear your story.
I'm going to open with thesethoughts.
Actually, it's scripture, it'snot just a thought, it's God's
Word.
This is 2 Peter 3, verse 9.
The Lord is not slow in keepinghis promise, as some understand
slowness.
He is patient, not wantinganyone to perish, but everyone
(02:58):
to come to repentance, and thisscripture is what stands out to
me when I think about your story, and so we're just going to
begin with you sharing aboutyour growing up years, Laila.
Why don't you talk about that?
Laila Davis (03:16):
So my dad is a Muslim and he actually lives in
Saudi Arabia now, and my mom isan American, actually lives in
Saudi Arabia now, and my mom isan American.
She's also a Muslim.
She doesn't practice as much.
So when my parents decided toget a divorce, it kind of cut
(03:39):
ties with the Islamic side alittle bit.
But I still had that foundationof my mom praying as a Muslim
and my dad teaching us how topray, and I remember thinking
this is so compulsory.
The way I pray is so structured.
(04:01):
You were thinking that as achild, even when I was younger,
I just there was nothing thereand I would goof around a whole
lot when I was praying becauseit wasn't serious and I mean,
don't get me wrong, I goof off alot in or well, at the time it
was who we worshipped, and still, going through all these
(04:42):
motions, just moving andstanding up and down, there was
nothing there, there was norelationship, there was not a
place where I could cry out andgo God, I need you, I really
need you today.
Yeah, and it was a very darkplace to be.
And I remember, right after Ileft my parents' home, I married
(05:12):
someone who was no good for mebecause I didn't know Christ.
They didn't know Christ Right,and a lot of really unfortunate
things happened because wedidn't know Christ.
And I remember, after having myoldest daughter, holding her in
my arms, thinking there is noguarantee, being a Muslim, that
(05:40):
I can go to heaven because youhave to earn it, that I can go
to heaven because you have toearn it, and I love my little
girl so much that I want her togo to heaven.
And I remember thinking I wastold Jesus is the way and if you
want to get to heaven.
You don't have to earn it withJesus, you just trust in Jesus
(06:01):
and you put your faith in Jesus,and so I started going to
church.
And I started going to churchnot for me, but for my daughter.
Yeah, could I?
Kim McIntire (06:09):
ask a question, absolutely With your background
being what it was, and you saidyou were told Jesus was the way.
At what point was that sharedwith you, that Jesus was the way
?
Laila Davis (06:23):
So that's really complicated my whole life.
I felt like it was likerevelation after revelation,
where I was making a lot ofrevelations in my own.
For example, I remember being avery young child and I remember
God doesn't talk to me, but thedevil did.
(06:43):
But the devil did.
And I remember thinking thedevil told me you could choose
darkness and you would be reallygood at it and you could have
all these things.
And this must have been aroundthe time God was seeking me,
because at that time the enemysaid or you could have that
(07:04):
light that you feel, but you'renot going to get anywhere with
it.
And I remember how peacefulthat light was and I said I
choose the light.
Praise God.
I would rather be the lowest ofthe low in God's light than
someone super high in thekingdom of darkness.
Kim McIntire (07:25):
Amen and so that was revealed to you pretty young
then.
Yeah, just that, the light ofChrist and the darkness of the
enemy yeah, but I didn'tunderstand it then back when.
I was a kid Sure.
Laila Davis (07:41):
And then there's a difference between knowing of
Jesus, knowing Jesus and havinga relationship with Jesus.
Those are all three layers ofwho Jesus can be to you.
I knew of Jesus growing up.
I had heard of Jesus.
I grew up in a small, veryChristian-based town.
(08:02):
My grandmother on my mom's sidewas a Christian and would
frequently pray for us, but weweren't allowed to be around
that kind of prayer, which I nowknow is extremely powerful and
could have saved years ofdarkness in my life.
I knew I wanted to be closer.
(08:26):
I wanted to know more than justknowing of, I wanted to know
Jesus.
Kim McIntire (08:34):
And this happened after you had married your first
husband, where neither of youwere believers.
Right, right, okay.
Laila Davis (08:52):
At that time I reached out to a friend and
there's a big story with thisfriend and you know that story,
but I'll get to it in a minute.
I reached out to a friend and Isaid I was interested in going
to church and he said great, letme connect you with one of the
ladies at church, which isamazing Even though I think we
(09:19):
were I don't think he was amarried man back then but to
have that boldness to say I'mexcited about this.
I've been, you know, hoping forthis, but I'm going to send you
to someone else to work throughthis because of the respect of
not crossing boundaries.
Kim McIntire (09:33):
Yeah, because you're a married woman, because
I was a married woman and he wasa friend who was a male, right
Okay, that you knew was abeliever, yes, okay.
Laila Davis (09:41):
So I had never seen someone have such strong
boundaries like that.
And looking back now I'm likethat is so admirable it is.
And so this woman kind ofintroduced me into what we call
a life group in our church.
So we had something like that,a women's group.
And the more I thought about it, the more I realized Hold on,
(10:10):
let me go back a minute.
Sure, there was a time betweenor before I had been introduced
to the woman at my church, andafter having my baby and
bringing her to church, someonehad said and it may have been
(10:33):
her, but I'm not quite sure itcould have been her or the Holy
Spirit that church isn't justfor your child, it's for you too
.
Amen.
And it was just this revelationof oh my goodness, I can have
heaven.
Wow.
And for someone who grew up ina home where you have to earn
heaven, that's so powerful.
(10:56):
And I started going to churchmore consistently and I was
baptized on December 13th.
What I didn't know was that oneof the individuals that
(11:21):
baptized me was the guy that Ireached out to and he had been
praying for me since we were ingrade school, every single day
at his family dinner table withhis family.
For me to know Jesus, I was hisnightly prayer request
Incredible.
And he didn't stop there.
I found out recently actuallyat the Rise Up event recently
(11:44):
that he had even prayed for mein college.
That's incredible.
He had cared so much about mysalvation and God had put it in
his heart to pray for me.
What faithfulness.
Kim McIntire (11:59):
The faithfulness?
Yes, how many people can saythat?
I know that they've prayed fora lost person, for that long
Right and for their family to beinvolved in that and for their
family to be praying too.
Yes, incredible.
I know it's amazing and it justshows me how much the Lord was
pursuing you, layla, yeah, byputting your soul on other
(12:25):
people's hearts to pray for,right yeah, that's incredible.
So I just think how great isthe love the Father has lavished
upon us, right, right.
Laila Davis (12:37):
It's so amazing.
And so for this individual tohave prayed for me for so long
and then pass me on to someoneelse and then come back and be
the person who baptizes me isamazing.
And I remember when I rose upout of the water, god had said
(13:00):
to me I give you the gift ofdiscernment.
And I had to Google thatBecause you didn't know what it
was.
I was 21, 22 years old and Iwas like, okay, wow, what a
great spiritual like okay, wow,what a great spiritual gift to
get.
Yeah, and despite having thatgift, because I didn't know how
to utilize it, I made a lot ofwrong decisions.
And this is also.
(13:25):
It goes to say that even whensomeone finds Christ after you
pray for them and pray for themand prayed for them, unless you
have some form of discipleship,they could easily fall through
the cracks Absolutely.
And I had absolutely fallenthrough the cracks.
My husband at the time was soagainst me being baptized that
(13:46):
he didn't even show up to thebaptism and that really hindered
my ability to go to church.
Because then there was thatinternal conflict Do I follow my
husband or do I follow whatChrist is calling me to do?
And I made a lot of mistakesalong the way.
(14:10):
I fell into alcohol addictionafter my first husband and I
divorced, because I knew therewere some things there, I should
say, that caused the divorceand I kept seeking companionship
(14:37):
in the wrong places.
And I then met my now husbandand we were not living right for
a very, very long time.
We were both struggling withour own personal addictions,
nothing illegal, but still inour spirits.
(15:00):
Sure, just absolutely wrongSure.
And I'm actually not sure ifI've previously shared this with
you.
I may have, okay, but we werein the middle of an argument.
This is how we came to JamesRiver.
We were in the middle of anargument and I thought, for sure
this was going to be the lastargument.
I was ready to leave my nowhusband and this guy was just
(15:26):
staring in the window of thefront door of our house and our
house was really small at thetime, it was 800 square feet
Right and it was an open concept.
So if you can imagine thekitchen having like one small
room in between it and the frontdoor and all of it's open, the
(15:48):
front door and all of it's open.
So this person's just staringat us from our front porch and
my now husband sees him when weboth stop and look out of the
door, and my husband's preparinga way to tell him to go kick
rocks essentially, yeah, becausewe lived in a bad neighborhood
(16:11):
and a lot of people were walkingthe streets and they usually
weren't out for other people'sbest interests, sure.
And my husband opens the doorand he says hey, man, how can I
help you?
And the guy says, yeah, I'mpretty parched, can I get some
(16:32):
water?
And so Greg goes back.
And he asked me to grab abottle of water, because I'm
like at the door at this point,like my husband's talking to
someone Well, my boyfriend atthe time is talking to someone
and I have no clue who it is andso I go get the water and bring
it back and I stand on theporch and Greg and this guy kind
(16:53):
of share a few words and theguy opens the water a bottle of
water and starts walking off andhe's in the streets at this
point and he turned and lookedat us and said you did good, wow
.
And then he disappeared into thelamp, the streetlight, and we
(17:16):
knew then that an angel had cometo visit us and we had decided
it was time to get back intochurch.
And everything changed.
Praise God, yes, praise God, sogood, yeah.
And so those prayers that oneperson had prayed, even through
(17:38):
the downfall, made such animpact that God had relentlessly
chased me, absolutely Becauseof the prayers of a young boy,
right Of a grade school kid,that just wanted his friend to
know Jesus.
Kim McIntire (17:56):
Yeah, and the faithfulness of his family as
well.
Yeah, you know, oh yeah, and Iwould say I don't know what the
percentage is, I haven'tresearched this, but I would say
the percentage of people raisedMuslim, even if it's only one
parent that's practicing, butbasically raised Muslim in a
(18:19):
non-Christian home environment,I would say the percentage of
those people coming to Christ issignificantly small.
And so God has some kind ofamazing plan for your life,
layla.
I'm just, I'm sure of it.
I mean, I know some of it hasunfolded already, yeah, but it's
(18:40):
just, I can't wait to see, likeLord, what are you going to do
next, like what's on the what'son the docket for Layla's future
.
But you know, when you'reliving, surrendered, you can
trust it's good, right, andthat's what I'm watching in your
life is just this posture ofsurrender to Him.
(19:00):
And what a redemption story.
Because I'm certain that hadyou not come to Christ, received
salvation and been baptized,gotten into a church, like you
said, you can be saved but fallin the cracks if you don't have
discipleship.
But there's no telling whereyou would be right now without
Jesus.
Absolutely, you know, it's justan incredible story.
(19:22):
I think that sometimes peopleyou know I've been praying for
someone for about 30 years to besaved.
It's a friend of mine, it's herhusband, and I don't have any
intention to stop Right BecauseI believe someday he is going to
(19:42):
be saved and I think we justneed to encourage people that
praying for the lost is not awaste of time Not ever.
Yeah, and your story provesthat Absolutely.
You are the life that waschanged.
You are the soul that was saved.
Laila Davis (19:58):
I'm the one.
You're the one Out of the 99.
He left the 99.
He left the 99.
Kim McIntire (20:04):
Yeah, how do you feel like this has impacted your
children?
Laila Davis (20:10):
I know that they have an opportunity for
salvation because of it, yeah,and I am grateful that they
don't have to live unprotectedthe way I did, because God's
light is such a hedge ofprotection and I know that bad
things can happen in Christian'slife.
(20:31):
It happens all the time, youknow, unfortunately in mine.
It's like we live in thisfleshy world or something you
know, where other people's livesimpact ours.
It's true, and it's just sodifferent when you have Christ
on your behalf, because whenthose things happen, when the
(20:52):
rough things happen, and youdon't know Christ, it is
literally just like another nailin a coffin.
You're just getting deeper anddeeper in the grave.
But with Christ, he can pull youout and he can redeem you.
It's so true.
He can pull you out and he canredeem you.
It's so true.
(21:12):
And when we continually prayfor someone that's living in
that darkness, we open up thedoor for God to present his
light to them.
That's right and, yes, we allhave the choice to choose
(21:33):
something different, but God'slight is so strong.
There isn't a deal lucrativeenough that the devil could
offer as good as his presence.
Kim McIntire (21:42):
That's so true.
That's so true, well said,nothing can replace his presence
.
Yeah, true, well said, nothingcan replace his presence.
And once you've experienced it,you wouldn't even think about
taking something else to replaceit.
Right, right, it's just themost beautiful gift that he
gives us.
His salvation is a mostbeautiful gift, of course, but
(22:03):
having his presence is apriceless treasure and you're
living that out.
So you said earlier in theinterview that your grandmother
was a priceless treasure andyou're living that out.
So you said earlier in theinterview that your grandmother
was a Christian.
Yes, do you have connectionwith her or has she passed?
She passed away when I was 16years old.
So she, she was not able to seethis side of eternity.
No, but she, she will when youenter into heaven gates yes,
(22:27):
that's so good.
I love that, so is there anyother encouragement that you
just want to offer to ourlisteners today, layla?
Any ending thoughts or closingthoughts?
Laila Davis (22:44):
I just keep thinking of the Bible verse and
I'm really bad with rememberingnumbers and names.
Kim McIntire (22:51):
I'm not great at it either, it's okay.
Laila Davis (22:54):
But knock and the door will be opened.
Yes, seek, and you will findthat's right If you are
persistent.
He is there and with everything, take it to God with prayer and
petition, and I love that Godputs the word petition in there.
Kim McIntire (23:12):
Yeah.
Laila Davis (23:13):
Because that means sometimes it's not going to
happen immediately.
Right, you have to petition?
Yeah, that's good, and so don'tstop petitioning for someone's
soul.
Amen, amen, amen.
On days you feel hopeless.
Kim McIntire (23:41):
Don't be afraid to reach out to other fellow
Christians as well, because theyare such a source of
encouragement.
That's right.
There's power in community.
There is.
Yeah, it makes a difference.
So don't do the journey ofprayer alone.
Absolutely.
Get involved in a Bible studygroup that prays Right, doesn't
just study the Bible, but prays.
Or a prayer group that prays,yes, and that's why they're
together, right, and those doexist, so search them out for
(24:02):
sure, right Moses needed Aaronto lift his arms.
Yes, he did so.
Why would we be any different?
Right, exactly, I want tocircle back to that scripture in
2 Peter 3, 9.
The Lord is not slow in keepinghis promise, as some understand
slowness.
He is patient with you, notwanting anyone to perish, but
(24:23):
everyone to come to repentance.
And I feel like God was patient, so patient.
He was patient, so patient withme and you came to repentance.
I did, and it's because of thepower of prayer.
I mean, it really is, it's thepower of prayer.
So we just encourage everyone,be in prayer, pray for the lost,
(24:45):
pray for your family, pray forbeyond your circle.
You know, ask God, god put a,put a burden on my heart to pray
for people that I might noteven be in relationship with.
Yeah, and if someone says, hey,this person's lost, lift
prayers for that person.
It's God's heart, it's hisheart that everyone comes to
(25:09):
know him.
So I cannot thank you enough,Laila, for taking your time
pouring out your story.
There's more so we'll haveanother testimony about part two
of your life story, but thankyou for being here.
I know it's a blessing and ifyou are listening to this
(25:30):
episode and you're encouraged,strengthened, blessed by this
conversation, we would ask youto share it with others.
There's power in the share, andyou never know what could come
from someone listening to thisstory about prayer and salvation
.
So we're going to close thisepisode now.
We just appreciate youlistening.
(25:53):
The purpose of the podcast isto glorify God and encourage all
believers in their walk withthe Lord.
Once again, we would ask you tocheck out our website.
It's at timetoriseup.
org and you'll find our socialmedia platforms there.
May God's grace and peace bewith you all, through Jesus
Christ, our Lord.
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