.: Hold on to your Faith! :.

-By Joanie-

Through the past four years ever since I accepted Lord Jesus as my savior, I can truly see how God has kept His promise to walk this journey of life with me, and I thank God that I hold have decided to hold on to His promise and not let go of His saving grace. I am glad that I chose to stand firm with my faith, knowing that God can be trusted and that He will see me through thick and thin. Evermore so, I believe in the reward that I'll receive by following after Jesus.

In times of persecution (Mat5: 10-11)
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

I remembered when I first allowed Jesus to enter into my heart, I was warned of the challenges ahead that Satan will always try to shake my faith and crumble my foundation in Christ. The evil one will engage all means just to draw me away from God.

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Thus, when I was persecuted badly by my family members, especially by my step-mum, I stood firm and prayed hard for God to deliver me from my misery at home. My step-mum would accuse me of many things that I'd not done, and many times she was being unreasonable. The verbal abuse was such a torture! No matter how good my intentions were, it would be twisted to become really bad. As my Dad was working in China, no one could stand out for me, to protect and defend me. But, God sent good Christian friends to encourage me at that period of time, and He also carried me through with His words and teaching. That prevented potential "cat-fights" at home.

Apart from my step-mum, my relatives showed little support since most of them are Buddhist. I was saddened by the fact they would gossip about my newfound faith. It hurts even more when my Dad said that he was disappointed with my "rebellious" behaviour. It really hurts, as I've always wanted to be a "good girl" in Daddy's eyes.

Devastated as I was, all these never stopped me from worshipping my Father in heaven. I know these sufferings will just be a passing wind, and soon it will be over.

Setting yourself apart from the world- To be more like Jesus (Mat5: 13-16)
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? ... You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received God's mercy but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10)

We are called to be light of the world and salt of the earth. What a standard God has set for us to achieve. We are to set ourselves apart! However, it's a fact that to behave differently from the world is not easy. Not to club like what the "fun people"; not to smoke like the "cool people"; not to lie like the "clever people"; and not to dress like the "good looking people". Wow, how can one do that? Others may think that you do not belong to the world. Yes! That's right! We are living in the world, but Not of the world. We are called to be like Jesus! Pure and righteous…

It is only when we are determined to shine for Christ that we will find strength, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to change to become more like Jesus. If we want people to see Christ in us, we have to follow Godly ways, not worldly ways. When we do good amidst the bad, people will see the difference, and God will be glorified! Hence, I always strive to be more like Jesus. Every small step I take to be more beautiful in God's eyes, I know God is pleased. I take joy in pleasing our Father. It satisfies me to see Him smile, just like how I always wanted to see my Dad smile at me…

Getting to know the Lord with a price- Sacrifice (John6: 57, John8: 28, 14:10)
"I can do nothing of myself." "I live by the Father..."

During YF camp in 2002, Heart of Worship, I learnt that worshipping God comes with sacrifice. One such sacrifice is my time. Attending church on Sundays would mean lesser time with my mother. Ever since my parents divorced, I would visit my mother every Sunday, and I always longed to spend more time with her. However, I know I should put God first, even before my parents. It is hard, and it takes time for me to adjust to this change.

I want to thank God for making a way for me to attend church services even though my Dad and granny objected to the idea. Thankfully, my Mum, who has also accepted Christ, gave me her support to attend church. So attending service every Sunday morning would not be a problem for me. However, occasionally, I had to fight the struggle within to give up the time I could have spent otherwise with my mother. Sounds tough isn't it?

A changed life
Now, four years have past. I not only attend Sunday services, I also attend youth cell group meetings every Saturday. I have committed more time for the kingdom of God and serving in more areas that I can glorify God with. My family has totally accepted me as a Christian and I can really feel the respect they have for my faith in Christ. No more gossips. My step-mum, miraculously, became a catholic soon after I shifted into my granny's house, and encourages my little stepsister to attend church too! Say impossible? Nothing is impossible for our amazing God!