“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.” – Matthew 5:11-12
Becoming a believer for me I have to say is relatively easy. I have a fellow family member – my sister who is also a born-again Christian. The others – we are praying and believing God for them. I did not have to forsake my family for my faith neither I am in conflict with them because of it. My faith is respected by my people because it has become a major part of who I am. I know from scripture that many people were beaten and thrown in jail for mentioning the name of the Lord, some were thrown into fire and one man was placed amongst hungry lions.
But God brought me into contact with a very dear friend who doesn’t have it so easy. The part of the world where she comes from is not predominantly a Christian nation and as such no-one in her family is Christian. If I am dealing with an issue regarding my faith, I can quickly get on the phone and call my sister and we can talk it over (I really thank God for her life), but my friend does not have that luxury. When she gets a victory or a miracle, she is afraid to share it so that glory is not attributed to a false god and when things are not going well, she can’t share that either for fear she may be advised to offer some kind of sacrifice to a god she does not believe in.
As I spent time with her, I could feel the loneliness in her voice and at some level I could identify with that feeling. You see I have no family in this neck of the woods. I am out here all alone. All my family resides in the United Kingdom and I have very few friends. But somehow I could sense the great sacrifice that my friend was making in order to serve God. How she runs the risk of being abandoned and ostracized because of her beliefs.
If you are reading this and you feel alone in your faith because of cultural beliefs, fear not, God is with you and goes ahead of you at all times. Pressure to give up may be hovering around in your head but remember we are only here for a short time while God will be for eternity. Stand your ground in faith and draw strength in knowing that even Jesus Christ was laughed at and ridiculed because people did not believe.
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