My Discovery Of Faith
Hello! I am Alina and I am 18 this year. This Easter, I am really looking forward to reaffirming my faith in the Lord! This is because the Lord Jesus Christ now holds a special place in my heart and I want to express my certainty of faith in Him.
My Parent’s Faith
My parents, Song Leng and Li Pin were brought to Bethany by my aunty before I was born. And so, I have been coming to Bethany for the past 18 years. When I was 5, I was baptized as a child. However, what I did during my baptism was unimaginable. When Pastor was about to lay his hand on my head to baptize, I refused and ran away. Even though I did not understand the significance of faith back then, I am thankful that I have godly parents who brought me up learning to fear the Lord and to always turn to the Scriptures. It was their faith that taught me to cultivate a habit of going to church every Sunday to worship the Lord.
An Intellectual Faith
As I continued to attend the various classes and camps, my knowledge of the Lord grew. However, it was only head knowledge that I had. When I moved from Primary to Secondary School, although I continued to attend church every week, the world became more attractive. I started to become drawn to the things of the world such as going out with my friends. I chose engaging myself in these activities over that of attending YPG and learning God’s Word. My heart was uninterested in discovering more about God.
Finding A Personal Faith
The story of Calvary was one that I heard many times and even knew by heart. But it was simply part of the head knowledge I had, with no action to accompany it. The theme for Youth Conference 2010 was “The Love of God”. As we learnt about the different aspects of God’s love, my eyes were opened to see Jesus differently. It went beyond my mere understanding of Him just coming down to save us from our sins by dying on the cross. There came a special realization of what He had done for me. I was overwhelmed with guilt and shame. The gentle reminder of God’s abounding love and the reflection of my own life left me to see who I was. I was an unworthy sinner. I had turned away from Him and followed the ways of the world. In my selfishness, I did not have a place for Him in my heart. Yet, Jesus chose to be the offering for my sins.
Thus, I made the decision to change how I am living and to follow Him.
Finding Faith Real
I realized that faith goes beyond knowledge. Faith also needs to be applied. When I entered Junior College, life hurled many great challenges. However, it was in the midst of these challenges that I found the need to put into action all the lessons I have learnt about faith. It went beyond knowing that we have a great God, to constantly placing my trust in His sovereignty. As I shifted my focus from self onto the Lord and His Word, there came a great sense of comfort and confidence. Confidence came because I recognized that He knew far greater than what I saw out of each circumstance. He is the One I want to trust and follow, wherever He leads and guides.
My Response of Faith
As I discovered more about faith, my relationship with the Lord deepened. This led to a desire to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. It has also enabled me to see life with a new perspective. It is no longer about living for myself but wanting to offer my life to the Lord.
One verse that I am holding close to my heart as I seek to be reaffirmed is taken from Luke 9:23.
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”.
The choice to follow Jesus is only the beginning step. It is my deepest desire to want to follow in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus—to learn from Him and to emulate the way He lived His life. Of course, following Him comes with my part in learning how to let go of what I want and instead trusting in what He has planned.
Certainty of Faith
I choose to take this step of reaffirmation because I want to be identified with Christ. Faith in knowing the Lord and what He has done for me has become so precious to me. It is no longer my parents’ faith, but my own faith that compels me to come to church weekly to learn His Word. Therein comes a desire to know Him so much more.
More than just a place where I grew up in, Bethany is also the place where I have been fed abundantly spiritually. It is here that I can continue to grow in my faith and cultivate a deeper relationship with the Lord. I have grown a love for Bethany because I have seen God’s love being exemplified by His people. I look forward to being a part of Bethany and taking my place in this Christ-centered and Word-centered church.