I had a conversation with my lovely sister about the reality of being a modern Christian today. As I observe some of my peers, I see that it’s probably a part of our identity we want to hide because we don't want to be judged and shamed. For me, it was just the fear of misleading people because I’ve seen how people have said things in the name of God and created false doctrines — and even historically, the pain those in the Christian community have caused while using Jesus' name and God all over it. So today, you just don’t know where to stand, or even if you should stand. Doubt creeps here and there, and you wobble. ( Read Romans 16:17-18)
But unfortunately, many of us depend too much on what the world says, what this person says, and we derive our judgment and truth from that instead of developing our own godly consciousness. You develop it just by spending more time with God — it’s really as simple as that. But you know why people can’t go to God as frequently as they check their favourite star on Instagram or TikTok Live? It’s because of guilt and shame about the things you are doing or have done. You feel like you need to be perfect first, quit this and stop that, then come to God.
When you feel bored, instead of yielding to come to God, you prefer to watch 3 hours of gossip on TikTok Live about people’s lives as a distraction. I remember that used to be me. And one day, I just heard the Holy Spirit tugging me to check how long I was spending on TikTok Lives and how it was leading me nowhere. I was slacking on my work, sleeping late, and it increased my emotional triggers because I would follow lives that always ended in debates.
All of this because I knew I was supposed to spend more time with God — but I was ashamed, afraid, discouraged by life. I thought it made me weak if I went to God. I believed I had to figure things out myself. I thought He probably had better things to handle. I was tired of praying about the same thing and seeing no change. Because of my impatience, I started to doubt God and lean more into the worldly narrative of Him, questioning my faith instead of going deeper with God to see what was wrong.
I had to shut the noise.
I stopped TikTok and started reading books.
You have to reduce the voices in your head that lead you astray.
When I finally got sick and tired of being sick and tired, as they say, I went on a fast because I wanted to know God for myself. And I was delivered. The spiritual bondages holding me back were broken, and I felt this light and softness and peace I hadn’t felt in my spirit in a while. Ever since I started taking God's walk seriously and spending more time with Him in intimacy, I’ve had so much peace.
I have even stopped having back pains — my back pains have stopped. I would always have back pains, but with my walk with God, I finally got my inner transformation. Because when your inner self is not in alignment or at peace, the external environment will take control, and you lose your sense of identity.
The first thing God does when you have a spiritual encounter with Him in private — not in public display or in groups — is give you your identity. He rips away all the shame of your past. We all carry the clothes of people’s words, generational bondages, and you may get lost in the thought of “I will always be like this” or “I can never be different from what I see in my community.” But that’s not true. God tells you who you are.
I remember in 2024, I was walking home, and I heard the Holy Spirit say, “You’re a Proverbs 31 woman.” I was shocked because at that time, I wasn’t aspiring to marriage. I was focused on my career; nothing could distract me. In my mother’s family, women didn’t get married easily. On my dad’s side, divorce was more common. So I didn’t think of myself as that. But as I went deeper into understanding how God works and how the Holy Spirit speaks, I realised He was giving me my identity — that despite what I knew from experience, I am a valuable, virtuous woman who loves God, ultimately Jesus.
It took me a while to accept that because I had to work on my trauma, and I thought having such a title meant I had to do everything perfectly. I haven’t. I have made a lot of mistakes. But I know that somehow, somewhere, I’ve always had respect for God. I’ve had reverence for Him.
I think it’s so hard to be a Christian now because many don’t know they are. Some people didn’t have healed parents who projected healthy lifestyles to their kids, or even environments that taught godly values. Many people lived a certain way, so you just go with it. You yield to what you know. That’s what the Bible means when it says yielding to the flesh — accepting what the world, culture, tradition says, and even worse, what people say you should do. Some people may be well-intended, but their voice shouldn’t be louder than God’s voice inside of you.
You really have to spend more time with Him to strengthen that voice. It doesn’t always have to be words, He says — it could be an intuition, a strong tug in your heart or stomach, a dream, a vision. God speaks in many ways because He is almighty.
I would like to believe that the same challenges we face today, early Christians faced too. The disciples didn’t always have faith in Jesus. Some didn’t even understand Him. Some abandoned Him. But He redeemed them. So our walk with God doesn’t surprise Him or shock Him. He knows the beginning and the end. But he still had a plan for them beyond their falling short. He still showed up for them. He gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit because there are those He has called to Him — and if you’re one of them, yield.
Because the plans He has for you will require courage and fearlessness that only He can give you.
And expect opposition. Jesus warned His disciples about being persecuted and people not accepting the Christian faith. It’s part of the process. But He always tells us not to be afraid — He has conquered all.
So no matter the opposition you face from friends who used to walk with you and now suddenly want to intimidate you because you're Christian, don’t give up on Jesus for them. Even for a partner or a family member, don’t give up on Jesus. Submit all things to God and ask for strength because He will protect you against all attacks or weapons formed against you — even if it’s from a friend, family, colleague, or anybody.
As Christians in the modern world, we are called to be bold and strong and to know that Jesus Christ is our Lord. He is with us. And if God is for us, who shall be against us? ( Romans 8:31)
I like to believe that God is patient. He is not in a rush. He has no anxiety, no need to prove anything. He is the master planner. So as Christians, we can only live truly in our faith by leaning on Him—
in prayer,
in studying the Word,
in worship and praise,
and letting that transform you
When your intimacy with God is solid—through spending more time with Him—you gain more confidence to simply be who God has called you to be without fear. You are not afraid of who you are or where you are. You gain wisdom on when to speak and how to go about things. God will give you the strategy to navigate the world.
It is hard to be a Christian in this world if you don’t have a strong foundation in Christ. Without that foundation, you can lose your faith and lose your self-esteem, because the voices that oppose God often speak louder than those who walk with Him.
Make Christ your foundation, and everything else will withstand.
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