Secrets of a Pastor’s daughter 4 - Where is God?

After asking so much where is God, I decided to put into practice the teachings that I would hear in Church to see if it would work with me too. I no longer prayed for the sake of praying. I began to pray earnestly, telling God how I really felt, what was inside of me, I started to have a true relationship with God. I started to really get close to most of the girls of the Church, I began to read the Bible more often and started to go to Church more often as well. I remember that I used to live about 4 miles from the Church, so, after school, I would run home, from home I would take my bicycle and go to Church alone. 4 miles of uphill and downhill, I would arrive to Church tired, but I was there, firm, doing my part to see God in my life. As soon as the meeting ended, there I was going home on my bicycle, with 4 miles to go... That was my daily routine. Saturdays I would go evangelize with the group and clean the church. Sunday I would stay all day in the Church, I would go evangelize and I would also help in anyway. I decided to get baptized in the waters at 14 years old. I decided to take this step because I realized that my old nature had to die and take a more serious step with God.

After my baptism, I did not want to displease God, I did not want to get dirty again, so every time I felt like saying something to my mother when she would call my attention, I would hold my tongue and say nothing. Every time I felt like arguing with my brother, I would stop myself. Every time I felt like cursing, I would be quiet. I started to resist my flesh, my own desires, not to displease God. The more I pushed myself to please God, the stronger I felt and with more desire to keep doing the right things.

When I least expected, the sadness, the bad temper, the defiance, the rudeness and the anger all had disappeared. I was changing; I no longer doubted the existence of God. I found God!! But now I wanted something more: I wanted the Holy Spirit! So I began to seek more of the Holy Spirit. I began to pray in the middle of the night, I started to fast, do prayer vows, I gave myself more in the Church to help, and I had this thirst to receive the Holy Spirit. I wanted to have that peace, joy; I wanted to have God within me. I had no other desire, no other request other than to receive the Holy Spirit. I participated of the Campaign of Israel for that purpose. I was firm, I persevered and on a beautiful day, a Wednesday, in the evening meeting I received the Holy Spirit. I cried so much of joy, a joy, a great peace filled my being, what a change I had inside of me! I was sure I was a chosen one, a child of God; I knew that God was there, inside of me. The love for souls grew; I wanted to save all the Japanese people of that place. My love for souls was so strong that I remember sending a letter and a church newspaper to a writer of a book, about a research we were studying at school about AIDS.  I wanted him to know that there was a God who could save him. I spoke about Jesus to the girls at school, and I really wanted all Japanese people to know Jesus. God had changed me. I was a new person, I found the real joy. I saw the love and care of God for me.

Now I had another goal, I wanted to live to serve Jesus. The hatred and the anger against the family member who abused me was gone. Joy has taken the place of the bad temper, and the desire to die gave place to the thirst to save souls!! Our God is wonderful friends, what He has done in my life He can do in yours too. If you still feel lost, sad and even doubting God, know that God is just waiting for you to take the same decision I took, surrender yourself completely to Jesus, obey, and persevere. This recipe is unfailing! Test it for yourself and tell us the result, ok?

Then, something wonderful happened in my life...

 It continues next week…  A big kiss to you all friends and see you then.

Juliana Furucho

 

Translated by: Tatia Oliveira