Psalm 139:14
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
This verse is one of God’s Words that is so powerful in my life. It always reminds me, I was brought to planet earth for a purpose. Now I will begin MY STORY.
Date of Birth : 21st February 1957
Place : Malacca
Original Parentage : Chinese and Indian
As a baby I was sent to a Baby’s Home, (welfare) in Malacca. The very first baby’s home in Malaysia. The baby stories, I can’t remember. But my memory is vivid when I was about 3 years old. I was adopted into an Indian Christian family.
I believe my journey with JESUS starts here. I was raised in a Christian home. Sunday School and church was part of my life. My adopted parents were attending the Tamil Methodist Church in Malacca. Dad noticed that we (my adopted sister and myself) were struggling with the Tamil language; that he sent us to the Wesley Methodist Church. We have an elder brother who had already gone to the police force after his form 5. He was based in Seremban. So basically, my sister and I were “church girls!” I was very much involved in Sunday School activities. We had to memorise verses, do mini preachings, do art and craft and dramas.
I was given a very strong foundation on the Word of God. I was introduced to JESUS at a tender age. These were valuable moments for me in the past and I took this precious moments with JESUS into my future. I built my relationship with JESUS!
At the age of nineteen (19), I got married to JOSEPH T. JOHN, who later became a Pastor. We got married in the year 1976. A small testimony on my marriage. When I was working I received a lot of proposals from guys of other faiths. Remember I told you all I was a “Church girl”. When the proposals came, I became concerned. I knelt down and prayed to JESUS.
This was my prayer: “Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus I want a man who will take me to Church and worship You only! Amen”. (simple but powerful request)
The proposal came and I immediately said “YES”! At that time Pastor Joseph was a government servant, and more importantly he was a Christian.
In 1981 my husband had a calling to serve JESUS as a full-time Pastor. I was overjoyed to hear that decision because that was one of my desires too. To be a Pastor’s wife.
Today looking back of those years where I journeyed with JESUS and still am, I’m constantly reminded of a few more verses that keeps me going in my journey and ministry.
Psalm 119:57
You are my portion, O Lord;
I have said that I would keep Your words.
Psalm 46:5
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
This is for my ministry and as a Pastor’s wife, God is with me and I will not be moved. From a teenager, whatever feelings and emotions of sadness and loneliness I went through, the Word of God became my strength, my fortress and my source of help.
Being a young girl I had many wants and desires like other girls, but I was taught by the Word of God to be satisfied and contented with whatever I had.
This helped me greatly in my ministry, as a Pastor’s wife. JESUS has been good to preserve me in good health without any type of sickness which comes through age.
The secret of good health, is joy, peace, kindness and happiness in life, in our relationship with JESUS.
I give ALL glory and thanks to my Lord JESUS CHRIST. He is my strong tower.
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are safe.
Amen.
Throughout these years and until today we have had our ups and downs including financial circumstances. We believe, while God does bless His people with financial and finance-related things, money is not an accurate indicator that a person is in line with the will of God. Many who are not believers in Christ get rich through various ways, including dishonest and illegal means. Thus, using money or prosperity as an indicator is misleading.
Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. God also says, “You don’t need money. You need My favor.” You need His Shalom—the full measure of peace—to operate in our life.
This is what I pray daily for financial blessing; “Heavenly Father, if it is your will for me at this time, please bless me financially. I have serious financial concerns, and don’t know how to handle them. Please give me guidance and wisdom in handling my finances.”
Certainly, God does bless us financially. He provides all our needs, maybe even in the same way that He met Elijah’s, Moses’, and etc’. But we must keep in mind that they pursued Him, not their own gain. Financial blessing and prosperity are more than money instead it could be in the form of wisdom, solution, peace, favor, safety, security, protection, joy, pleasure, delight, health, opportunity, advancement and many of those others similar to this form. God is ready to release; it is His desire to give you good things.
Everything we have is a gift from God. We have a tendency to act like we “earned” things, but that’s not the truth. Without the blessing of God, we wouldn’t have anything! Everything belongs to God. He simply allows us the great privilege of caring for it temporarily.
Finally and above all, stay diligent and steadfast and do not be moved by the financial circumstances that you are presently in, but rather know that God in heaven will be faithful. HIS promises over the tithes, offerings, pledges and donations that you have sown into His Kingdom and He will bring it back to you multiplied in ways that you never thought possible.
I just want to give all glory to God for the blessings in my life and family. He has showed his faithfulness and proved that He is a God that loves his children, and knows our needs and blesses us.
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
We have all heard testimonies of how Jesus heals, saves, forgives and sets people free. I have a personal testimony of how Jesus had set me free from smoking. I had been smoking since the age of 16 and I never thought I could ever quit. This testimony is an account of how the Lord set me free from the chains of addiction.
I met my Malaysian wife in 2013 in Geneva, I accepted Jesus Christ as my saviour during one of my visits to Malaysia in 2013 at Good Shepherd Assembly of God. I started reading the bible and I began developing a relationship with Jesus. I felt different about myself and my wife prayed for me and our future.
We decided to get married and I came back to Malaysia in June 2014. As soon as I arrived I had my first cigarette and that was the last time I ever smoked. I believe Jesus had this miracle for me the moment I accepted Him as my personal saviour, I quit smoking the second day of my arrival in Malaysia. I didn’t feel or have the desire to smoke, I normally needed to smoke at least 5 to 6 times a day but I was able to quit in just one day! I had my doubts, can this really happen to me? I have heard from many people and friends that it is quite impossible to quit smoking. I woke up the next day and I didn’t feel like smoking. I knew at that moment I had received my miracle. I was overjoyed and I can’t thank Jesus enough, Jesus is still working in my life up to today, He has brought many great changes and is continuing to do so.
Jesus doesn’t look at your past or your current situations, when you surrender yourself to Him wholeheartedly, He will do wonders in your life. I had been smoking for over 11 years and my family and friends were in disbelief when I told them I quit smoking.
To anyone out there who needs a breakthrough in your life, find your healing, forgiveness and love through Jesus Christ.
My journey to believing in Christ was unexpected, even to myself, as I never imagined embracing a different faith.
Despite the initial resistance, I found a profound sense of peace and purpose in Christianity that I had never felt before. My conversion surprised many, including my family and friends. Yet, I pressed on, convinced that God was the greatest treasure of all. I wanted to pursue Him, fully believing that He had “plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future.” Here I stand to affirm that what is written in Jeremiah 29:11 is true.
When I look back at my life before I knew Christ, I see a person who was lost in all the wrong places. Amid being lost, God reached out to me in a profound way. He placed people in my life, newfound family and friends, including those from Good Shepherd, who shared the Gospel with me. They showed me the unconditional love of Christ through their actions and words.
Through their testimonies and the power of the Holy Spirit, I came to understand the depth of God’s love and realized that He is the waymaker in my life.
I’ve struggled in many aspects in life. Studies, work, emotions and worldly challenges. I have fallen many times and may stumble again, but I know that by leaning on God and trusting His guidance, I can realign my life to His path. He is the provider, the light, and the guide of my life.
Now, I am living my life and shaping my future by placing my trust in Him, who has faithfully guided me thus far. I have surrendered everything to the Almighty. Though I came to Christ amidst uncertainty and being lost, I will not turn back from the One true God who saved me.
By Noah Thiru