Later, I read a passage of God’s words: “When you rebel against the flesh, there will inevitably be a battle within you. Satan will try and make you follow it, will try and make you follow the conceptions of the flesh and uphold the interests of the flesh — but God’s words will enlighten and illuminate you within, and at this time it is up to you whether you follow God or follow Satan. God asks people to put the truth into practice primarily to deal with the things inside them, to deal with their thoughts, and their conceptions that aren’t after God’s heart. The Holy Spirit touches people inside, and carries out His work within them, and so behind everything that happens is a battle: Every time people put the truth into practice, or put the love of God into practice, there is a great battle, and though all may seem well with their flesh, in the depths of their hearts a life-and-death battle will, in fact, be going on — and only after this intense battle, after a tremendous amount of reflection, can victory or defeat be decided. One does not know whether to laugh or cry. … It is because of this battle that people endure suffering and refinement; this is true suffering. When the battle comes upon you, if you are able to truly stand on the side of God, you will be able to satisfy God.” Pondering over these words, I came to realize how intense the spiritual battle was. I loved my two daughters very much and as long as they were happy I was willing to do anything for them. And Satan knew exactly where my weakness was — my connection with my daughters — and wanted to use my feelings to lead me away from God and betray God. But under God’s enlightenment and guidance I had discernment toward Satan’s plot, so my daughter’s persuasion and tears failed to shake me. I saw that God’s wisdom is forever exercised based on Satan’s trickery. Satan used my feelings to force me to betray God, while God used Satan’s temptation to test whether I was loyal to Him. This gave me the opportunity to rely on God to experience God’s work, and also perfected my heart so that it could love God. I thanked God very much. I told myself, and in my prayers to God, “From now on, whatever happens to me, I will rely on God and ask God to lead me away from Satan’s temptation.”
Two days later, I was very surprised when my youngest daughter changed her attitude to my belief in God all of a sudden and said to my eldest son-in-law, “We can’t ask mom to stop her gatherings or give up her faith in God, nor should we say that her belief is wrong because of the difference between her belief and your mother’s. This is not right. My mom isn’t a person who has no discernment, nor is she a person too young to know her own mind. Why can’t we believe her? If she feels good and that is what she wants to do, we should let her do it while keeping an eye on her, OK?” After a lot of persuasion, my eldest son-in-law stopped judging and opposing my belief in God. I knew that God had opened up a way out for me. The thoughts and ideas of my youngest daughter were also in God’s hands, and that she could change her mind also came from God.
But this problem had only just passed before another came. Not long after that, Satan probed me again. Sometimes when I went to a meeting or out preaching the gospel I couldn’t help my eldest daughter ferry her kid to and from school, and so I let my husband do it. She was unhappy that I hadn’t much time to look after her kid. In addition, her mother-in-law always criticized my belief in God in front of her. So then she started to hinder me from attending meetings once again. One morning, about ten o’clock, I suddenly received a text from her saying that I was too devoted to my faith in God every day so she didn’t need me to look after her kid, and that in the future I didn’t need to give them consideration. Reading the text, I thought: “Does she mean to drive me away?” Seeing her do this to me, I was somewhat upset, but then I thought of God’s words: “In every step of work that God does within people, externally it appears to be interactions between people, as if born of human arrangements, or from human interference. But behind the scenes, every step of work, and everything that happens, is a wager made by Satan before God, and requires people to stand firm in their testimony to God.” God’s words made it all clear. I was clear that Satan was carrying out a plot through my eldest daughter; it wanted to threaten me like this and force me to give up my belief in God. Thereupon, I resolved that I would never abandon my belief in God because of her obstruction. If worst came to worst, I would move out.
After I returned home in the evening, my family totally ignored me and none of them talked to me. My husband felt the tension at home and asked me, “What has happened?” I came straight to the point and said, “I didn’t mess things up due to believing in God so why are you lot always putting pressure on me like this? I have no other choice. Let’s move out.” Hearing this, my husband was somewhat panicked. The next day, my husband said to me that he didn’t want to move out because the children were so young and they needed us to help take care of them. Then, my youngest daughter asked me outside to discuss with me whether or not I could compromise over my belief in God. But I had resolved to stand witness to God, and I would never make any decision that would satisfy Satan. Finally, she abandoned hope and sighed. I had hardly got home when my eldest daughter came and also asked me to go outside with her. She was aware of my firm determination to follow God, and cruelly said to me, “Mom, since you’ve chosen to believe in God and move out, we will end all ties. Also, from now on you aren’t allowed to see your grandchild, and when your grandchild grows up and gets married, you won’t be invited.” While she was talking, I could feel the pain in her heart. At that moment, I also felt much pain within me. So I repeatedly prayed to God, and asked God to protect me from being ruled by emotion so that I could stand at God’s side from beginning to end. After prayer, I thought of God’s words: “You must have My courage within you and you must have principles when facing relatives who do not believe. But for My sake, you must also not yield to any of the dark forces. Rely on My wisdom to walk the perfect way; do not allow the conspiracies of Satan to take hold. Put all your efforts into placing your heart before Me and I shall comfort you and give you peace and happiness in your heart.” God’s words gave me faith and strength. Now was the time when God was testing my faith so I should rely on God to bear witness to Him, and attack Satan’s trickery with my faith in God.
I then remembered the words of the Lord Jesus: “For from now on there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law” (Luke 12:52–53). “Truly I say to you, There is no man that has left house, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting” (Luke 18:29–30). That’s right! Belief and non-belief are incompatible. If I wanted to follow God, I had to make a choice. My family got deceived by the religious community and had no discernment, and so were against my following God. If I followed my children and abandoned my belief in God, I would fall for Satan’s plot and lose the opportunity to be saved by God. Thereupon, I calmed down and said to my eldest daughter in a firm tone, “I have believed in the Lord for over half my life, and enjoyed so much grace from the Lord. Now I’ve finally welcomed His return, so I must believe in Him earnestly. I can compromise in anything other than the matter of belief in God. No matter what you say, I won’t give up my belief in God.”
After some silence, my eldest daughter said in a sad voice, “Mom, since you’re like this, I don’t want to live. I’ll entrust your grandchild to my husband, and then I will go and kill myself.” Her words felt like a heavy punch to my heart. I thought: “She is taking it hard. What if she really commits suicide? What should I do?” I hastened to pray to God in my heart and asked God to lead me. After my prayer, I thought about how in the word of God it says: “The fate of man is controlled by the hands of God. You are incapable of controlling yourself. … If you could know your own prospects, if you could control your own fate, would you still be a creature?” Yes! All things are in God’s hands. The fate of my eldest daughter is also controlled by God’s hands. So, I said to her, “God supplies everything to us. It is heaven’s law and earth’s principle for us to believe in God and worship Him. Whatever happens, I will follow God and keep going along this path.” Then, she thought for a while and said feebly, “Mom, I never imagined that you’d be so firm in your belief in God. Whatever I say, your faith can’t be shaken. Forget it, do as you will. You don’t need to move out. Starting from today, I won’t stop you from believing in God any longer.” Hearing this, I was relieved and very happy. I seemed to feel that Satan had been ashamed and had fled. Through this, I truly experienced the authority and might of God’s words. Satan actually does service for the believers in God, and it doesn’t possess any ability before God.
Afterward, my husband and daughters allowed the brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God to come to our home; furthermore, they saw from their words and actions that they all had good humanity, and thereby admired them very much. After that, they no longer opposed my belief in Almighty God and my husband often drove me to the church. Thank God for His protection. It was God’s words that enabled me to bear witness to God when Satan carried out its trickery. Through these disturbances from Satan, I have learned how to rely on God, and have seen God’s almightiness and wisdom. Satan doesn’t have any ability to stop God’s work of salvation. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have seen God’s deeds. All the glory be to God.
Source from: find the shepherd
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