By Maru, Philippines
My name is Maru and I come from the Philippines, and my whole family is Christian. I began to believe in the Lord when I was little, and every week I would go to church to hear sermons and attend worship. I remember at church gatherings the pastor often expounding to us the Book of James, chapter 4 verse 4: “You adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Although I knew this verse well, and I knew that the Lord hated it when we pursued worldly trends, I still lived just like an unbeliever. All I ever thought about every day was my schoolwork and various other activities at school, and when I was with my classmates, I would skip class and go to the shopping mall with them, pursuing fads and following trends. I never had enough time to read the Bible or pray to God, and I simply had no place for God in my heart. Every time I went to church to listen to the pastor give a sermon, I always felt like I wanted to change myself. Afterward, however, I would just carry on living as I had before. Because I was often incapable of putting the Lord’s teachings into practice and I couldn’t help but sin whenever anything happened, I felt pained.

