A female believer named Joy was born in the 1970s into a farmer's family in Chaoshan, Guangdong Provicne. She experienced much pain and suffering in her marriage but ultimately overcame the difficulties through the power of faith, and her defeat was turned into victory.
Joy shared, "After my Christian mother married my father, she introduced Christianity to his family. I used to go to the megachurch with my mother when I was young, but over time, I felt that the sermons preached there could not satisfy my spiritual needs. After a few years, I dropped out of school to learn sewing, and my sewing master was a leader in the church. At that time, their church was experiencing a revival, so I started attending gatherings with them."
After her was baptized at the gathering, her father asked her to return to school. After graduation, she lived in a county town where she had no place of worship, and her inner life was often weak. This lasted for about six months.
"Someone introduced me to a church on this side of the county, and then I started gathering and worshiping in a pastor's home. The elderly pastor preached and conducted the Bible study, which gave me a deeper understanding of the Scriptures." The pastor's Bible study was ongoing sequentially, according to chapter, and this laid the foundation for her personal faith. She began to understand the Scriptures herself, accept the leading of the Holy Spirit, and practice prayer.
She would often pray when she woke up in the morning and before going to bed at night, seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit in any difficulty.
When she first got married, her husband thought that she was not good enough for him. She recalled, "This was because my husband was making more money at the time, had more social connections, and his personal abilities were stronger than mine. One time, I was bathing our son. I picked up one thing, and he said it was not right. Then I picked up another, and he said it was not right either. He yelled and scolded us. I was very sad that day, and as I went down on my knees to pray, words came to my ears, 'turn defeat into victory'. I asked the Holy Spirit about the meaning of the words. The Holy Spirit prompted me to say, 'You should be a forgiving person first and you also need to repent where repentance is required'. In the past, I used to repent with clenched teeth, but this was not the repentance that pleased God. When I sincerely repented before God, my hurt feelings and the shackles of words binding me all came off."
She opened the Bible and happened to see Isaiah 10:27. As her husband's disdainful attitude remained unchanged, she also prayed for the Lord to grant her wisdom and strength.
Joy continued to endure and do her best. After a few years, her husband's negligence led to the loss of his job. The once arrogant man had now become subdued, and he started to become gentle, showing more care and reverence for the family. Joy continued to be tolerant and accepting towards her husband, and eventually, the two began to move towards harmony and mutual acceptance.
This year, the pressure of senior year in high school made her son feel very low. She prayed for several days but could not release herself of the anxiety. "The following day, I attended the morning prayer meeting on Saturday at the church. The pastor said, 'Cast off the burdens on your shoulders and the cares in your hearts, and entrust them to the Lord Jesus.' He led us in prayer, and instantly, I felt a power surge through me; all the anxiety and pressure were lifted. When I returned home, I fellowshipped with my son, and he began to learn to entrust his burdens to the Lord and find peace in prayer."
Joy testified, "Faith, for me, is no longer just knowledge but has become integrated into every corner of my life. First, I felt spiritually unsatisfied, but I was engaged in studying the Scriptures to understand them, learning to pray, and relying on the Holy Spirit to overcome trials and tribulations. Now I love to talk to the Lord Jesus every day, and I often experience His presence and power in prayer. Therefore, I have to say, it's not that I loved the Lord first, but that He first loved me, this humble and inadequate person."
- Translated by Nonye Nancy
喜乐姐妹是一位70后，她出生于潮汕一个普通农民的家庭。婚姻上曾经历过很多痛苦与煎熬，但她最终靠着信仰的力量，度过难关，反败为胜。
喜乐分享说：“我妈妈是信主的，当她嫁给我爸爸的时候，就把基督信仰带到了我爸爸家人这边。我从小和妈妈一起去大教堂礼拜，后面时间久了，我就感觉大礼拜堂讲的道不能满足属灵的需要。过了几年后，我辍学去学了缝纫，而带我的缝纫师傅是聚会处的一个带领人。当时他们教会很复兴，我就跟着他们去聚会处做礼拜了。”
在聚会处受洗后，她爸爸又叫她回学校读书。毕业后，她就在县城住。到了新的地方后，因她没有教会去做礼拜，内在的生命也是时常软弱，这个低谷期持续了半年。
“有人介绍我到县城这边的教会，然后我在一个牧者的家里开始聚会做礼拜 。那个老牧者讲道、查经，让我更深明白圣书。”这个牧者的查经是按章卷连贯性的查下来，她个人信仰的根基是在这里打下的。自己开始读懂圣书，并且接受圣灵的带领和做祷告的操练。
她常常早上起来，夜晚安歇前都会跟主祷告，遇到任何难处也要先求问主圣灵。
婚姻方面，她刚嫁到丈夫家那会，丈夫认为喜乐姐妹配不上他。据喜乐姐妹回忆到：“因为我丈夫当时赚钱多，社会关系多，而且他个人的能力也比我强。有一次我在给儿子洗澡，我拿这个，他说不行，拿那个，他也说不行。他吼我们，骂我们.....那天我非常伤心，我跪下去祷告时，耳边出现一个词——反败为胜。我求问圣灵，这是什么意思？圣灵感动我说：‘让我先成为饶恕的人，我要在需要悔改的地方先去悔改。’这我从前都是咬牙切齿地悔改，但这不是上帝所喜悦的悔改。当我带着真心悔改在上帝面前，我心里的受伤感和被言语捆绑的枷锁都脱落了。”
她翻开圣书后，正好看到以赛亚书10：27的经文。随着丈夫的藐视不曾改变，她也借着祷告求主加添智慧和能力。
喜乐就一直忍耐，在该做的事情上尽力做到更好。又过了几年，因为她老公的过失，导致他的工作丢了。往日骄横的面对妻子的他已经黯然失色，他开始变得柔和，对家庭有了更多的关心和敬畏。喜乐也持续给与他丈夫很多的包容与接纳，最终两人开始走向和谐和彼此接纳。
今年，高三的压力让她儿子的状态很低落。她祷告了几天，自己也不得释放，很焦虑。“第二天我就参加了教会的星期六早上的祷告会，牧师说：‘你们当卸下你们肩上的重担、心里的忧虑，将它们交托给主耶稣。’他就带领我们祷告，突然一瞬间，我就感受到有一种能力从我身上经过，所有的焦虑和压力都卸下来了。回家后，我和儿子交通交流，他开始学会把重担交托给主 ，在祷告中获得了心灵的平安。”
喜乐姐妹见证说：“信仰与我而言，不再是一种知识，已是融入到我生活的每一个角落里。从起初的灵性的不满足，到学习读经，再到读懂圣书，学习祷告，依靠圣灵。让我的婚姻生活在经历磨难与困苦时，就有了可以依靠的对象。我每日都喜欢跟主耶稣说说话，在祷告中，我也常常经历祂的同在与大能。因此我不得不说，不是我先爱了主，而是主先爱了我这个简陋不足的人。”
故事｜一位常祷告的基督徒姊妹：在家庭生活中反败为胜的见证
A female believer named Joy was born in the 1970s into a farmer's family in Chaoshan, Guangdong Provicne. She experienced much pain and suffering in her marriage but ultimately overcame the difficulties through the power of faith, and her defeat was turned into victory.
Joy shared, "After my Christian mother married my father, she introduced Christianity to his family. I used to go to the megachurch with my mother when I was young, but over time, I felt that the sermons preached there could not satisfy my spiritual needs. After a few years, I dropped out of school to learn sewing, and my sewing master was a leader in the church. At that time, their church was experiencing a revival, so I started attending gatherings with them."
After her was baptized at the gathering, her father asked her to return to school. After graduation, she lived in a county town where she had no place of worship, and her inner life was often weak. This lasted for about six months.
"Someone introduced me to a church on this side of the county, and then I started gathering and worshiping in a pastor's home. The elderly pastor preached and conducted the Bible study, which gave me a deeper understanding of the Scriptures." The pastor's Bible study was ongoing sequentially, according to chapter, and this laid the foundation for her personal faith. She began to understand the Scriptures herself, accept the leading of the Holy Spirit, and practice prayer.
She would often pray when she woke up in the morning and before going to bed at night, seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit in any difficulty.
When she first got married, her husband thought that she was not good enough for him. She recalled, "This was because my husband was making more money at the time, had more social connections, and his personal abilities were stronger than mine. One time, I was bathing our son. I picked up one thing, and he said it was not right. Then I picked up another, and he said it was not right either. He yelled and scolded us. I was very sad that day, and as I went down on my knees to pray, words came to my ears, 'turn defeat into victory'. I asked the Holy Spirit about the meaning of the words. The Holy Spirit prompted me to say, 'You should be a forgiving person first and you also need to repent where repentance is required'. In the past, I used to repent with clenched teeth, but this was not the repentance that pleased God. When I sincerely repented before God, my hurt feelings and the shackles of words binding me all came off."
She opened the Bible and happened to see Isaiah 10:27. As her husband's disdainful attitude remained unchanged, she also prayed for the Lord to grant her wisdom and strength.
Joy continued to endure and do her best. After a few years, her husband's negligence led to the loss of his job. The once arrogant man had now become subdued, and he started to become gentle, showing more care and reverence for the family. Joy continued to be tolerant and accepting towards her husband, and eventually, the two began to move towards harmony and mutual acceptance.
This year, the pressure of senior year in high school made her son feel very low. She prayed for several days but could not release herself of the anxiety. "The following day, I attended the morning prayer meeting on Saturday at the church. The pastor said, 'Cast off the burdens on your shoulders and the cares in your hearts, and entrust them to the Lord Jesus.' He led us in prayer, and instantly, I felt a power surge through me; all the anxiety and pressure were lifted. When I returned home, I fellowshipped with my son, and he began to learn to entrust his burdens to the Lord and find peace in prayer."
Joy testified, "Faith, for me, is no longer just knowledge but has become integrated into every corner of my life. First, I felt spiritually unsatisfied, but I was engaged in studying the Scriptures to understand them, learning to pray, and relying on the Holy Spirit to overcome trials and tribulations. Now I love to talk to the Lord Jesus every day, and I often experience His presence and power in prayer. Therefore, I have to say, it's not that I loved the Lord first, but that He first loved me, this humble and inadequate person."
- Translated by Nonye Nancy
Female Believer Overcomes Adversity in Marriage Relying on God
