I thought my father would lock me out if I tell him I want to be a Christian

Romans 8:15, “15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.””

When my brother and I were younger, we were frightened of my dad’s mistreatments. There are times when we were locked out of the house for several days and we had to extort to sleeping outside our home in the cold of the night.

My sister soon became a Christian and she and her now-husband shared the gospel with me. Even though I was interested, my dad warned me not to become a Christian or I would be locked out again. His warning had instilled fear in me and I obeyed him that moment. I certainly do not want to be locked out again.

Not long after, my relationship with my girlfriend failed and I was filled with hurt and sadness. In search of comfort, I tried going to a church service and was amazed to feel the peace in my heart. The anointing was so strong that I went forward to accept Christ during the altar call. Upon acceptance, I felt the need to start a new chapter in my life and the first thing I did was to remove the Buddhist prayer beads given to me by my dad.

Secondly I was to put on a brave front to tell my dad that I wanted to be a Christian. I was actually surprised that there was not any violent reaction. In fact, my dad accepted and respected my decision as he saw me changed for the better over the years. I could not explain in words how relieved I was to hear his feedbacks. I knew at that point of time that it was the start of something good. Through commitments and sacrifices, I am proud to say that I have now become the worship leader of my church.

Dino