In the fight for one’s faith, knowing the tactics or strategies of the enemy, the devil, greatly helps true Christians in standing their ground. Thus, it is vital to be aware of his schemes in order to be always prepared for his attacks and make the proper defense against them.

One of the things that the devil uses against God’s children are the difficult situations that they may experience in life. Members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) cannot avoid going through various miserable episodes in their life that could weaken them and threaten to ruin their trust and faith in the Almighty Father. Sister Margarita Casanova, a finance officer and a deaconess in the Local Congregation of Pasig, Ecclesiastical District of Metro Manila East, is well aware of this: “The devil sends many temptations in our way to weaken our faith.” Sister Marge, as she is commonly called, was converted into the Church in April 1985.

“One of the difficult trials that we went through was when we lost one of our loved ones—my father,” Sister Kate Ernacio, a choir member and an officer of the Metro Manila East District Multimedia, reminisced. “During that time, I became frail and grief-stricken. I was vulnerable and at the risk of being depressed, which I thought, was a way that the devil uses to make us doubt on God’s teachings.”

However, because God wants His children to remain in His care, He teaches the members of the Church Of Christ how they should stand their ground in the face of such threats. “Instead of wallowing in sadness, I focused on the things that would make me stronger,” Sister Kate enthused.  Meanwhile, Sister Marge added, “I do not allow the worries of this life overcome me. What I spend my time on is fulfilling my sacred duties and my responsibilities in the Church.”

True Christians gather strength from the worship services for it is during such gatherings that they receive the spiritual power from the Lord God. “Worship services are sources of inspiration, especially the ones officiated by the Executive Minister. During such holy gatherings, we are taught the teachings of God that we need the most in the face of tribulations,” Sister Kate said.

“Like what we heard from Brother Eduardo Manalo, we should be alert at all times so that the enemy will not be able to overwhelm us. He taught that we should always defend our faith. One of the effective ways of taking care of our faith is having constant prayers to God,” Sister Kate continued. “When I heard the preaching of the Executive Minister, my strength was renewed. I regained my positive outlook in life and I was able to muster more courage to face adversities in life,” Sister Marge attested.

Although God’s chosen people also feel hurt when they experience failures and sad times, they know how to deal with such experiences and choose to react properly: “I learned that during times of sufferings, avoiding or staying away from God is not the right thing to do. Instead, those should be opportunities to draw closer to Him and to all the more have faith in His words,” Sister Kate declared.

With the same thought, Sister RB Grace Santos shared, “In times of trials, I learned to all the more make sure that I remain in God’s love and care. He is truly kind to His chosen ones. Although life is so burdensome, we are still able to fulfill our sacred duties that are His blessings to us. From these Church duties, we receive the strength that we need to continue.” Sister Grace is a choir member, a finance officer and an officer of the Technical Support for Videostreaming (TSV).

Despite the intense persecutions, trials, and challenges they face, the brethren continue to renew their strength and spiritual resilience during worship services. One of such blessed gatherings was led by the Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo Manalo at the Local Congregation of Pasig, Ecclesiastical District of Metro Manila East. Brother Gerino S. Lalata, the district supervising minister, led the prayer before the homily, while Brother Arnel A. Tumanan led the congregation in the prayer after the preaching of the Executive Minister. Brother Glicerio P. Santos IV led the prayer for the offerings, while Brother Bienvenido C. Santiago said the benediction.

By Mark Jomarri Lalata