I’m grateful you have given your life to Jesus Christ, in spite of your background. I’m thankful, too, for your friends, who cared enough about you to share Christ with you. God can break through every barrier people raise against Him because He is stronger than all who oppose Him.

The most important thing I can tell you is that God knows all about the pressures you’ll be facing — and He loves you and has promised to be with you every moment of the day. Even if your family forbids you to associate with other believers, never forget that Jesus will be with you. The Bible’s promise is true (and I urge you to memorize it): “If God is for us, who can be against us?… (nothing) will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31,39).

Don’t conceal your commitment from your parents; in time they’ll find out anyway. But pray that they won’t think you are rejecting them. Pray instead that God will make them open to what’s happening in your life. Ask your friends to pray for them also.

Pray, too, for yourself, that even if they resist your commitment, they’ll see that Christ has made a difference in your life. Often our strongest witness is the evidence of a changed life. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. … Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14,16).