The Learning Journey: Temptations and Blessings

Permai Snapshot

Issue 45 September 2021

The Learning Journey: Temptations and Blessings

About the Author Lu Kai Xin, loves playing piano, desires to living a life that glorifies God in everything.

By: Lu Kai Xin | Translated by: Chloe Woo

Do Not Conform to the Crowd in Wrongdoings When I was in secondary school, my history textbook described the period when martial law was implemented in Malaya after World War II. At that time, I could not imagine it at all, and I was thankful that it seemed to be something very distant. Little did I know that a pandemic was quietly approaching.

Amidst the pandemic, time flew by and the world went through drastic changes. Since 18 March 2020, our country issued multiple movement control orders due to the raging Covid-19 pandemic.

Many adults began working from home, and students were forced to attend online classes at home. No one could travel around freely anymore.

On 2 August 2020, I started my university foundation programme, and I was exposed to online classes for the first time. I needed to switch on my laptop at 8 o'clock in the morning for classes and continued to stare into the screen until 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon with merely an hour of lunch break in between. I believe that every student would be familiar with such a rigid routine.

Compared to online classes, online exams are even more frightening. In the previous physical exams, candidates would only need to complete the exam questions within the given timeframe. But now, we would also need to ensure that we had a good network connection. It would be tragic if we fail to submit our exam papers due to the poor network.

During this difficult time, some students did not hesitate to resort to extreme methods. Putting it bluntly, many of them cheated. I agree that the temptation to cheat in online exams is too strong, because the examiner cannot see the entire view and most of the students had already reached a consensus to share their answers. I still remember that one of my coursemates told me, "Even if you insist not to cheat, everyone will still do it anyway!" However, does the majority’s decision means that it’s the right one? If the whole world agrees that 1 plus 1 equals 3, will that make it the correct answer too?

Before my exams, I would pray to God that He would prevent me from falling into the temptation of cheating, because I knew very well that if I had relied on myself, I would have no resistance to it. Especially when I encountered difficult questions in the exam, the intrusive thoughts of cheating would be unbelievably loud in my mind! I could only pray and ask God to get rid of the evil thoughts, so that I could concentrate on the exam.

I choose not to cheat, not because I am better than others, but because I am afraid of provoking God’s anger. If it weren't for relying on God, it would be meaningless to get brilliant results. Good words are never pleasing, and pleasing words might be harsh to the ears. I hope that through this article, I can encourage my fellow brothers and sisters to do the right thing that is pleasing to God. "Many are the plans in a man’s heart,

but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

P r over bs 19 :21.

Although we are living in the world, by relying on God, we can have the strength to not blindly follow the crowd in wrongdoings!

May our strength be renewed through our prayers!

The Power of Prayer 21/6/2021 (Monday) I am overjoyed today! After completing my entrance exam, all the tasks to apply for my bachelor's degree programme had been completed. I had a quiet moment to count the blessings that God had bestowed on me during my ten-month foundation programme.

I’ll be sharing my most recent testimony first! On the night of June 16th, I tossed and turned as I could not sleep at all. The thoughts in my mind were like an uncontrollable train, unstoppable and infuriating! At that time, the final exam was just around the corner, and the bachelor degree that I applied for required me to make videos and write articles. As I applied for two courses, I had to complete two videos, an 800-word English essay and a 1000-word Malay essay while preparing for my final exam. The pressure was tremendously high.

I was lying on the bed, feeling very disturbed and uneasy, but I

couldn't cry. I prayed in my heart and kept crying out, "Jesus, save me!

Jesus, save me!" At that moment, my head was spinning and I felt short of breath. Suddenly, a Bible verse flashed through my mind, "Be still and know that I am God." This verse calmed my mind so I fell asleep peacefully.

The next morning, when I was singing and worshipping God alone in the living room, I caught a glimpse of a scripture hanging on the wall. I walked towards it to have a better look. It said, "BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD. (PSALM 46:10)" It was the exact same verse that flashed through my mind the night before! I was astonished! I wasn’t exactly sure how many years that verse had been placed there, but it was my first time to really read it. I suddenly realised that God was speaking to me, and He was comforting me. It's a blessing to know Jesus! I want to thank Jesus for deeply caring for me. I firmly believe that my future is placed in the hands of God. And this is the power of prayer.

Editor: Ocean Chan ▪ Proofreaders: Deborah Chow, Choo Ting Hou ▪ Designer: Josaphine Tiong Please send articles & feedback to: permaisnapshot@gmail.com Interested to join the editorial team? Scan the ministry QR code or speak to us at 016-3374560