Phil1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Nokseng, a Garo man, in India who along with his family decided to follow Jesus Christ in the middle of the 19th century through the efforts of an American Baptist missionary. He was persuaded to renounce his faith by the village chief, the convert declared, "I have decided to follow Jesus." His two children were killed and in response to threats to his wife, he continued, "Though no one join me, still I will follow." His wife was killed, and he was executed while singing, "The world behind me, The cross before me." This display of faith is reported to have led to the conversion of the chief and others in the village.
This is where the church got the song: 'I have decided to follow Jesus'. We use it for evangelistic purposes but not many are ready to abide by the wordings of that song. It is easy to sing, and to preach but the test comes when we are faced with persecution. The surprising thing about Nokseng's story is that he was a new convert who hadn't spent enough time to hear deep mysteries through teaching but when he accepted Christ, he decided to follow Him till the end regardless of whatever he may face.
Are you ready to follow Jesus Christ under any circumstance? Our generation has always seen the easy side of Christianity, no one is telling believers that persecution is part of the deal. When some believers face a little persecution, they'll quickly turn back or compromise. Hear the words of Paul: " Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution"(2 Tim3:12). Those of us that live in countries where there's tolerance towards practicing our faith, we may not understand the subject of persecution well but we must have it at the back of our minds that someone somewhere is in jail, has been killed and is about to be killed for the sake of his faith in Jesus. Probably, someone is about to be killed for believing in Jesus under the threat of renouncing his faith. We have a duty to pray for such people and to prepare ourselves for persecution in any form it may come.
Father, I receive the stand strong and firm in the face of persecution.We pray for persecuted believers all over the world, may they not deny you In Jesus name. Amen