Acts 26:18 – “..to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”
The following is the testimony of Betty Hicks of London, England of how Almighty God worked in her life by His grace to bring her ‘from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that [she]..receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith’ in Lord Yeshua the Messiah, Son of the living God.
Betty, roughly how long have you been saved?
From my late teens – with many ups and downs!
In your own words, what does “saved” mean and where in the Scripture do you derive your understanding?
The word “saved” means being rescued. We are all travelling on this wide road and I been rescued from the wide road and have been placed on the narrow. It means salvation. There are many Scriptures from where my understanding is derived, but the main one is the words of Jesus at Matthew 7:13-14. Here the Lord says this: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” The words of the Lord concerning knowing the truth and this setting you free had the deepest influence upon me coming to that understanding. At John 8:31-32, it says this, ‘‘Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Other Scriptures which also influenced my understanding were: John 3:16, ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’ and, John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” [Ed. note, these Scriptures record the words of Lord Yeshua the Messiah].
Betty’s Background
Can you share with us about your family background?
I was born in Zambia to parents whose marriage had a lot of problems including at times violence from my dad. I have six siblings and I’m the second eldest. Although I was not really exposed to religion in my earliest childhood years, as far back as I can remember I did have an awareness of the existence of God. At one time we had an Aunt living with us who took us to a Catholic church a few times and I remember looking at the stain glass windows at a picture of “Jesus” and being struck by it. This was around the age of six, so I knew there was a God but I didn’t know anything about Him.
Although we lived in Zambia, because my mother worked for the airlines we would travel to and fro between Zambia and the United Kingdom to stay with another Aunt on my mother’s side. The family eventually settled in the United Kingdom although my mother later returned to live in Zambia.
When did you first become aware of the existence of the one true God?
While still living in Zambia my mother started attending an Anglican church and so my siblings and I would attend with her. For me, this meant attending catechism classes and though I was just going through the motions, it was at this time that the existence of God became more formed in my understanding. I also was taught of the existence of God at a Scripture Union group at primary school
Can you remember when you first heard the Gospel of Lord Yeshua?
I must have heard the Gospel at Sunday School and at primary school, but it really didn’t have any impact on me. I started going to Sunday School around the age of nine or ten and also, during primary school I attended a type of Christian union but these drew a blank in me. I thought I was a Christian because I had heard the Gospel, because I knew there was a God and because I was attending Church and a Christian union at school. I had no other thoughts beyond that.
When did you become conscious of the Gospel of Lord Yeshua, that Messiah died for your sins, personally?
I would say this was when I gave my life to the Lord and was saved in 1987/1988.
Betty’s Journey to Faith
What was your journey to saving faith from then on? How did God work in your life to bring you from head knowledge to the light of the saving knowledge and salvation of Lord Yeshua the Messiah?
As stated above, I started attending church regularly from the age of nine or ten. In my early teens I attended youth camps whilst my family were still living in Zambia. It was at a particular youth camp where I came to a saving knowledge of God and was saved by His grace through faith in Jesus.
The youth leaders knew that there were children present at the camp who were not saved. A friend of mine shared with me how she was almost cross- examined by one of the youth leaders about why she was there, what she believed, whether she thought she would go to Heaven when she died etc so I tried to avoid them. I really hoped they wouldn’t approach me! Thankfully, I was unsuccessful! I recall sitting with a youth leader in a corridor talking and him questioning me on what I believed – including whether I thought I was good enough to go to Heaven as I was. When I answered “yes”, he continued to probe, asking me why I thought this and, as we talked I began to realise that I hadn’t surrendered my life to God. He then asked me if I wanted him to pray for me to be enabled to surrender my life there and then and I said ‘yes’, so he prayed for me. I remember opening my eyes after that prayer and physically feeling like a different person. I felt like a weight, which included guilt, had fallen off. Prior to that camp visit, I struggled with worrying thoughts of having some unconfessed sins when Lord Jesus came back. I had a clear understanding that Lord Jesus was coming ‘as a thief in the night’ [1 Thessalonians 5:2] from bible teachings on this topic so sometimes I would look up to the clouds and think, ‘the clouds are looking a bit different today, could God be coming back and I’m not ready!’ I was really troubled by such thoughts as these which would come in my mind at times. Once that youth leader prayed for me and I completely surrendered my life, it was as though in a twinkling of an eye I knew I was a different person. After that prayer, as the realisation dawned upon me that I was a different person, I was in tears.
The point that the youth leader had made when he was sharing with me was that Jesus would have died on the cross just for me, He would have been crucified on that cross for my sins even if I had been the only person in the world. I remember, when I heard him make that point, I thought, ‘wow, I have to pay attention [to Jesus] and I had better respond to this’.
After the camp, I could not keep my faith to myself -I was sharing the Gospel with every Tom, Dick and Harry and everyone who knew me before, telling them what had happened to me! I just had such a desire to share my faith and I can remember the different reactions from different people. I became vividly aware of right and wrong from the outset and became interested in learning more about the Lord. I started attending weekly bible study sessions and church with a different attitude. In the early years I found reading and understanding the bible very difficult so I relied heavily on printed daily devotions.
One particular recollection I have of that time was the residual struggle with my love for secular music. I loved music and I felt that there was no way I was going to stop listening to my music. Prior to becoming a Christian, whilst staying with a cousin, I found the Christian music she listened to quite boring and this stuck in my mind. I thought that all “Christian music” would be boring and I struggled with the thought of not being able to listen to the music I really enjoyed. This was a massive issue for me and my love of secular music did not disappear overnight but rather gradually over a number of years. I started paying more attention to the lyrics of the songs and realised that for the most part they were empty. I also came to see that the music industry was full of darkness.
When did the assurance of salvation come? When did you know you were saved? Can you describe how that felt?
This came the day I was prayed for at camp, as described above, and was saved. For me, the assurance of salvation, that I was saved, was immediate.
In your own words what is repentance and its connection with salvation?
Repentance is turning your back from sin and turning to God. I believe it is a gift given to us by God and not something which comes from us. I think that God gives us repentance and once we do repent we are then saved.
From Then to Now
Since then, can you share a little bit about how the Lord Yeshua has worked in your life?
Shortly after receiving the Lord Jesus Christ, in 1988 my mother moved us all to London, England. Prior to this, although we lived in Zambia, we spent a lot of time in the UK with an Aunt who lived here as my mother who worked for an airline used to get free airline tickets.
Initially, I attended a local Baptist church which I loved, but only for a few weeks. After this I moved to another part of London and again attended a Baptist church where I was baptised as a believer in Lord Jesus Christ. Looking back, although I didn’t come to saving faith in Lord Jesus until 18, I do believe that God had His hand upon my life long before that and really put a restraint upon me in a particular way. Prior to this time, I saw friends falling pregnant, having abortions and having such a terrible time and I was so affected by this I was determined to avoid men. I just did not want to lead that kind of life but then, because I felt so strongly about that, I began telling people that I was a lesbian. I did not actually have feelings for girls but because I was so adamant in my thoughts, I came to half believe it! Telling everyone that this was what I was seemed to work in fending off the boys and I must admit, it was a bit exciting for me in announcing this to those around me and seeing their reaction. Thinking back to that time, I do actually believe God particularly restrained me in this and I wonder what might have happened to me if that experience happened to me in the times we are living in today! Although I had such thoughts in my head, I was not a lesbian – to me, it just seemed a sensible way of keeping boys away because of the horrible results I witnessed at that time. Occasionally there have been one or two people I’ve bumped into in recent times who knew me at that time, who actually ask me if I have a girlfriend! That’s how serious I was at the time but, I can see how Lord Jesus had His hand on my life. I see how young people’s emotions these days get damaged by seeing other people’s experiences and can lead to strange thoughts. By the mercy of God, He brought me through that and into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Initially, in settling in the UK we really had no idea at that time what the spiritual climate was like here or what churches were like. We had only attended church in the UK once on one of our previous visits here. We were so clueless in fact, my sister and I once wondered into a local synagogue not realising that it was not a church. Jewish attendees were gracious to these two little girls who were obviously unaware!
I was 18 years old when we arrived here and initially went into private education. I also started attending a local church for a few weeks and then moved to South London and started attending a Baptist church, where I was baptised as a believer in Jesus Christ. I didn’t have any friends my own age at church so most of my friends were unbelievers, one in particular whom I regularly socialised with. We enjoyed playing sports together and clubbing and although she knew I was a Christian I’m not aware of making any real attempt to share my faith with her. My thoughts were that my friends were in a different “compartment” of my life – I myself went to church but with them I would socialise and go clubbing.
After private school I attended Uni at the age of 23 and continued attending a church. I met a friend there who was a devout Christian and such a good influence and inspiration to me in the faith, however, she also had a similar weakness to me. We both liked going to discos! We enjoyed listening to the music and dancing, although we refused any close dances with men who approached us. We did actually share our faith and end up having some good theological discussions with men, some of whom would ask what we were doing there if we were Christians! Although we did not win anyone to the Lord Jesus in that environment, a few lapsed believers were probably convicted! I wouldn’t really say that the Lord used us there but we did share our faith in those discos.
Gradually, I began to question whether this way of living my life was right for me and by the age of 25-26, I was no longer in contact with this Christian friend and I stopped attending discos. This was not a struggle by this time as I found the desire just fell away from me, particularly having begun attending a popular bible study in a well-known central London church. It was here that I met other Christian girls who were more serious about their faith, which really impacted me and helped me to grow in the faith.
Around the age of 27-28 I started thinking about marriage. At that time I was living and working in North London attending a local church. I wasn’t really involved in any ministry in that church as you couldn’t serve unless you were a member and I didn’t feel drawn to seeking membership. Having said that I did assist at a youth club for a while. Initially there was a period of my life when I thought I was called to singleness, after a relationship a few years earlier had ended quite badly. I was also a bit of a social butterfly with a full social life so I didn’t really feel I needed marriage – until my friends started getting married!
Initially I met the man who would become my husband through his mother who attended the church, before he became born again. As he was not a believer – and therefore not someone I would be personally interested in – I introduced him to an unbelieving friend, but happily for me as it would later turn out, things did not work out! On one occasion I invited him to a Christmas Service and he eventually started attending the church where we became friends. It became clear that he was interested in pursuing a relationship but I made it clear that I was not interested in a relationship with an unbeliever. In time he became interested in attending a Christianity Explored course, which he did but did not come to faith in Lord Jesus through this. Later on down the line, one day out of curiosity he wanted to come to a prayer meeting with me and it was there he came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. While there, as we were praying for national issues, he came under a strong conviction of sin, cried out to the Lord, repented and received Lord Jesus Christ. After this I saw him in a new light and wondered whether he was still interested in me. Happily he was! We started courting shortly after this and were married in 2004.
Since then, the Lord has blessed us with two children, one of whom was recently baptised as a believer at the age of 15. I currently work part-time as an eLearning Adviser and my husband is a freelance cameraman. We have been members of our current church fellowship since 2003 and both currently serve as Deacons.
Can you tell me about the ministry you serve in, what it is and how you came to know the Lord was calling you into this ministry?
I serve in the ministry of overseeing the Sunday School in my church fellowship. I can’t say that I was aware of Lord Jesus actually calling me in to this ministry. As my husband and I attended the services, we noticed parents coming in looking exhausted and we thought we ought to serve them by looking after the children so they could listen to the teaching. We saw that there was a need and so Initially both my husband and I both served in the Sunday school teaching the children. I continued in this and over the course of time came to oversee it. I consider it a privilege for me to teach children the word of God.
What is your heart’s desire for this ministry?
The Lord says that we should let the little children come to Him (see e.g. Matthew 19:14, ‘ But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” ). As I think about and look at young children, a lot of them really want to learn about Lord Jesus Christ so I see serving in this ministry as part of my obedience to Him. I feel that I benefit more than they do in handling the word of God and teaching them. My heart’s desire is to see the word of God imparted into the children and to continue to be part of that work, being obedient to the word of God because that is what the Lord expects from us.
Within the will of God, do you have any particular hopes for the future that you can share with us?
We are living in the last days foretold in the Bible. Everything is upside down and is being shaken around us and we need to hold on to our faith as believers in Lord Jesus Christ. My hopes for the future, in a nutshell, is therefore this: to hold on to my faith in God through Lord Jesus Christ and that my husband and I see our children also walking in the truth through faith in Him. The Scripture which comes to mind as I consider this question is Luke 21:28, ‘And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth nigh’ [Ed. authorised version, KJV].
Last Words
Can you share a final Scripture passage through which the Holy Spirit has really encouraged, strengthened or instructed you in your walk of faith in Lord Yeshua?
I would like to share from 2 Timothy 1:12 where Paul says, ‘….for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.’ I am very much reminded by this Scripture that I can trust in Lord Jesus Christ, that He is our Rock and He is not going to be shaken. We can know that the Lord is true and that He is all He says He is. This helps me in receiving God’s peace, hope and His meaning for my life – and helps keep me sane too!
Finally, how can sisters in the faith of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah pray for you?
Please pray that I continue to grow in my faith and knowledge and love for Lord Jesus the Christ, the Son of the one true God and that I may grow in discipline, particularly in how I use my time and not be driven by my emotions.
Leave a Reply