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Behaviour Modification vs Inner Transformation by Darren Kho
I was a really mischievous student in the class and school. I was influenced by my classmates who were gangsters. Then, my attitude and behavior started to change. I disobeyed my parents by going out with my friends and staying at my friend’s place until the middle of the night. One of the days in school, I had a very hot temper. I didn’t like anyone to disturb me at all but my form teacher scolded me for not doing her school work. I started to rebel and shouted at her with bad words. She was really hurt and asked the school’s afternoon supervisor to settle the issue with me. I was caned and wasn’t allowed to go to school for a week. That situation made me even naughtier than before.
When I stepped into Form 3 (the year to sit for public exam), I told myself that there is still 10 more months before I sit for the exam. During that time, I didn’t study hard and my time in school was just a waste. For instance, I slept in class. Sometimes I would smoke and gamble with my friends. These things carried on until the month of November – the month I sat for the exam. After the exam results were released, I had no A’s but a lot of E’s. I felt ashamed and embarrassed.
I was discouraged when I was posted to the last two classes. However, I was alone in the class. My gang wasn’t with me because they have been posted to a better class. I was surprised when I got 100 marks for my Moral monthly exam. At that very point of time, it encouraged me to study hard. So, I made a commitment to study hard for the final public exam. Since then until my final year in school, I would always get first in class. Although I got first place in class, it doesn’t satisfy me because at that point in time I did not have the opportunity to know Christ. I kept struggling with my own strength to sit for my final year exam, and the results were quite good. I had the opportunity to further study the A-Level.
When I was in the A-Level, I had some struggles in my relationship with some of my classmates. One Friday, I held a meeting with other clubs’ boards of directors and one of the girls in the meeting is a Christian. She asked me to discuss the agenda with her but I wasn’t willing. I was very angry and shouted at her with foul languages at the end of the meeting. It was a really bad experience for me because I felt that I have changed. But it was just an outside change. I was shocked that I suddenly burst out vulgar words. I really did not want that to happen. But, thank God that I received Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior during the Inter School Christian Fellowship meeting in school on the same day. After a week of being a Christian, I received a cassette copy from my friend which entitled Behaviour Modification vs Inner Transformation by Pastor Joseph Prince. After listening to the preaching of Gods’ words I began to realise that changes of my behaviour took place not by my own strength and struggling but through resting in Jesus Christ.
When my A-Level exam was approaching, my friends and I will always get together and pray. We prayed that whatever questions we studied will come out (that doesn’t mean we only study the spotted questions but we have studied all our text books and others materials) because we believe that we are God’s children and that He will show His grace and favor upon us. Praise God that He has blessed me in my exam. Even when the result hasn’t been revealed, I already knew that God will give me straight A’s in my exam. Thank God, Hallelujah, it really happened that I got straight A’s in my A-Level exam. Because of His grace, I was blessed with a scholarship to further my studies in university. Glory to Abba!