5 minutes with Rina ...
Tell us a little about you... My name is Marina but everyone calls me Rina. I'm originally from Egypt and I have been in Australia for almost 2 years studying bachelor of Psychological Sciences. I was born in a Christian household but I only met God when I was 14 and have been on a journey getting to know Him better ever since!
What's your favourite bible passage & why? There are so many but if I could pick one, it would 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 where Paul was talking about what it means to be in Christ. When I was a young Christian and read for the first time verse 17 where it says "..if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come!", I was like "that's how I felt!!!!". It spoke directly to my heart because I experienced exactly what Paul was talking about when I gave my life to God and prayed from the bottom of my heart for the first time. When God took all my shame, bitterness, insecurity and anger away and introduced his peace, love, joy and security in my heart instead and suddenly it was like everything was in a different colour and it was a new me!! God is always speaking to me through Scripture, but especially this part is when God confirmed to me saying "What you felt and the change you have gone through is real".
How do you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus? By not becoming familiar with what Jesus has done in my life. When things are tough, we get motivated to cling to God for help but it is really easy to forget or take for granted how God has delivered us. That's why I always go back to the time when I was in desperate need and ponder again and again on how God has intervened and continues to intervene to give me a new reality based on His love. Also, there is something about Worship that sets path for deeper focused attention on God and supernatural breakthroughs. Worship music is definitely one of the main ways that helped me give my thoughts to God.
What would you like the next generation of Christian women to know? As women, we have the need to feel secure and loved. And I want to say that nothing in this world will truly fill that need but God. Not friends, not spouses, not beauty, not money. Only God can come in and provide true living waters. Everything you might be looking for this world is found in Him. The world will make you feel small, insecure, and sometimes unloved but in God, you have an inherent value that NO ONE can shake! Because you're His daughter. So build your foundation on Him, and let Him put everything else in your life in its right place. What's one thing that you love about your local church? I really like the Worship in my church. Everyone is free to express themselves before God, whether it's dancing or kneeling, it's a time where we become transparent before God and create an atmosphere for His holy presence to move among us and do miracles! What did you learn about God at a time in your life you found hard? That He cannot be put in a box if you really want to see Him move in your life! Situations that I viewed as hopeless from my human perspective have been situations where God has shown me that His grace is sufficient, that God performs His miracles first on my perspective rather on my situation. Again and again, God has shown me that He's more interested in changing my perspective to be in line with His, rather than changing what's around me. He wants us to view things as He does, with eternity on our minds. What are you passionate about? I'm passionate about seeing people get saved! The joy of seeing someone come to God and finally realising His love for them does not compare to anything else in this world. Just as I have found my joy, healing and meaning of life in God, so I want everyone to experience the same hope of Christ. What do you enjoy doing when you rest? I like watching YouTube training videos by people like Frank Turek, Ravi Zacharias and Todd White that aim to help believers answer common questions on the Bible and the Christian faith in general.
