<p>If you’re reading this, thank you. Whether you’ve been part of Journey With Jesus for a long time or you just found this space through a card, a post, or a conversation, I’m grateful you’re here.</p><p>I’m typing these words with the kind of hesitation that feels less like the voice of an encourager and more like someone quietly asking for encouragement. Maybe you’ve felt that before. Maybe you’re feeling it right now. If so, we meet each other in good company.</p><p>Journey With Jesus has always been a place for those walking by faith and for people curious enough to ask about Jesus. Today I write from a place of need. My silence these past months was not accidental. It was a season I did not want but one I’ve been facing with little courage.</p><p><strong>The Voice I’ve Been Fighting</strong></p><p>Let me be open from the start. There has been a quiet but persistent voice in the back of my mind telling me to stay silent. To shrink. To remember my place. Maybe you know that voice. The one that whispers before it ever shouts. The one that tries to convince you that you should hold your words instead of releasing them.</p><p>To every new reader who subscribed expecting something polished or inspiring, I ask for your grace. This may not be the first message you imagined. It is raw and journal-like, but it is also honest. More often than not, honesty is where Jesus begins His work.</p><p><strong>What Has Been Weighing on Us</strong></p><p>If you know me personally or from afar, you already know pieces of my story. I am a Christian. I am a husband. I am a messenger of Christ. And I am an immigrant. These are not labels to me. They are lived realities that have shaped both my absence and the heaviness of this season.</p><p>My wife and I have been climbing the long and exhausting hill of the American immigration system. The financial strain, the constant paperwork, the uncertainty, the repeated disappointment, the discouragement, and the lost time have all taken their toll. We have spent money we did not always have. We have waited longer than we ever imagined. We have fought for hope even on days when hope felt far away. Yet, still we continue to “do things the right way,” as we navigate what we hope to be all thats left over the next few months or even years.</p><p>Putting these words into the world feels risky. Isaiah reminded God’s people that His word will not come back empty, and I pray the same for mine.</p><p><strong>The Part That Hurts Most</strong></p><p>There is no need to repeat the immigration debates happening right now. You already know they exist. What I will share is how they have affected me personally.</p><p>Walls that once felt wide open have started to close in. Friendships have become smaller. My fire for ministry has flickered more often than I want to admit. I have spent years around people who boldly expressed their dislike for non-Americans in ways that did not sound anything like Jesus. Those moments left marks.</p><p>Recently a preacher friend asked me if I still want to minister and preach. My answer surprised even me. I told him I was not sure. Saying that out loud made me feel smaller than I already felt. Fear will do that to a person. Paul reminded Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. I have had to revisit that reminder many times.</p><p><strong>The One Who Refuses to Let Me Quit</strong></p><p>Just when my voice felt the weakest, my wife stepped in. Her prayers became louder. Her encouragement became stronger. She has stood with me long before we were married and has faced her own battles for choosing to walk this road with me. She keeps showing up with a courage that amazes me. Proverbs 31 does not exaggerate when it speaks of the strength of a virtuous woman. God be praised for women like her.</p><p><strong>Why I’m Writing Again</strong></p><p>After staring at a blank screen for hours with my Bible open to Ephesians 6, something in me finally decided to start typing. Not with a plan. Not with an outline. Just with honesty.</p><p>Paul’s words about the armor of God feel different when fear is sitting at your door. They feel different when silence seems safer than speaking. They feel different when you realize the battle is not only external but also inside your own thoughts.</p><p>So instead of hiding, I am asking. I am asking you to pray for me as I pray for you. Pray that my love for sharing the gospel returns with strength. Pray that my fire grows brighter again. Pray that my voice does not stay quiet.</p><p><strong>A Word of Encouragement Before I Go</strong></p><p>Let me end with the part of ministry I love most. Encouragement.</p><p>Take some time this week to sit with Ephesians 6:10 through 23. Slow down with it. Let each phrase settle. And while you do, allow me to gently encourage you to step away from the constant noise of social media and the news. This is not a call to ignorance. It is a call to guard your heart and protect your peace. We are not meant to hold every headline in our hands when God already holds the world in His.</p><p><strong>As This New Year Unfolds</strong></p><p>May your heart be strengthened by the reminder that the armor of God is not only for protection. It is also for perseverance. The battles you face, both inside and outside, are not fought alone. The same Spirit who strengthened Paul in chains strengthens every believer today.</p><p>I pray this year brings renewed courage, deeper faith, and steady love. May the gospel be seen not only in what we say but also in the quiet strength of a life anchored in Christ.</p><p>Thank you for walking this journey with me. Thank you for the grace you have shown during my silence and for the prayers whispered in my absence. May the peace of God guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. And may we all stand firm, clothed in truth, covered in righteousness, and ready to share the good news of peace.</p><p>Grace and strength to you in this new year. And once more, pray for me as I pray for you.</p> <br/><br/>Get full access to Journey With Jesus at <a href="https://singhjonathan78.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">singhjonathan78.substack.com/subscribe</a>