Hello, My Friends!! Welcome to this week's episode of Testimony Tuesday, and boy, do I have a LOT to share. Some of you have noticed my writing absence, and I appreciate you all looking forward to these articles and checking up on me :D
Recently, I completed a 5-week coaching course on identifying your strengths and skills. Once these are identified, the coaching helps you become the best version of yourself that God meant for you to be. This class has CHANGED MY LIFE! Here are my top five traits: 1. Relator: "Friendly, Loyal, Genuine" 2. Belief: "Certain, Passionate, Committed" 3. Consistency: "Fair, Passionate, Committed" 4. Context: Historical, Insightful, Reflective" 5. Connectedness "Philosophic, Purposeful, Interconnected."
I would guess a lot of you will confirm that these traits define me. The devil has kept a lot of this hidden from me, as I have always thought myself less-than. Also, a side note: a year ago, I was offered deliverance; maybe this was my "easy way out" option. This year, the same person who offered to provide deliverance ministry to me happened to be MY COACH during these sessions! You WILL do what God wants you to do one way or the other. God told me, "You didn't want to pray and be rid of these demons, so now I am going to fix how you think about things!"
The coach helped me write down everything the world has spoken about me, and then asked God who I really am. God spoke to me, "You are a champion of people and a comforter." Yes, Lord! I do go to bat for people who are important to me, and for the children who are voiceless victims of systematic abuse. The coach told me, "As God has created you to be a comforter, the devil works in the opposite and encourages you to comfort yourself." THIS WAS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING MY SOBRIETY! From that moment on, I have decided not to self-soothe with the bottle. Instead, I am working on a Read the Bible in a Year plan, and I am thoughtfully reading the Bible to learn more about who God is, while I am truly learning who I was created to be.
Once, I wrote that I was a 'functional suicidal', that I had the 'gift of pain', and that I go through storms so that others may avoid them. While some of this may be true, the coaching helped me see through the lies the devil has always told me, and the reason God built me this way. Oh! What a treat it is to be seen and loved by God!
Reading the Bible has been so much fun. I just finished Exodus, and whew, that was a long, detailed book of the Bible. Some Ally highlights- "Why is God such a perfectionist? The measurements of the tabernacle are long and so precise." (Exodus 38:21) The same week I asked this question, God showed me some information on the building of the tabernacle and the Priest's Breastplate. God always speaks to me in synchronicities!
Learning who I am and how others think has been so helpful in many relationships. I CAN FINALLY UNDERSTAND MY MOTHER! The coaching has helped me take a pause and think about the person's response to what I am thinking/ communicating. The coaching has helped me speak these words, "I like who I am" or "I like myself," and that has NEVER happened in my life. I was always just here for the experiment with a longing to return home to our Lord.
I can now proudly say I am 30 days sober from alcohol. I am working on the cigarettes and junk food, but one thing at a time. I have given myself some grace so I can maintain my sober living from alcohol. I seem to be less reactive and angry and more patient and content. Oh! And I also got a raise last week, so it appears that God is rewarding me for all my hard work!
I titled this article "Born-again Christian" as that is truly what is happening in my life. In my sin, I was dead. I was a zombie walking around, just going through the motions. I have always been a Christian, but not a strong warrior for Christ. I have always focused on outreach and creating harmony between people, but have never stopped to create the harmony inside myself. This past month, I have really come alive! The dust covering my heart has been swept away by God's grace and Love! I truly have been born again!
God is so good, so patient, so loving. He never stopped fighting for me when I couldn't fight for myself. I am on fire for the Lord, He is my best friend, and I want to share that relationship with everyone. God wants our companionship, and he knows our stupidity before we even do! Trust the process, it is hard and scary, and it's easier living a dead life than a life rooted in Christ, but it is so worth it! Today, I commit to taking up my cross and following Jesus. Will you join me in doing the same?
Be blessed this week, my friends! Be transformed knowing that God created you especially for a time as this, and you have all the tools you need to overcome the enemy. Remember, (1 John 4:4): "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). Please know that if you need a friend to chat with, if you need some uplifting in Jesus' name, I'm your girl! I hope you all become exactly who God meant you to be! Have a blessed week in Jesus' name! Amen <3