HE has done SO MUCH for me!

For the last 6 months I was taking an “Understanding God” class in which Faith Temple Church, http://www.faithtemple.net, offers and I can say my life has changed. The class itself presented a challenge to me due to the cold winter early mornings and late night homework sessions. However, I can say I am extremely happy that I remained dedicated to building a solid foundation that has left me wanting and craving more.

Towards the end of the class we were asked to write our testimonies about what the class has done for us, our experience with each foundation stone in which we covered , and how our life has changed since taking the class. As I wrote my testimony about the class, I wrote from my heart and was completely open with regards to everything the class has taught me and how The Lord was working within my heart and life. I wrote my testimony not thinking it would ever go beyond the group leader’s hands but then a few days before the banquet I was asked to read my testimony aloud in front of everyone. Anyone who knows me knows that public speaking is a fear of mine but now that I think about it….a week or so prior someone in the choir gave me a scripture to read after practice, Psalm 27:1, look how God works 🙂

I never knew how hard it would be to openly speak about your personal journey and what The Lord has done for you PERSONALLY until I did it. The fear of putting my personal life out there for all to see, the thought of going back to that place of hurt in front of a room full of strangers, but then the JOY of being able to say I overcame my situation while learning so much more than I expected.

As I stood up there so many emotions were flowing through me and the tears were streaming down my face. My eyes were so full of tears that I could barely see, I had to stop talking several times, and there were times when I felt like I just could not do it and I actually verbally said it. But through all of it everyone in the room was so kind and patient with me. Once I was done and the banquet was over, Mrs. Chennetta said “your testimony was for someone here” so that right there made me feel a lot better (I was still FULL of emotion) because if you have read through my blogs or know me personally, you would know my want is to help others through my words and / or experiences.

So, with that being said, I am posting my testimony for all to see. Hopefully through my testimony you will see HIS greatness, how HE cares for His children, how He only want the best for you. I truly believe that a foundation with The Lord has been laid and NOTHING or NO ONE is going to take me from it.

I pray that your spiritual eyes are opened and you see HIM.

Walking into Catechism I did not know what to expect. I came into the class feeling completely BROKEN and I didn’t know what this class was going to be like or how it would change my life.

Now when I say broken I mean COMPLETELY BROKEN (from my own point of view). I had someone who I thought I could trust basically take advantage of my kind heart and steal thousands of dollars from me in which I had to pay the bank back. SO not only was I out of the little money I did have saved up but now I had to pay the bank back the thousands of extra dollars that was withdrawn from my account. I had bills that were paid coming back NSF, including my mortgage. I had no money for food and I had no one to turn to because I am such a private person. Even the one person that was closest to me was not there for me in the way that I expected her to be. So I had hit my rock bottom and I knew there was nowhere else to turn but to God. So the week prior (January 10) I had received Salvation and turned my life over to The Lord and was told about the Catechism class and how it would be good for me to join. Not knowing how I would pay for the class I was a little on the fence but then I was told that they would accept my payment in installments, so that is what I did.

Every Sunday we would go over the 66 books of the Bible, The Ten Commandments, the Foundation Stones, the Student Confession, and the Apostles’ Creed. As we recited this information it was being etched into my heart. All of this is GREAT and AMAZING information to learn and know and have instilled into your life HOWEVER the one line “I have self-worth and value because Jesus loves me and that makes me somebody” really touched me and helped me because I was feeling so very low at the time. I was mad at myself as well as the guy who did this to me and truly felt like a fool for trusting someone who could do this to not only me but my kids because I am responsible for them; so this affected them as well.

As the class continued on I was actually learning so very much about The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit and I was shocked at myself because of my dedication to this class. I had even let go of my full-time school schedule because I could not handle work, school, kids, and now Catechism all at once. I felt that my focus had to be on this class and learning about my Father, so that is what I did. I put all of my focus on Him and I feel that this was the best thing for me to do. During the class and even outside of the class I was learning about who He is and the importance of trusting Him. This class enhanced my curiosity so I started reading His Word more than just the daily verses but I didn’t stop at that I got a study Bible that would break down different verses so that I had a good understanding of what I was reading. I started asking other believers questions to help me break certain things down on top of researching different things for better understanding. But inside I still had a slight feeling of discouragement and hurt. So I thought to myself, what do I have to do to break this feeling. But then as we proceeded on with the class we were discussing the things God sees as sin. So I started to dismiss some of the things that I felt was causing me to sin or what was sin. And I started to feel better little by little. And then I was inspired to start writing. I started a blog focused on Him and long behold I started to feel a little more at peace.

And then came the Water Baptism. Walking into the baptism I did not know what to expect BUT I was excited. As I stood there praising and worshiping with the other candidates for baptism I started to watch the trees sway back and forth. I sang and swayed back and forth with them not knowing that the Holy Spirit can come in the form of wind as well. So I definitely believe and felt that even without me knowing His presence was definitely in the building. I walked up the stairs to the little tub and sat down on the seat, Pastor Mark said “you look like you are readyJ” then he said a short prayer and dumped me under. As I rose back up from the water I felt that everything of my past was left in that water and I came up a new person under God. He cleansed me of my sin and past and now I was free to live according to His will. I felt vibrant and covered by His love, grace, and mercy. Mrs. Laverne told me when I got out, “you are glowing.” That was an AWESOME experience in which I was so proud of myself for taking the step to accomplish.

As the class continued on, I started to learn about the Holy Spirit. I can admit before we started learning about the Holy Spirit I didn’t know much about Him and that caused me to doubt His existence. But then during catechism, I learned that He is real and He was sent to us by the Father and Son as our comforter and He lives within me. I am still learning about Him today but I can now say that HE IS REAL and He will check me when I need to be checked. After learning about Him it was time for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. So once more I was standing in line praising and worshiping. Mrs. Laverne came over to pray with me. As we were praying something happened and a wall was shattered. Tears started flowing from my eyes, sobs came out my mouth, and then something hit me and it was powerful. My cries got harder and my mouth was moving faster than normal and unfamiliar words were coming out my mouth and they seemed to be non-stop. I felt weak and I have lost control over my body (my knees started to get weak – slowly but surely I was kneeling down to the floor) and mouth. It seemed like I could hear several of the pastor’s voices in the room praying for me. This went on for I don’t know how long then it subsided and Pastor Genny asked me “how do you feel” and I responded “overwhelmed” because I never experienced anything like that before. I am use to being in control of my mouth, body, and tears but at that moment I had lost ALL CONTROL. Mrs. Laverne said to me “you just spoke in tongues” so from that moment on I KNEW THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS REAL.

Catechism and Faith Temple has changed my life forever. I am a true believer of God and I am and will continue to live my life according to His will. I have made major changes in my life and they can be seen by everyone. I am not the person I use to be. I AM A CHILD OF GOD and He is my head and I will do as He tells me to do. I no longer live by my will because my will have now become HIS will. This class has taught and is continuing to teach me about his love, grace, and mercy. Every day I feel as if I am being drawn closer and closer to Him and for that I am FOREVER grateful to all of the teachers of the class as well as the group leaders. They have taught me so much and I am excited to continue to learn about the Lord.

~Livingwithpurpose720

June 23, 2016 2

Let Us Serve With HUMILITY

This post has been on my spirit since the Sunday before last and The Holy Spirit has been prompting me everyday since then with signs to get it out so here goes 🙂

On that day I went into catechism class and the lesson for that day was the washing of one another’s’ feet. Now, weeks prior I knew that this lesson was coming up and when it was first mentioned I was a little against the idea. I had no desire to wash someone else’s feet. That is something that I have never thought I would be comfortable doing. So as the weeks passed prior to that specific day I consistently thought about this lesson but (I am ashamed to say) never looked it up within the Bible to learn about its significance. However, that Saturday before class I read John 13. I studied this within the study Bible and researched foot washing to gather a better understanding. So when I got to class that Sunday I knew the importance of this act of service but I did not know the feeling I would feel during the actual foot washing.

For those who are not familiar with John 13, see below:

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

John 13:1-17

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

²The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

After reading this, researching, and going through the lesson with Pastor Genny I realized this is more than just washing someone’s feet. This is a humbling experience. An experience that would teach one to serve one another as Jesus has served and continues to serve us.

As I washed my classmate’s feet and prayed over her my heart softened (not saying it was ever hardened) towards her and her life. I had a compassion for her as if I was caring for myself or my kiddies. I wanted nothing but greatness for her and her family as well as future plans in life. I wanted God to bless her all the days of her life and prayed that she has discernment when dealing with everyday life. Then as she washed my feet and prayed over me I continued to pray for her but more intensely. She had truly become my sister under Christ.

Now some may be thinking, as I did previously, “NOPE this is something I cannot do and will not ever do” BUT do you realize Jesus was the one washing the disciples feet? Jesus washed ALL 12 disciples feet, this includes Judas, his betrayer. Jesus was nothing but good to Judas and he turned around and betrayed Him. Now prior to washing Judas’ feet Jesus was aware of his betrayal to come, John 13:2, yet He still washed his feet and loved him to the very end.

So what does that mean for us? Are we to go around just washing feet with no substance behind it and filled with resentment for the act, NO. The meaning of this sacrament is to humble yourself. Serve one another according to God’s will and with HUMILITY. This sacrament is to cleanse ones’ spirit and love on one another. EVEN THOSE WHO WE FEEL IS BENEATH or HAS BETRAYED US. John 13:8 says “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

So as Christians, though this sacrament is not practiced regularly within some churches, this is still a sacrament of God. He wants us to be able to serve others and serve them with the Love of God within us. Never feel that you are above this act or any other act of service because God judges your heart. Cleanse your heart of the pride within because one of the things God do not like is a prideful heart. And, how can you be a part of his kingdom with that thorn of pride sticking out?

~Livingwithpurpose720

June 7, 2016 8

You ARE Enough!

About a year ago, I wrote the below poem. Never meant to be a poem it was more of a passage based off of my observation of society and how women, in specific, are treated and how we as women sometimes conform to the societal norm or either to the desires of a man who is NOT her husband.

There are several ways in which we as women can sometimes lose sight of ourselves and our purpose however God’s Word says WE ALL (man/woman/social class) were created in His image, Genesis 1:27, so why is it we as women allow ourselves to not be who God has destined us to be versus being what we THINK we should be because of society and the male species?

And this can go the other way as well because there are some men out there who conforms to what society has destined them to be versus being the MAN God has created them to be.

When you look at a woman what do you see?
Do you see the big butt as she turns around or her voluptuous breasts as she walks slowly towards you
Do you see the slight glimmer in her eye that says he is fine or the way she bites her lip as she slowly passes you by
Do you see the way she flips her hair to take another peak as you watch her silhouette fade away
Once she is gone you think about that moment when you first saw her and think that chick was bad and she wanted me
But if u rewind time and take it back to where it started
When you look at a woman what do you see?
That big butt that she went to the Dominican Republic to buy because she hates her God given butt or do you see the breast implants in which she got because a man told her she would make money with them
Do you see the glimmer in her eyes that shows the desperate need for approval from a man
Or do you see the busted lip she is biting because a man decided to punch her in the lip for not listening and abiding to his every word
Did you notice the hair flip as she passed you by that is helping her walk with confidence so you will not detect or notice all her insecurities
Do you see as she looks back at you a woman broken by society and men who just wanted to take from her and break her
Do you see your daughter walking in these shoes one day
When you look at a woman what do you see?

Geared more towards a man looking at a woman however you can look at this from woman looking at a man perspective as well.

Unfortunately with the constant rise of reality television, technology, and social media people have lost so much of themselves that they no longer truly know who they are, what they believe and like, and WHO they should be serving.

I am not going to lie, I am a faithful viewer of SOME reality shows. Shows like The Bachelor, Real Housewives of Atlanta, and more recently Mary Mary. I have watched some of the other shows like Love & Hip Hop and Basketball Wives and I can tell you I truly enjoyed them UNTIL I was awakened and my blinders came off. I gave myself to the Lord the second Sunday of January 2016 and made the commitment to truly follow Him and walk with Him. I continued watching the shows about, maybe, 2 more weeks but every time I watched I looked at the image being portrayed by SOME of the cast members of these shows and realized this is NOT what I want to feed into my spirit.

Technology, where do I start with this, is GREAT don’t get me wrong BUT due to technology people have lost a sense of reality. They’ve lost the concept of what it is truly meant for and that is to make the lives of people using it much easier. But, has this convenience become an INCONVENIENCE for God? My opinion, YES! How many people actually open God’s Word from the greatest book ever to be written? How many people can say they actually carry their Bible with them to church or bible study? How many people actually READ the word versus listening to it being read to them.

I am huge on technology and can say I too am GUILTY of all of the above and I am not saying it is wrong at all. However, what I am saying is reading from your tablet or phone, is not the same. And, listening to the Bible versus actually READING his Word, is not the same. For the last few nights (yes I am very new to this as well) I have been bouncing from my physical Bible and my online Bibles listening as well as reading to see which gives me the most understanding and I have found that for me personally, I can truly FEEL His Word sinking into my spirit when I am actually READING His Word versus when I am just listening to it. So for me, and I am sure there are others, to truly get an understanding that I can reflect back into my own life I HAVE to read versus just listening.

Lastly, social media. Such a great tool for networking, meeting up with old friends, and reconnecting with long lost family – what would we do without it 🙂. Nonetheless, there are some dark sides to social media. Social media allows people to be something they are not, live in a world they do not live in, and idolize images and people that should NOT be idolized, Exodus 20:3-4. Some even idolize themselves not knowing that they are doing it because they do not know, do not have a relationship with God, or is not a true believer. Some people also uses social media as a form of acceptance or assurance. Why do you need the approval of mankind when God is waiting for you to seek His approval?

In theory, we all have our times when we allow distractions to come in and set our entire path off course however YOU SHOULD NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF WHO YOU ARE IN GOD! He is the ONLY judge, approver, and condemner so you do NOT have to lose who God intended you to be for the approval of man – that’s man OR woman.

~livingwithpurpose720

March 17, 2016 17

Who Do You Run To?

All weekend I have been pondering my next post and what to write about. Nearing the end of my work day today, I prayed that God just give me one topic to write about. This was due to several ideas floating around my mind and I, myself, could not choose one. But then, as expected, I came across the picture below on Facebook and just knew it was Him speaking to me so He can speak THROUGH me.

When YOU first see this picture, what are your immediate emotions or feelings? Do you see yourself as the person on the left (person of the world) or the person on the right (person living righteously)? Do you believe that you can create a chart like this for every aspect of your life vs just when dealing with people who may offend you? Lastly, do you think or believe that if you did handle things as the person on the right by going DIRECTLY to God things in your life may be better overall?

I believe those are all thought invoking questions that should make one truly think, Am I living for God or the world. When living for the world our first thought may be to go to a friend or close family member with our initial feelings of anger, sadness, hurt, or despair (REMEMBER: these feelings are NOT of God if they are not handled in a manner pleasing to God).

What can they do to help the situation? Give you worldly advice to “help” you through your issue that may actually cause more harm than good, tell you what you should do and how you should do it, or start on their own tirade about the person or thing. All of this is glorifying none other than satan himself.

Some may ask how am I doing this and I am not intentionally trying to do satan’s work and become a soldier of his. Let me take you to Psalm 18:6:

This scripture shows us that if we aren’t going to Him during our times of anguish and distress, anything else is NOT of Him but of the world. God doesn’t want us to wait until we are happy and content with where we are to come to Him. He wants us to come to Him for EVERYTHING good or bad RIGHT NOW. He is our Helper, Redeemer, Savior, Strength, and Protector so why would we not go to Him versus going to man? Man is of flesh and if they have not given themselves over to the Lord, they are still serving satan. And, last time I knew YOU CANNOT SERVE BOTH, GOD & SATAN.

Some of us do struggle with going to God during our times of distress. Which could be for various reasons, this includes myself. During church this past Sunday Pastor Steve said that we as believers HAVE to let go of our control and TRUST God to take care of it. Then later that evening while speaking with Pastor Cheryl she told me to let my issues go, stay in prayer over my situations, and TRUST God to fight my battles, Exodus 14:14.

I am extremely new in my walk with the Lord and of course I am far from perfect, make mistakes, and speak on things that hurt me to the wrong people. Nevertheless, I am learning slowly yet surely to sit still and in silence so that My Lord and Savior can deliver me from the hurt and give me complete peace. I can tell you all that since I have sowed my tears to God and poured out my heart to him in prayer and praise, I AM AT PEACE, thank you, Jesus!

So this is my message to everyone: LET GO AND LET GOD! He is all you need and the only COMFORTER who listens intently and gives you TRUE peace once you TRUST in HIM and LET GO. Nothing or no one of this world will give you the type of Love in which God gives, so trust Him to take care of you. BLESSINGS!

~livingwithpurpose720

March 14, 2016 6

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Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

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