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- Words: 8,334
- Pages: 53
- Publisher: Balboa Press
- Released Date: 2019-12-29
- Author: Kerri-Ann John
Embrace & Empower Your Calling
BY KERRI-ANN JOHN & MELISSA VALLADARES
Copyright © 2020 Kerri-Ann John.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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Scripture quotations from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
ISBN: 978-1-9822-4052-3 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-9822-4053-0 (e)
Balboa Press rev. date: 07/14/2020
Acknowledgement
To my beautiful family.
Dedication
To those who need further encouragement both within the body of Christ and outside the body of Christ.
Contents
Opening
Title: To Embrace Empower Your Calling
Setting the Scene
Open the “Eyes” of our Heart
His Blessings
Encouragement
Prayer
Our Calling
Forgiveness
Being Real
Parenting
His Promise
Another Point of View
God’s Grace
Opening
W e come in different shapes, sizes, characters and personalities; but God thought of us, predestined us, called us, justified us into being (Romans 8:29-30).
Title: To Embrace Empower Your Calling
L ife is a journey filled with discovery, yet the Lord knew us before we were in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5).
My family and I lived in New Delhi, India from 2015 to 2019. One Saturday morning in 2018, I invited Pastor Sam and his wife, Sister Anita over for tea and coffee. During the visit he told me, “He sensed I was called to pray. I was called to prayer.” He continued, “I know it is challenging, I have been there, but look my ministry came out of praying.”
In 2019, we moved to Washington, DC. My family and I found a church. We began attending The Rock Church in Bethesda, Maryland pastored by John and Suezan Lee. One Sunday, after service the pastors invited us for dinner; during which we discussed our families, careers, the church and events. As we continued to talk, I shared my personal accomplishments. I talked about my education, attending university, my work experience in the medical field as well as having a family. My desire to be an independent career woman, wife and mother at the same time had always been a goal. I saw Michelle Obama as one of my role models. It was my intention and desire to find a good job and be a part of the workforce for a long time.
In between mentioning the above and my desire to have a long-standing career, it was then Pastor John said to me, “But you are not meant to (have a longstanding career), you are meant to pray in a prophetic way. You are called to pray.” At this point I am looking at my husband, mentally saying, “Are you hearing this?” My thoughts are swirling, are you saying what I think you are saying? Then immediately following Pastor John’s statement, his wife shares
that they know of another family in a similar situation where the wife is also called to pray. This new revelation was something I had struggled with because outside of God’s word it seemed almost impossible to accept, but I am learning to trust Him through my personal relationship with the Son of the living God (Jesus).
I have always wanted to or felt the need to write about my childhood but it was not meant to be written in the way that I intended, but rather in the way He intended. The latter part of the title, “Your Calling” is attributed to seeing my life through the lens of Jesus. My great aunt who I have been very close to, has been an incredible influence in my life since childhood. She has watched me grow and overcome hurdles through Christ’s grace, saying “I am proud of you, you are a child of God and are blessed.” For everyone born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).
When I was close to five years old, a hummingbird flew into the house. I clearly my uncle’s friend using his jeans to knock the bird back out of the house. When he hit the bird, it died, and he threw it out the window. I walking around to the side of the house, finding the bird, picking him up and placing it in the palms of both hands. With a saddened heart, I placed my hands in my lap, bowed my head and said a word of prayer. I had a funeral service for the hummingbird without realizing it at that age. Immediately after, I dug a hole, buried it and went to play outside.
Setting the Scene
D oes sin cause hurdles in our lives? Why does it happen?
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17).
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4). These verses lead onto my next revelation, redemption through Jesus.
You can clearly see God’s beauty: “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day”…, (Genesis 3:8): “And the Lord God said unto the serpent” (Genesis 3:14-15)… “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.” (Who is this? Jesus).
I want to focus on God’s redemption through his son Jesus. In Galatians 3:13 it is written, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, CURSED IS EVERYONE THAT HANGETH ON A TREE.”
In Galatians 4:5-6, we read “To redeem them that were under the law, that we (plural) might receive the adoption of sons”… “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your (our) hearts, crying Abba Father.”
Open the “Eyes” of our Heart
T hrough disobedience and deceit according to John 12:40 “He, has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts”….I will stop right here to say, we live in a world that does not necessarily see things the way God does, which can further be seen in Genesis 3 when Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord.
One of the reasons I struggled was because the world suggests two people have to work and because of sin, women were mistreated and so they fought their way to not be devalued in society, specifically through women rights and equality. Do not get me wrong, times have changed and so it can be hard with just one person working.
However, regarding the mistreatment and inequality of women, the Bible says, “Husbands love your wife in the same way Christ loves the church…” Ephesians 5:25. We live in a sinful world and the truth has become distorted. The consequence of this distortion is that women feel as though they need to prove their worth by showing they are as intellectual as men but the truth is, God just loves us.
I certainly felt that I had to go and earn a living the same way as my husband. This feeling arose especially in situations when meeting other mothers who were for example, taking their children to and from school, or in any social event. It was during these times when I was often asked, “What do you do?”, to which I responded, “I am a stay at home mother, and wife.” In this season and each one following, I continue to learn to dance and celebrate my purpose for that time.
To further illustrate God’s love, Genesis 3:21, the King James Version says, Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them; the American Standard Version says, And God made for Adam and his wife coats of skins, and clothed them. How beautiful is our Lord and how tender is his heart! Ephesians 1:18 states “The eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints…”.
His Blessings
M y Lord has blessed me tremendously. He has blessed my husband and I with a wonderful family, a lovely home, cars, and friends. I am in good health. He has a great job and we have three terrific children. This is a blessing! I became friends with a British Jamaican lady and on our first posting her husband, whose origin is from British Guyana said, “Who would have thought, we would be here as diplomats and who would have thought that in their wildest dreams!”
Now talk about breaking through barriers, well my Lord did this before in the scriptures with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4: 4-26.
What I am about to say fits perfectly here, but before going ahead I must first say, my mother is a born again Christian who loves the Lord and serves him. Much earlier in her life she had four children. I am her second born who did not have a relationship with my earthly father but in Psalms 68:5 says God is “a father to the fatherless,…”
Humanly speaking, I am speechless when it comes to God’s love. I was told when I was a youngster I had started to speak then stopped, and I was not considered to be one of the brightest, this almost stigma no longer bothers me. I must say. I also experienced prejudice living in the United Kingdom. My Christian journey has truly been a journey, the Lord has spared my life in many ways, for example, I was involved in a major car accident before having my last two children.
The Lord continues to shower me with His love. One recent example, occurred
when Pastor John’s wife, Suezan prayed with me, and said, “The Lord delights in you, you are the apple of His eyes.” Both Suezan and I went for prayer and prophetic words of how God sees me in him and who and where he will take me to minister the Good News were confirmed along with other prophetic words which were spoken over my life, I praise Jesus! He is just so amazing.
Several years ago I listened to an interview with Pastor Andrew Wommack, I heard him say, “He viewed the Bible as the bow whereby the string guides us.” I immediately saw a mental image of a bow and an arrow whereby the string of the bow guides each one of our lives, One of the bible verses that helped me stay the course is Philippians 2:12 “…continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Encouragement
D o not compare yourself to others! There I said it and do not let the enemy bully you! The Bible says in Psalm 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Might I add, very well. This is important to understand because it is part of our armour that protects us.
In the paragraph above, I mention that it is important not to compare yourself to others or let the enemy bully you. For example, not having a long-standing career is fine. Currently I am a full-time stay at home mother and wife. The Lord has blessed me with a gift for writing and recording daily devotionals. I have worked in the past and obtained my degree. Currently, I am following God’s guidance. If and when I decide to go back to work I am qualified to work within the health field. It could possibly be in a nursery, a school or in a hospital.
When God said to Moses, “What have you in your hands?” it made me think about what I have. I have a driver’s license I can use to drive with. What do you have in your hands? It may look small but in God’s hands he can do with it what he did with the two fish and five loaves, with what’s in your hands. he multiplied it. (Mark 6:41). I say all this to remind you, to not let the enemy bully you because you are fearfully and wonderfully made!
My Auntie Heather once said there are some children who already know what they would like to become whereas others may not. If you were one of those children (especially little girls) who knew what they would like to become, you would have planned your career before being married and having children. Having faith in God is very important, so when the storms come, you will be able to withstand them because you will be grounded in him.
However, I am writing this book for those who may not have planned or are not clear with what they would like to do in their lives. Whether male or female this is to encourage you in some way. In my own life I like to hold to my faith in Christ Jesus.
God gives us dreams to guide us. In one of my latest dreams, I received a revelation. Those of you who are planning to work with older children should be able to discern how to respond to them, as some children may have behavioural needs. This, I believe will help you on your path of understanding how to work with them. I pray this will be a revelation to others.
Prayer
I have read a few books on prayer and fasting but I specifically want to talk a bit about praying. “Learning to dance” where you are for example, while at home; looking after my home, nurturing and caring for my children, seeing to my husband and seeing to my own health as I look to God in faith. This is no small thing, it is huge and the world can let you believe it is nothing, this is just one of the many lies of the enemy. This is one of the reasons the world is in the state that it is in currently. However, I am not saying it is wrong to go out and work if you desire to do so; and there are times when you may not have that choice due to your circumstances.
Praying for my family is one thing I do which I will come back to later. We are told by scripture that we ought to confess one to another and hold up or bear up each other hands in prayer. I take this mandate seriously because I have experienced praying for others in their times of need and receiving prayers in my times of need as well. Receiving the prayers of others benefited me greatly during my third pregnancy. I can testify that, although the pregnancy was not smooth, God was so good, and I was able to have a successful delivery. I carried my first born without any difficulties but there were other challenges later. As he grew and learned to speak, he had experienced challenges in his speech, but again the Lord continued to be faithful. My son has caught on and now speaks well, and over time he has required less in school and is managing quite well. Praise be to God! This is what this book is about, when we pray God hears us.
What is prayer? Talking to and or with God through His son Jesus. In the book of John 14:9…“he that hath seen me hath seen the Father”.
It is good to have a special place, a quiet spot away from distractions to talk with
Him, it doesn’t mean you can’t pray throughout the day in your various daily activities; you can! This is what I do whether I’m in the middle of pressing shirts, sitting on the toilet, or doing one of my favourite activities, reflecting while I’m doing the dishes. A friend of mine was itted to the hospital to give birth, I was at the hospital with her late in the evening, the day before they induced her. The next day, I woke up and started my daily routine. I being at the kitchen sink before noon washing the dishes, looking out through the window and praying. Suddenly I felt the urgency that my friend was in need of my prayer as well as others. Immediately after I prayed for her and not knowing what had gone on, until later, I found out that her life was in danger.
Even in my sleep I pray, so it should not come as any surprise the calling that God has on my life. What is your calling? Whatever it is, be it in the secular world or in church, you still have to pray and embrace what you know the Lord wants you to do. I can also testify that I have seen how prayer has fixed relationships in my own personal life, so to me, it is worth praying even more. There is literature specifically on this topic of prayer, one author in particular that I am getting to know is Robert Henderson who appeared on Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural program.
Our Calling
I am so glad the Lord sees and understand us better than anyone else can and he is always there and sends help right on time! Again, what have you got in your hands?
In my hands, I have the art of writing and all of God’s promises and blessings in my life.
I had read the Bible, taking notes, and drawing out the tabernacle. I continue to read, the first thing that stood out to me was where the mercy seat was located. It was between the cherubims (Exodus 25:10-22). David wrote a lot of the Psalms. In Psalms 91:1 He talks about dwelling in the secret place of the most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. (I once saw David’s Cerullo in London, he explains this age under God’s anointing) (my Lord please continue to bless him and his family). In (Psalms 57 vs 1) which the Lord gave me: “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamites be over-past;” thank you Lord for your mercy seat!
Continuing from the point above, in Exodus 40:19-26, I see the cross of Jesus even in the minor construction of the pieces within the tabernacle. For example, the rings going in the sides of the ark in Exodus 25:12…and two rings shall be in the one side of it. What I want you to see in the general construction of the ark is in Exodus 40:1-33. Focus on verses 20-27, from my first study. The way the Ark of the Covenant and the rest of the holy pieces were laid, I pictured my Saviour stretched out on Cavalry’s Cross.
In the middle of all this, there is forgiveness which is a very important aspect I want to mention prior to moving on to Matt 6:19-34.
Matt 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Well what are all these things? Let’s go back and look at Matt 6:32 “For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need.” The bottom line is we should not worry about the material things; of course, the Lord knows of our need for food, clothes and shelter which some of the previous verses touched on. For example in verse 26, the fowl of the air… verse 28… “consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not neither do they spin,” in verse 29 “And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arranged like one of these.” In addition, verse 25 says “therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life what to eat or drink…is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” God is saying hang on, there is more to life here than just eating and drinking, there are depths in me and in your lives when we are in him; He is saying that he is enough for you my sons and daughters.
Forgiveness
F orgiveness is a command and we have to forgive. How? Well, we start by making up our minds to forgive. We do this because the Lord requires it. Continue going to Him in prayer, even if it means asking someone who truly loves Jesus to pray with you about it and leave it there! It takes time but more importantly, make the decision to do so. Forgiveness is tied to prayer, plus the Bible tells us we wrestle not against people but against principalities. In the book Forgiveness, by Rodney Hogue, he writes about the process of forgiveness and in the process it tells you why we should forgive. Luke 17:4 tells us we ought to forgive. In Mark 4:31, the scriptures refers to having a grain of mustard seed, and when it is thrown in the ground, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is sown, its growth up “Obedience with faith can lead to the completion of forgiveness”.
While typing this book my thoughts flowed, what a great sense of accomplishment!
The world has its own ideas on what is success may be, but I ask you what is success? Is it having a nice family, a well decorated and spacious home, or an up to date car and or having an important job? No! It is having God’s joy with or without all of the above, even in the midst of what may feel like a war.
Being Real
I write this book because I believe I have something to share. With my husband being a diplomat, one might assume everything is going according to plan, but at times things don’t always go accordingly. Having to adjust in many ways in a new place, one has to meet others half way with where they are culturally.
I lower my chin with a little shame because I have not been patient enough while writing this book, one reason is, time. Knowing that I have only a certain amount of time before I collect my youngest from pre-school and knowing my husband’s job, which takes up all his time so he does not have the time to help me. But the Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7 ….in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Verse 7 states “And the peace of God, which eth all understanding, shall keep your (my) hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Why did I hang my head in shame? In James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptation; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. In verse 25 it says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” And verse 26 states, “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
This book is not only to help you embrace your calling, but it is also to empower you towards your calling. It will also help those who may not know as yet and if you are new to the faith it will encourage you. How will you and I be able to reach our calling? We do this by going on our knees with sincerity to God in prayer, which is what I did. I was ready to throw in the towel but, I have tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness Psalms 34.
I have been told so many times that my hands are full, but it should not be a burden, as a matter of fact, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30
Parenting
G oing back to a previous chapter in James 1:5-6 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith (child-like faith), nothing wavering.”
Based upon my experience, do not let anyone come into your home and pressure you to parent the way they did; they can only advise, unless you really do not know because of lack of experience. In addition, if you know Jesus and are filled with his Holy Spirit he can guide you; the Word says, “He can guide you into all truth” John 16:13. Not to say we don’t need help every now and again, because no man is an island, as a good parent follow your intuition. As parents, we do make mistakes and we learn from them, whether it is being too strict and having to loosen boundaries or too lenient and having to set boundaries. I fluctuated with being too strict and too lenient with my first two children. Being a good parent to me means spending time with my children, listening and being honest with them.
I have repented of the inconsistency of raising my first two children, and if you are reading this and think this sounds a bit familiar; say to the Lord, I am sorry, please forgive me. I can now balance my past experiences with raising my third child, in saying all of this, I still need God’s wisdom and guidance.
His Promise
I am so excited about what I am about to share, my God is greater than all. Moving on to God’s promise to me, just as Abraham left his kindred home, I moved from Milton Keynes, England when God gave me an insight into my future promise. Have you ever been promised a future you never thought of? I was in a nearby town, about a forty-minute drive called Northampton. It was a cold day when I stopped at an indoor café. I ordered a hot chocolate and found a vacant and comfortable seat. While I was sitting down, I saw people coming in and out of the supermarket. After my drink came, feeling chuffed and cozy, the thought of “Look at those fools” came to mind because they were busy as bees hurrying in and out of the supermarket. The thought of using the word fool, which is something I am not pleased with, because I was taught not to use the word fool, but I could say foolish. The next thing my eyes caught, was a red dress that was inside the window of a children’s clothing store, and I heard an inaudible girls name. Well that promise took ten years to fulfil. The start of the promise to be fulfilled started with two dreams, I had a few months before moving to India. In one of the dreams I was rock climbing in an indoor space. I had my two sons on my back and my daughter in my hands. It was difficult climbing the wall with the three of them. As I climbed the wall there was a pillar like you would see in a castle to the side of the wall. The next thing I did was to place my daughter on the top of the pillar. After I placed her on top of the pillar she sat on her knees. The next thing I knew was, I was standing on the ground and looked up and saw her sitting on the pillar. The thought that came to me was, “Why did I leave her up there?” I awoke from the dream. I later spoke to my mom and told her about the dream. She immediately asked me, “So did you go back and get her?” I replied, “I woke up.” In the second dream I had, I saw everything related to babies in the colour pink. I knew it was God’s way of communicating his promise to me. In the dream, something caught my eye, it was a good size pink baby blanket. When I saw the pink blanket, I kept pointing to it and I kept asking my husband Alex if he saw it was pink. His response to me was, “Are you sure?” Immediately, I awoke from the dream in disbelief with Alex because in the dream he could see it was pink. I awakened him and asked him, “How
could you have not seen that it was pink?”
While I was out shopping in a store called Mark & Spencer I was drawn to this neat cream dress with flowers, I picked it up bought it with the possibility of giving it away. We attended New Testament Church of God in Northampton. Mother Henry was my pastor’s mother-in law and in ing we would encourage each other. She was one of the prominent in the church. At this time as we were preparing to move to India, our church held a farewell service on our behalf. During the service she gave a word of encouragement to me and Alex. After she spoke and as she was handing over the microphone to the pastor, she said something along the lines of, “I can see something in your tummy.” I clearly my pastor’s reaction of surprise. He might have thought such a private issue should be shared when the expecting parents announce it. After all the speeches and encouraging words, Alex and I met between the altar and the pew, with Mother Henry who affirmed what she saw and Reverend Virginia, our assistant pastor, said “I saw it too, I was wondering if I was the only one seeing it.” Afterwards, Mother Henry said, “If it’s a girl name her Elizabeth.” My family and I spent almost four years in India at which time our daughter was born.
The most important thing is hearing God’s voice. What does it mean to hear God’s voice? It may be, that still small voice in your thought process, an audible voice, a gesture of kindness through another person, a song, and the scriptures. In this process of writing, I have been discovering more of myself from the minor intricate things to the major things. It is good to trust in Jesus, this is a key word that keeps coming up in my thoughts recently, he wants us to trust him!
Another Point of View
M elissa
Growing up in a Christian home my parents made it a priority to ensure that the Gospel was the center of our home. Our faith was not taken lightly, but was poured into every day. From having dinner and saying grace as a family to nightly prayers. I attended a youth service at my church that my parents had been attending since before they got married. As the youth pastor made the alter call to see more of God in our lives, I made my way up. As I prayed, I felt a hand on my shoulder as someone said a prayer over me. ‘God is a God of promise, He never fails, He always shows up on time, He listens to those who love him” is what I felt in my spirit as God’s presence was so strong. There were a couple words that sounded very loud and clear, “Melissa, no matter what you ask in my name, will be given through faith. Nothing is too big and this is your promise, says the Lord.” The presence was so strong, I couldn’t help myself but to see who was praying for me. As I turned around, no one was behind me. I went home that evening and I felt such a secure feeling on those words, but confused to how those words were spoken over me and with no one in sight behind me.
As a teenager, we ask God for crazy teenage things, but what I’ve learned about God throughout the years is that He meets you right where you are, no matter the age or how outrageous the request might be. As I made my requests growing up, I could clearly hear those words I heard at the alter. I started to see a pattern in my life that through that alter call and prayer, God had given me a specific promise that would sustain me in secure faith on who God is in my life moving forward. To this day, I hear those words so clear as my prayers go up. When we understand the power of prayer and what occurs through prayer, one can only desire to be in His presence to receive assurance on how grand God is. How has God spoken to you lately? What has been your rhema? A specific word from God that applies to us individually. I’m deeply in love with Psalms 46:10, “Be
still, and know that I am God”. God is always ready to release into us, it’s up to us to receive.
I strongly believe that prayer is the key to a strong relationship with God, not just knowing of Him but knowing Him personally, prayer is where that happens. I also do believe that what we carry from our previous generations and what our parents do as they guide us into adulthood is as important. I being a little girl in my pink decorated room. Many nights I woke up and would see my dad knelled at the end of my bed. I saying “my dad is a little crazy’ but as i got older, I realized what he was doing. He was covering me through prayer. We live in a world where sometimes we run out the house with the exact amount of minutes to get us to our jobs or destination. My dad would wake up every morning to make it to work by 5am, and to think this early in the morning, he still had time to pray for his family. The love of a father is so amazing! It really allows you to put this into perspective, the love of a earthly father can be so grand, how much more our Father in heaven. When was the last time you spoke to him? When was the last time you covered your family with the blood of Jesus through prayer? It’s never to late to start. He is always ready to hear from you and provide the best from above. He doesn’t have to bless us, but wants to bless us. Blessings to carry on from generation to generation.
Prayer is so powerful! As a Christian and coming from the household that I was raised in, I can’t stop but to thank God for the family he put me in. One day, my parents were obedient and sensitive to the voice of God and said “Yes’ to following him. Without their commitment to their faith and love for God, their family wouldn’t be who they are today. What a legacy they started! It’s never to late to start relationship building with the Father or start creating a legacy to leave for your future generations. This can start with one simple prayer and inviting God into your personal and family story. If you are already doing this, keep going, you are paving an extraordinary way, we never lose with Christ.
If you want your children’s’ faith to last, they need to see the Gospel as the center of the home. It can’t be just a small part of the routine a couple times
during the week; it must be an essential foundation each and everyday. I’m a living proof of this, my accomplishments, character, work ethics and much more has been instilled through someones prayers and keeping my personal relationship with Christ a priority and being intentional with it.
In my adult years I stepped into being a young entrepreneur, but before getting to this point, it has been a journey. In 2017, I took a trip to Israel with my family. I highly recommend a trip to Israel. It was such an impactful trip where my faith was taken deeper and the Bible came to life. One of the places we visited was the Western Wall. As I made my way towards the wall and observing my surrounding, I was in awe that people were so deep into their prayer. I saw tears, desperation and the urgency to hear of God. Here I was with a couple of prayer requests of friends and family I had collected from back home to take to the wall. Of course, my long list of my own requests didn’t stay behind. One of my prayer requests was “owning my business, in any areas that my heart was ionate on.” As I put my paper in a crease of the wall and began my prayer, I could hear the promise that was given to me as a teenager at the alter. However, still in the back of my mind, it wasn’t that I was lacking faith but I was not completely convinced that this huge list, I mean huge list, of many outrageous request would be granted from God. However, as I share parts of my life, I stick to the words I mentioned earlier, God meets you right where you are, no matter the age or how outrageous the request can be. I had always worked in the education field during my undergrad and graduate program, however, none of my degrees are in education, crazy huh? God has a way of making plans perfect when in the process it might not make sense, why I chose my majors would result in understanding later, keep following me. I was sitting at my preschool director desk one morning and received a call that would change my career path forever. That call took me back to the Western Wall where I had left a crazy request of being a business owner on day. I’m now an owner of a private preschool in one of the best areas in town. When God provides and blesses, expect greatness! Now on the flip side, back to my degrees, I was a psychology/sociology major undergrad and public relations/marketing in grad school, both those degrees I use in my career but also in one of the most important areas of my life, which is in ministry.
God’s love for his children is so grand and can be so mysterious. God will take you to places or through places that your mind can’t comprehend at the moment. Once you know God on a personal level, you start understanding His works. I’ve learned to not ask questions but instead ask God to lead me. , His ways are always good and will work for our good even when the situations are not so apparent, most of our blessings come in disguise.
I encourage you as you continue to read this book, ask God to speak a fresh word and allow you to see his wonders in every area of your life. Why do you call a friend “a friend?” because you’ve built a relationship with them, right? God is our friend and he desires to hear the good, bad and ugly (he already knows us) but wants to know you trust him in your vulnerability for His power to move and His name be uplifted. When we lift our prayers to him, he listens and is ready to show the grand God he is. Ready. Set. Go! He’s waiting! Prayer Up! I can’t wait for you to continue to experience God’s power or start through prayer life.
God’s Grace
I f you look closely you can see God’s grace from the beginning of the book to where we are. What is God’s grace? It is His unmerited favour meaning not something we deserve but something given to us.
I grew up hearing about God’s grace but somewhere along my Christian journey I had lost focus a bit. One of my favourite bible verses is Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” In verse 10 of the same chapter “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
I have listened to different Christian men and women teaching and preaching God’s word on grace and it is well and good. However, we are all coming from different walks of life and so we carry our own baggage and all of us are still learning to run our own course.
To say all of this I could write on many topics, but I only want to write what is meant to be on these pages, but we are all at different stages in life. In view of the above I gave an example of one scripture which I have heard being used over and over again. In Habakkuk 2:2 “And the Lord answered me, and said “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” This is true but in order to run your own course, it takes faith in God. Another bible verse that has become famous is Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be open unto you.” Yes, this is also true but again you need to have faith in God and believe in what he has done on Cavalry’s cross; and that he rose again.
I do believe in sowing a financial seed pertaining to those who are God’s hands and feet, I have seen this work in my life. Throughout the scriptures there are men and women who have given into the ministry of God. I think it is very important. However, this too takes faith or belief in God without boasting of oneself as said in Ephesians 2:9 “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
All of the above are part of God’s toolbox which he has given us by His grace and mercies. To begin with I was very excited when God placed this book in my heart, it was at the time that I was working on another book about my culture and heritage. I was so excited to write this book about embracing your calling, that I had to put the other book on pause until there is time to re-visit it. He has his purpose for me to write this book and when I honour him in doing so, He will then honour my desires to write about my heritage. It truly amazes me how I find myself busy being at home taking care of my family, spending time with the Lord, reading His word, hearing his voice and writing daily devotionals. Don’t worry all these points will be linked shortly and you will see how all of these are related to one another.
In church, a sermon was preached on having childlike faith, in fact the bible verse was Matthew 18:3 “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The words that sticks out to me here are ‘be converted’ meaning being transformed into a little child. Children are clever, but they love unconditionally, they trust easily and simply believe. Do you know the world has faith, but in what? I will explain. When one of my uncles was renewing his wedding vows, I was taking part and so I sat at the head table. I had gotten up from my chair to go to the ladies’ room when coming back to sit down, I saw one of my other uncles who was sitting on a chair. Walking up to my chair he saw me and asked how I was doing, the next thing I know, I heard a cracking noise and it was my uncle falling to the ground. My point is he had placed his faith in the chair and that it would be able to take his weight.
Yes, we all do this in our lives constantly, but this is how God wants us to
consistently trust him as we go about our daily lives. All of the above are tools. These include obedience, seed sowing, praying, forgiveness, to faith; healing and trust. The bible says in 1 Corinthians “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (love). St John 3:16 says “for God so loved the world he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal (everlasting) life.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrew 11:1. I just want to pause at ‘faith’, faith is the substance of things hoped for. I want to ask what is this substance? Is this substance Christ’s Agape Love? While we are waiting for the Agape Love to be fulfilled (be it myself or you) it will require patience.
What will cause patience to stand? Love, especially in Jesus’ love. Why do I say this? As emotions fluctuate one has to wait, I know because I have experienced it. I had very little outside help to get the book published but this morning, out of obedience, I knelt and prayed, and I felt the presence of the Lord, it is a nice warm feeling which I cannot fully explain. I will hold on to the presence of God and what he is empowering me to do as a writer.
I have been writing this book from an honest place, what do I mean? I shall explain. The world may perceive all is well because of what I have previously mentioned, but that is not the case. I was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2005. However, I believe I have something worth sharing and at some point, you do too. What I am typing is a very good example, this book will change lives in positive ways. Part of the calling God has on my life is sharing His Word, praying for others in my quiet time, all because of His love. With child-like faith I know the Lord can use me in the way he sees fit. Interestingly, the title of my very first published book is “Loves sees Her.” The book is about, a man who is in love with a young lady whose love eventually develops. Throughout their courtship she was not completely faithful, but through God’s loving kindness their love rekindled. I must say this process is repeated in our lives, as humans we too don’t always reciprocate God’s love to one another or to him.
I find the wonders of God’s goodness awesome when I think upon them. In all of this I see Christs’ love and I believe I have fallen in love with Him and yes, he is still teaching me about his tender love, which the world needs. I am amazed at the extent of what God has allowed me to write, as I did not know what was going to be on the pages, which can be daunting from a worlds’ perspective but knowing all of this the book will have a great impact.
Love really conquers all and that is why the word of God tells us it is the greatest out of the three, faith, hope and love. I once asked, “Is love a gift?” I do believe it is. We can receive the Agape Love of God if we simply yield to him. Yes, it is hard at times but every single time we yield to him, he will grant his love to us. My prayer is “Oh I want your Agape Love so please grant it to all of us my Lord Jesus in your precious name.” Amen.
BY KERRI-ANN JOHN & MELISSA VALLADARES
Copyright © 2020 Kerri-Ann John.
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ISBN: 978-1-9822-4052-3 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-9822-4053-0 (e)
Balboa Press rev. date: 07/14/2020
Acknowledgement
To my beautiful family.
Dedication
To those who need further encouragement both within the body of Christ and outside the body of Christ.
Contents
Opening
Title: To Embrace Empower Your Calling
Setting the Scene
Open the “Eyes” of our Heart
His Blessings
Encouragement
Prayer
Our Calling
Forgiveness
Being Real
Parenting
His Promise
Another Point of View
God’s Grace
Opening
W e come in different shapes, sizes, characters and personalities; but God thought of us, predestined us, called us, justified us into being (Romans 8:29-30).
Title: To Embrace Empower Your Calling
L ife is a journey filled with discovery, yet the Lord knew us before we were in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5).
My family and I lived in New Delhi, India from 2015 to 2019. One Saturday morning in 2018, I invited Pastor Sam and his wife, Sister Anita over for tea and coffee. During the visit he told me, “He sensed I was called to pray. I was called to prayer.” He continued, “I know it is challenging, I have been there, but look my ministry came out of praying.”
In 2019, we moved to Washington, DC. My family and I found a church. We began attending The Rock Church in Bethesda, Maryland pastored by John and Suezan Lee. One Sunday, after service the pastors invited us for dinner; during which we discussed our families, careers, the church and events. As we continued to talk, I shared my personal accomplishments. I talked about my education, attending university, my work experience in the medical field as well as having a family. My desire to be an independent career woman, wife and mother at the same time had always been a goal. I saw Michelle Obama as one of my role models. It was my intention and desire to find a good job and be a part of the workforce for a long time.
In between mentioning the above and my desire to have a long-standing career, it was then Pastor John said to me, “But you are not meant to (have a longstanding career), you are meant to pray in a prophetic way. You are called to pray.” At this point I am looking at my husband, mentally saying, “Are you hearing this?” My thoughts are swirling, are you saying what I think you are saying? Then immediately following Pastor John’s statement, his wife shares
that they know of another family in a similar situation where the wife is also called to pray. This new revelation was something I had struggled with because outside of God’s word it seemed almost impossible to accept, but I am learning to trust Him through my personal relationship with the Son of the living God (Jesus).
I have always wanted to or felt the need to write about my childhood but it was not meant to be written in the way that I intended, but rather in the way He intended. The latter part of the title, “Your Calling” is attributed to seeing my life through the lens of Jesus. My great aunt who I have been very close to, has been an incredible influence in my life since childhood. She has watched me grow and overcome hurdles through Christ’s grace, saying “I am proud of you, you are a child of God and are blessed.” For everyone born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).
When I was close to five years old, a hummingbird flew into the house. I clearly my uncle’s friend using his jeans to knock the bird back out of the house. When he hit the bird, it died, and he threw it out the window. I walking around to the side of the house, finding the bird, picking him up and placing it in the palms of both hands. With a saddened heart, I placed my hands in my lap, bowed my head and said a word of prayer. I had a funeral service for the hummingbird without realizing it at that age. Immediately after, I dug a hole, buried it and went to play outside.
Setting the Scene
D oes sin cause hurdles in our lives? Why does it happen?
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17).
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4). These verses lead onto my next revelation, redemption through Jesus.
You can clearly see God’s beauty: “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day”…, (Genesis 3:8): “And the Lord God said unto the serpent” (Genesis 3:14-15)… “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.” (Who is this? Jesus).
I want to focus on God’s redemption through his son Jesus. In Galatians 3:13 it is written, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, CURSED IS EVERYONE THAT HANGETH ON A TREE.”
In Galatians 4:5-6, we read “To redeem them that were under the law, that we (plural) might receive the adoption of sons”… “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your (our) hearts, crying Abba Father.”
Open the “Eyes” of our Heart
T hrough disobedience and deceit according to John 12:40 “He, has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts”….I will stop right here to say, we live in a world that does not necessarily see things the way God does, which can further be seen in Genesis 3 when Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord.
One of the reasons I struggled was because the world suggests two people have to work and because of sin, women were mistreated and so they fought their way to not be devalued in society, specifically through women rights and equality. Do not get me wrong, times have changed and so it can be hard with just one person working.
However, regarding the mistreatment and inequality of women, the Bible says, “Husbands love your wife in the same way Christ loves the church…” Ephesians 5:25. We live in a sinful world and the truth has become distorted. The consequence of this distortion is that women feel as though they need to prove their worth by showing they are as intellectual as men but the truth is, God just loves us.
I certainly felt that I had to go and earn a living the same way as my husband. This feeling arose especially in situations when meeting other mothers who were for example, taking their children to and from school, or in any social event. It was during these times when I was often asked, “What do you do?”, to which I responded, “I am a stay at home mother, and wife.” In this season and each one following, I continue to learn to dance and celebrate my purpose for that time.
To further illustrate God’s love, Genesis 3:21, the King James Version says, Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them; the American Standard Version says, And God made for Adam and his wife coats of skins, and clothed them. How beautiful is our Lord and how tender is his heart! Ephesians 1:18 states “The eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints…”.
His Blessings
M y Lord has blessed me tremendously. He has blessed my husband and I with a wonderful family, a lovely home, cars, and friends. I am in good health. He has a great job and we have three terrific children. This is a blessing! I became friends with a British Jamaican lady and on our first posting her husband, whose origin is from British Guyana said, “Who would have thought, we would be here as diplomats and who would have thought that in their wildest dreams!”
Now talk about breaking through barriers, well my Lord did this before in the scriptures with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4: 4-26.
What I am about to say fits perfectly here, but before going ahead I must first say, my mother is a born again Christian who loves the Lord and serves him. Much earlier in her life she had four children. I am her second born who did not have a relationship with my earthly father but in Psalms 68:5 says God is “a father to the fatherless,…”
Humanly speaking, I am speechless when it comes to God’s love. I was told when I was a youngster I had started to speak then stopped, and I was not considered to be one of the brightest, this almost stigma no longer bothers me. I must say. I also experienced prejudice living in the United Kingdom. My Christian journey has truly been a journey, the Lord has spared my life in many ways, for example, I was involved in a major car accident before having my last two children.
The Lord continues to shower me with His love. One recent example, occurred
when Pastor John’s wife, Suezan prayed with me, and said, “The Lord delights in you, you are the apple of His eyes.” Both Suezan and I went for prayer and prophetic words of how God sees me in him and who and where he will take me to minister the Good News were confirmed along with other prophetic words which were spoken over my life, I praise Jesus! He is just so amazing.
Several years ago I listened to an interview with Pastor Andrew Wommack, I heard him say, “He viewed the Bible as the bow whereby the string guides us.” I immediately saw a mental image of a bow and an arrow whereby the string of the bow guides each one of our lives, One of the bible verses that helped me stay the course is Philippians 2:12 “…continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Encouragement
D o not compare yourself to others! There I said it and do not let the enemy bully you! The Bible says in Psalm 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Might I add, very well. This is important to understand because it is part of our armour that protects us.
In the paragraph above, I mention that it is important not to compare yourself to others or let the enemy bully you. For example, not having a long-standing career is fine. Currently I am a full-time stay at home mother and wife. The Lord has blessed me with a gift for writing and recording daily devotionals. I have worked in the past and obtained my degree. Currently, I am following God’s guidance. If and when I decide to go back to work I am qualified to work within the health field. It could possibly be in a nursery, a school or in a hospital.
When God said to Moses, “What have you in your hands?” it made me think about what I have. I have a driver’s license I can use to drive with. What do you have in your hands? It may look small but in God’s hands he can do with it what he did with the two fish and five loaves, with what’s in your hands. he multiplied it. (Mark 6:41). I say all this to remind you, to not let the enemy bully you because you are fearfully and wonderfully made!
My Auntie Heather once said there are some children who already know what they would like to become whereas others may not. If you were one of those children (especially little girls) who knew what they would like to become, you would have planned your career before being married and having children. Having faith in God is very important, so when the storms come, you will be able to withstand them because you will be grounded in him.
However, I am writing this book for those who may not have planned or are not clear with what they would like to do in their lives. Whether male or female this is to encourage you in some way. In my own life I like to hold to my faith in Christ Jesus.
God gives us dreams to guide us. In one of my latest dreams, I received a revelation. Those of you who are planning to work with older children should be able to discern how to respond to them, as some children may have behavioural needs. This, I believe will help you on your path of understanding how to work with them. I pray this will be a revelation to others.
Prayer
I have read a few books on prayer and fasting but I specifically want to talk a bit about praying. “Learning to dance” where you are for example, while at home; looking after my home, nurturing and caring for my children, seeing to my husband and seeing to my own health as I look to God in faith. This is no small thing, it is huge and the world can let you believe it is nothing, this is just one of the many lies of the enemy. This is one of the reasons the world is in the state that it is in currently. However, I am not saying it is wrong to go out and work if you desire to do so; and there are times when you may not have that choice due to your circumstances.
Praying for my family is one thing I do which I will come back to later. We are told by scripture that we ought to confess one to another and hold up or bear up each other hands in prayer. I take this mandate seriously because I have experienced praying for others in their times of need and receiving prayers in my times of need as well. Receiving the prayers of others benefited me greatly during my third pregnancy. I can testify that, although the pregnancy was not smooth, God was so good, and I was able to have a successful delivery. I carried my first born without any difficulties but there were other challenges later. As he grew and learned to speak, he had experienced challenges in his speech, but again the Lord continued to be faithful. My son has caught on and now speaks well, and over time he has required less in school and is managing quite well. Praise be to God! This is what this book is about, when we pray God hears us.
What is prayer? Talking to and or with God through His son Jesus. In the book of John 14:9…“he that hath seen me hath seen the Father”.
It is good to have a special place, a quiet spot away from distractions to talk with
Him, it doesn’t mean you can’t pray throughout the day in your various daily activities; you can! This is what I do whether I’m in the middle of pressing shirts, sitting on the toilet, or doing one of my favourite activities, reflecting while I’m doing the dishes. A friend of mine was itted to the hospital to give birth, I was at the hospital with her late in the evening, the day before they induced her. The next day, I woke up and started my daily routine. I being at the kitchen sink before noon washing the dishes, looking out through the window and praying. Suddenly I felt the urgency that my friend was in need of my prayer as well as others. Immediately after I prayed for her and not knowing what had gone on, until later, I found out that her life was in danger.
Even in my sleep I pray, so it should not come as any surprise the calling that God has on my life. What is your calling? Whatever it is, be it in the secular world or in church, you still have to pray and embrace what you know the Lord wants you to do. I can also testify that I have seen how prayer has fixed relationships in my own personal life, so to me, it is worth praying even more. There is literature specifically on this topic of prayer, one author in particular that I am getting to know is Robert Henderson who appeared on Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural program.
Our Calling
I am so glad the Lord sees and understand us better than anyone else can and he is always there and sends help right on time! Again, what have you got in your hands?
In my hands, I have the art of writing and all of God’s promises and blessings in my life.
I had read the Bible, taking notes, and drawing out the tabernacle. I continue to read, the first thing that stood out to me was where the mercy seat was located. It was between the cherubims (Exodus 25:10-22). David wrote a lot of the Psalms. In Psalms 91:1 He talks about dwelling in the secret place of the most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. (I once saw David’s Cerullo in London, he explains this age under God’s anointing) (my Lord please continue to bless him and his family). In (Psalms 57 vs 1) which the Lord gave me: “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamites be over-past;” thank you Lord for your mercy seat!
Continuing from the point above, in Exodus 40:19-26, I see the cross of Jesus even in the minor construction of the pieces within the tabernacle. For example, the rings going in the sides of the ark in Exodus 25:12…and two rings shall be in the one side of it. What I want you to see in the general construction of the ark is in Exodus 40:1-33. Focus on verses 20-27, from my first study. The way the Ark of the Covenant and the rest of the holy pieces were laid, I pictured my Saviour stretched out on Cavalry’s Cross.
In the middle of all this, there is forgiveness which is a very important aspect I want to mention prior to moving on to Matt 6:19-34.
Matt 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Well what are all these things? Let’s go back and look at Matt 6:32 “For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need.” The bottom line is we should not worry about the material things; of course, the Lord knows of our need for food, clothes and shelter which some of the previous verses touched on. For example in verse 26, the fowl of the air… verse 28… “consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not neither do they spin,” in verse 29 “And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arranged like one of these.” In addition, verse 25 says “therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life what to eat or drink…is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” God is saying hang on, there is more to life here than just eating and drinking, there are depths in me and in your lives when we are in him; He is saying that he is enough for you my sons and daughters.
Forgiveness
F orgiveness is a command and we have to forgive. How? Well, we start by making up our minds to forgive. We do this because the Lord requires it. Continue going to Him in prayer, even if it means asking someone who truly loves Jesus to pray with you about it and leave it there! It takes time but more importantly, make the decision to do so. Forgiveness is tied to prayer, plus the Bible tells us we wrestle not against people but against principalities. In the book Forgiveness, by Rodney Hogue, he writes about the process of forgiveness and in the process it tells you why we should forgive. Luke 17:4 tells us we ought to forgive. In Mark 4:31, the scriptures refers to having a grain of mustard seed, and when it is thrown in the ground, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is sown, its growth up “Obedience with faith can lead to the completion of forgiveness”.
While typing this book my thoughts flowed, what a great sense of accomplishment!
The world has its own ideas on what is success may be, but I ask you what is success? Is it having a nice family, a well decorated and spacious home, or an up to date car and or having an important job? No! It is having God’s joy with or without all of the above, even in the midst of what may feel like a war.
Being Real
I write this book because I believe I have something to share. With my husband being a diplomat, one might assume everything is going according to plan, but at times things don’t always go accordingly. Having to adjust in many ways in a new place, one has to meet others half way with where they are culturally.
I lower my chin with a little shame because I have not been patient enough while writing this book, one reason is, time. Knowing that I have only a certain amount of time before I collect my youngest from pre-school and knowing my husband’s job, which takes up all his time so he does not have the time to help me. But the Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7 ….in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Verse 7 states “And the peace of God, which eth all understanding, shall keep your (my) hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Why did I hang my head in shame? In James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptation; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. In verse 25 it says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” And verse 26 states, “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
This book is not only to help you embrace your calling, but it is also to empower you towards your calling. It will also help those who may not know as yet and if you are new to the faith it will encourage you. How will you and I be able to reach our calling? We do this by going on our knees with sincerity to God in prayer, which is what I did. I was ready to throw in the towel but, I have tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness Psalms 34.
I have been told so many times that my hands are full, but it should not be a burden, as a matter of fact, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30
Parenting
G oing back to a previous chapter in James 1:5-6 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith (child-like faith), nothing wavering.”
Based upon my experience, do not let anyone come into your home and pressure you to parent the way they did; they can only advise, unless you really do not know because of lack of experience. In addition, if you know Jesus and are filled with his Holy Spirit he can guide you; the Word says, “He can guide you into all truth” John 16:13. Not to say we don’t need help every now and again, because no man is an island, as a good parent follow your intuition. As parents, we do make mistakes and we learn from them, whether it is being too strict and having to loosen boundaries or too lenient and having to set boundaries. I fluctuated with being too strict and too lenient with my first two children. Being a good parent to me means spending time with my children, listening and being honest with them.
I have repented of the inconsistency of raising my first two children, and if you are reading this and think this sounds a bit familiar; say to the Lord, I am sorry, please forgive me. I can now balance my past experiences with raising my third child, in saying all of this, I still need God’s wisdom and guidance.
His Promise
I am so excited about what I am about to share, my God is greater than all. Moving on to God’s promise to me, just as Abraham left his kindred home, I moved from Milton Keynes, England when God gave me an insight into my future promise. Have you ever been promised a future you never thought of? I was in a nearby town, about a forty-minute drive called Northampton. It was a cold day when I stopped at an indoor café. I ordered a hot chocolate and found a vacant and comfortable seat. While I was sitting down, I saw people coming in and out of the supermarket. After my drink came, feeling chuffed and cozy, the thought of “Look at those fools” came to mind because they were busy as bees hurrying in and out of the supermarket. The thought of using the word fool, which is something I am not pleased with, because I was taught not to use the word fool, but I could say foolish. The next thing my eyes caught, was a red dress that was inside the window of a children’s clothing store, and I heard an inaudible girls name. Well that promise took ten years to fulfil. The start of the promise to be fulfilled started with two dreams, I had a few months before moving to India. In one of the dreams I was rock climbing in an indoor space. I had my two sons on my back and my daughter in my hands. It was difficult climbing the wall with the three of them. As I climbed the wall there was a pillar like you would see in a castle to the side of the wall. The next thing I did was to place my daughter on the top of the pillar. After I placed her on top of the pillar she sat on her knees. The next thing I knew was, I was standing on the ground and looked up and saw her sitting on the pillar. The thought that came to me was, “Why did I leave her up there?” I awoke from the dream. I later spoke to my mom and told her about the dream. She immediately asked me, “So did you go back and get her?” I replied, “I woke up.” In the second dream I had, I saw everything related to babies in the colour pink. I knew it was God’s way of communicating his promise to me. In the dream, something caught my eye, it was a good size pink baby blanket. When I saw the pink blanket, I kept pointing to it and I kept asking my husband Alex if he saw it was pink. His response to me was, “Are you sure?” Immediately, I awoke from the dream in disbelief with Alex because in the dream he could see it was pink. I awakened him and asked him, “How
could you have not seen that it was pink?”
While I was out shopping in a store called Mark & Spencer I was drawn to this neat cream dress with flowers, I picked it up bought it with the possibility of giving it away. We attended New Testament Church of God in Northampton. Mother Henry was my pastor’s mother-in law and in ing we would encourage each other. She was one of the prominent in the church. At this time as we were preparing to move to India, our church held a farewell service on our behalf. During the service she gave a word of encouragement to me and Alex. After she spoke and as she was handing over the microphone to the pastor, she said something along the lines of, “I can see something in your tummy.” I clearly my pastor’s reaction of surprise. He might have thought such a private issue should be shared when the expecting parents announce it. After all the speeches and encouraging words, Alex and I met between the altar and the pew, with Mother Henry who affirmed what she saw and Reverend Virginia, our assistant pastor, said “I saw it too, I was wondering if I was the only one seeing it.” Afterwards, Mother Henry said, “If it’s a girl name her Elizabeth.” My family and I spent almost four years in India at which time our daughter was born.
The most important thing is hearing God’s voice. What does it mean to hear God’s voice? It may be, that still small voice in your thought process, an audible voice, a gesture of kindness through another person, a song, and the scriptures. In this process of writing, I have been discovering more of myself from the minor intricate things to the major things. It is good to trust in Jesus, this is a key word that keeps coming up in my thoughts recently, he wants us to trust him!
Another Point of View
M elissa
Growing up in a Christian home my parents made it a priority to ensure that the Gospel was the center of our home. Our faith was not taken lightly, but was poured into every day. From having dinner and saying grace as a family to nightly prayers. I attended a youth service at my church that my parents had been attending since before they got married. As the youth pastor made the alter call to see more of God in our lives, I made my way up. As I prayed, I felt a hand on my shoulder as someone said a prayer over me. ‘God is a God of promise, He never fails, He always shows up on time, He listens to those who love him” is what I felt in my spirit as God’s presence was so strong. There were a couple words that sounded very loud and clear, “Melissa, no matter what you ask in my name, will be given through faith. Nothing is too big and this is your promise, says the Lord.” The presence was so strong, I couldn’t help myself but to see who was praying for me. As I turned around, no one was behind me. I went home that evening and I felt such a secure feeling on those words, but confused to how those words were spoken over me and with no one in sight behind me.
As a teenager, we ask God for crazy teenage things, but what I’ve learned about God throughout the years is that He meets you right where you are, no matter the age or how outrageous the request might be. As I made my requests growing up, I could clearly hear those words I heard at the alter. I started to see a pattern in my life that through that alter call and prayer, God had given me a specific promise that would sustain me in secure faith on who God is in my life moving forward. To this day, I hear those words so clear as my prayers go up. When we understand the power of prayer and what occurs through prayer, one can only desire to be in His presence to receive assurance on how grand God is. How has God spoken to you lately? What has been your rhema? A specific word from God that applies to us individually. I’m deeply in love with Psalms 46:10, “Be
still, and know that I am God”. God is always ready to release into us, it’s up to us to receive.
I strongly believe that prayer is the key to a strong relationship with God, not just knowing of Him but knowing Him personally, prayer is where that happens. I also do believe that what we carry from our previous generations and what our parents do as they guide us into adulthood is as important. I being a little girl in my pink decorated room. Many nights I woke up and would see my dad knelled at the end of my bed. I saying “my dad is a little crazy’ but as i got older, I realized what he was doing. He was covering me through prayer. We live in a world where sometimes we run out the house with the exact amount of minutes to get us to our jobs or destination. My dad would wake up every morning to make it to work by 5am, and to think this early in the morning, he still had time to pray for his family. The love of a father is so amazing! It really allows you to put this into perspective, the love of a earthly father can be so grand, how much more our Father in heaven. When was the last time you spoke to him? When was the last time you covered your family with the blood of Jesus through prayer? It’s never to late to start. He is always ready to hear from you and provide the best from above. He doesn’t have to bless us, but wants to bless us. Blessings to carry on from generation to generation.
Prayer is so powerful! As a Christian and coming from the household that I was raised in, I can’t stop but to thank God for the family he put me in. One day, my parents were obedient and sensitive to the voice of God and said “Yes’ to following him. Without their commitment to their faith and love for God, their family wouldn’t be who they are today. What a legacy they started! It’s never to late to start relationship building with the Father or start creating a legacy to leave for your future generations. This can start with one simple prayer and inviting God into your personal and family story. If you are already doing this, keep going, you are paving an extraordinary way, we never lose with Christ.
If you want your children’s’ faith to last, they need to see the Gospel as the center of the home. It can’t be just a small part of the routine a couple times
during the week; it must be an essential foundation each and everyday. I’m a living proof of this, my accomplishments, character, work ethics and much more has been instilled through someones prayers and keeping my personal relationship with Christ a priority and being intentional with it.
In my adult years I stepped into being a young entrepreneur, but before getting to this point, it has been a journey. In 2017, I took a trip to Israel with my family. I highly recommend a trip to Israel. It was such an impactful trip where my faith was taken deeper and the Bible came to life. One of the places we visited was the Western Wall. As I made my way towards the wall and observing my surrounding, I was in awe that people were so deep into their prayer. I saw tears, desperation and the urgency to hear of God. Here I was with a couple of prayer requests of friends and family I had collected from back home to take to the wall. Of course, my long list of my own requests didn’t stay behind. One of my prayer requests was “owning my business, in any areas that my heart was ionate on.” As I put my paper in a crease of the wall and began my prayer, I could hear the promise that was given to me as a teenager at the alter. However, still in the back of my mind, it wasn’t that I was lacking faith but I was not completely convinced that this huge list, I mean huge list, of many outrageous request would be granted from God. However, as I share parts of my life, I stick to the words I mentioned earlier, God meets you right where you are, no matter the age or how outrageous the request can be. I had always worked in the education field during my undergrad and graduate program, however, none of my degrees are in education, crazy huh? God has a way of making plans perfect when in the process it might not make sense, why I chose my majors would result in understanding later, keep following me. I was sitting at my preschool director desk one morning and received a call that would change my career path forever. That call took me back to the Western Wall where I had left a crazy request of being a business owner on day. I’m now an owner of a private preschool in one of the best areas in town. When God provides and blesses, expect greatness! Now on the flip side, back to my degrees, I was a psychology/sociology major undergrad and public relations/marketing in grad school, both those degrees I use in my career but also in one of the most important areas of my life, which is in ministry.
God’s love for his children is so grand and can be so mysterious. God will take you to places or through places that your mind can’t comprehend at the moment. Once you know God on a personal level, you start understanding His works. I’ve learned to not ask questions but instead ask God to lead me. , His ways are always good and will work for our good even when the situations are not so apparent, most of our blessings come in disguise.
I encourage you as you continue to read this book, ask God to speak a fresh word and allow you to see his wonders in every area of your life. Why do you call a friend “a friend?” because you’ve built a relationship with them, right? God is our friend and he desires to hear the good, bad and ugly (he already knows us) but wants to know you trust him in your vulnerability for His power to move and His name be uplifted. When we lift our prayers to him, he listens and is ready to show the grand God he is. Ready. Set. Go! He’s waiting! Prayer Up! I can’t wait for you to continue to experience God’s power or start through prayer life.
God’s Grace
I f you look closely you can see God’s grace from the beginning of the book to where we are. What is God’s grace? It is His unmerited favour meaning not something we deserve but something given to us.
I grew up hearing about God’s grace but somewhere along my Christian journey I had lost focus a bit. One of my favourite bible verses is Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” In verse 10 of the same chapter “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
I have listened to different Christian men and women teaching and preaching God’s word on grace and it is well and good. However, we are all coming from different walks of life and so we carry our own baggage and all of us are still learning to run our own course.
To say all of this I could write on many topics, but I only want to write what is meant to be on these pages, but we are all at different stages in life. In view of the above I gave an example of one scripture which I have heard being used over and over again. In Habakkuk 2:2 “And the Lord answered me, and said “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.” This is true but in order to run your own course, it takes faith in God. Another bible verse that has become famous is Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be open unto you.” Yes, this is also true but again you need to have faith in God and believe in what he has done on Cavalry’s cross; and that he rose again.
I do believe in sowing a financial seed pertaining to those who are God’s hands and feet, I have seen this work in my life. Throughout the scriptures there are men and women who have given into the ministry of God. I think it is very important. However, this too takes faith or belief in God without boasting of oneself as said in Ephesians 2:9 “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
All of the above are part of God’s toolbox which he has given us by His grace and mercies. To begin with I was very excited when God placed this book in my heart, it was at the time that I was working on another book about my culture and heritage. I was so excited to write this book about embracing your calling, that I had to put the other book on pause until there is time to re-visit it. He has his purpose for me to write this book and when I honour him in doing so, He will then honour my desires to write about my heritage. It truly amazes me how I find myself busy being at home taking care of my family, spending time with the Lord, reading His word, hearing his voice and writing daily devotionals. Don’t worry all these points will be linked shortly and you will see how all of these are related to one another.
In church, a sermon was preached on having childlike faith, in fact the bible verse was Matthew 18:3 “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” The words that sticks out to me here are ‘be converted’ meaning being transformed into a little child. Children are clever, but they love unconditionally, they trust easily and simply believe. Do you know the world has faith, but in what? I will explain. When one of my uncles was renewing his wedding vows, I was taking part and so I sat at the head table. I had gotten up from my chair to go to the ladies’ room when coming back to sit down, I saw one of my other uncles who was sitting on a chair. Walking up to my chair he saw me and asked how I was doing, the next thing I know, I heard a cracking noise and it was my uncle falling to the ground. My point is he had placed his faith in the chair and that it would be able to take his weight.
Yes, we all do this in our lives constantly, but this is how God wants us to
consistently trust him as we go about our daily lives. All of the above are tools. These include obedience, seed sowing, praying, forgiveness, to faith; healing and trust. The bible says in 1 Corinthians “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (love). St John 3:16 says “for God so loved the world he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal (everlasting) life.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrew 11:1. I just want to pause at ‘faith’, faith is the substance of things hoped for. I want to ask what is this substance? Is this substance Christ’s Agape Love? While we are waiting for the Agape Love to be fulfilled (be it myself or you) it will require patience.
What will cause patience to stand? Love, especially in Jesus’ love. Why do I say this? As emotions fluctuate one has to wait, I know because I have experienced it. I had very little outside help to get the book published but this morning, out of obedience, I knelt and prayed, and I felt the presence of the Lord, it is a nice warm feeling which I cannot fully explain. I will hold on to the presence of God and what he is empowering me to do as a writer.
I have been writing this book from an honest place, what do I mean? I shall explain. The world may perceive all is well because of what I have previously mentioned, but that is not the case. I was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2005. However, I believe I have something worth sharing and at some point, you do too. What I am typing is a very good example, this book will change lives in positive ways. Part of the calling God has on my life is sharing His Word, praying for others in my quiet time, all because of His love. With child-like faith I know the Lord can use me in the way he sees fit. Interestingly, the title of my very first published book is “Loves sees Her.” The book is about, a man who is in love with a young lady whose love eventually develops. Throughout their courtship she was not completely faithful, but through God’s loving kindness their love rekindled. I must say this process is repeated in our lives, as humans we too don’t always reciprocate God’s love to one another or to him.
I find the wonders of God’s goodness awesome when I think upon them. In all of this I see Christs’ love and I believe I have fallen in love with Him and yes, he is still teaching me about his tender love, which the world needs. I am amazed at the extent of what God has allowed me to write, as I did not know what was going to be on the pages, which can be daunting from a worlds’ perspective but knowing all of this the book will have a great impact.
Love really conquers all and that is why the word of God tells us it is the greatest out of the three, faith, hope and love. I once asked, “Is love a gift?” I do believe it is. We can receive the Agape Love of God if we simply yield to him. Yes, it is hard at times but every single time we yield to him, he will grant his love to us. My prayer is “Oh I want your Agape Love so please grant it to all of us my Lord Jesus in your precious name.” Amen.
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