Sooooo happy and proud of my friend, my sister, my WSSU alum, Carolyn “Cookey” Johnson, who has blessed us with a beautiful guest blog! It is wonderful! Thanks to Cookey for sharing her heart!
JUNE 18, 2016
Effectual Calling...Even Me
I felt so honored when Lisa Cherry Ballance asked me to share a word of Inspiration to her readers on her Unique and Amazing Blog…”The Cherry Vine”. It truly has blessed me and I am so happy that the Lord has His hands wrapped securely around her, His good and faithful servant.
When the Holy Spirit allows you to minister Words of encouragement, it is usually for you first. I have not always had confidence in myself and have recently, in my older age, gained what I call “Godfidence”. The fact that God Himself stepped into my life and directly wrapped me in His Amazing arms, as I suffered pain in my life that would probably make a weak Christian throw in the towel. I was a Sunday and Wednesday night church hopper. I had nooooo idea how much God loved me and that everything that happened in my life was pre-destined by the Lord. There was no way possible that I could learn everything about the Word of God nor the Father’s purpose and plans for my life going to church two days a week. I started studying, reading, and living the Word for the last 8 years and counting into the Kingdom.
I went through two divorces and sold a mega-business that was prosperous to move over 3000 miles from my home in NC to Los Angeles, CA. to obey the call of God over my life. My family and friends that had always supported me over the years literally dropped me like a hotcake after things did not go as well for me as I thought they should. But, how many of you have experienced that God’s timing and purpose does not always line up with our own?
To make a long story short, for the last 8 years my life has turned from blessed to stressed, bruised, broken, and just HORRIFIC! While all this has been happening, I still kept my Faith in the Promises of God and I had to continue to Encourage people who gave up on me. You would be surprised how family and friends turn on you if they think you have been down on your luck long enough. The fact that they refer to your longsuffering as Luck is a joke. They also think the devil is punishing you for something. Somewhat like Job’s friends did him when God allowed the devil to take from him. I am a living witness to tell all of you who are reading this and might be going through a difficult time, it is Not always the devil who is coming at you. The Lord sometimes will use you as a Sacrifice to reveal the Hearts of those closest, nearest, and dearest to you. They are the ones who actually fail the test with God. He sits High and truly Looks low—there is nothing that we can get past God.
It is imperative, my friends, that whatever it is that you are going through…Count it all Joy. (James 1:2-8). Have “Godfidence” in our Agape, Unconditional Loving God and know that He Never leaves or forsakes us, no matter what it looks like. Trust God and Believe in your heart, confess Jesus is Lord and coast right into His Kingdom…It is ETERNAL! Philippians 4:13