A month ago I made choices that were deeply rooted in faith.
I took a road trip alone to a friend's house on Thanksgiving day. I travel alone all the time from Orlando to Miami to visit family, but this trip was different. Upon my arrival I received a warm welcome that would lead to many more wonderful shared moments of fellowship and faith.
On my trip I met a resilient woman of faith. A woman that has walked with the Lord for quite some time and knows Him on a personal level. She shared how the Lord sustained her through some of the most difficult circumstances of her life. She confronted cut throat moments of life and death situations that screamed the loudest fears in her face, but her trust in God helped her chose faith over fear. I'm eternally grateful to my Lord for the time spent with this soldier of faith and as the word of God says in Proverbs 27:17 , "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another", and God knows why He brings people into our lives. This fellowship would prepare me for things to come...
When I got back home I realized how some of my fears were keeping me stagnant and comfortable. That is because when we are comfortable we become stagnant.
As a Christian woman of faith I know that God doesn't care for me to be comfortable. My God is a God of growth and a God of risk.
When Moses would no longer lead His people in the wilderness, the Lord God called out Joshua to lead the Israelite people and He said to Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous", the Lord spoke and commanded Joshua to not be dismayed and to not be afraid and throughout the book of Joshua chapter 1, He reinforces to Joshua that fear is not an option.
One of the things God had placed in my heart was to venture out on my own and get my place. Again, I was way too comfortable and thought of a million reasons why staying under my family's care was a more safe option. The thing was that God no longer wanted me to continue depending on my safety net. And so when I got back I decided to be obedient and start seeking for a place. Of course the first thing I was afraid to do was to start looking for a place because the areas of town I liked were out of my budget. BUT God provided an affordable place in a neighborhood where rent runs almost $200-$500 above what I found... I had a place within a week.
The medication was strong. It caused anxiety and increased my insulin levels. I was awake everyday by 5:00 AM. It made me gain 10 lbs in 2 weeks and caused severe joint pain. I decided to cut the medication once I had felt the inflammation in the ear nerve get better, but during this time I suffered memory loss, anxiety, dehydration and jittery feelings.
I also missed 2 weeks of work, my friend's wedding and spent Christmas and New Year's Eve in Orlando alone because I had no time off and no health conditions to visit my family.
However, despite all the hurdles, the fear and the doubts... I made the choice to step out in faith and I moved out. I knew I was facing a new health condition, but I also knew I where my faith was placed. It was time to practice what I have been preaching.
During the days to come, alone in my new apartment, I submerged into worship and prayer. Matthew 7:7 says, "if you seek you will find and if you knock the door will be opened". And so I knocked and the door was opened!
I felt God's presence and His sweet embrace like I hadn't felt in a while. It got personal, it was new and it was the most real and tangible way I had ever experienced GOD almighty.
In the middle of the discomfort He was there holding me and loving me. The day I missed my friend's wedding I found myself surrounded by beautiful women of faith and one of them spoke out loud the feelings of comfort I had been experiencing through prayer. She said God had been holding me like a baby. I was His beloved child. She also had seen that my mind was a mess (she did not know about my medication, but the Holy Spirit revealed these things to her - 1 Corinthians 2:15)...
The Lord God will not turn away in my moments of need. NO, NEVER. The word of God says that He will never leave us nor will He forsake us.
I took a road trip alone to a friend's house on Thanksgiving day. I travel alone all the time from Orlando to Miami to visit family, but this trip was different. Upon my arrival I received a warm welcome that would lead to many more wonderful shared moments of fellowship and faith.
On my trip I met a resilient woman of faith. A woman that has walked with the Lord for quite some time and knows Him on a personal level. She shared how the Lord sustained her through some of the most difficult circumstances of her life. She confronted cut throat moments of life and death situations that screamed the loudest fears in her face, but her trust in God helped her chose faith over fear. I'm eternally grateful to my Lord for the time spent with this soldier of faith and as the word of God says in Proverbs 27:17 , "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another", and God knows why He brings people into our lives. This fellowship would prepare me for things to come...
When I got back home I realized how some of my fears were keeping me stagnant and comfortable. That is because when we are comfortable we become stagnant.
As a Christian woman of faith I know that God doesn't care for me to be comfortable. My God is a God of growth and a God of risk.
When Moses would no longer lead His people in the wilderness, the Lord God called out Joshua to lead the Israelite people and He said to Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous", the Lord spoke and commanded Joshua to not be dismayed and to not be afraid and throughout the book of Joshua chapter 1, He reinforces to Joshua that fear is not an option.
One of the things God had placed in my heart was to venture out on my own and get my place. Again, I was way too comfortable and thought of a million reasons why staying under my family's care was a more safe option. The thing was that God no longer wanted me to continue depending on my safety net. And so when I got back I decided to be obedient and start seeking for a place. Of course the first thing I was afraid to do was to start looking for a place because the areas of town I liked were out of my budget. BUT God provided an affordable place in a neighborhood where rent runs almost $200-$500 above what I found... I had a place within a week.
Within a week of finding my the apartment I became very sick.
3 doctors, 2 urgent care visits and a Specialist visit later I was diagnosed with (SSH) sudden sensorineural hearing loss. If you click on the link you will find the description and symptoms. The worse was probably the dizziness and vertigo. When the nerve between the ear and my brain became damaged I experienced vertigo and dizziness. I spent an entire day sick to my stomach and laying on a couch unable to hold up a conversation because the ringing in my ear (tinnitus), nausea, vertigo and vomiting were severe. The following day when I attended to go see the specialist I required assistance walking. Needless to say, I was petrified of the idea of moving out on my own facing these conditions. However, I understood the reason of my trip over Thanksgiving and knew that God was calling me out in faith. He was calling me to fully and blindly trust Him 100%... fear was not an option.I will not lie or hide from you my human weakness. I cried and I had moments where I felt despair.
The medication was strong. It caused anxiety and increased my insulin levels. I was awake everyday by 5:00 AM. It made me gain 10 lbs in 2 weeks and caused severe joint pain. I decided to cut the medication once I had felt the inflammation in the ear nerve get better, but during this time I suffered memory loss, anxiety, dehydration and jittery feelings.
I also missed 2 weeks of work, my friend's wedding and spent Christmas and New Year's Eve in Orlando alone because I had no time off and no health conditions to visit my family.
However, despite all the hurdles, the fear and the doubts... I made the choice to step out in faith and I moved out. I knew I was facing a new health condition, but I also knew I where my faith was placed. It was time to practice what I have been preaching.
BUT God was with me through it all!
During the days to come, alone in my new apartment, I submerged into worship and prayer. Matthew 7:7 says, "if you seek you will find and if you knock the door will be opened". And so I knocked and the door was opened!
I felt God's presence and His sweet embrace like I hadn't felt in a while. It got personal, it was new and it was the most real and tangible way I had ever experienced GOD almighty.
In the middle of the discomfort He was there holding me and loving me. The day I missed my friend's wedding I found myself surrounded by beautiful women of faith and one of them spoke out loud the feelings of comfort I had been experiencing through prayer. She said God had been holding me like a baby. I was His beloved child. She also had seen that my mind was a mess (she did not know about my medication, but the Holy Spirit revealed these things to her - 1 Corinthians 2:15)...
The Lord God will not turn away in my moments of need. NO, NEVER. The word of God says that He will never leave us nor will He forsake us.
Take a Risk!
I don't know what risk means to you. What has God called you to do in faith? Is having faith something difficult for you? Does believing in a God you cannot rationalize, see or fully understand make you skeptical to the idea of embracing faith?
I encourage you to believe. I 100% assure you that believing in God will not leave you empty handed. We will never be exempt from pain and suffering, but placing your faith in God means you will never again have to face a thing in your life alone.
Whatever you faced in 2018 cannot compare to what God has prepared for 2019. Walk in faith and believe what the word of God say in Romans 8:28- And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.
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