I pray you and yours are doing well. I am doing wonderful, thanks to my good, good Father in Heaven. Next month will mark the one-year anniversary since I rededicated my life to Christ; I first got saved around the ages of 8-9 but did not really understand what that really meant. Years went by and I backslid, attended Church on Sundays but did not live the life God desired for me throughout the week. My life got rerouted back to God's track last year due to a series of events and an encounter with a man of God. When I confessed my sins and accepted Christ into my heart while in my bed that night, I wish I'd have remembered to mark the date down, but I do remember that this significant moment in my life happened in August 2015. Would have been nice to be one of those Christians who can tell you the day, date, time, and location when they accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. In this post, I'd like to share the blessings and lessons I have experienced in this past year as a young woman fiercely seeking God's own heart.
Dealing With Temptations
Temptations - so this is something I thought I would not have to deal with after I gave my life to Christ. I was wrong. Even Christians deal with temptation and I believe the devil puts in overtime with us Christians because these are folks that desire a life that honors God and that's a threat to the enemy's kingdom. Being that I desire a life that honors God with my words, thoughts, deeds, and body, I am fiercely seeking a life of purity. Even though I may not be having sex in any form, masturbating, watching pornography, the enemy still presents things and people that will indulge me to lust. For example, I have had to deal with temptation with a man (man who loves the Lord also) to the point whereby we would have dishonored God, ourselves, and our future spouses. Being that we are Christians, the enemy manipulated with our minds that it is completely innocent for us to do anything - that is a lie. To be a young, single Christian woman in this hypersexualized world, it is important to set boundaries and be honest with oneself. I may stay clear of interactions or environments that could foster temptations but the enemy still finds ways to manipulate situations and to attack our purity. In the past, I used to think that God is testing me that is why I am put in certain situations but as my relationship with God grows, I have come to know that No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13. After dealing with the temptations and repenting from them, I have seen how God has kept me clear from that happening again. But that only happened when I came humbly to God, seeking for a change and a way out, and expressing my desire for a righteous life free from that stronghold. Additionally, me and this guy submitted to authority at Church and followed through with the godly counsel received.
Setting Boundaries
Like I previously talked about dealing with temptations, one way to tackle them is by setting boundaries. This is something I am learning to do. In the youth ministry, we have been talking a lot about moral boundaries this Summer. When I gave my life to Christ last year, I did not fully comprehend what boundaries meant. But as I continue to seek God, He is revealing to me the importance of setting boundaries. Relating to my previous example of dealing with temptation, I acknowledged that I gave the enemy leeway to attack mine and his purity by not setting boundaries. As a woman desiring a husband who loves God and to have a marriage that honors God, what boundaries do I have now in this single season of my life? Besides abstaining from sex in any form, my heart must be guarded from men I come in contact with, I cannot use my guy friends to serve as boyfriend when it is convenient, give or accept privileges from a man that I'm not in a courtship with, as well as be in an isolated space with someone of the opposite sex. Setting boundaries sets the pace for the life I live. Remembering that God is the author of those things in my heart, those boundaries I set. They must not be compromised. I am learning to set boundaries in different areas of my life: in family and friendships, my words and actions, my thoughts, social media interactions, how I carry myself and body image, etc. I can set a long list of boundaries for many things but I have to constantly remember that all this will be accomplished when I rely on God for wisdom and direction. A few weeks before I indulged into temptation from the enemy, I had written down boundaries relating to it but I still did not follow through because I was relying on my own strength rather than on God. As it says in Philippians 1:9-11, And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. I can write as many boundaries on paper but I have come to realize that until I surrender to God, that is when these boundaries are enforced. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57. How great it is to know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8.
In this season of my life, I'm trusting God to fully reveal to me my purpose, build my career, as well as reveal the husband He has created for me to do life with. With respect to purpose, I know God has given me a caring heart and desire to serve others. I'll be honest with you and say I do not have a full picture yet of what my purpose in life is but I know God has put me in the path to it. God has given me a passion for ministry, children and the youth, girls/women, service and leadership, public speaking - I believe that my life's purpose lies within these things. To the world, I may be all over the place because I am passionate about so many things, some that are completely unrelated to others, but I know there's a purpose behind it all. If you would have asked me 5 years ago where I'll be in my career today, I'd say I see myself growing in my career as a mining engineer and on the path to being a CEO of a mining company. But if you ask me now, I'd tell you with an honest heart and say I do not what my future holds in my career as a mining engineer. The reason is I have been through different seasons in my life over the past 5 years that it has made me realize that I need to be in full submission to God for what He desires for my life. My passion is still there for mining and working in the industry but God has rerouted my steps in so many ways that I just do not know where I'll go next during this season of my life as a mining engineer. I may not know if I'll be that mining CEO I dreamed of, but I know that God is in charge and He'll put me where He'll get all the glory. I am trusting God's perfect time. The third thing I am learning to trust God on this past year has been revealing my husband to me. I'm going to be vulnerable and let you know that I am still learning how to do this. After rededicating my life to Christ, I have crossed paths with some men of God and gotten to know them but being that I desire marriage, I have hastily thought of them as "the one." So far, I have been wrong about them all. Now, I am relying on God that when it's His time, He will reveal the one to me that I will have no doubts in my mind when he finds me. But in the meantime while I wait on God's best for me, I have made my husband part of my prayer life; over the past year, I have been praying for my future husband, lifting him up to be the man of God He was created to be and covering Him under God's protection everyday. Waiting on God's best has not been easy but I have heard and seen testimonies of women and men who desired godly spouses and God showed himself faithful and now I see the beautiful unions they have which glorifies God. I want that and I know God will do it for me at His perfect time. As it says in Ecclesiastes 3:1, There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Praying and Fasting Continually
Since I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, my prayer life has improved significantly. Praying is no longer going on my knees and talking with God when I need help or saying a memorized prayer before going to bed. Now, prayer is talking with my Father in Heaven at any time and any place. I have learned that prayer isn't only done when you need help from God. My goal is that communing with God is the most consistent thing I do every day and that involves praying: talking with God when I wake up and before getting out of bed, when I get in my car or while I drive, seeking God for wisdom when making decisions, as well as asking Him for peace when I get anxious, fearful, or upset. One conscious decision I made is that when I say I'm going to pray for folks, I do it immediately; when God lays it on my heart to pray for someone, I do it immediately, even when it's for folks I barely know or haven't kept in touch with for a while. With respect to fasting, since I went to Nigeria this past December, I made the resolution to fast at least twice a month. If you followed this blog some months ago, you will recall that I had documented my 40+-day fast. As I grow in my faith, I have come to see how fasting builds up my spirit man; fasting is not about showing God how dedicated you are as a Christian or trying to convince Him to give you something because He will do it in His perfect timing; fasting is for us the body of Christ to be edified with God's Word and to kill our fleshly desires. I fast with purpose, to get clarity on things, I seek God on specific questions and surely He sees me through or leads me towards a path that will provide the answer.
God bless you.
Jesus loves you.
Restored woman living for God's Glory,
Ruby B. Johnson.
Have you given your heart to God? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal savior? If you die today, will you make it to Heaven? If no or you are unsure, do not waste any more time and receive salvation now.
