I pray you and yours are doing well. I am doing awesome, thanks to my 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.
Abiding in God's Everlasting Love
Knowing that God loves me so much that He sent His only Son to die for my sins and for Him to restore me even when I turned my back on Him for most years of my life always leaves me in awe. To fully understand the depths of the grace we receive from God is a wonderful thing. Each and every day I am coming to understand the core of God's grace for us: His love for us. Sometimes I reflect on what my life was before I made the conscious decision to live a life honorable in His sight, and all I can say is thank you Lord for loving me, not turning His back on me even when I turned mine on Him. Each and everyday I understand nuggets of God's abundant and everlasting love for us. In this past year, I reflect on so many things that have happened and I see manifestations of God's love all over it. God truly is love. As Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 3:16-19, I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Understanding Joy and Peace from God
For 24 years of my life, I thought I knew what it meant to have joy and peace. I truly get to understand what those words mean now through the help of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Honestly if you have never felt it, I may unsuccessful in you comprehending this portion of my experience in Christ. After I gave my life to Christ, I became filled with joy. This joy was freedom, I felt empty and clear of worries. I was fearless. The enemy steals our joy by overwhelming us with worries and anxiety but the moment I realized that God is in charge and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. Knowing all that makes me smile even when I am in the middle of chaos. Don't get me wrong, there are times I fall for the enemy's tricks but I always go back to what the Word of God says about me and my future, and that restores my joy. I have always been the type of person who likes to know what is happening now and what's to come and when I don't have that, it drives me crazy. Over the past year, God has taken care of it. Even in times of confusion and raucous, I abide in the peace Christ left us. I'll admit, there are times I'd be peaceful in situations and question my temperament because I am amazed at how calm I'll am. These are the moments that I know that my God is truly at work and He's in control. One of my favorite scriptures is Philippians 4:7, which may explain this feeling best. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Reading and Living by the Bible
One of my favorite folks from TV that I enjoy watching his sermons is Evangelist Marcus Lamb, Founder of Daystar. I have always admired his knowledge of the Word and how he has memorized so many scriptures in the Bible and can say so many verses word-for-word! That is one of my goals, to be able to recite as many scriptures as possible. However I realized that there was one problem with this ambition of mine: I memorize the scriptures but barely understand them. Some months ago, I made the conscious decision to fully meditate on the scriptures and allow God to interpret them to me. To God be the glory, God has been putting several scriptures on my heart and I have been allowing Him to interpret them to me. With these scriptures, I'd meditate on them for weeks or months. The latest scripture God put on my heart is Isaiah 55:8-12, previously it was Romans 12:2; prior to that it was 1 Corinthians 10:31, John 10:10, Isaiah 43:4, and Jeremiah 31:3. All these scriptures have been very timely with respect to the seasons I am in life. For instance, lately I started feeling that I had things figured out in certain areas of my life, but God being omniscient revealed to me that His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are greater as He says in Isaiah 55:8-9; He is showing me that He's in control of my life, and now my prayer is that my thoughts will be His thoughts and I will have the mind of Christ at all times.
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 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.
Serving and Doing Kingdom Work
A month after I rededicated my life to Christ, God placed me in the youth ministry and in the past 9 months, I know that I'm in the right place at the right time. God has been using me in this ministry to serve and sow seeds into these young lives. These teens are dealing with real and relevant issues, some I experienced and some I did not at their age. Therefore I am constantly seeking God's guidance for wisdom as well as being blessed with an anointed man of God as youth pastor and serving with a great team of youth leaders at our Church. In this time of serving, I have served as a mentor to amazing girls who love the Lord in the 7th and 8th grade in a Christian mentoring program called Ladies Into Priceless Standards (LIPS). Youth ministry may be the only ministry God has ordained for me or He may lead me to other ministries, but in this time I praise God that He has been using me for His glory in the body of Christ. I am very passionate about the youth and I pray that they grow in faith and faithfulness. These teens are the future of the body of Christ and the direction the Church or nations go highly depends on how the character of the youth is built today.
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, in no way do I have this whole Christian thing figured out during this past year of being in Christ, but I am at peace that I don't have to do anything in my own strength anymore but I can rely on Him and when I fall, I know His grace will pick me right back up. I won't say I have attained the status of that Proverbs 31 woman yet, but by God's grace I will get there. The scripture below was shared to me by a pastor I was on a flight with from Lagos to London this past January which continually blesses me. This scripture has been my life goal as a Christian and I believe is the root of what it means to be a woman or man fiercely seeking God's own heart. I pray this scripture blesses you and that you meditate on it as well. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, Ephesians 1:17-18.
One of my favorite folks from TV that I enjoy watching his sermons is Evangelist Marcus Lamb, Founder of Daystar. I have always admired his knowledge of the Word and how he has memorized so many scriptures in the Bible and can say so many verses word-for-word! That is one of my goals, to be able to recite as many scriptures as possible. However I realized that there was one problem with this ambition of mine: I memorize the scriptures but barely understand them. Some months ago, I made the conscious decision to fully meditate on the scriptures and allow God to interpret them to me. To God be the glory, God has been putting several scriptures on my heart and I have been allowing Him to interpret them to me. With these scriptures, I'd meditate on them for weeks or months. The latest scripture God put on my heart is Isaiah 55:8-12, previously it was Romans 12:2; prior to that it was 1 Corinthians 10:31, John 10:10, Isaiah 43:4, and Jeremiah 31:3. All these scriptures have been very timely with respect to the seasons I am in life. For instance, lately I started feeling that I had things figured out in certain areas of my life, but God being omniscient revealed to me that His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are greater as He says in Isaiah 55:8-9; He is showing me that He's in control of my life, and now my prayer is that my thoughts will be His thoughts and I will have the mind of Christ at all times.
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 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.
Serving and Doing Kingdom Work
A month after I rededicated my life to Christ, God placed me in the youth ministry and in the past 9 months, I know that I'm in the right place at the right time. God has been using me in this ministry to serve and sow seeds into these young lives. These teens are dealing with real and relevant issues, some I experienced and some I did not at their age. Therefore I am constantly seeking God's guidance for wisdom as well as being blessed with an anointed man of God as youth pastor and serving with a great team of youth leaders at our Church. In this time of serving, I have served as a mentor to amazing girls who love the Lord in the 7th and 8th grade in a Christian mentoring program called Ladies Into Priceless Standards (LIPS). Youth ministry may be the only ministry God has ordained for me or He may lead me to other ministries, but in this time I praise God that He has been using me for His glory in the body of Christ. I am very passionate about the youth and I pray that they grow in faith and faithfulness. These teens are the future of the body of Christ and the direction the Church or nations go highly depends on how the character of the youth is built today.
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.
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