Part of My Journey

 

The following are excerpts from a journal entryfrom November 2007:

I cannot fathom all that has happened-all that has occurred-both in the natural and in the supernatural.
 

It has been a long, dark night of the soul.  The presence of darkness, thick and pressing, to the point I thought I would not survive it…

But God…

           Is faithful

            Is a safe dwelling

            Is my shelter and strength

            My hiding place

He is persistent and relentless

and determined to see me through. 

               Praise His holy name. 

A few months ago I thought I would never be able to lift up my head, much less be able to stand up under the season of trials, adversity and warfare.  The presence of darkness wanted to consume me….

But God…

            Gave me what I needed each step of the way

            Withheld from me what I could not handle

            Did not give me what I was not ready for

Praise God.  Praise His holy and just Name.

I felt like God was farther and farther away. Did he hear me?  Did He see me?  Did He care that my heart was broken and torn to prices by those who “loved me”?  Did He see that the enemy snarled and spat at me? Did He hear my adversary continue to taunt and accuse me?  I felt so alone, wounded, beyond repair. 

I felt like I had been bitten and devoured---spiritually, mentally, emotionally….

But God….

Being rich in mercy and abounding in love

would speak to me….

He would sing over me…

words of encouragement and strength.

Sometimes through His word.

Sometime through a teaching,

Sometimes through a song, 

sometimes through a friend. 

Always at the right time, 

perfectly timed for my moment of need. 

I learned that God would sing over me by giving me a song that ministered to my broken heart.  And by faith I would receive the truth of the words He would sing to me. 

I did not “feel” the truth and I wondered if I could fully receive what he was speaking to me.  But by faith I received His comfort and encouragement. 

Even though I did not “feel” the truth, I chose to believe the truth. I would sing along in my car going and coming home from work…

and cry the tears of the pain I felt, or cry the tears of the questions still unanswered. 

Sometimes I just listened.   Sometimes I cried out to God, “Will I make it?”  
And God’s answer was this….

 

          You can make it through the storm

            You can make it through the rain

            You can make it through the trial

            You can make it through the pain

            And though you may not understand

            There is a purpose there’s a plan

            So while you worship

            You can make it through the storm

            The rain won’t last forever

            The sun will shine again

            And you’ll make it through just knowing

            That He is your friend

            The storm will make you stronger

            It drives you to your knees

            And only in His presence

            Can His glory be seen

I believed those words to be truth, but would they ever be my reality?

{Loving Jesus } by McKinley Heatherly

Today I am excited to share with you the God Story of a beautiful young woman in the Lord who I am pleased to call friend.  She makes me smile and my heart rejoices to see her seeking the One who has not only created her, but who has a God Sized purpose for her life.  

Please welcome Mc Kinley Heatherly

How I came to loving Jesus

Growing up, I had always believed in God, but had some doubt in Him. I was raised in church. Classic plays, the cute songs, and the Bible stories. Outside of church, my family always prayed before meals, and we had Bible story's read to us before we went to bed.

When I was about seven or eight, I remember me talking to my mom about being baptized. She quickly told our pastor at church, and he sat down with me and prayed with me that God would come into my life and change me. God kept trying to come into my life and change my life, but I was blocking him out, and soon I made my mind up that I wasn't "good enough" for God to change me.... That I had already hurt the world enough and that there was NO way to "Fix" me. So I gave up on Him.  

God kept trying to come into my life and change my life, but I was blocking him out, and soon I made my mind up that I wasn't "good enough" for God to change me....

In 2013, I decided that I wanted to follow the Lord, and I constantly prayed to God, hoping that he would give me another chance and that he would give me the wisdom needed  to ask Him into my Life. I asked Him to give me the courage to let Him in my life and to give me the hope to put my Faith and Trust in Him.  On August 25, 2013, I prayed to God that He would come into my life and to change me. I was tired of the old me, and I wanted to change how I lived my life.  That same day, I was baptized, and ever since that day I have had dramatic changes. That day, waters were stirred, and lives were changed.

My life changed from ignoring God to living a life "Jesus-filled."

But, there was a time in my life where, I didn't want my life anymore. I wanted to live my life on my own and I felt like I was slowly "loosing" my faith. I felt like I had let God down, and that what He had expected of me no longer mattered because I had already gave up on Him. Everyone told me that my faith was stronger than that, and that it would come through and end up back on top. And sure enough, it did. 

Today, I know that Jesus Christ is My Lord and Savior. God is my safe haven. I know that I don't have to "earn" my way into heaven, because Jesus has already paid the price for me, by dying on the cross for me. I don't have to worry about not "fitting in", because God loves me even with all of my imperfections. He loves me no matter what. 

As a Christian, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by what I have to overcome in life. But my attitude quickly changes when I’m reminded that God desires us to live a life filled with His power. And I believe that we often miss out on what God has in store for us because we miss out on the power He has given us through His son Jesus. 

God's Power is unlimited, and He wants us to experience His power at work in our lives. Don't go another day living under the weight of your need. Seek God. Call on His Son Jesus Christ today. He has the power to heal you, and He has the power to change your life.

Were called to be over comers. God doesn't require us to over comers. Jesus already overcame for us. 

I know that I am not sinless, but I hold fast to faith in Christ until the end. 

I will no longer turn away when life gets hard. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 says,  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

This past year, I have become a much stronger Christian. Inside of  school,  I knew that I would need God by  my side at the Early College for the next four years.  In September 2014, I decided to start my own Christian group, where all Christians could come together and Worship The Lord. I enjoyed leading Mosaic (Making Ourselves Alive In Christ), this past year. I hope that we will have a even greater outcome this coming fall.

My life changed from ignoring God to living a life "Jesus-filled."

Outside of school, God has given me the courage to Praise and Worship Him even more, by singing on Sunday morning's at church. The first time I went up there to sing, I was nervous (Very Nervous). Nervous about, if my family at church, would see me differently than they did before. After singing that Sunday, I knew that there would be many more times that I would want to Worship God, by singing to Him. I used to be that quite girl that never listened to the pastor's message and wouldn't open my mouth to Praise God. But today, I am probably one of the loudest singers there, and I constantly take notes when the Pastor is Preaching.

I am very blessed to be the Christian that I am today, but I know that I could be better. I pray to God everyday that each day I will become a even stronger Christian than I was the day before. 

 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.                                                                                                                                                                                       -Galatians 2:20

You can find McKinley on Facebook and over at Life Under the Sunset.