Six months ago, I was a different person.

I was not strong in my convictions, had no sense of boundaries, nor did I have a sense of direction in my life. Now, I am a changed woman of the Lord Almighty. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”~2 Corinthians 5:17~ 

Several months ago, I did not stand up for the conviction that I have that Jesus is Lord and Savior of my life. My family, who are not followers of Jesus, constantly mocked, criticized, and even tried to convince me several times that I was, “crazy,” and that my convictions were false. Then, I gave into their arguments, but still believed deep in my heart that Jesus is Lord of my life. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.”~2 Corinthians 3:5~

 I realized that I had to do something about how harshly my family treated me: I set a boundary with them in which I have not communicated with them for several months. Not talking to them for this period has granted me peace of God and this realization: that my convictions are very personal and are not only a reflection of who I am, but of the woman that God has called me to become for the rest of my life. “Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”~Proverbs 31:30~

After setting the boundary in place, I decided to set two goals in my life: to get my Master’s degree in Global Studies from Liberty University and to lose weight By 2017. I made these two decisions myself without my family interfering because I chose to listen to the voice of God rather than trust human understanding. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thine ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”~Proverbs 3:5-6~

God has been sovereign, in this respect, in that He has directed my paths by ordering every step toward the future He has planned for me as a missionary to my family (who I hope will one day receive Jesus in their lives), Clarkston, and the world. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.”~Psalm 37:23~

Despite the pain and suffering that I have been through with my family, I am stand firm in the conviction that my life in Christ Jesus is the reason of why I am shaped into the woman of God that I am today. Death has no power over me because Jesus Christ already won with His precious blood covering my life in His resurrection and protection. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”~1 Corinthians 15:55-57~

I now know, with all of the conviction in my heart, that as I continue to trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, that God’s plans for my future are great. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”~Jeremiah 29:11~

Thank you for reading this blog post. Be blessed and pray for me! 🙂